Trityl triflate aldol reaction

Recently Mukaiyama and coworkers introduced the use of trityl salts as efficient catalysts for the aldol reaction. Using a catalytic amount of trityl perchlorate (5 mol %) and t-butyldimethylsilyl enol ethers, the anti aldols were preferentially obtained (anti 73-84%) regardless of the double bond geometry. With trityl triflate (5 mol %) and dimethylphenylsilyl enol ethers, the syn isomers are produced predominantly (syn 63-79% Scheme 1). Several variations of the catalyst system have been developed. Trityl... 

The undefined mechanism of the aldol-type Mukaiyama and Sakurai allylation reactions arose the discussion and interest in mechanistic studies [143-145]. The proposed mechanism was proved to proceed through the catalytic activation of the aldehyde and its interaction with the silyl ketene acetal or allylsilane producing the intermediate. From that point the investigation is complicated with two possible pathways that lead either to the release of TMS triflate salt and its electrophihc attack on the trityl group in the intermediate or to the intramolecular transfer of the TMS group to the aldolate position resulting in the evolution of the trityl catalyst and the formation of the product (Scheme 51). On this divergence, series of experimental and spectroscopic studies were conducted. 

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