Infrared spectrum of α-cyanoacrylate adhesive in the first monolayer on a bulk aluminum surface

The i.r. spectrum of α-cyanoacrylate adhesive molecule in the first monolayer on anodically oxidized aluminum has been obtained with a reflection method. A lowering of CO stretching frequency and a shift of antisymmetric stretching vibration of COC group to a higher frequency were observed in the molecule interacting with surface oxide of aluminum, suggesting hydrogen bond formation between the oxide and the adhesive molecule.     

Importance of the nature of α-substituents in pyrrolidine organocatalysts in asymmetric Michael additions

The fundamental factors contributing toward the stereoselectivity in organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael reaction between aldehydes (propanal and 3-phenyl propanal) and methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) are established by using density functional theory methods. Three of the most commonly employed α-substituted pyrrolidine organocatalysts are examined. Several key stereochemical modes of addition between (i) a model enamine or (ii) pyrrolidine enamines derived from aldehydes and secondary amine to MVK are examined. Among these possibilities, the addition of (E)-enamine to cis-MVK is found to have a lower activation barrier. The stereochemical outcome of the reaction is reported on the basis of the relative energies between pertinent diastereomeric transition states. Moderate selectivity is predicted for the reaction involving pyrrolidine catalysts I and II, which carry relatively less bulky α-substituents dimethylmethoxymethyl and diphenylmethyl, respectively. On the other hand, high selectivity is computed in the case of catalyst III having a sufficiently large α-substituent (diarylmethoxymethyl or diphenylprolinol methyl ether). The enantiomeric excess in the case of 3-phenyl propanal is found to be much higher as compared to that with unsubstituted propanal, suggesting potential for improvement in stereoselectivity by substrate modifications. The computed enantiomeric excess is found to be in reasonable agreement with the reported experimental stereoselectivities. A detailed investigation on the geometries of the crucial transition states reveals that apart from steric interactions between the α-substituent and MVK, various other factors such as orbital interactions and weak stabilizing hydrogen-bonding interactions play a vital role in stereoselectivity. The results serve to establish the importance of cumulative effects of various stabilizing and destabilizing interactions at the transition state as responsible for the stereochemical outcome of the reaction. The limitations of commonly employed qualitative propositions, relying on the steric protection of one of the prochiral faces of enamines offered by the bulky α-substituent, are presented.     

Combination of the Claisen-Schmidt reaction,the Michael addition,and the Hantzsch reaction in the synthesis of 2,6′-bis-aryl-3,4′-bipyridines

Russian Chemical Bulletin - Pyridine-3-carbaldehyde reacted with 1-(aryl)ethan-1-ones to give 1,5-diaryl-3-(pyridin-3-yl)pentane-1,5-diones, which were further converted to...     

Ethylene dinitrodiamine in the addition reaction to α, Β-unsaturated ketones

Summary The addition of ethylene dinitrodiamine to , -unsaturated ketones was investigated and it was established that the former is readily added to unsaturated ketones with formation of new N-nitroketones.     

Development of new DMAP-related organocatalysts for use in the Michael addition reaction of β-ketoesters in water

A general and efficient protocol for the Michael addition reactions of β-ketoesters in pure water has been developed. The reactions are successfully catalyzed by newly designed DMAP-related organocatalysts such as 4-(didecylamino)pyridine, and the desired Michael adducts are obtained in good to high yields     

α-Thiosubstituted chiral imines/secondary enamines: their use in the asymmetric Michael reaction

The asymmetric Michael reaction between 2-thiosubstituted chiral imines/secondary enamines derived from (S)-1-phenylethylamine and electrophilic alkenes (methyl acrylate, MVK) was investigated. 2-Phenylthio derivatives furnished the expected Michael adducts with excellent ee. By contrast, an in situ elimination of p-toluenesulfenic acid took place when using the p-toluenesulfinyl analogs.     

