Simple Michael Additions

Acceptor-substituted alkenes that are employed as substrates in Michael additions include 

Beyond the scope discussed so far, Michael additions also include additions of stoichio-metrically generated enolates of ketones, SAMP or RAMP hydrazones, or esters to the C=C double bond of ,/Tun saturated ketones and a,/Tunsaturated esters. These Michael additions convert one kind of enolate into another. The driving force stems from the C—C bond formation, not from differential stabilities of the enolates. It is important that the addition of the preformed enolate to the Michael acceptor is faster than the addition of the resulting enolate to another molecule of the Michael acceptor. If that reactivity order were not true, an anionic polymerization of the Michael acceptor would occur. In many Michael additions, however, the enolate created is more hindered sterically than the enolate employed as the starting material, and in these cases Michael additions are possible without polymerization. 

2 Tandem Reactions Consisting of Michael Addition and Consecutive Reactions 

If a Michael addition of an enolate forms a ketone enolate as the primary reaction product, this enolate will be almost completely protonated to give the respective ketone. The reaction medium is of course still basic, since it still contains OH or RO ions. The Michael adduct, a ketone, is therefore reversibly deprotonated to a small extent. 

Seebach, Structure and Reactivity of Lithium Enolates. From Pinacolone to Selective C-Alkylations of Peptides. Difficulties and Opportunities Afforded by Complex Structures, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl 1988, 27, 1624-1654. 

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As in simple Michael additions, dienones and trienones can be used in the Robinson annulation with an initial 1,6- or l,8-addition.8a Dienoates can also be used,28 e.g. (82 equation 24) and (96) give an 11 1 mixture of isomers (97a,b) in 47% yield.28 ... 

A simple synthesis of the lupininic acids has been reported as follows 43) ethyl a-pyridylacetate and an acrylic ester or acrylic nitrile undergo a simple Michael addition and hydrogenation of the product generates an epimeric mixture (7 3 or 1 4, respectively) of epilupininic and lupininic acids. 

Reduction of ketones and nucleophilic attack on ketones are classic cases where prediction is difficult as two factors, kinetic and thermodynamic, work in opposition. The alcohol (41), needed to make an analgesic (see Chapter 10), can obviously be made by addition of Ph to the amino ketone (42), a simple Michael addition product (see (Jhapter 6), The stereochemistry required is axial addition on the opposite side from the Mc2N group, and kinetic control using PhLi as the reagent gives mostly this result. 

In the above reaction one molecular proportion of sodium ethoxide is employed this is Michael s original method for conducting the reaction, which is reversible and particularly so under these conditions, and in certain circumstances may lead to apparently abnormal results. With smaller amounts of sodium alkoxide (1/5 mol or so the so-called catal3rtic method) or in the presence of secondary amines, the equilibrium is usually more on the side of the adduct, and good yields of adducts are frequently obtained. An example of the Michael addition of the latter type is to be found in the formation of ethyl propane-1 1 3 3 tetracarboxylate (II) from formaldehyde and ethyl malonate in the presence of diethylamine. Ethyl methylene-malonate (I) is formed intermediately by the simple Knoevenagel reaction and this Is followed by the Michael addition. Acid hydrolysis of (II) gives glutaric acid (III). 

In the reaction of Q,/3-unsaturated ketones and esters, sometimes simple Michael-type addition (insertion and hydrogenolysis, or hydroarylation, and hydroalkenylation) of alkenes is observed[53,54]. For example, a simple addition product 56 to methyl vinyl ketone was obtained by the reaction of the heteroaromatic iodide 55[S5]. The corresponding bromide affords the usual insertion-elimination product. Saturated ketones are obtained cleanly by hydroarylation of o,/3l-unsaturated ketones with aryl halides in the presence of sodium formate, which hydrogenolyses the R—Pd—I intermediate to R— Pd—H[56]. Intramolecular hydroarylation is a useful reaction. The diiodide 57 reacts smoothly with sodium formate to give a model compound for the afla-toxin 58. (see Section 1.1.6)[57]. Use of triethylammonium formate and BU4NCI gives better results. 

Addition of HCN to unsaturated compounds is often the easiest and most economical method of making organonitnles. An early synthesis of acrylonitrile involved the addition of HCN to acetylene. The addition of HCN to aldehydes and ketones is readily accompHshed with simple base catalysis, as is the addition of HCN to activated olefins (Michael addition). However, the addition of HCN to unactivated olefins and the regioselective addition to dienes is best accompHshed with a transition-metal catalyst, as illustrated by DuPont s adiponitrile process (6—9). 

Although a sulfhydryl group generally is not converted to an 5-phenyl thioether, the conversion can be accomplished through the use of a Pd-catalyzed arylation with an aryl iodide. Thiophenol can be used to introduce sulfur into molecules by simple displacement or by Michael additions, and thus, the phenyl group serves as a suitable protective group that can be removed by electrolysis (—2.7 V, DMF, R N X-). ... 

