1.3.

OTHER MEANS OF GENERATING ENOLATES Experimental conditions in which lithium enolates are stable and do not equilibrate with their regioisomers were developed. So, besides deprotonation, other methods are available to generate the desidered enolate. a) The reaction of trimethyl silylenolethers or enol acetates with methillithium is a synthetic pathway that depends on the availability of this molecules in high purities
OSiMe3 MeLi
MeO OMe

O-Li+ + SiMe4

O O

MeLi, 2 eq
MeO OMe

O-Li+

O-Li+

b) Trimethyl silylenolethers give enolates also reacting with quaternary ammonium fluorides. The driving force of this reaction is the formation of the strong Si-F bond (142 kcal/mol).
OSiMe3 BnMe3N+FTHF O-N+BnMe3 + FSiMe3

Trimethyl silylenolethers can be prepared starting from ketones, in conditions of kinetic or thermodynamic control, purified and then used as regioselective enolate precursors. c) It is possible to obtain enolates regioselectively, by reduction of unsatured ketones, with lithium and liquid ammonia.
NH3 NH3 O
(-)
+

+ O

Li

Li-O

1.4. ALKYLATION OF ENOLATES

Alkylation of enolate is an important synthetic method.

groups can be dialkylated if sufficient base and alkylating agent are used. Dialkylation can be an undesirable side reaction if the monoalkyl derivative is the desired product. Use of dihaloalkanes as the alkylating reagent leads to ring formation.

Methylene

The

relative rates of cyclization for -haloalkyl malonate esters are 650,000 : 1 : 6500 : 5 for formation of three-, four-, five-, and six-membered rings, respectively.
6.5 x 105 EtOOC COOEt : 1 COOEt COOEt : 6.5 x 103 EtOOC COOEt : 5 COOEt COOEt

RELATIVE RATES OF CYCLIZATION RING SIZE

Relatively acidic carbon acids such as malonic esters and -keto esters were the first class of carbanions for which reliable conditions for alkylation were developed, because these carbanions are formed using easily accessible alkoxide ions. 2-Substituted -keto esters and 2-substituted derivatives of malonic ester are useful precursors of ketones and carboxylic acids, since both -ketoacids and malonic acids undergo facile decarboxylation:
O X R R' H O O - CO2 O X R H R' X R O R'

X = alkyl, aryl: X = OH:

O

-ketoacid ketone malonate substituted acetic acid

O O OEt O

O OH

BuLi 2 eq

O X

Li

O O-Li+

1) RX 2) H+, -CO2

O R

STEREOSELECTIVITY

O-Li+ Li/NH3 Br

O
TRANS / CIS = 20 / 1

a)

H 1) R4N+F2) Br
Y = 59%

b)
SiMe3O

SiMe3O
H H NH3/Li I
+

c)
O

Li-O

Y = 43%

1.5. GENERATION AND ALKYLATION OF DIANIONS In the presence of a sufficiently strong base, such as an alkyllithium, sodium or potassium hydride, sodium or potassium amide, or LDA, 1,3dicarbonyl compounds can be converted to their dianions by two sequential deprotonations.
O O Ph O 2 NaNH2 O-Li+ O-Li+ Ph Ph
Cl

Ph Ph

Alkylation reactions of dianions occur at the more basic carbon. This technique allows alkylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to be carried
out cleanly at the less acidic position.

Because, as discussed earlier, alkylation of the monoanion occurs at the

carbon between the two carbonyl groups, the site of monoalkylation can be controlled by choice of the amount and and nature of the base.

