On the mechanism of oxazoline-directed metalations: Evidence for nitrogen-directed reactions

We recently described a method for the synthesis of ferrocene complexes possessing planar chirality which relies on the asymmetric deprotonation of chiral ferrocenyloxazolines. The unexpected stereochemical outcome of these reactions led us to examine whether the metalation is directed by the oxygen or the nitrogen of the oxazoline. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of a constrained ferrocenyloxazoline (compound 13) in which oxygen- and nitrogen-directed metalations provide different stereochemical outcomes. Our results show that nitrogen is responsible for the directive effects of the oxazoline when alkyllithium reagents are used to deprotonate the ferrocene. The implications of this result on the origin of asymmetric induction in the metalation of the unconstrained ferrocenyloxazolines 19 and 20 are discussed.