title: Quantum chemical calculations on the Peterson olefination with alpha-silyl ester enolates.
abstract: The reaction of stabilized Peterson reagents (alpha-silyl ester enolates) with ketones has been studied theoretically and experimentally. Enolate geometry was studied by trapping experiments and NMR spectroscopy and was found to differ markedly with the nature of the base (LiHMDS vs LDA vs KHMDS). The chelating effect of the lithium counterion was found to be critical for the reaction. For the two ketones studied, the combined weight of experimental and computational data assigns geometrical selectivity to the initial addition transition state, though in general there appears to be a fine balance between three possible choices for the rate-determining step.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Building 201, Kemitorvet, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Malcolm B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gillies
authors.forename: Janne E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Tønder
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tanner
authors.forename: Per-Ola
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Norrby