Reaction of tryptamine with simple ketones has not been widely explored. Acetone in the presence of benzoyl chloride has been reported to yield 2-benzoyl-1,1 -dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-j8-carbo-line. That the keto group is much less reactive than the aldehyde group is indicated by the fact that j8-keto aldehydes, in the form of their acetals or sodium salts, react with tryptamine at the aldehyde function to yield the conjugated enamine 24, which undergoes ring closure via an intramolecular Michael addition. The potentialities of this interesting modification of the Pictet-Spengler reaction have not yet been fuUy explored. 

As shown above, it was not so easy to optimize the Michael addition reactions of l-crotonoyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazole in the presence of the l ,J -DBFOX/ Ph-Ni(C104)2 3H20 catalyst because a simple tendency of influence to enantio-selectivity is lacking. Therefore, we changed the acceptor to 3-crotonoyl-2-oxazolidi-none in the reactions of malononitrile in dichloromethane in the presence of the nickel(II) aqua complex (10 mol%) (Scheme 7.49). For the Michael additions using the oxazolidinone acceptor, dichloromethane was better solvent than THF and the enantioselectivities were rather independent upon the reaction temperatures and Lewis base catalysts. Chemical yields were also satisfactory. 

A remarkably simple fused indole devoid of the traditional side chains is described as an antidepressant agent. Michael addition of the anion from indole ester 119 to acrylonitrile affords the cyanide 120. Selective... 

The synthetic problem is now reduced to cyclopentanone 16. This substance possesses two stereocenters, one of which is quaternary, and its constitution permits a productive retrosynthetic maneuver. Retrosynthetic disassembly of 16 by cleavage of the indicated bond furnishes compounds 17 and 18 as potential precursors. In the synthetic direction, a diastereoselective alkylation of the thermodynamic (more substituted) enolate derived from 18 with alkyl iodide 17 could afford intermediate 16. While trimethylsilyl enol ether 18 could arise through silylation of the enolate oxygen produced by a Michael addition of a divinyl cuprate reagent to 2-methylcyclopentenone (19), iodide 17 can be traced to the simple and readily available building blocks 7 and 20. The application of this basic plan to a synthesis of racemic estrone [( >1] is described below. 

In the Michael addition of achiral enolates and achiral Michael acceptors the basic general problem of simple diastereoselection (see Section D.1.5.1.3.2.), as described in Section 1.5.2.3.2. is applicable. Thus, the intermolecular 1,4-addition of achiral metal enolates to enones, a.jS-unsat-urated esters, and thioamides, results in the formation of racemic syn-1,2 and/or anti-3,4 adducts. 

When chiral enolates or chiral Michael acceptors are used, for instance, when stereogenic centers are present in the substrate or when X or Y are chiral auxiliaries, both simple and induced diastereoselectivity is observed. This results, in principle, in the formation of four diastereomers 1 -4. The diastereoselectivity in the Michael addition of lithium enolates to enones can be rationalized by consideration of chelated transition states A-D372. 

The intramolecular Michael addition of an achiral metal enolate is similarly subject to simple diastereoselection. 

Example The lactone (8>, needed for a natural product synthesis, might be made from (6) via epoxide (7) and so a synthesis for (6) was required. Wittlg disconnection reveals a 1,5-dicarbonyl compound (9), best made by Michael addition of a substituted malonate (11) to enone (10). The enone was made by the simple but reliable Grignard route rather than risking a Mannich reaction of unknown regloselectivity. 

Even an entirely different enzyme can be changed to the one that has enolase activity. One representative example is the changing of a lipase to an aldolase utilizing the basicity of the catalytic triad via a simple mutation. The resulting promiscuous lipase has been demonstrated to catalyze the aldol reaction and Michael addition as shown in Fig. 23. 

Version (b) has a four-channel flow guidance that encompasses two mixing tees in two simple mixing tees (Figure 4.5) [8]. An example of this function is the flow guidance for the Michael addition. In a first step, the base and 1,3-dicarbonyl compound streams merge. The enolate stream thus formed is then mixed with the Michael acceptor. Microporous silica frits are set into the channels to minimize... 

The above is an example of the Guareschi reaction. It is applicable to most dialkyl ketones and to alicyclic ketones (e.., cj/clohexanone, cyclopentanone, etc.). The condensation product (I) is probably formed by a simple Knoe-venagel reaction of the ketone and ethyl cyanoacetate to yield ethyl a-cyano-pp dimethylacrylate (CH3)2C=C(CN)COOC2Hj, followed by a Michael addition of a second molecule of ethyl cyanoacetate finally, the carbethoxyl groups are converted to the cyclic imide structure by the action of ammonia. 

SCHEME 10.1 Resonance structures of a simple p-QM and the Michael addition product with nucleophile XH. 

