Synthons carbanion

This example shows how retrosynthetic consideration of the next generation target molecules is sometimes more demanding than the choice in the first step. The logical first retrosynthetic step of TM 2.12 is the disconnection of the C-C bond in the P position to the carbonyl group generating two stable synthons, carbanion on the a-C atom to the carbonyl group and carbocation on the a-C atom to the double bond, known as the allylic cation (Scheme 2.27). 

The formal carbanions and carbocations used as units in synthesis are called donor synthons and acceptor synthons. They are derived from reagents with functional groups. 

Chapter I first describes some common synthons and corresponding reagents. Emphasis is on regioselective carbanion formation. In the second part some typical synthetic procedures in the following order of "arrangements of functionality in the target molecule" are given ... 

The carbanions derived from thioacetals, however, are typical -synthons. Most frequently used are 1,3-dithianes and C -silylated thioethers (see p. 33f. D. Seebach, 1969, 1973 B.-T. Grobel, 1974,1977). In these derivatives the proton is removed by butyllithium in THF. 

In sulfoxides and sulfones an adjacent CH group is also deprotonated by strong bases. If one considers the sulfinyl (—SO—) or sulfonyl (—SOj—) groups to be functional groups, then these carbanions are d -synthons. It will be shown later (p. 48f. and 65f.), that these anions may either serve as nonfunctional, d -, d - or d -synthons. 

In the synthesis of molecules without functional groups the application of the usual polar synthetic reactions may be cumbersome, since the final elimination of hetero atoms can be difficult. Two solutions for this problem have been given in the previous sections, namely alkylation with nucleophilic carbanions and alkenylation with ylides. Another direct approach is to combine radical synthons in a non-polar reaction. Carbon radicals are. however, inherently short-lived and tend to undergo complex secondary reactions. Escheirmoser s principle (p. 34f) again provides a way out. If one connects both carbon atoms via a metal atom which (i) forms and stabilizes the carbon radicals and (ii) can be easily eliminated, the intermolecular reaction is made intramolecular, and good yields may be obtained. 

The reactions described so far can be considered as alkylation, alkenylation, or alkynylation reactions. In principle all polar reactions in syntheses, which produce monofunctional carbon compounds, proceed in the same way a carbanion reacts with an electropositive carbon atom, and the activating groups (e.g. metals, boron, phosphorus) of the carbanion are lost in the work-up procedures. We now turn to reactions, in which the hetero atoms of both the acceptor and donor synthons are kept in a difunctional reaction produa. 

The most general methods for the syntheses of 1,2-difunctional molecules are based on the oxidation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds (p. 117) and the opening of oxiranes by hetero atoms (p. 123fl.). There exist, however, also a few useful reactions in which an a - and a d -synthon or two r -synthons are combined. The classical polar reaction is the addition of cyanide anion to carbonyl groups, which leads to a-hydroxynitriles (cyanohydrins). It is used, for example, in Strecker s synthesis of amino acids and in the homologization of monosaccharides. The ff-hydroxy group of a nitrile can be easily substituted by various nucleophiles, the nitrile can be solvolyzed or reduced. Therefore a large variety of terminal difunctional molecules with one additional carbon atom can be made. Equally versatile are a-methylsulfinyl ketones (H.G. Hauthal, 1971 T. Durst, 1979 O. DeLucchi, 1991), which are available from acid chlorides or esters and the dimsyl anion. Carbanions of these compounds can also be used for the synthesis of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds (p. 65f.). 

The addition of large enolate synthons to cyclohexenone derivatives via Michael addition leads to equatorial substitution. If the cyclohexenone conformation is fixed, e.g. as in decalones or steroids, the addition is highly stereoselective. This is also the case with the S-addition to conjugated dienones (Y. Abe, 1956). Large substituents at C-4 of cyclic a -synthons direct incoming carbanions to the /rans-position at C-3 (A.R. Battersby, 1960). The thermodynamically most stable products are formed in these cases, because the addition of 1,3-dioxo compounds to activated double bonds is essentially reversible. 

Acyloins (a-hydroxy ketones) are formed enzymatically by a mechanism similar to the classical benzoin condensation. The enzymes that can catalyze reactions of this type arc thiamine dependent. In this sense, the cofactor thiamine pyrophosphate may be regarded as a natural- equivalent of the cyanide catalyst needed for the umpolung step in benzoin condensations. Thus, a suitable carbonyl compound (a -synthon) reacts with thiamine pyrophosphate to form an enzyme-substrate complex that subsequently cleaves to the corresponding a-carbanion (d1-synthon). The latter adds to a carbonyl group resulting in an a-hydroxy ketone after elimination of thiamine pyrophosphate. Stereoselectivity of the addition step (i.e., addition to the Stand Re-face of the carbonyl group, respectively) is achieved by adjustment of a preferred active center conformation. A detailed discussion of the mechanisms involved in thiamine-dependent enzymes, as well as a comparison of the structural similarities, is found in references 1 -4. 

