Transition state ketone enolate

In the enol transition state the structure that is the more stable by virtue of having the negative charge on oxygen rather than on carbon also has the least separation of charge. In the ketone transition state the enolate structure that should otherwise be important in stabilizing the... 

Ketonization of an enol and the reverse reaction, enolization of a ketone proceed through the same transition state and hence the same geometrical requirements for minimizing the energy of the transition state hold for both reactions. The energy of the transition state for enolization will be at a minimum when there is... 

Methyl and methylene groups adjacent to carbonyl groups are easily oxidized to carbonyls to yield a-keto aldehydes or a-diketones. The reagent of choice is selenium dioxide or selenious acid. The reaction is catalyzed by acids and by acetate ion and proceeds through transition states involving enols of the carbonyl compounds [518]. The oxidation is carried out by refluxing the ketone with about 1.1 mol of selenium dioxide in water, dilute acetic acid, dioxane, or aqueous dioxane [517]. The byproduct, black selenium, is filtered off, but small amounts of red selenium sometimes remain in a colloidal form and cannot be removed even by distillation of the product. Shaking the product with mercury [523] or Raney nickel [524] takes care of the residual selenium. The a-dicarbonyl compounds are yellow oils that avidly react with water to form white crystalline hydrates (equations 407 and 408). 

Reasons can be given for preferring the comparison between acid enolization of cyelohexyl phenyl ketone and basic enolization of cyclopentyl phenyl ketone. Emmons and Hawthorne have also determined the primary isotope effect of deuteration at the a-carbon atom. For these two reactions kjt/kr> = 6.7 and 6.2, respectively, indicating similar extensive bond rupture in the transition state. Acid enolization of cyclopentyl phenyl ketone shows a smaller primary isotope effect, kn/kv = 4.0 it is also much faster, suggesting by Hammond s (137) well-known postulate that the transition state is more reactant-like. It is reasonable to conclude that in this case bond rupture is leas far advanced, and electron de-localization leas complete, so that the full hyperconjugative isotope effect is not developed. 

A more eflicient and general synthetic procedure is the Masamune reaction of aldehydes with boron enolates of chiral a-silyloxy ketones. A double asymmetric induction generates two new chiral centres with enantioselectivities > 99%. It is again explained by a chair-like six-centre transition state. The repulsive interactions of the bulky cyclohexyl group with the vinylic hydrogen and the boron ligands dictate the approach of the enolate to the aldehyde (S. Masamune, 1981 A). The fi-hydroxy-x-methyl ketones obtained are pure threo products (threo = threose- or threonine-like Fischer formula also termed syn" = planar zig-zag chain with substituents on one side), and the reaction has successfully been applied to macrolide syntheses (S. Masamune, 1981 B). Optically pure threo (= syn") 8-hydroxy-a-methyl carboxylic acids are obtained by desilylation and periodate oxidation (S. Masamune, 1981 A). Chiral 0-((S)-trans-2,5-dimethyl-l-borolanyl) ketene thioketals giving pure erythro (= anti ) diastereomers have also been developed by S. Masamune (1986). 

Substitution reactions by the ionization mechanism proceed very slowly on a-halo derivatives of ketones, aldehydes, acids, esters, nitriles, and related compounds. As discussed on p. 284, such substituents destabilize a carbocation intermediate. Substitution by the direct displacement mechanism, however, proceed especially readily in these systems. Table S.IS indicates some representative relative rate accelerations. Steric effects be responsible for part of the observed acceleration, since an sfp- caibon, such as in a carbonyl group, will provide less steric resistance to tiie incoming nucleophile than an alkyl group. The major effect is believed to be electronic. The adjacent n-LUMO of the carbonyl group can interact with the electnai density that is built up at the pentacoordinate carbon. This can be described in resonance terminology as a contribution flom an enolate-like stmeture to tiie transition state. In MO terminology,.the low-lying LUMO has a... 

The major adduct from this reaction is consistent with approach of the ketone from the least-hindered face of an antipcriplanar enolate of E geometry such as transition state A or B. 

Four different orientations are possible when the enantiofaces of (E)- and (Z)-enolates and an ( )-enone combine via a closed transition state, in which the olefinic moieties of the donor and the acceptor are in a syn arrangement. It should be emphasized that, a further four enan-tiomorphous orientations of A-D are possible leading to the enantiomers 2 and 3. On the basis of extensive studies of Michael additions of the lithium enolates of esters (X = OR) and ketones (X = R) to enones (Y = R) it has been concluded ... 

This finding is also in agreement with another three-component Michael/aldol addition reaction reported by Shibasaki and coworkers [14]. Here, as a catalyst the chiral AlLibis[(S)-binaphthoxide] complex (ALB) (2-37) was used. Such hetero-bimetallic compounds show both Bronsted basicity and Lewis acidity, and can catalyze aldol [15] and Michael/aldol [14, 16] processes. Reaction of cyclopentenone 2-29b, aldehyde 2-35, and dibenzyl methylmalonate (2-36) at r.t. in the presence of 5 mol% of 2-37 led to 3-hydroxy ketones 2-38 as a mixture of diastereomers in 84% yield. Transformation of 2-38 by a mesylation/elimination sequence afforded 2-39 with 92 % ee recrystallization gave enantiopure 2-39, which was used in the synthesis of ll-deoxy-PGFla (2-40) (Scheme 2.8). The transition states 2-41 and 2-42 illustrate the stereochemical result (Scheme 2.9). The coordination of the enone to the aluminum not only results in its activation, but also fixes its position for the Michael addition, as demonstrated in TS-2-41. It is of importance that the following aldol reaction of 2-42 is faster than a protonation of the enolate moiety. 