Ono and Kamimura have found a very simple method for the stereo-control of the Michael addition of thiols, selenols, or alcohols. The Michael addition of thiolate anions to nitroalkenes followed by protonation at -78 °C gives anti-(J-nitro sulfides (Eq. 4.8).11 This procedure can be extended to the preparation of a/jti-(3-nitro selenides (Eq. 4.9)12 and a/jti-(3-nitro ethers (Eq. 4.10).13 The addition products of benzyl alcohol are converted into P-amino alcohols with the retention of the configuration, which is a useful method for anri-P-amino alcohols. This is an alternative method of stereoselective nitro-aldol reactions (Section 3.3). The anti selectivity of these reactions is explained on the basis of stereoselective protonation to nitronate anion intermediates. The high stereoselectivity requires heteroatom substituents on the P-position of the nitro group. The computational calculation exhibits that the heteroatom covers one site of the plane of the nitronate anion.14... 

Combining, in tandem, the nitro-aldol reaction with the Michael addition using thiophenol is a good method for the preparation of P-nitro sulfides as shown in Eqs. 4.2 and 4.3. This reaction is applied to a total synthesis of tuberine. Tuberine is a simple enamide isolated from Streptomyces amakusaensis and has some structural resemblance to erbastatin, an enamide which has received much attention in recent years as an inhibitor of tyrosine-specific kinases. The reaction of p-anisaldehyde and nitromethane in the presence of thiophenol yields the requisite P-nitro sulfide, which is converted into tuberine via reduction, formylation, oxidation, and thermal elimination of... 

Ballini and coworkers have reported a simple synthesis of l-phenylheptane-l,5-dione based on the strategy of the Michael addition and denitration as shown in Eq. 7.69).80 The product is a natural product that is isolated from fungus. 

The use of oxygen-containing dienophiles such as enol ethers, silyl enol ethers, or ketene acetals has received considerable attention. Yoshikoshi and coworkers have developed the simple addition of silyl enol ethers to nitroalkenes. Many Lewis acids are effective in promoting the reaction, and the products are converted into 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds after hydrolysis of the adducts (see Section 4.1.3 Michael addition).156 The trimethylsilyl enol ether of cyclohexanone reacts with nitrostyrenes in the presence of titanium dichloride diisopropoxide [Ti(Oi-Pr)2Cl2], as shown in Eq. 8.99.157 Endo approach (with respect to the carbocyclic ring) is favored in the presence of Ti(Oi-Pr)2Cl2. Titanium tetrachloride affords the nitronates nonselectively. 

S. Aoki, S. Sasaki, K. Koga, Simple Chiral Crown Ethers Complexed with Potassium tert>Butoxide as Efficient Catalysts for Asymmetric Michael Additions , Tetrahedron Lett. 1989, 30, 7229-7230. 

Intermediates such as 224 resulting from the nudeophilic addition of C,H-acidic compounds to allenyl ketones such as 222 do not only yield simple addition products such as 225 by proton transfer (Scheme 7.34) [259]. If the C,H-acidic compound contains at least one carbonyl group, a ring dosure is also possible to give pyran derivatives such as 226. The reaction of a similar allenyl ketone with dimethyl mal-onate, methyl acetoacetate or methyl cyanoacetate leads to a-pyrones by an analogous route however, the yields are low (20-32%) [260], The formation of oxaphos-pholenes 229 from ketones 227 and trivalent phosphorus compounds 228 can similarly be explained by nucleophilic attack at the central carbon atom of the allene followed by a second attack of the oxygen atom of the ketone at the phosphorus atom [261, 262], Treatment of the allenic ester 230 with copper(I) chloride and tributyltin hydride in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) affords the cephalosporin derivative 232 [263], The authors postulated a Michael addition of copper(I) hydride to the electron-... 

Early investigations of additions of soft carbon nucleophiles to simple Michael acceptors like ethyl sorbate date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Already in 1906, Vorlander and coworkers4-6 described additions of malonate anion whereas ethyl sorbate provided the 1,6-addition product6 (equation 2), the 1,4-adduct was obtained from methyl 5-phenyl-2,4-pentadienoate4 (equation 3). Thus, it seems that the regioselectivity... 

In contrast to these transformations, Michael additions of simple enolates to acceptor-substituted dienes often yield mixtures of 1,4- and 1,6-addition products27-30. For example, a 70 30 mixture of 1,4- and 1,6-adducts was isolated from the reaction of the lithium enolate of methyl propionate with methyl sorbate30. This problem can be solved by using the corresponding silyl ketene acetal in the presence of clay montmorillonite as acidic promoter under these conditions, almost exclusive formation of the 1,4-addition product (syn/anti mixture) was observed (equation ll)30. Highly regioselective 1,4-additions... 

A simple tandem Michael addition of cyanide ion with alkylation on Jt-deficient alkenes has been effected on diethyl l -methylpropylidenecyanoacetates and benzyl-idenemalonates using benzyltriethylammonium chloride to yield 2-alkyl-2,3-dicyanopropanoates and the analogous 2-ethoxycarbony derivatives [44]. 

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