Acetylide attack

Reaction of estrone with a metal acetylide affords 17a-ethynyl-173-hydroxy-estradiol (etbynylestradiol, 30a EE). This compound is equipotent with estradiol by subcutaneous administration, but it is 15 to 20 times as active when administered orally. Ethynylation of the methyl ether of estradiol analogously affords mestranol (30b), It should be noted that the same factors apply in these reactions as in previously discussed reductions at 17 almost the sole products of these reactions are those which result from attack of reagent from the least hindered a side of the steroid. Ethynylestradiol and mestranol are of special commercial significance since the majority of the oral contraceptives now on sale incorporate one or the other of the compounds as the estrogenic component. 

The reaction proceeds with isolated double bonds and electron-rich alkynes. Electron-withdrawing groups in the acetylene moiety decelerated the reaction. A plausible mechanism implies the activation of the olefin by coordination of the metal triflate followed by nucleophilic attack of the acetylene or acetylide (Scheme 31). 

Wong, Y.S., Paik, Fl.N., Chieh, P.C., and Carty, A.J., Two-carbon three-electron ligands. Phosphonium-betaine complexes via nucleophilic attack by phosphites on a o-rc-acetylide di-iron hexacarbonyl derivative, /. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 309, 1975. 

Ethyl 2,3-epoxypropanoate is a very interesting chiron. It may be opened by various organometallic compounds such as dialkyl, diaryl, and divinyl lithium cuprates, dialkylmagnesium cuprates, trialkylalanes and aluminum acetylides.5 6 The epoxide ring is attacked regiospecifically at the p-position and produces a-hydroxy esters exclusively without racemization. The same result is observed with... 

In 1991, Park reported123 the first synthesis of iron alkynylcarbene complexes (184), involving the nucleophilic attack of a lithium acetylide on pentacarbonyl iron, followed by electrophilic quench. With such compounds in hand, he proceeded to investigate their reactivity123,124 and found that upon addition of cyclopentadiene to the alkynylcarbene complexes 184, the products formed were 774-vinylketene complexes (185). During column chromatography, some of these products (185.a and 185.b) were transformed into the tricarbonyl(norbornadiene)iron derivatives 186. Others (185.C and 185.d, not shown) were hydrolyzed as part of the workup procedure, to afford pure samples of the norbornadiene complexes 186.C and... 

The tantalum(V) calix[4]arene complex 44 provides an interesting scaffold for the construction of an j -PhC2C=CPh ligand upon reaction with an excess of phenylethynyllithium (Scheme 10). The coupling reaction is presumed to proceed via bis-alkynyl 45, which is subsequently attacked at the a-carbon of one of the acetylide ligands to give anion 46, isolated as its lithium salt. The addition of a further equivalent of LiC CPh is probably prohibited by orbital constraints. ... 

A number of steroidal drugs are produced by procedures that include nucleophilic attack of sodium acetylide onto a ketone, particularly that at position 17 on the five-membered ring of the steroid (see Box 3.19). 

On the basis of DFT calculations, a catalytic cycle involving a copper vinylidene intermediate has been proposed (Scheme 9.22) [44]. The reaction is initiated by copper acetylide (138) formation. Sharpless and coworkers next invoke an unusual [3 + 3]-cycloaddition that would be forbidden by orbital symmetry, were it not stepwise. Coordination of an azide to complex 138 generates a zwitterionic complex (139). Internal nucleophilic attack of the acetylide moiety of 139 on the electrophilic... 

Excellent yields can be obtained when the mixture of RC=CLi and the epoxide in ammonia is allowed to stand for 12 to 24 hours [2]. With sodium acetylides, there is some risk of subsequent attack of the acetylenic alcoholate on the epoxide, especially when the latter compound is used in excess. The reaction of acetylenic magnesium halides, RCsCMgX, with epoxides also leads to homopropargylic alcohols, but this is generally not recommended as a satisfactory method, as impure products are often obtained [62], Coordination of the epoxide-oxygen atom with the Lewis acid may give rise to a Sjql-like attack of RCaC on... 

C. In liquid ammonia the reaction with epoxybutane would be slower than in the case of oxiiane. However, the most important effect of the replacement of the NH3 by DMSO is, that the specific solvatarion of the metal ion by DMSO facilitates attack of the acetylide on the ring. The presence of this solvent does not give rise to difficulties during the aqueous woik-up of alcohols with a longer carbon chain (compare exp. 23). 

Absorption of orally administered, relatively lipophilic compounds, such as estrone or estradiol, occurs mainly in the intestine. The bacteria that colonize the gut are, however, particularly adept at converting those compounds by attack at the 17 position to very water-soluble derivatives that defy absorption. Alkylation of that position avoids this catabolic pathway and consequently enhances bioavailability on oral administration. The reaction of 17-keto steroids with nucleophiles illustrates the high degree of stereospecifity that is maintained in many steroid reactions approach of that carbonyl group from the (3 face is virtually forbidden by the presence of the adjacent 18 methyl. The reaction products consequently consist of almost pure isomers from attack at the a face. Reaction of estradiol with lithium acetylide thus gives ethynylestradiol (9-2) [9] the corresponding alkylation of estradiol 3-methyl ether (9-1) leads to mestranol (9-3) [10]. Both compounds are potent orally active... 

Nonempirical quantum-chemical calculations of acetylide molecules support the ready displacement of alkali metal cations to the bridge position (87IZV2777 88IZV1335, 88IZV1339). This naturally leads to the conclusion that the polarization and deformation of the ir-electronic shell of acetylene must depend on the atomic number of the cation attached to the acetylene anion. However, the acetylene activation in the reaction with ketoximes via acetylides suggests nucleophile attack at a carbanionlike complex, which is of course a week point of the hypothesis. Nevertheless, the electrophilic assistance from the alkali metal cation (Na+) to the... 

Acetylene-vinylidene rearrangements of silylacetylene-iron carbonyl complexes have been observed,537 while iron-acetylide hydride complexes of the type [Fe(H)(C=CR)(dmpe)2], where dmpe=l,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane, have been found to react with anions to afford substituted alkenyl complexes. It has been proposed538 that a likely reaction course for this latter rearrangement involves initial protonation of the cr-bound acetylide ligand at the carbon (I to the metal centre to form a vinylidene complex. Metal-to-carbon hydride migration in this vinylidene complex with attack by the anion would then lead to the neutral complex (see Scheme 106). A detailed mechanistic investigation has been carried out539 on the novel metathetical... 

---