Samarium ion-promoted cross-aldol reactions and tandem aldol/Evans-Tishchenko reactions

Cross-aldol reactions of carbonyl compounds were achieved by the catalysis of SmI2 or SmI3, together with molecular sieves, at ambient temperature. 1,3-Dichloroacetone and 1-chloroacetone can be used as acceptor substrates in the cross-aldol reactions with donor substrates such as acetone, cyclopentanone, and cyclohexanone. The cross-aldol reactions with (R)-glyceraldehyde acetonide gave optically pure compounds 25-32, the stereochemistry of which was in agreement with a chairlike chelate transition state of dipolar mode. SmI2-molecular sieves or SmI3-molecular sieves also functioned as effective Lewis acids to catalyze tandem aldol/Evans-Tishchenko reactions. The aldol/Evans-Tishchenko reactions of methyl ketones with aldehydes occurred at 0 degrees C to give alpha,gamma-anti diol monoesters 53a-59a. When the reactions were conducted at room temperature, a certain degree of transesterification took place. The aldol/Evans-Tishchenko reactions of ethyl or benzyl ketones with aldehydes yielded alpha,beta-anti-alpha,gamma-anti diol monoesters 60a-65a. However, the aldol/Evans-Tishchenko reactions of cyclic ketones with benzaldehyde occurred with a different stereoselectivity to give alpha,beta-syn-alpha,gamma-anti diol monoesters 66a-76a. The structures of products were determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods including an X-ray diffraction analysis of 72a derived from the reaction of 4-tert-butylcyclohexanone and benzaldehyde. A reaction mechanism involving dissociation-recombination of aldols followed by intramolecular stereoselective hydride shift is proposed, based on some experimental evidence, to explain the dichotomous stereoselectivity using acyclic or cyclic ketones as the reaction substrates.