Transition metal-catalyzed reductive C-C bond forming hydrogenation/transfer hydrogenation and applications in the total synthesis of (+)-roxaticin

By simply hydrogenating enones in the presence of aldehydes at ambient temperature and pressure, aldol adducts are generated under neutral conditions in the absence of any stoichiometric byproducts. Using cationic rhodium complexes modified by tri(2-furyl)phosphine, highly syn-diastereoselective reductive aldol additions of vinyl ketones are achieved. Finally, using novel monodentate TADDOL-like phosphonite ligands, the first highly diastereo- and enantioselective reductive aldol couplings of vinyl ketones were devised. These studies, along with other works from our laboratory, demonstrate that organometallics arising transiently in the course of catalytic hydrogenation offer byproduct-free alternatives to preformed organometallic reagents employed in classical carbonyl addition processes. Existing methods for enantioselective carbonyl allylation, crotylation and tert-prenylation require stoichiometric generation of pre-metallated nucleophiles, and often employ stoichiometric chiral modifiers. Under the conditions of transfer hydrogenation employing an ortho-cyclometallated iridium C,O-benzoate catalyst, enantioselective carbonyl allylations, crotylations and tert-prenylations are achieved in the absence of stoichiometric metallic reagents or stoichiometric chiral modifiers. Moreover, under transfer hydrogenation conditions, primary alcohols function dually as hydrogen donors and aldehyde precursors, enabling enantioselective carbonyl addition directly from the alcohol oxidation level.