Z)-enolate of 58 would adopt a closed chair-like transition state that favored exposure of one face of the ketone by 1.5 kcal/mol, leading to the vyn-aldol product corresponding to hypocrellin A (Scheme 7.15). 

Recently, the improved chiral ethyl ketone (5)-141, derived in three steps from (5)-mandelic acid, has been evaluated in the aldol process (115). Representative condensations of the derived (Z)-boron enolates (5)-142 with aldehydes are summarized in Table 34b, It is evident from the data that the nature of the boron ligand L plays a significant role in enolate diastereoface selection in this system. It is also noteworthy that the sense of asymmetric induction noted for the boron enolate (5)-142 is opposite to that observed for the lithium enolate (5)-139a and (5>139b derived from (S)-atrolactic acid (3) and the related lithium enolate 139. A detailed interpretation of these observations in terms of transition state steric effects (cf. Scheme 20) and chelation phenomena appears to be premature at this time. Further applications of (S )- 41 and (/ )-141 as chiral propionate enolate synthons for the aldol process have appeared in a 6-deoxyerythronolide B synthesis recently disclosed by Masamune (115b). 

The greater stability of simple ketones relative to their enol tautomers is reversed on formation of the corresponding radical cations (88a) (88b). In appropriate cases, ionization of the ketone to its cation is followed by spontaneous hydrogen transfer to give the enol radical cation. 1,5-Hydrogen transfer via a six-membered-ring transition state is a common route. Characterization of such mechanisms has been reviewed for a variety of such reactions in cryogenic matrices, where many of the processes that compete in solution are suppressed. ... 

Darzens reaction of (-)-8-phenylmethyl a-chloroacetate (and a-bromoacetate) with various ketones (Scheme 2) yields ctT-glycidic esters (28) with high geometric and diastereofacial selectivity which can be explained in terms of both open-chain or non-chelated antiperiplanar transition state models for the initial aldol-type reaction the ketone approaches the Si-f ce of the Z-enolate such that the phenyl ring of the chiral auxiliary and the enolate portion are face-to-face. Aza-Darzens condensation reaction of iV-benzylideneaniline has also been studied. Kinetically controlled base-promoted lithiation of 3,3-diphenylpropiomesitylene results in Z enolate ratios in the range 94 6 (lithium diisopropylamide) to 50 50 (BuLi), depending on the choice of solvent and temperature. ... 

Reaction of aldehydes and ketones with iminoboranes has been widely investigated. Conditions for the [2 + 2]-cycloaddition between XBNR and R R"CO are relatively good stability of the iminoborane and lack of enolic protons in the oxo compound [Eq. (46)] 14, 19). Relatively less stable iminoboranes, but in some cases the stable ones too, may react with 0X0 compounds by a total opening of the B=N triple bond [Eq. (43)], presumably via a [2 + 2]-cycloaddition [Eq. (42)] (Section V,D). A relatively stable iminoborane and a ketone containing enolic protons may yield an open-chain product, probably through a six-membered cyclic transition state [Eq. (46b)] 19). 

Most enolates can exist as two stereoisomers. Also, most aldol condensation products formed from a ketone enolate and an aldehyde can have two diastereomeric structures. These are designated as syn and anti. The cyclic-transition-state model provides a basis for understanding the relationship between enolate geometry and the stereochemistry of the aldol product. 

From these and related examples, the following generalizations have been drawn about kinetic stereo selection in aldol additions.9 (1) The chair transition-state model provides a basis for explaining the stereoselectivity observed in aldol reactions of ketones having one bulky substituent. The preference is Z-enolate —> syn aldol E-enolate —> anti aldol. (2) When the enolate has no bulky substituents, stereoselectivity is low. (3) Z-Enolates are more stereoselective than E-enolatcs. Table 2.1 gives some illustrative data. 

These compounds are often used as photostabilizers in plastic materials. 2-methyIbenzophenone (A) appears to undergo intramolecular H-abstraction in 2-propanol in the excited state. The unstable enol reverts to the ketone in the ground state. The possibility of such a six-membered transition state does not exist for 2-t-butyl benzophenone, and it is as reactive towards H-abstraction as benzophenone itself. 

Enantioselective condensation of aldehydes and enol silyl ethers is promoted by addition of chiral Lewis acids. Through coordination of aldehyde oxygen to the Lewis acids containing an Al, Eu, or Rh atom (286), the prochiral substrates are endowed with high electrophilicity and chiral environments. Although the optical yields in the early works remained poor to moderate, the use of a chiral (acyloxy)borane complex as catalyst allowed the erythro-selective condensation with high enan-tioselectivity (Scheme 119) (287). This aldol-type reaction may proceed via an extended acyclic transition state rather than a six-membered pericyclic structure (288). Not only ketone enolates but ester enolates... 

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