Same examples, using different bases and different substrates

O O H O O OO2 KNH2 OOH 1) 2) H3O O2 KNH2 OH OOBr Bu 1) Br
+

1)

Cl

O H Y = 80%

2) H3O+ Br
+

2 NaNH2 OH H

Y = 81-82% O Y = 54-74%

OH H NaOH H2O Bu

2 NaNH2 OMe

O OMe O O OMe

OMe 2) H3O Br

Y = 84%

O-

OOMe

Y = 85%

MONOANION DIANION

Alkylation of the more acid position Alkylation of the more basic position

1.6. MEDIUM EFFECTS IN THE ALKYLATION OF ENOLATES The rate of alkylation of enolate ions is strongly dependent on the solvent in which the reaction is carried.
O BuO O 1) EtOOBu 2)
Br

O BuO

O OBu Bu

Relative rates of reaction of the sodium enolate of diethyl n-butylmalonate with n-butyl bromide: THF SOLVENT
o
MeO

DME
OMe

DMF
O N H

DMSO
O S

H3C

CH3

DIELECTRIC CONSTANT RELATIVE RATE

2.3 1

7.3 14

6.8 80

37 970

47 1420

Polar aprotic solvents have high dielectric constants but lack hydroxyl groups or other hydrogen-bonding groups. Polar aprotic solvents possess excellent metal-cation coordination ability, so they can solvate and dissociate enolates and other carbanions from ion pairs and clusters. HIGH DIELECTRIC CONSTANTS have lack POLAR APROTIC SOLVENTS can HYDROXYL GROUPS OR OTHER HYDROGEN-BONDING GROUPS EXCELLENT METAL-CATION COORDINATION ABILITY

possess

SOLVATE AND DISSOCIATE ENOLATES AND OTHER CARBANIONS FROM IONS PAIRS AND CLUSTERS

The reactivity of Li+, Na+, K+ enolates is very sensitive to the state of aggregation, which is, in turn, influenced by the reaction medium. The highest level of reactivity is that of the "bare unsolvated enolate anion.
REACTIVITY OF STATE OF AGGREGATION REACTION MEDIA

Li+, Na+, K+ ENOLATES

depends on

depends on

For an enolate-metal ion pair in solution, the maximum reactivity would be expected in a medium in which the cation was strongly solvated and the enolate was very weakly solvated.
CATION STRONGLY SOLVATED ENOLATE VERY WEAKLY SOLVATED

ENOLATE-METAL ION PAIR IN SOLUTION

MAXIMUM REACTIVITY

POLAR APROTIC SOLVENTS

-

GOOD CATION SOLVATORS

POOR ANION SOLVATORS

O CH3 N CH3 DMF H3C CH3 N CH CH3 3 N N P CH3 H3C O HMPA

H3C

O S+

CH3

N CH3 NMP

DMSO

DMSO, DMF, HMPA, and NMP have all a negatively polarized oxygen available for coordination to the alkali-metal cation. At the same time the positively polarized atom of these molecules , that can coordinate cations, is not nearly as exposed as the oxygen. Thus, these solvents provide a medium in which enolate-metal ion pairs are dissociated to give a less encumbered, more reactive enolate.

O-M+

solvent

O-

[M(solvent)n]+

Polar protic solvents also possess a pronounced ability to separate ion pairs but are less favorable as solvents for enolate alkylation reactions because they coordinate to both the metal cation and the enolate ion. Solvation of the enolate anion occurs through hydrogen bonding. The solvated enolate is relatively less reactive because the hydrogen-bonded enolate must be disrupted during alkylation.

O-M+

+ solvent-OH

O HO-solvent

+ [M(solvent-OH)n]+

Enolates generated in polar protic solvents such as water, alcohols, or ammonia are therefore less reactive than the same enolate in a polar aprotic solvent such as DMSO.

THF and DME are slightly polar solvents which are moderately good cation solvators. Coordination to the metal cation involves the oxygen lone pairs. These solvents, because of their lower dielectric constants, are less effective at separating ion pairs and higher aggregates than the polar aprotic ones. They can be used in the presence of co-solvents, molecules containing donors groups, more efficient in coordinating metal cations.

H3C CH3 N CH CH3 3 N + N CH3 H3C P OHMPA

O O

O O H3C

CH3 N

N CH3

CH3

18-CROWN-4

TMEDA

The reactivity of enolates is also affected by the metal counterion. Among the most commonly used ions, the order of reactivity is.

Mg2+ <Li+ < Na+ < K+

The factors that are responsible for this order are closely related to those described for solvents. The smaller, harder Mg2+ and Li+ cations are more tightly associated with the enolate than are the Na+ and K+ ions. The tighter coordination decreases the reactivity of the enolate and gives rise to more highly associated species.