The origin of diastereoselectivity in the Michael addition reaction: a computational study of the interaction between CH-acidic Schiff base and α,β-unsaturated ketones

Theoretical quantum chemical computations were applied in answering a question set from the experiment: why the Michael addition to chalcones is a highly diastereoselective process? Density functional theory methods were used to examine the mechanistic pathways for the Michael reaction of [(diphenylmethylene)amino]acetonitrile—CH-acidic Schiff base with α,β-unsaturated ketones (enones). Transition state structures, prereactive complexes and reaction path energetics for different channels of the reaction are determined. The theoretical predictions reveal that the difference in the stabilization of the prereactive complex explains adequately the experimental findings for diastereoselectivity of the addition to benzylideneacetophenone (chalcone), compared to the nonselective process in the case of 4,4-dimethyl-1-phenyl-1-pentene-3-one.     

Do reaction conditions affect the stereoselectivity in the Staudinger reaction?

The stereochemistry is one of the critical issues in the Staudinger reaction. We have proposed the origin of the stereoselectivity recently. The effects of solvents, additives, and pathways of ketene generation on the stereoselectivity were investigated by using a clean Staudinger reaction, which is a sensitive reaction system to the stereoselectivity. The results indicate that the additives, usually existed and generated in the Staudinger reaction, and the pathways of the ketene generation do not generally affect the stereoselectivity. The solvent affects the stereoselectivity. The polar solvent is favorable to the formation of trans-beta-lactams. The addition orders of the reagents affect the stereoselectivity in the Staudinger reaction between acyl chlorides and imines. The addition of a tertiary amine into a solution of the acyl chloride and the imine generally decreases the stereoselectivity, which is affected by the interval between additions of the acyl chloride and the tertiary amine, and the imine substituents. Our current results provide further understanding on the stereochemistry of the Staudinger reaction between acyl chlorides and imines and on the factors affecting the stereochemistry and also provide a method to prepare beta-lactams with the desired relative configuration via rationally tuning the stereoselectivity-controlling factors in the Staudinger reaction.     

Enzymatic Resolution of Ethyl α-Hydroxyphosphinates in a Modified Reaction Environment

The enzymatic resolutions of two racemic ethyl hydroxyalkane(P-phenyl)phosphinates were performed by both esterification and hydrolysis approaches. The first reaction was performed in anhydrous diisopropyl ether with triethylamine or pyridine as additives by using lipases from three different sources (Candida cylindracea, Aspergillus niger, and Mucor javanicus). The increase in enantioselectivity was observed when NEt₃ was applied. The second reaction—lipase-catalysed hydrolysis of ethyl butyryloxyalkane(P-phenyl)phosphinates—was carried out by Candida cylindracea lipase in diisopropyl ether saturated with water or in aqueous solutions containing MgCl₂, LiCl, or Triton X-100. The usefulness of biphasic systems consisting of diisopropyl ether and water or aqueous solution of MgCl₂, LiCl, or Triton X-100 also were tested. The use of biphasic system in the presence of Triton X-100 resulted in the higher conversion of the substrates.     

Chemo,regio and stereoselectivity in the reaction of p-bromobenzaldehyde with α-ethoxycrotyltributyltin

The reaction of p-bromobenzaldehyde (1) with α-ethoxycrotyltributyltin (2) has proved amenable to control in terms of chemo, regio and stereochemistry, using appropriate experimental conditions, namely Pd(PPh₃)₄ catalysis, BF₃.Et₂O catalysis or simple heating. In the latter case, a dramatic kinetic effect has been observed: 2E has been proved to be much more reactive (and much more stereoselective) than 2Z.     

Enantioselective Michael reaction of α-alkyl-β-keto esters and enones under multifunctional catalysis

An efficient approach for the enantioselective Michael additions of β-alkyl-β-keto esters to β-substituted α,β-unsaturated ketones has been developed. The Michael products could be obtained in good to excellent yields (75-98%) with excellent diastereoselectivities (up to >99:1 dr) and enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) and could easily be transformed into a synthetically useful hexahydrophenanthrene structure under mild conditions in good yield.     

