Solid supported chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric synthesis. Part 2: Catalysis of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions by Mg(II) cation

1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of supported Evansʹ chiral auxiliary with nitrile oxides and nitrones in the presence of Mg(II) cation as catalyst were evaluated. The presence of acetonitrile as co-solvent was found to be fundamental for the Lewis acid catalysis on solid-phase. The regio- and stereochemical outcome of nitrile oxide cycloadditions is influenced by nearly stoichiometric quantities of the cation, whilst catalytic amounts of Mg(II) influence both the reactivity and the stereoselectivity of the nitrone cycloadditions. The results obtained support a reaction mechanism involving the coordination of the Mg(II) to the dicarbonyl fragment of the chiral auxiliary.