On the origins of diastereoselectivity in the conjugate additions of the antipodes of lithium N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide to enantiopure cis- and trans-dioxolane containing α,β-unsaturated esters.

"Matching" and "mismatching" effects in the doubly diastereoselective conjugate additions of the antipodes of lithium N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide to enantiopure cis- and trans-dioxolane containing α,β-unsaturated esters have been investigated. High levels of substrate control were established first upon conjugate addition of achiral lithium N-benzyl-N-isopropylamide to both tert-butyl (S,S,E)-4,5-O-isopropylidene-4,5-dihydroxyhex-2-enoate and tert-butyl (4R,5S,E)-4,5-O-isopropylidene-4,5-dihydroxyhex-2-enoate. However, upon conjugate addition of lithium (R)-N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide and lithium (S)-N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide to these substrates, neither reaction pairing reinforced the apparent sense of substrate control. These reactions do not, therefore, conform to the classical doubly diastereoselective "matching" or "mismatching" pattern usually exhibited by this class of reaction. A comparison of these reactions with the previously reported doubly diastereoselective conjugate addition reactions of lithium amide reagents to analogous substrates is also discussed.