Addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles

The l ,J -DBFOX/Ph-transition metal aqua complex catalysts should be suitable for the further applications to conjugate addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles [90-92]. What we challenged is the double activation method as a new methodology of catalyzed asymmetric reactions. Therein donor and acceptor molecules are both activated by achiral Lewis amines and chiral Lewis acids, respectively the chiral Lewis acid catalysts used in this reaction are J ,J -DBFOX/Ph-transition metal aqua complexes. 

As in the case of addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles to activated dienes (Section HA), organocopper compounds are the reagents of choice for regio- and stereoselective Michael additions to acceptor-substituted enynes. Substrates bearing an acceptor-substituted triple bond besides one or more conjugated double bonds react with organocuprates under 1,4-addition exclusively (equation 51)138-140 1,6-addition reactions which would provide allenes after electrophilic capture were not observed (cf. Section IV). 

Although many examples of addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles to the C=C bond of a (l-alkynyl)carbene complex have been reported (vide infra), to date there are few reports of reactions by which a carbon-carbon bond is formed to Cl, thus leaving the C=C bond unchanged. Reactions of the latter type involve insertion of an alkyne into the M=C bond of a (l-alkynyl)carbene complex 1 (Scheme 1). 

Table 2 Addition Reactions of Carbon Nucleophiles to Preformed Iminium Salts...

Both electronic and steric effects also operate in addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles. For addition of RC(N02)2 to methyl acrylate, the reactivity order for R of 1 (Me) <1.2 (Et) <1.6 (Cl) < 3688 (F) was observed (58) and ascribed to the destablization of the ground state of the fluorocarbanion, for example, by a p(F)-p(C ) electron repulsion. The electronic effects are less pronounced in the addition of XC6H4C(N02)2 to methyl vinyl ketone,... 

The Michael-type addition reaction of carbon nucleophiles to vinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates should be considered as an efficient route for the synthesis of branched-chain sugars because almost all carbohydrates in pyranose and furanose form could be converted to their vinyl sulfone derivatives very easily [5, 12-14]. Moreover, the product of the reaction carrying sulfone functionality has the potential to undergo a wide variety of transformations [15]. For a review on desulfonylation reaction, see Ref. [16]. 

The first gold-catalyzed addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles to allenes were only first disclosed in 2006, and the number of examples is still small. Toste and co-workers showed that allenic silyl enol ethers undergo a 5-endo- ng cyclization to hexahydroindenone derivatives in the presence of a cationic gold catalyst (Scheme 4-10). In these transformations, water or methanol is used as an external proton source for protodeauration of an intermediate vinylgold species. In an analogous manner, cyclopentenes were obtained in good yields from allenic P-ketoesters. In the presence of a palladium catalyst and an allylic halide, these substrates afford functionalized 2,3-dihydroflirans. 

Several examples of gold-catalyzed addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles to unactivated alkenes have been reported in recent years. Yao and Li obtained adducts with high regioselectivity from 3-diketones and various alkenes (styrene derivatives, conjugated dienes, enol ethers) in the presence of cationic gold species prepared in situ from AuCls and AgOTf (Scheme 4-15). This hydroalkylation is... 

By far most of the reports on addition reactions of hetero-nucleophiles to activated dienes deal with sulfur-nucleophiles17,48,80,120-137, in particular in the synthesis of 7/3-sulfur-substituted steroids which, like their carbon-substituted counterparts (Section n.A), are of interest because of their ability to inhibit the biosynthesis of estrogens80,129-137. Early investigations17,120-122 concentrated on simple acyclic Michael acceptors like methyl sorbate and 2,4-pentadienenitrile. Bravo and coworkers120 observed the formation of a 3 1 mixture of the 1,6- and 1,4-adduct in the reaction of methyl sorbate with methanethiol in basic medium (equation 39). In contrast to this, 2,4-pentadienenitrile adds various thiols regioselectively at C-5, i.e. in a 1,6-fashion (equation 40)17,121,122, and the same is true for reactions of this substrate with hydrogen sulfide (equation 41), sodium bisulfite and ethyl thioglycolate17. 

The same transition metal systems which activate alkenes, alkadienes and alkynes to undergo nucleophilic attack by heteroatom nucleophiles also promote the reaction of carbon nucleophiles with these unsaturated compounds, and most of the chemistry in Scheme 1 in Section 3.1.2 of this volume is also applicable in these systems. However two additional problems which seriously limit the synthetic utility of these reactions are encountered with carbon nucleophiles. Most carbanions arc strong reducing agents, while many electrophilic metals such as palladium(II) are readily reduced. Thus, oxidative coupling of the carbanion, with concomitant reduction of the metal, is often encountered when carbon nucleophiles arc studied. In addition, catalytic cycles invariably require reoxidation of the metal used to activate the alkene [usually palladium(II)]. Since carbanions are more readily oxidized than are the metals used, catalysis of alkene, diene and alkyne alkylation has rarely been achieved. Thus, virtually all of the reactions discussed below require stoichiometric quantities of the transition metal, and are practical only when the ease of the transformation or the value of the product overcomes the inherent cost of using large amounts of often expensive transition metals. 

Fig. 8.11. Tandem reaction consisting of three single reactions mutually transforming heterocumulenes and heteroatom nucleophiles in a one-pot synthesis of an isothiocyanate (1) uncatalyzed addition reaction of heteroatom nucleophile (aniline) + heterocumulene (carbon disulfide) —> carbonic acid derivative (A) (2) heterolysis-initiated /3-elimination of the carbonic acid derivative (D) -> heterocumulene (F = phenylisothiocyanate) + heteroatom nucleophile (thiocar-bonic acid O-ethylester) (3) decomposition of a carbonic acid derivative (D) to a heterocumulene (carbon oxysulfide) and a heteroatom nucleophile (ethanol) via the zwitterion H.