From the synthetic point of view the most important a-sulphinyl carbanions are the anions derived from dithioacetal S-oxides which may be considered as synthons of acyl... 

The a-sulfonyl carbanions can be trapped with a variety of electrophiles19. The method provides a synthetically useful synthon for a propylene 1,3-dipole. Reductive cleavage of the sulfone 28 thus prepared, with lithium phenanthrenide in THF, furnishes bicyclooctane 29 (equation 19)16. 

The success of these reactions was intriguing because, under normal reaction conditions, group 14 organometallic compounds serve as carbanion synthons. The anodic oxidation reaction successfully reversed this polarity thereby expanding the overall synthetic utihty of group 14 organometallic intermediates. 

A new stereocenter is formed when a synthon 143 with umpoled carbonyl reactivity (d reactivity) is introduced into aldehydes or imines. The enantioselective variant of this type of reaction was a longstanding problem in asymmetric synthesis. The very large majority of a-hetero-snbstitnted carbanions which serve as eqnivalents for synthons like 142 and 143 lead to racemic products with aldehydes or imines. However, enantiomerically pnre acylions and a-hydroxy carboxylic acids or aldehydes (144 and ent-144, respectively) as well as a-amino acids and aldehydes (145 and ent-145) are accessible either by nsing chiral d reagents or by reacting the components in the presence of chiral additives (Scheme 18). 

This methodology is also an important and potentially valuable method for C—N bond formation using the amination of carbon nucleophiles with electrophilic nitrogen transfer reagents (Scheme 1) Amination of ordinary carbanions and a-carbanion derived from carbonyl compounds and nitriles provides an important method for the synthesis of amines and a-amino carbonyl compounds and nitriles", respectively. For this purpose, a number of electrophilic amination reagents, which are synthetic equivalents of the R2N+ synthon, have been developed and the synthetic potential of electrophilic amination of carbon nucleophiles has been studied in detail . ... 

From the synthetic point of view, the most important a-sulfinyl carbanions appear to be those derived from dithioacetal S-oxides which are a synthon for acyl anions65. However, the yields of the alkylation reaction were found to be low. In spite of the fact that dithiane S-oxides have been intensively studied66 63, their synthetic applications are limited,... 

C synthons, synthetic equivalents of which being the amino-acetaldehyde-derived metallated aminonitrile D bearing the chiral auxiliary (S,S)-53 and an a,P-unsaturated ester E, respectively. This should make it possible to open up a pathway to an enantioselective conjugate addition of an a-aminoacyl carbanion equivalent D to enoates in order to access the target 3-substituted 5-ainino-4-oxo esters. 

A variation at the final stage of the carbanion trapping to a Michael addition provides an entry to the octalone system. A synthon for dihydrocompactin is readily assembled [102]. 

Ketenedithioacetals (1) can formally be considered as S.S-dialkylated dithioacids. However, their reactivity pattern is quite different from that displayed by compounds like dithioacids and dithioesters bearing a thiocarbonyl group, and their syntheses and properties are usually treated apart. The review by Kolb [59] and its 254 references give access to most of the literature in the field (see also [60]). a-Oxoketenedithioacetals (2) are particularly versatile compounds as three-carbon synthons in organic synthesis, and some reviews deal specifically with them [61, 62]. Many efficient procedures are available for their syntheses [59, 61], and number of these make use of the reactions of carbon disulfide with carbanionic species followed by alkylation at the sulfur atoms (see [63] and [64] for the reactions of CS2). 

While there are few examples of conjugate additions of either a-oxygen- or a-silyl-stabilized carbanions, Tamao and Posner have reported two hydroxymethyl synthons ["ClfcOH] (246 and 247) which show synthetic promise. Additions with the silicon-based synthon (246) is restricted to 2-cyclohexen-l-ones and work-up requires a successive acid and base procedure that is incompatible with sensitive molecules,188a-b while the tin-based synthon (247) is more versatile and the hydroxyl group is obtained under neutral conditions (Scheme 83).,88c... 

Aside from the nitronates, cyanide anion and acyl anion equivalents, e.g. (219), examples of conjugate additions of a-aza-stabilized carbanions are rare. The aminomethyl synthon [ CHRNH2] is typically introduced with either nitronates or cyanide however, a-metallomethyl isocyanides (248) also show synthetic promise in conjugate additions. In addition, depending on hydrolytic conditions employed, they also serve as equivalents for the N-formamidomethyl anion ["CHRNHCHO] or the isocyanatomethyl anion ["CHRN=C ] (Scheme 84).189... 

Several new leaving groups have been discovered recently which merit special discussion. Allyl sul-fones, surprisingly, function as substrates for palladium catalysis.86 As the sulfone group had previously been proven to be able to stabilize an adjacent carbanion, this result allowed allyl sulfones now to be considered as synthons for 1,1- and 1,3-dipoles (equation 10). That is, the allyl sulfone can be used alternately as a nucleophile and electrophile, greatly extending its synthetic utility. 

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