Journal of the American Chemical Society
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Our proposal, that 15 is likely the bifunctional base that catꢀ MJV acknowledges support from startup funding at Bingꢀ
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alyzes the rateꢀdetermining step (TS8'), is consistent with (a)
Seebach’s proposal4 that base catalysis is the chemical origin
of autocatalysis observed in this reaction, i.e. product forꢀ
mation accelerates the reaction by increasing the concentration
of base that catalyzes the rateꢀdetermining step, and (b)
Blackmond’s observation that the autocatalytic nature of this
reaction is a result of ‘a catalytic cycle involving only soluble
proline complexes or soluble proline adducts.’8a After the origꢀ
inal submission of this manuscript, we were made aware of a
new NMR study by Gschwind and coꢀworkers probing the
mechanism of enamine formation in the proline catalyzed selfꢀ
aldol reaction of 3ꢀmethylbutanal in DMSO. This new study
rescinds their original proposal (Ref. 5, TSꢀGschwind) and
supports the HoukꢀList pathway (TS3) as the most likely
mechanism of enamine formation.26 This is in direct conflict
with our results (vide supra) and led us to further question the
conclusions presented in this manuscript.
We questioned whether our experimental KIEs resulted
from multiple steps in the catalytic cycle being partially rate
determining – for example, a weighted average of the predictꢀ
ed KIEs of TS2 and TS3 could potentially account for our
experimental KIEs. In order to probe this possibility experiꢀ
mentally, we determined the C1 KIEs using α–D2-1a as the
aldehyde. If TS3 was indeed partially rate determining, it is
expected that α–deuteriums would increase the barrier to TS3
and make it ‘more rateꢀdetermining’. This would result in a C1
KIE value closer to the predicted value for TS3 – 1.002 (Figꢀ
ure 3). We conducted duplicate 13C KIE experiments using α–
D2-1a and found the C1 KIE to be 1.024(4) and 1.021(4) –
virtually identical to our measurements using 1a.11 This result
confirms that our experimental KIEs originate from a single
rate-determining step and reaffirms that TS3 is not involved in
the mechanism of enamine formation in our system. The disꢀ
crepancy between our study and Ref. 26 is most likely atꢀ
tributable to the choice of electrophile (2a versus 3ꢀ
methylbutanal) and/or solvent (acetonitrile versus DMSO) for
the respective reactions.
hamton University from the SUNY Research Foundation and
the National Science Foundation through XSEDE resources
provided by the XSEDE Science Gateways program.
REFERENCES
9
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(11) See Supporting Information for detailed description of the experꢀ
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(19) These transition structures and predicted KIEs were calculated
using multiple DFT methods. See Supporting Information for
geometries and full details of these calculations.
In conclusion, this work resolves the mechanism of enamine
formation in the proline catalyzed αꢀamination of aldehydes.
Our data supports a mechanism involving direct conversion of
oxazolidinone 11 to Nꢀprotonated enamine 12•H+ via an E2ꢀ
elimination initiated by a bifunctional base. Rapid proton
transfer from 12•H+ presumably forms 8 followed by reꢀentry
into the HoukꢀList pathway. These results confirm the role of
oxazolidinone 11 as a key non-parasitic intermediate in the
HoukꢀList catalytic cycle while invoking base catalysis as the
possible origin of autocatalysis observed in this reaction.
(20) To model TSꢀGschwind, a Brønsted acid (AcOH) is added to
TS8 to stabilize the incipient carboxylate moiety.
(21) See Supporting Information for detailed discussion
(22) Since the exact identity of the bifunctional base that catalyzed
TS8' is unknown, transition structures corresponding to TS8'
were located using a wide variety of bifunctional bases. See
Supporting Information for full details of these calculations.
(23) See Supporting Information for calculated energy barriers for
TS8'a using several DFT methods. For an important discussion
on interpretation of calculated free energy barriers see: Plata, R.
E.; Singleton, D. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 3811ꢀ3826.
(24) Vetticatt, M. J. PhD. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, 2009.
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ASSOCIATED CONTENT
Supporting Information. Complete experimental and compuꢀ
tational details, and NMR data are included in the Supporting
Information. This material is available free of charge via the
AUTHOR INFORMATION
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
(26) Haindl, M. H.; Hioe, J.; Gschwind, R. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2015, 137, 12835ꢀ12842.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
4
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