Regio- and stereoselective synthesis of silyl enol ethers using a new base electrogenerated from hexamethyldisilazane

The hexamethyldisilazane magnesium salt, a new base readily electrogenerated in an undivided cell fitted with a sacrificial magnesium anode, using a normally equilibrating medium (DME/15% vol HMPA mixture), exhibited a surprising regioselectivity leading to the less highly substituted silyl enol ethers from unsymmetrical ketones. This regioselectivity was not temperature dependent, but was strongly dependent on the nature and proportions of the solvent/cosolvent mixture. Moreover, the reaction was different in pure NMP, and exclusively afforded, from 2-pentanone, the new silylated aldol (56% yield) which resulted from the condensation of the less highly substituted enolate with the ketone.