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Journal ArticleDOI

Basic character of rare earth metal alkoxides. Utilization in catalytic C-C bond-forming reactions and catalytic asymmetric nitroaldol reactions

20 May 1992-Journal of the American Chemical Society (American Chemical Society)-Vol. 114, Iss: 11, pp 4418-4420
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported several carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions catalyzed by rare earth metal alkoxides and their application to a catalytic asymmetric nitroaldol reaction.
Abstract: In a recent paper, the authors reported that Zr(O-t-Bu){sub 4} was an efficient and convenient basic reagent in organic synthesis. However, all reactions examined were performed with stoichiometric quantities of the reagent. The authors envisioned that rare earth metal alkoxides would be stronger bases than group 4 metal alkoxides due to the lower ionization potential (ca. 5.4-6.4 eV) and the lower electronegativity (1.1-1.3) of rare earth elements; thus, the catalytic use of rare earth metal alkoxides in organic synthesis was expected. Although a variety of rare earth metal alkoxides have been prepared for the last three decades, to the authors knowledge, there have been few reports concerning the basicity of rare earth metal alkoxides. Herein, the authors report several carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions catalyzed by rare earth metal alkoxides and their application to a catalytic asymmetric nitroaldol reaction.
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653 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This critical review documents the development of direct catalytic asymmetric aldol methodologies, including organocatalytic and metal-based strategies, which have improved the reactivity, selectivity and substrate scope of the direct a Aldol reaction and enabled the synthesis of complex molecular targets.
Abstract: Asymmetric aldol reactions are a powerful method for the construction of carbon–carbon bonds in an enantioselective fashion. Historically this reaction has been performed in a stoichiometric fashion to control the various aspects of chemo-, diastereo-, regio- and enantioselectivity, however, a more atom economical approach would unite high selectivity with the use of only a catalytic amount of a chiral promoter. This critical review documents the development of direct catalytic asymmetric aldol methodologies, including organocatalytic and metal-based strategies. New methods have improved the reactivity, selectivity and substrate scope of the direct aldol reaction and enabled the synthesis of complex molecular targets (357 references).

628 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the development of rare-earth-alkali metal complexes such as LnM3tris(binaphthoxide) complexes (LnMB, Ln = rare earth metal, M = alkali metal), which are readily prepared from corresponding rare earth trichlorides or rare earth isopropoxides, and their application to catalytic asymmetric synthesis.
Abstract: This review focuses on a new concept in catalytic asymmetric reactions that was first realized for the use of heterobimetallic complexes. As these heterobimetallic complexes function as both a Bronsted base and as a Lewis acid, just like an enzyme, they make possible a variety of efficient catalytic asymmetric reactions. This heterobimetallic concept should prove to be applicable to a variety of new asymmetric catalyses. The first part of this review describes the development of rare-earth–alkali metal complexes such as LnM3tris(binaphthoxide) complexes (LnMB, Ln = rare-earth metal, M = alkali metal), which are readily prepared from the corresponding rare-earth trichlorides or rare-earth isopropoxides, and their application to catalytic asymmetric synthesis. By using a catalytic amount of LnMB complexes several asymmetric reactions proceed efficiently to give the corresponding desired products in up to 98% ee: LnLB-catalyzed asymmetric nitroaldol reactions (L = Li), LnSB-catalyzed asymmetric Michael reactions (S Na), and LnPB-catalyzed asymmetric hydrophosphonylations of either imines or aldehydes (P K). Applications of these heterobimetallic catalysts to the syntheses of several biologically and medicinally important compounds are also described. Spectral analyses and computational simulations of the asymmetric reactions catalyzed by the heterobimetallic complexes reveal that the two different metals play different roles to enhance the reactivity of both reaction partners and to position them. From mechanistic considerations, a useful activation of the heterobimetallic catalyses was realized by addition of alkali metal reagents. The second part describes the development of another type of heterobimetallic catalysts featuring Group 13 elements such as Al and Ga as the central metal. Among them, the AlLibis(binaphthoxide) complex (ALB) is an effective catalyst for asymmetric Michael reactions, tandem Michael–aldol reactions, and hydrophosphonylation of aldehydes.

586 citations