Asymmetric organocatalytic cascade Michael/acyl transfer reaction of 2-hydroxychalcones with α-nitroketones

A highly enantioselective (84–97% ee) cascade Michael/acyl transfer reaction of α-nitroketones to a wide range of 2-hydroxychalcones was established in the presence of a bifunctional squaramide. Although aliphatic α-nitroketones were revealed to be a class of challenging substrates with unsatisfactory reactivity or enantioselectivity by previous reports, good isolated yields and excellent enantiopurities have been achieved via our catalytic protocol. γ-Nitroketones created by this new methodology were versatile building blocks possessing profound further synthetic utility.     

Controlling the α/γ-Reactivity of Vinylogous Ketone Enolates in Organocatalytic Enantioselective Michael Reactions

The first regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective direct Michael reaction of β,γ-unsaturated ketones with nitroolefins is enabled by Brønsted base/hydrogen-bonding bifunctional catalysis. A squaramide-substituted tertiary amine catalyzes the reaction of a broad range of β,γ-unsaturated ketones to proceed at the α-site exclusively, giving rise to adducts with two consecutive tertiary carbon stereocenters in diastereomeric ratios of up to >20:1 and enantioselectivities generally in the 90–98 % ee range.     

Thioester-assisted α-sialylation reaction

α-Selective sialylation reactions were carried out using novel sialic acid building blocks that possess a thioester auxiliary. In contrast to other arylthio- and benzylthioester derivatives, sialyl phosphite 1a (with the phenylthioester moiety) was employed as the α-selective building block, and was reacted with various primary alcohols, including the C6-OH group of galactose and glucose, with moderate to excellent α-selectivities. For C3-OH of the galactose, 4,6-di-O-benzylgalactal afforded desired α-linkage with excellent selectivity.     

Microwave activation of an asymmetric Michael reaction: unexpected behaviour of chiral α-alkoxy imines

While it has been previously established that chiral α-alkoxy imines undergo thermal rearrangement at temperatures above 50°C, the microwave activation of the Michael addition between chiral imine 3b and methyl acrylate at 100°C led cleanly to the corresponding Michael adduct 5b without the formation of any rearranged product and with the same regio- and stereoselectivity as the corresponding thermal condensation at 40°C (ee 95%).     

Domino Michael/aza-Wittig reaction in the diastereoselective construction of spiro[azepane-4,3′-oxindoles]

A convenient synthetic strategy for the diastereoselective assembly of spiro[azepane-4,3′-oxindoles] was developed via a Staudinger/Michael/aza-Wittig/reduction/N-deprotection reaction sequence starting from PMB-protected oxindole-substituted ethylazides. The key step of the method is a domino self-catalytic Michael/aza-Wittig reaction wherein the phosphazene moiety acts first as the catalyst and then as the reactant, resulting in the formation of a seven-membered N-heterocycle.     

Enantioselective synthesis of functionalized α-amino acids via a chiral guanidine catalyzed Michael addition reaction

Several chiral guanidines were evaluated as catalysts for the Michael reaction of glycine derivatives 7 with acrylic esters 8. The best result (30.4% ee) was obtained when 7b was reacted with 8b under the catalysis of guanidine 1 in THF.     

Nucleophilic addition reaction of aromatic compounds with α-chloroglycidates in the presence of Lewis acid

The epoxide 1 obtained by the Darzens condensation reaction of aldehydes with methyl dichloroacetate, reacted with aromatic compounds in the presence of aluminium chloride to afford α-aryl-β-chloro-α-hydroxyalkanoate 3. The intra-molecular nucleophilic addition of epoxide 1′ gave cyclisation compound 4. The scope and limitation of these reaction were studied for various aldehydes and aromatic compounds. The reaction was also studied in the presence of aluminium chloride supported on alumina or silica gel, which is thought to be a mild Lewis acid and harmless for environment.     

Facile [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement in the reaction of α-chloroperfluorostyrene with allyl alcohol

The reaction of -chloroperfluorostyrene (1) with allyl alcohol in the presence of KOH at 45–50°C leads to a mixture of the allyl 2-pentafluorophenyl-2-chloro-4-pentenoate (2) and the product of the addition of the starting reagents (3). Ester2 is formed as the result of a mild [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of the reaction intermediate.A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organometallic Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117813 Moscow. Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1925–1926, August, 1992.