The Stereoselective Approach

Thus far, most of the stereoselective approaches to aldol reactions mentioned have depended on substrate-based asymmetric induction by employing chiral... 

Chirality of NDEs is crucial because of the three-dimensional nature of biological target molecules and 68% of the top 200 marketed drugs are optically pure. Consequently, the stereoselective approach to drug molecules will remain important for many years to come. 

Synthetic highlights The Cu-promoted catalytic decarboxylative, biaryl synthesis of valsartan is an example of biomimetic, aerobic decarboxylation and enables C-C bond formation in aqueous solution. The chiral variant of biaryl synthesis is exemplified by the stereoselective approach to the axially chiral biaryl system present in vancomycin. 

Scheme 5.6 outlines the stereoselective approach to the enantiopure, planar chiral key intermediates, 2-bromo-3,5-dimethoxy-benzaldehyde Cr(CO)3 complexes (+)-9 and (—)-9, as planar chiral coupling partners [50]. The elegance of... 

A similar asymmetric hydrogenation procedure employing dihydrogen and chiral R(ll)-catalysts with axial chiral diphosphines has been used for the reduction of an enormous number of (3-keto ester substrates as weU as for many of the stereoselective approaches to biologically active and potentially pharmacologically important drugs, drug... 

The stereoselectivity of this reaction depends on how the alkene approaches the catalyst surface As the molecular model m Figure 6 3 shows one of the methyl groups on the bridge carbon lies directly over the double bond and blocks that face from easy access to the catalyst The bottom face of the double bond is more exposed and both hydrogens are transferred from the catalyst surface to that face... 

In general, the stereoselectivity of enolate alkylation can be predicted and interpreted on the basis of the stereoelectronic requirement for approximately perpendicular approach to the enolate in combination with selection between the two faces on the basis of steric factors. 

The stereoselectivity of organometallic additions with carbonyl compounds fits into the general pattern for nucleophilic attack discussed in Chapter 3. With 4-r-butylcyclohex-anone, there is a preference for equatorial approach but the selectivity is low. Enhanced steric factors promote stereoselective addition. 

Several approaches based on nitro-aldol for the synthesis of amino sugars have been reported Alumina-catalyzed reaction of methyl 3- nitropropanoate with O-benzyl-o-lactaldehyde gives the o-ribo-nitro-aldol fanti, and isomeri in 63% yield, which is converted into L-dannosamine fsee Secdon 3 3 Jager and coworkers have reported a short synthesis of L-acosamine based on the stereoselective nitro-aldol reaction of 2-O-benzyl-L-lactaldehyde with 3-nitropropanal dimethyl acetal as shovm in Scheme 3 10 The stereoselecdve nitro-aldol reacdon is carried ont by the silyl nitronate approach as discussed in Secdon 3 3... 

A great achievement of the stereochemistry of organosulphur compounds was the stereoselective synthesis of optically active sulphoxides developed by Andersen in 1962342. This approach to sulphoxides of high optical purity, still most important and widely used,... 

Danishefsky and coworkers using the same approach have synthesized substituted cyclohexadienones 563s65,666 (equation 361). A highly stereoselective (96%) cycloaddition of diastereoisomerically pure (Ss)-menthyl 3-(3-trifluoromethylpyrid-2-ylsulphinyl)acrylate 564 to 2-methoxyfuran 565 leads to the cycloadduct 566 which was elaborated by Koizumi and coworkers to glyoxalase I inhibitor 567667 (equation 362). 

Okada and Mukai [48] showed a preference for a contrasteric approach of singlet oxygen to anti face of 7-isopropylidene double bond in photooxidation of 7-isopropylidenenorbomene followed by reduction with dimethyl sulfide (Scheme 32). They explained the stereoselectivity by applying the orbital mixing rules (Scheme 33). The r orbital of the exocyclic double bond enlarges its extention in the anti face. 

The intriguing structural complexity and often potent biological activity exhibited by many polyacetate-derived natural products have generated a continuing interest in the development of efficient, stereoselective approaches to the assembly of repeating l -diol subunits. One such method is the alkylation and reduc-... 

