Silyl enol ethers conjugate addition reactions

The scope of the conjugate addition reaction can be further expanded by use of Lewis acids in conjunction with enolate equivalents, especially silyl enol ethers and silyl ketene acetals. The adduct is stabilized by a new bond to the Lewis acid and products are formed from the adduct. 

Conditions for effecting conjugate addition of neutral enolate equivalents such as silyl enol ethers in the presence of Lewis acids have been developed and are called Mukaiyama-Michael reactions. Trimethylsilyl enol ethers can be caused to react with electrophilic alkenes by use of TiCl4. These reactions proceed rapidly even at -78° C.308... 

A number of other chiral catalysts can promote enantioselective conjugate additions of silyl enol ethers, silyl ketene acetals, and related compounds. For example, an oxazaborolidinone derived from allothreonine achieves high enantioselectivity in additions of silyl thioketene acetals.323 The optimal conditions for this reaction also include a hindered phenol and an ether additive. 

This reaction is extended to the intramolecular ring closure of the intermediate radical 224 with olefinic or trimethylsilylacetylenic side chains [121]. Cu(BF4)2 is also effective as an oxidant (Scheme 89) [122]. Conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to 2-eyclopenten-l-one followed by cyclopropanation of the resulting silyl enol ethers gives the substituted cyclopropyl silyl ethers, which are oxidized to 4-substituted-2-cyclohexen-l-ones according to the above-mentioned method [123]. (Scheme 88 and 89)... 

Conjugate reduction.1 This stable copper(I) hydride cluster can effect conjugate hydride addition to a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, with apparent utilization of all six hydride equivalents per cluster. No 1,2-reduction of carbonyl groups or reduction of isolated double bonds is observed. Undesirable side reactions such as aldol condensation can be suppressed by addition of water. Reactions in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane result in silyl enol ethers. The reduction is stereoselective, resulting in hydride delivery to the less-hindered face of the substrate. 

Use of TMSCl in combination with HMPA, DMAP, or TMEDA all favored 1,2-addition over 1,4-addition. Sequential a-alkoxyalkylcuprate conjugate addition, enolate trapping with TMSCl, and silyl enol ether alkylation provides a one-pot synthesis of tetrahydrofurans (Scheme 3.35) [129]. Cyclic enones afford as-fused tetrahydrofurans, while acyclic systems give complex mixtures of diastereomers. a-Alkoxyalkylcopper reagents also participate in allylic substitution reactions with ammonium salts [127]. 

Addition of Lewis acids may not only accelerate the reaction rate of a conjugate addition but may also alter the stereochemical outcome of a cuprate addition. Interestingly when the 6-t-butyl-substituted cyclohexenone derivative 17 was exposed to dibutylcuprate, followed by silylation of the resulting enolate, the cis enol ether 18 was obtained (Scheme 6.3) [8]. If, however, the cuprate addition was performed in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane, the stereochemical outcome of the conjugate addition reaction was reversed to give trans enol ether 19. 

The conjugate addition of bis(iodozincio)methane to -unsaturated carbonyl compound gives y-zincio substituted enolate. As shown in equation 31, bis(iodozincio)methane reacts with. v-cis a,/3-unsaturated ketone in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane to afford the silyl enol ether carrying a C—Zn bond. These zinc-substituted silyl enolates can be used for further coupling reactions (equation 32)54. 

The combinations of chlorotrimethylsilane-hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA) or chlorotrimethylsi-lane-4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) are also powerful accelerants for copper(I)-catalyzed Grignard conjugate additions,33 and stoichiometric organocopper and homocuprate additions (Scheme 21 ).36 However, these reactions must be performed in tetrahydrofuran instead of ether.37 These procedures are noted for their high yields with stoichiometric quantities of Grignard reagents, excellent chemoselectivity and efficiency with a,3-unsaturated amides and esters and enals.58 Typically, additions to enals proceed via the S-trans conformers to afford stereo-defined silyl enol ethers for example, enals (122) and (124) give the ( )-silyl enol ether (123) and (Z)-silyl enol ether (125), respectively. 

However, the presence of an alkene exo to the chain 40 stops the reaction, presumably because the 120° angle holds the ends too far apart. The solution is conjugate addition of an amine 41 the acyloin then works well 42 and the synthesis of the flavouring compound corylone 43 is completed simply by a silica column.7 Hydrolysis of the silyl enol ethers leads to elimination of Me2NH under the slightly acidic conditions. 

Annelation-ring cleavage.1 A bifunctional reagent with an acetal and an allylsi-lane group can be used for annulation of silyl enol ethers to six- and seven-membered carbocycles (equation I).2 The reaction involves conjugate addition to give an adduct that undergoes intramolecular cyclization. 

If the 1,5-diearbonyl compound is required, then an aqueous work-up with either acid or base cleaves the silicon-oxygen bond in the product but the value of silyl enol ethers is that they can undergo synthetically useful reactions other than just hydrolysis. Addition of the silyl enol ether derived from aeetophenone (PhCOMe) to a disubstituted enone promoted by titanium tetrachloride is very rapid and gives the diketone product in good yield even though a quaternary carbon atom is created in the conjugate addition, This is a typical example of this very powerful class of conjugate addition reactions. 

The mechanism can be drawn in a more concise form as shown in the frame. This gives the essence of the reaction but the details of the transfer of the TiX3 and SiMe3 groups are not shown and are in any case uncertain. The C-SiMe3 group survived the mild basic treatment that cleaved the silyl enol ether formed by initial conjugate addition. 

It is even possible to use a silyl enol ether to create a new C-C bond that joins two new quaternary centres. In this example the silyl ketene acetal does conjugate addition on an unsaturated ketone catalysed by the usual Lewis acid (TiCl4) for such reactions. 

The silyl enol ether that is the initial product from conjugate addition of a silyl enol ether or silyl ketene acetal need not be hydrolysed but can also be used in aldol reactions. This example uses trityl perchlo-... 

First, chemoselective (Chapter 24) conjugate addition of the silyl ketene acetal on the enone is preferred to direct aldol reaction with the aldehyde. Then an aldol reaction of the intermediate silyl enol ether on the benzaldehyde follows. The stereoselectivity results, firstly, from attack of benzalde-hyde on the less hindered face of the intermediate silyl enol ether, which sets the two side chains trans on the cyclohexanone, and, secondly, from the intrinsic diastereoselectivity of the aldol reaction (this is treated in some detail in Chapter 34). This is a summary mechanism. 

If the enol component is an aldehyde, none of these methods will do and enamines or silyl enol ethers are the best choice. Enamines are excellent nucleophilic components and the iminium ion that is formed in die conjugate addition can provide the electrophilic component in a cydization reaction. Acid-catalysed hydrolysis of the f) amino-ketone liberates the amine that was used to form... 

---