Acetylene nucleophilicity

The 13-ethyl-17-ketones, i.e., (63), have been found to be considerably less reactive than their 13-methyl counterparts towards acetylenic nucleophiles. The difference is attributed to the additional steric hindrance provided by the ethyl group. An attempt to introduce an ethynyl group into mc- 2>-isopropyl-3-methoxygona-l,3,5(10)-trien-17-one was unsuccessful even in ethylenediamine at 50°. However ethynylation of rac-13-isopropyl-3-methoxygona-1,3,5(10),8(14)-tetraen-17-one proceeded smoothly at room temperature to afford the 17a-ethynyl compound in 60% yield. ... 

A reinvestigation of the reactions of 3,4-dichloro- and 3-chloroH-hydroxy thiadiazoles with a variety of acetylene nucleophiles (NaC=CNa, I, iC=C-TMS, LiC=C-SnM e3) showed consumption of the starting thiadiazoles with no significant higher molecular weight products being formed <2004TL5441>. 

The acetylide ion is a strongly basic and nucleophilic species which can induce nucleophilic substitution at positive carbon centres. Acetylene is readily converted by sodium amide in liquid ammonia to sodium acetylide. In the past alkylations were predominantly carried out in liquid ammonia. The alkylation of alkylacetylenes and arylacetylenes is carried out in similar fashion to that of acetylene. Nucleophilic substitution reactions of the alkali metal acetylides are limited to primary halides which are not branched in the -position. Primary halides branched in the P-position as well as secondary and tertiary halides undergo elimination to olefins by the NaNH2. The rate of reaction with halides is in the order I > Br > Cl, but bromides are generally preferred. In the case of a,o)-chloroiodoalkanes and a,to-bromoiodoalkanes. 

Cyclopropanone ethyl hemiketal was converted to the vinyltrimethylsiloxy cyclopropane by the addition Of the acetylenic nucleophile 153, followed by the steps shown in equation 38 and Sehettie 58. Thermal ring enlargement provided the 3-substituted... 

It was already known that amino alcohols of the kind we have just used 78 were good at this kind of asymmetric addition but this particular combination of an acetylenic nucleophile and an aryl trifluoromethyl ketone was uncharted territory. After some exploration, stoichiometric pyrrolidine alcohol 88 prepared by alkylation of norephedrine 87 from the chiral pool (chapter 23) proved the best and the ketone 85 had to be used as its V-4-methoxybenzyl derivative18 89. 

Corey and Cimprich have used acetylenic dimethylborane as the nucleophile for the asymmetric addition of acetylenic nucleophiles to aldehydes. This reagent was generated in sitn from the corresponding alkynyl stannane and bromodimethylborane (Scheme 21.12). A typical procedure involved addition of a solution of bromodimethyl-borane in methylcyclohexane to a solution of the alkynyl stannane (1.3 to 1.5) in toluene at -78°C. A solntion of the oxazaborolidine (0.25 to 1 equiv in toluene) was added after 30 minntes, and after an additional 15 minntes the aldehyde was added. The chiral... 

Although the polymerization was extensive in most cases, the analysis of the cyclic products clearly shows that in terminal acetylenes nucleophilic reaction leads mainly to exo-methylene-heterocycles, while free radical cyclization leads to unsaturated rings. 

Areas of acetylenic chemistry reviewed recently include the base-catalysed isomerization of acetylenes, nucleophilic additions to acetylenes, additions to activated triple bonds, synthetic and naturally occurring acetylene compounds as drugs, allenic and acetylenic carotenoids, linear polymers from acetylenes, carbonylation of mono-olefinic and monoacetylenic hydrocarbons, and the combustion and oxidation of acetylene. Several books have also appeared. ... 

The high acidity of superacids makes them extremely effective pro-tonating agents and catalysts. They also can activate a wide variety of extremely weakly basic compounds (nucleophiles) that previously could not be considered reactive in any practical way. Superacids such as fluoroantimonic or magic acid are capable of protonating not only TT-donor systems (aromatics, olefins, and acetylenes) but also what are called (T-donors, such as saturated hydrocarbons, including methane (CH4), the simplest parent saturated hydrocarbon. 

Terminal alkyne anions are popular reagents for the acyl anion synthons (RCHjCO"). If this nucleophile is added to aldehydes or ketones, the triple bond remains. This can be con verted to an alkynemercury(II) complex with mercuric salts and is hydrated with water or acids to form ketones (M.M.T. Khan, 1974). The more substituted carbon atom of the al-kynes is converted preferentially into a carbonyl group. Highly substituted a-hydroxyketones are available by this method (J.A. Katzenellenbogen, 1973). Acetylene itself can react with two molecules of an aldehyde or a ketone (V. jager, 1977). Hydration then leads to 1,4-dihydroxy-2-butanones. The 1,4-diols tend to condense to tetrahydrofuran derivatives in the presence of acids. 

In stereoselective antitheses of chiral open-chain molecules transformations into cyclic precursors should be tried. The erythro-configurated acetylenic alcohol given below, for example, is disconnected into an acetylene monoanion and a symmetrical oxirane (M. A. Adams, 1979). Since nucleophilic substitution occurs with inversion of configuration this oxirane must be trens-conilgurated its precursor is commercially available trans-2-butene. 

The following acid-catalyzed cyclizations leading to steroid hormone precursors exemplify some important facts an acetylenic bond is less nucleophilic than an olelinic bond acetylenic bonds tend to form cyclopentane rather than cyclohexane derivatives, if there is a choice in proton-catalyzed olefin cyclizations the thermodynamically most stable Irons connection of cyclohexane rings is obtained selectively electroneutral nucleophilic agents such as ethylene carbonate can be used to terminate the cationic cyclization process forming stable enol derivatives which can be hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds without this nucleophile and with trifluoroacetic acid the corresponding enol ester may be obtained (M.B. Gravestock, 1978, A,B P.E. Peterson, 1969). 

Anions of acetylene and terminal alkynes are nucleophilic and react with methyl and primary alkyl halides to form carbon-carbon bonds by nucleophilic substitution Some useful applications of this reaction will be discussed m the following section... 

In agreement with these analyses, it was found that conqiound S was unreactive toward base-catalyzed cyclization to 6, even though the double bond would be expected to be reactive toward nucleophilic conjugate addition. On the other hand the acetylene 7 is readily cyclized to 8 ... 

Disubstituted isotellurazoles 1 (4-11%) and bis((3-acylvinyl)tellurides 3 (3-10%) were isolated in very low yields from the reaction mixture as the products of nucleophilic addition of telluride anion to the triple bond of the initial ethynyl ketones (83S824). This method cannot be applied to the synthesis of 3//-isotellurazoles. When a-acetylenic aldehydes were used instead of ethynyl ketones, bis((3-cyanovinyl)tellurides 4 obtained in 14-20% yields were the only products (83S824). 

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