The stereospecificity is of course correct all trans diene producing ais substituents and ais dienophile producing endo approach (12) is too much. The exo approach is much easier (13). 

The preparation of ketones and ester from (3-dicarbonyl enolates has largely been supplanted by procedures based on selective enolate formation. These procedures permit direct alkylation of ketone and ester enolates and avoid the hydrolysis and decarboxylation of keto ester intermediates. The development of conditions for stoichiometric formation of both kinetically and thermodynamically controlled enolates has permitted the extensive use of enolate alkylation reactions in multistep synthesis of complex molecules. One aspect of the alkylation reaction that is crucial in many cases is the stereoselectivity. The alkylation has a stereoelectronic preference for approach of the electrophile perpendicular to the plane of the enolate, because the tt electrons are involved in bond formation. A major factor in determining the stereoselectivity of ketone enolate alkylations is the difference in steric hindrance on the two faces of the enolate. The electrophile approaches from the less hindered of the two faces and the degree of stereoselectivity depends on the steric differentiation. Numerous examples of such effects have been observed.51 In ketone and ester enolates that are exocyclic to a conformationally biased cyclohexane ring there is a small preference for... 

The stereoselectivity is enhanced if there is an alkyl substituent at C(l). The factors operating in this case are similar to those described for 4-r-butylcyclohexanone. The tnms-decalone framework is conformationally rigid. Axial attack from the lower face leads directly to the chair conformation of the product. The 1-alkyl group enhances this stereoselectivity because a steric interaction with the solvated enolate oxygen distorts the enolate to favor the axial attack.57 The placement of an axial methyl group at C(10) in a 2(l)-decalone enolate introduces a 1,3-diaxial interaction with the approaching electrophile. The preferred alkylation product results from approach on the opposite side of the enolate. 

These examples illustrate the issues that must be considered in analyzing the stereoselectivity of enolate alkylation. The major factors are the conformation of the enolate, the stereoelectronic requirement for an approximately perpendicular trajectory, the steric preference for the least hindered path of approach, and minimization of torsional strain. In cyclic systems the ring geometry and positioning of substituents are often the dominant factors. For acyclic enolates, the conformation and the degree of steric discrimination govern the stereoselectivity. 

The situation encounters another factor with enolates having a C(2) substituent. The case of steric control has been examined carefully. The stereoselectivity depends on the orientation of the stereocenter relative to the remainder of the TS. The Felkin TS is A. TS B represents a non-Felkin conformer, but with the same facial approach as A. The preferred TS for the Z-enolate is believed to be structure C. This TS is preferred to A because of the interaction between the RM group and the R2 group of the enolate... 

The stereoselectivity of the Wittig reaction is believed to be the result of steric effects that develop as the ylide and carbonyl compound approach one another. The three phenyl substituents on phosphorus impose large steric demands that govern the formation of the diastereomeric adducts.240 Reactions of unstabilized phosphoranes are believed to proceed through an early TS, and steric factors usually make these reactions selective for the d.v-alkcnc.241 Ultimately, however, the precise stereoselectivity is dependent on a number of variables, including reactant structure, the base used for ylide formation, the presence of other ions, solvent, and temperature.242... 

As is true for most reagents, there is a preference for approach of the borane from the less hindered face of the alkene. Because diborane itself is a relatively small molecule, the stereoselectivity is not high for unhindered alkenes. Table 4.4 gives some data comparing the direction of approach for three cyclic alkenes. The products in all cases result from syn addition, but the mixtures result from both the low regioselectivity and from addition to both faces of the double bond. Even 7,7-dimethylnorbornene shows only modest preference for endo addition with diborane. The selectivity is enhanced with the bulkier reagent 9-BBN. 

The stereoselectivity of the catalyzed reaction appears to be associated with the complexation step, which is product determining. The preferred orientation of approach of the complex is anti to the oxygen substituent, which acts as an electron acceptor and more electronegative groups enhance reactivity. The preferred conformation of the alkene has the hydrogen oriented toward the double bond and this leads to a syn relationship between the alkyl and oxygen substituents.170... 

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