Wadsworth-Emmons reaction examples

The first examples of Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions have been reported by Kitazume and Tanaka [60]. Here the ionic liquid [EDBU][OTf] was used in the synthesis of a-fluoro-a,P-unsaturated esters (Scheme 5.1-32). It was found that when K2CO3 was used as a base, the E isomer was the major product and that when DBU was used as a base, the Z isomer was the major product. The reaction was also performed in [EMIM][BF4] and [EMIM][PFgj, but gave lower yields than with [EDBU][OTf] [60]. 

Several other methodologies have been developed for control of the stereoselectivity of Wadsworth-Emmons reactions. For example, K2C03 in chlorobenzene with a catalytic amount of 18-crown-6 is reported to give excellent Z-selectivity.261 Another group found that use of excess Na+, added as Nal, improved Z-selectivity for 2-methylphenyl... 

This version of the Wadsworth-Emmons reaction has been used in the scaled-up syntheses of drugs and drug-candidate molecules. For example, it is used to prepare a cinnamate ester that is a starting material for pilot plant synthesis of a potential integrin antagonist.263... 

Scheme 2.19 provides some examples of the Peterson olefination. The Peterson olefination has not been used as widely in synthesis as the Wittig and Wadsworth-Emmons reactions, but it has been used advantageously in the preparation of relatively... 

Pyridylidenehydantoins such as 139, obtained from pyridinecarbaldehydes by Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions, are cyclized under acidic conditions to tricycles of the type 140 (Scheme 39) <2004TL553>. Similar benzannulated ring systems can be prepared by the reaction of 2-benzimidazolylacetonitriles and, for example, 2-chloronicotinic esters or 2-chloronicotinamides under basic conditions (Equation 32) <1996JHC1147, 1997JHC397>. 

Selected examples of the phase-transfer catalysed Wadsworth-Emmons reaction... 

For the synthesis of alkenes, the Wittig and Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions have become important tools. Triphenylphosphine that is used in the Wittig reaction can be immobilized either on the polymer or can be used in solution for solid-phase chemistry (Scheme 3.18). The Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction for example is used for the synthesis of aldehyde building blocks [261]. 

Other examples of Ugi reactions combined with RCM have been described in the literature. Hebach and Kazmaier reported the synthesis of conformationally fixed cyclic peptides [70] and Beck and Domling synthesized biaryl-containing natural product-like macrocycles using this method [41]. The same group also reported combination of Passerini and Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions to obtain butenolides [67] and another variation for the combinatorial synthesis of thiazoles [69]. 

Reactions with phosphonoacetate esters are used frequently to prepare a,/f-unsatu-rated esters. This is known as the Wadsworth-Emmons reaction. These reactions usually lead to the T-isomcr. Scheme 2.17 gives a number of examples. 

Examples of nucleophilic attack at the saturated 2-carbon of dihydro-l,4-thiazines, which may be assisted by the neighboring sulfur atom, are shown below. The nucleophiles include water, which was used in the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the ketal in 236 (Equation 21) <1982S424>, methanol in the conversion of 214 into a monothioacetal (Equation 22) <1982JHC131>, ethanol and dimethylaniline, which both reacted with 237 (Scheme 29) <1982TL4963>, and triethyl phosphite that was used to convert 238 into the phosphonate 239 required for Wadsworth-Emmons reaction (Equation 23) <2004BML1477>. Compound 240 reacted with both methanol and methanethiol (Equation 24) <1990JME1898>. 

Cyclopropanation, Horner-Wadsworth Emmons Reaction, and Darzens Condensation Although induction in the cyclopropanation of alkenes was reported early, this work was disputed [49]. Other reports of cyclopropanations have yielded, at best, low asymmetric inductions [llh,50]. The first example of a catalytic asymmetric Horner-Wadsworth Emmons reaction, which is promoted by a chiral quaternary ammonium salt, was reported recently by the Shioiri group (Scheme 10.10) [51]. The reaction of the prochiral ketone 74 gives optically active a,P-unsaturated ester 76 with 57% ee. 

As for the unsaturated carbonyl compounds, the most significant groups are the oc,/ -unsaturated acids or esters. Some of their methods of formation are closely analogous, for example, (a) the Horner-Emmons or Wadsworth-Emmons reaction, and (b) the aldol-type reactions. Rather more specific methods are considered below for the formation of a,/ -acetylenic acids, and for the conversion of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid, maleic acid, into its anhydride or into fumaric acid. 

The first example of a catalytic asymmetric Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction was recently reported by Arai et al. [78]. It is based on the use of a chiral quaternary ammonium salt as a phase-transfer catalyst, 78, derived from cinchonine. Catalytic amounts (20 mol%) of organocatalyst 78 were initially used in the Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction of ketone 75a with a variety of phospho-nates as a model reaction. The condensation products of type 77 were obtained in widely varying yields (from 15 to 89%) and the enantioselectivity of the product was low to moderate (< 43%). Although yields were usually low for methyl and ethyl phosphonates the best enantioselectivity was observed for these substrates (43 and 38% ee, respectively). In contrast higher yields were obtained with phosphonates with sterically more demanding ester groups, e.g. tert-butyl, but ee values were much lower. An overview of this reaction and the effect of the ester functionality is given in Scheme 13.40. 

