ChemInform Abstract: [4 + 3] Cycloaddition of Aromatic α,β-Unsaturated Aldehydes and Ketones with Epoxides: One-Step Approach to Synthesize Seven-Membered Oxacycles Catalyzed by Lewis Acid.

Dual amine/pi Lewis acid catalyst systems have been reported for intramolecular direct additions of aldehydes/ketones to unactivated alkynes and occasionally alkenes, but related intermolecular reactions are rare and not presently of significant synthetic utility, likely due to undesired coordination of enamine intermediates to the metal catalyst. We reasoned that bulky metal ligands and bulky amine catalysts could minimize catalyst poisoning and could facilitate certain examples of direct intermolecular additions of aldehyde/ketones to alkenes/alkynes. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were performed that suggested that PyBOX-Pt(II) catalysts for alkene/alkyne activation could be combined with MacMillan’s imidazolidinone organocatalyst for aldehyde/ketone activation to facilitate desirable C-C bond formations, and certain reactions were calculated to be more exergonic than catalyst poisoning pathways. As calculated, preformed enamines generated from the MacMillan imidazolidinone did not displace ethylene from a biscationic (t-Bu)PyBOX-Pt2+complex, but neither were the desired C-C bond formations observed under several different conditions.

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Computationally-Guided Investigation of Dual Amine/pi Lewis Acid Catalysts for Direct Additions of Aldehydes and Ketones to Unactivated Alkenes and Alkynes

10.26434/chemrxiv.7538114 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eric Greve ◽

Jacob D. Porter ◽

Chris Dockendorff

Keyword(s):

Lewis Acid ◽

Density Functional ◽

Acid Catalyst ◽

Metal Catalyst ◽

Catalyst Poisoning ◽

Lewis Acid Catalysts ◽

Metal Ligands ◽

Aldehydes And Ketones ◽

Lewis Acid Catalyst ◽

Catalyst Systems

Dual amine/pi Lewis acid catalyst systems have been reported for intramolecular direct additions of aldehydes/ketones to unactivated alkynes and occasionally alkenes, but related intermolecular reactions are rare and not presently of significant synthetic utility, likely due to undesired coordination of enamine intermediates to the metal catalyst. We reasoned that bulky metal ligands and bulky amine catalysts could minimize catalyst poisoning and could facilitate certain examples of direct intermolecular additions of aldehyde/ketones to alkenes/alkynes. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were performed that suggested that PyBOX-Pt(II) catalysts for alkene/alkyne activation could be combined with MacMillan’s imidazolidinone organocatalyst for aldehyde/ketone activation to facilitate desirable C-C bond formations, and certain reactions were calculated to be more exergonic than catalyst poisoning pathways. As calculated, preformed enamines generated from the MacMillan imidazolidinone did not displace ethylene from a biscationic (t-Bu)PyBOX-Pt2+complex, but neither were the desired C-C bond formations observed under several different conditions.

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Theoretical Insight into the Reversal of Chemoselectivity in Diels-Alder Reactions of α,β-Unsaturated Aldehydes and Ketones Catalyzed by Brønsted and Lewis Acids

Organics ◽

10.3390/org2010004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 38-49

Author(s):

Lakhdar Benhamed ◽

Sidi Mohamed Mekelleche ◽

Wafaa Benchouk

Keyword(s):

Lewis Acids ◽

Major Product ◽

Diels Alder ◽

Unsaturated Ketone ◽

Unsaturated Aldehydes ◽

Aldehydes And Ketones ◽

Theoretical Insight ◽

Insight Into ◽

Good Agreement

Experimentally, a reversal of chemoselectivity has been observed in catalyzed Diels–Alder reactions of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes (e.g., (2E)-but-2-enal) and ketones (e.g., 2-hexen-4-one) with cyclopentadiene. Indeed, using the triflimidic Brønsted acid Tf2NH as catalyst, the reaction gave a Diels–Alder adduct derived from α,β-unsaturated ketone as a major product. On the other hand, the use of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane B(C6F5)3 bulky Lewis acid as catalyst gave mainly the cycloadduct of α,β-unsaturated aldehyde as a major product. Our aim in the present work is to put in evidence the role of the catalyst in the reversal of the chemoselectivity of the catalyzed Diels–Alder reactions of (2E)-but-2-enal and 2-Hexen-4-one with cyclopentadiene. The calculations were performed at the ωB97XD/6-311G(d,p) level of theory and the solvent effects of dichloromethane were taken into account using the PCM solvation model. The obtained results are in good agreement with experimental outcomes.

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