TiCl 4 − n -Bu 4 NX (X = I, Br, and Cl) Combination-Induced Coupling of α,β-Unsaturated Ketones with Aldehydes

A three-component coupling reaction between vinyl ketones, aldehydes, and halides has been developed with TiCl(4)-n-Bu(4)NX combined reagents. Treatment of vinyl ketones with a TiCl(4)-n-Bu(4)NI combination followed by an addition of a variety of aldehydes provides syn-alpha-iodomethyl-beta-hydroxy ketones with high stereoselectivity. Methyltriphenylphosphonium iodide as well as n-Bu(4)NI acts efficiently as a halide source. The combination of TiCl(4)-n-Bu(4)NBr provides the corresponding bromo compounds in good yields. syn-alpha-Chloromethyl-beta-hydroxy ketones are obtained with the TiCl(4)-n-Bu(4)NCl combination. A competitive experiment reveals that the order of relative reactivity of the combinations is TiCl(4)-n-Bu(4)NI > TiCl(4)-n-Bu(4)NBr > TiCl(4)-n-Bu(4)NCl.