Condensations between aldehydes and metalated phosphonic acid dialkyl esters other than those mentioned previously are also referred to as Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions. Nevertheless, in these esters, too, the carbanionic center carries a substituent with a pi electron withdrawing group, for example, an alkenyl group, a polyene or a C=N group. The Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions of these reagents are also stereoselective and form the new C=C double bond /ra/ ,v-selectively. 

The Ando variant is an alternative to the Still-Gennari variant of the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction. Here, phosphonates are employed that contain two aryloxy residues, for example, the ortho-tolyloxy residues of the phosphonate A. The Ar-O groups in this reaction... 

This is an example of the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction and is discussed (1)... 

The usual reactions involved in carbocyclic cyclization of the aforementioned open-chain intermediates are aldol and Claisen condensations as well as Michael additions. Some examples of the Wadsworth-Emmons reactions have been also published. 

Complementary selectivity is observed when the reaction is carried out at low temperature with KH in THF in the presence of 18-crown-6 ether. With the use of n-BuLi in DME at low temperature, the yields of oc-(trimethylsilyl)methyl-a,P-unsaturated esters are roughly comparable to those obtained in standard conditions (NaH, THF, room temperature). Other modified Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction procedures proved to be applicable. For example, addition of two equivalents of an aqueous solution of K2CO3 and formaldehyde to diethyl 2-(trimethylsilyl)-l-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethylphosphonate gives ethyl a-(trimethylsilyl)methyl acrylate in 48% yield. ... 

Several innovations have significantly extended the scope and synthetic utility of the classical Michaelis-Becker phosphonoacetate preparation. Eor example, the coupling of the Michaelis-Becker and Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions for the synthesis of a-substituted acrylic acids represents a useful modification. According to Scheme 8.10, Michaelis-Becker alkylation of a dialkyl phosphite with a haloacetic acid in the presence of 3 eq of a base (one to neutralize the carboxyl group, one to form the phosphite conjugate base, and one to deprotonate the initially formed alkylation product) leads to the phosphoryl-stabilized anion directly. Treatment of the anion... 

Rubottom oxidation reactions have been conducted on enolsilanes derived from a number of different carbonyl derivatives including carboxylic acids and esters.15 For example, the Rubottom oxidation of bis(trimethylsilyl)ketene acetal 30 provided a-hydroxy carboxylic acid 31 in 81% yield. Use of alkyl trimethylsilyl ketene acetal substrates generates a-hydroxy esters, as seen in the conversion of 32 to 33.16 The synthesis of 3-hydroxy-a-ketoesters (e.g., 36) has been accomplished via Rubottom oxidation of enolsilanes such as 35 that are prepared via Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions of aldehydes and ketones with 2-silyloxy phosphonoacetate reagent 34.17 The a-hydroxylation of enolsilanes derived from P-dicarbonyl compounds has also been described, although in some cases direct oxidation of the P-dicarbonyl compound is feasible without enolsilane formation.18... 

Asymmetric and enantioselective olefination reactions continue to be of interest. Wadsworth-Emmons reactions of 4-substituted cyclohexanones with the phosphonate (147), which carries a chiral benzopyrano-isoxazolidine substituent, proceed with diastereomeric excesses of 80-90% and hence provide another example of such an approach to enantiomerically pure, axially dissymmetric cyclohexylidene derivatives. A further example of trapping of in situ generated ketenes by Wadsworth-Emmons reactions to give allene carboxylates has been reported and the reaction has been extended to enantioselective synthesis by use of the optically active phosphonates (148) (Scheme 14). Moderate to good chemical yields and e.e. values up to 84% were obtained depending on the nature of (148) and the reactions conditions. 

At the same time as new applications of ionic liquids are discovered on almost a daily basis, limitations of these reaction media are also uncovered. While studying the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction in ionic liquids, Aggarwal observed that [bmim][Cl] was deprotonated by the weak base present in the reaction mixture, leading, after reaction with benzaldehyde, to salt 111 (Scheme 49). Deprotonation of imidazolium salts with strong bases (KCyBu or NaH) is well known, providing, for example, an easy route to Pd-carbene complexes (Section 2.3.5.1). However, this observation limits the use of imidazolium-based ionic liquids even in weakly basic conditions, where they can react with electrophiles. It also explains previous works reporting low yields for reactions performed in these conditions, such as the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction in [emimlCPFe] or [emim][BF4]. ... 

A new ring system, which is a combination of a tropone and quinolines, was synthesized as a potential pharmaceutical target (Scheme 67). The approach involves preparation of 2-styrylquinoline-3-carboxylic acids from the Arbuzov reaction of ethyl 2-(bromoethyl)quinoline-3-carboxylate followed a Horner—Wadsworth—Emmons reaction to form the alkene.The ester can then be hydrolyzed to provide the free acid. AU three of these reactions can be carried out in one pot and in good yields, 18 examples, 68-83%. Heteroaryl aldehydes can also be employed in the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons step, although the yields were lower, 54—61%. While the final Friedel-Crafts step should be catalyzed by a number of acids, only PPA (polyphosphoric... 

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