Tandem aldol addition reaction

Very recently, a catalytic enantioselective route to prostaglandin i methyl ester was developed based on a tandem 1,4-addition-aldol reaction [84]. 

Howell, G. R, Fletcher, S. R, Geurts, K., ter Horst, B., Feringa, B. L. (2006). Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of acyclic arrays by tandem 1,4-addition-aldol reactions. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128, 14977-14985. 

Tandem addition-aldol reaction with methyl propiolate... 

Feringa and co-workers described the tandem addition-aldol cyclization protocol leading to the formation of 6,6-, 6,7-, and 6,8-annulated bicyclic systems (Scheme 68).39 Using Cu(n)-29 as catalyst and functionalized organozinc reagents as nucleophiles, the conjugate addition reaction followed by aldol cyclization can offer highly enantioselec-tive annulation products (up to 98% ee). This method can be used in the synthesis of carbocyclic compounds, such as steroids, terpenes, and other natural products. 

T. Arai, H. Sasai, K. Aoe, K. Okamura, T. Date, M. Shibasaki, A New Multifunctional Heterobimetallic Asymmetric Catalyst for Michael Additions and Tandem Michael-Aldol Reactions, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed Engl 1996, 35,104-106. 

Several attempts to take advantage of the intermediate boron enolate to achieve tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction have been proposed [71]. Recently, Chandrasekhar [72] reported the addition of triethylborane to methyl vinyl ketone followed by the in situ trapping of the enolate by aromatic aldehyde (Scheme 26). 

Scheme 26 Tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction...

Scheme 7.14. Enantioselective tandem conjugate addition-aldol reactions.

Krische reported an intramolecular version of the tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction. The reaction of enone-ketone 58 with phenylboronic acid 2 m occurs in diox-... 

The three-component method is applicable to the synthesis of various C(6)- or C(7)-functionalized PGs. Scheme 11 illustrates the tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction that affords 7-hydroxy-PGE derivatives (18). Both saturated and unsaturated C7 aldehydes can be used as a side-chain units. The aldol adducts can be transformed to naturally occurring PGs (5a, 19) and, more importantly, to a variety of analogues such as tumor-suppressing A7-PGA, (20) or 7-fluoro-PGI2, a stabilized prostacyclin (21). The unique cellular behavior displayed by A7-PGA methyl ester is well correlated to its chemical reaction with thiols (20). 

The mechanism of the catalytic cycle is outlined in Scheme 1.37 [11]. It involves the formation of a reactive 16-electron tricarbonyliron species by coordination of allyl alcohol to pentacarbonyliron and sequential loss of two carbon monoxide ligands. Oxidative addition to a Jt-allyl hydride complex with iron in the oxidation state +2, followed by reductive elimination, affords an alkene-tricarbonyliron complex. As a result of the [1, 3]-hydride shift the allyl alcohol has been converted to an enol, which is released and the catalytically active tricarbonyliron species is regenerated. This example demonstrates that oxidation and reduction steps can be merged to a one-pot procedure by transferring them into oxidative addition and reductive elimination using the transition metal as a reversible switch. Recently, this reaction has been integrated into a tandem isomerization-aldolization reaction which was applied to the synthesis of indanones and indenones [81] and for the transformation of vinylic furanoses into cydopentenones [82]. 

In another study Feringa et al. [20] reported a catalytic enantioselective three-component tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction of dialkyl zincs. Here, zinc enolates were generated in situ via catalytic enantioselective Michael addition of dialkylzinc compounds to cydohexenone in the presence of a chiral Cu catalyst. Their diastereoselective reaction with an aldehyde then gave trans-2,3-disubstituted cyclohexanones in up to 92% yields and up to >99% ees (Scheme 9.11). 

Scheme 9.11. Catalytic enantioselective tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction of dialkylzincs.

A remarkable example of tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction has been recently reported by Tomioka and coworkers. The transient lithium enolate, generated by 1,4-addition of benzyl lithium thiolate onto the corresponding a,-unsaturated ester182,595, is followed by an intramolecular aldol tandem cyclization, resulting in a five-membered... 

A general two-step synthesis of arylnaphthalenes from 0-/-butyldimethyl-silylcyanohydrins involving a tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction, followed by... 

La-linked-BINOL complex 23 was introduced as a stable, storable, and reuse-able asymmetric catalyst for the Michael reaction [120]. Optimization of the reaction between dibenzyl malonate and 2-cyclohexene-1-one in DME afforded the Michael adduct in 94% yield and >99% ee. The extraordinary versatility of LnLB catalyts is also documented in the highly efficient Michael addition of thiols to a,y9-unsaturated carbonyl compounds [121] and tandem Michael-aldol reactions [122]. 

Ruck-Braun, K., Kunz, H. A new multifunctional heterobimetallic asymmetric catalyst for Michael additions and tandem Michael-aldol reactions. Chemtracts i997, 10, 519-521. 

Acetylallene Is a valuable starting material in a,p-unsaturated y-lactones synthesis the tandem nucleophilic addition-aldol reaction of 1, iodide ion and aldehydes gives 3-iodohomoallylic alcohols in good yields, which can be further... 

Stereoselectivity in Michael additions of organo-copper(I) compounds Trapping the enolate intermediate by silylation Michael Addition followed by Reaction with Electrophiles Tandem Michael/aldol reactions A Double Nucleophile An Interlude without Copper... 

An aluminum-lithiiun catalyst, (R)-ALB, prepared from (R)-BINOL, and lithium aluminium hydride promoted the addition of malonate to 23 giving (R)-44 in 99% ee. X-ray analysis of the ALB catalyst showed an aluminum ate complex structure with li coordination to the oxygen atom. The asymmetric tandem Michael-aldol reaction of 46 was conducted with this catalyst giving a single isomer 47 containing three asymmetric centers. The aluminum enolate under-... 

This methodology furnished also an efficient access into the furofuran skeleton, Scheme (19). A tandem Michael addition-aldol reaction was used to provide lactone 107 in 62% yield as a mixture of diastereomers in a ratio of 60 40. Dithiane 107 was converted into ketone 108 using HgO in combination with BF3 Et20. Subsequent reduction using an excess of LiAlH4 afforded tetraol 109 in 67% yield. The synthesis of (-)-eudesmin (110) was completed in 16% overall yield by dehydratation of 109 with BF3 Et20. 

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