The reaction of carbon nucleophiles with the electron-deficient carbon of a carbonyl group represents one of the major ways of making C--C bonds. The addition of hydrogen cyanide to acetone to form the cyanohydrin g 3,15) was one of the first reactions to be studied mechanistically. The reversible reaction leads to the cyanohydrin in which the cyano group may be further modified by hydrolysis to a carboxylic acid or by reduction to an amine. 

The pivotal step associated with our approach to compounds 31-34 was an organocatalysed, enantioselective and intramolecular Michael addition reaction of the nucleophilic C-2 carbon of a pyrrole to an iV-tethered a,p-unsaturated aldehyde residue and thereby estabhshing the required CD-ring system. Full details of the reaction sequence are shown in Scheme 4 and this involves initial reaction of the potassium salt, 35, of pyrrole with butyrolactone (36) to give, after acidic workup, compound 37 (60-90%). Conversion of this last species into the corresponding Weinreb amide 38 (87%) followed by its reaction with ethylmagnesium bromide then afforded the ethyl ketone 39 (95%) that was subjected to standard Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) conditions and thereby generating the... 

Palladium(0)-Catalyzed Reaction of Carbon Nucleophiles with an Allylic Diacetate Obtained by Anodic Addition from Methyl Konjuenate... 

Chapter 18 discussed the acyl addition reactions of several nucleophiles with the carbonyl unit of aldehydes and ketones. As pointed out in Chapter 16, carboxylic acids and their derivatives also contain a carbonyl unit. Although these acid derivatives react with nucleophiles via attack at the acyl carbon, the presence of a leaving group attached to the acyl carbon leads to a subsequent reaction that is not possible with aldehydes and ketones. Acid derivatives react with nucleophiles via acyl substitution. This reaction pathway proceeds by an intermediate called a tetrahedral intermediate. The introduction to this reaction, presented in Chapter 16 (Section 16.8), will be explained and expanded here. 

The reaction of carbon nucleophiles with ketones or aldehydes proceeds by acyl addition, as described in Chapter 18. The reaction of carbon nucleophiles with acid derivatives proceeds by acyl substitution, as described in Chapter 20. Carbon nucleophiles included cyanide, alkyne anions, Grignard reagents, organolithium reagents, and organocuprates. Alkyne anions are formed by an acid-base reaction with terminal alkynes (RC=C-H RCsCr). In this latter transformation, it is clear that formation of the alkyne anion relies on the fact that a terminal alkyne is a weak carbon acid. Other carbon acids specifically involve the proton on an a-carbon in aldehydes, ketones, or esters. With a siiitable base, these carbonyl compounds generate a new type of carbon nucleophile called an enolate anion. 

The authors proposed a similar mechanism for the 6-MCR (Scheme 7.26). In both cases, the Ugi intermediate 59 contained an active triple bond, which was suitable for further nucleophilic addition reactions of the nucleophiles present in the medium. However, in this case, the nucleophile was formed by reaction of the amine to carbon disulfide. 

We recall that many addition reactions of a nucleophile to a carbonyl compound are reversible because the carbon—nucleophile bond of the addition product is weak, and the nucleophile is a good leaving group. The addition of cyanide ion is one such example. However, strong bases, such as hydride ion or an alkyl carbanion, add irreversibly to the carbonyl group. 

In addition to the catalytic allylation of carbon nucleophiles, several other catalytic transformations of allylic compounds are known as illustrated. Sometimes these reactions are competitive with each other, and the chemo-selectivity depends on reactants and reaction conditions. 

Chemical Properties. The chemistry of ketenes is dominated by the strongly electrophilic j/)-hybridi2ed carbon atom and alow energy lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). Therefore, ketenes are especially prone to nucleophilic attack at Cl and to [2 + 2] cycloadditions. Less frequent reactions are the so-called ketene iasertion, a special case of addition to substances with strongly polarized or polarizable single bonds (37), and the addition of electrophiles at C2. For a review of addition reactions of ketenes see Reference 8. 

The use of carbon nucleophiles in Michael-type addition reactions with pteridine and its derivatives leads to a quite complicated and divergent pattern. These reactions are strongly dependent on the nature of the carbon nucleophile and can be divided into various categories. 

The addition of carbon nucleophile, including organometallic compounds, enolates, or enols, and ylides to carbonyl gro is an important method of formation of carbon-carbon bonds. Such reactions are- ctremely important in synthesis and will be discussed extensively in Part B. Here, we will examine some of the fundamental mechanistic aspects of addition of carbon nucleophiles to carbonyl groups. 

Enolates can also serve as carbon nucleophiles in carbonyl addition reactions. The addition reaction of enolates with carbonyl compounds is of very broad scope and is of great synthetic importance. Essentially all of the enolates considered in Chapter 7 are capable of adding to carbonyl groups. The reaction is known as the generalized aldol addition. 

The biological activity of calicheamicin 4 (simplified structure) is based on the ability to damage DNA. At the reaction site, initially the distance between the triple bonds is diminished by an addition reaction of a sulfur nucleophile to the enone carbon-carbon double bond, whereupon the Bergman cyclization takes place leading to the benzenoid diradical 5, which is capable of cleaving double-stranded DNA." ... 

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