Good Felkin control leading to 22 is observed under conditions in which chelation is precluded; however, if chelation between the carbonyl and the â-alkoxy group is preferred by highly oxophilic metals, again the Felkin adduct 22 is preferentially formed via 24 (Scheme 11). Nevertheless, chelation with the N-Boc group via the nitrogen or the carbonyl of the tertbutyl ester group can also occur, leading via 25, 26, or 27 to the anti-Felkin adduct 23. An X-ray structure
analysis of 23 (Table 3, entry 10) shows a hydrogen bond from the hydroxyl to the carbonyl group of N-Boc, suggesting that 25 or 27 is particularly important. The preferred atoms to be chelated seem to be dependent on the metal and/or on the nucleophile, as well as on conformational constraints due to the choice of the groups R in 21.