Copolymerization CO + alkenes

One of the earliest enantioselective carbon-carbon bond-forming processes catalyzed by chiral transition-metal complexes is asymmetric cyclopropanation discussed in Chapter 5, which can proceed via face-selective carbometallation of carbene-metal complexes. Some other more recently developed enantioselective carbon-carbon bond forming reactions, such as Pd-catalyzed enantioselective alkene-CO copolymerization (Chapter 7) and Pd-catalyzed enantioselective alkene cyclization (Chapter 8.7), are thought to involve face-selective carbometallation of acy 1-Pd and carbon-Pd bonds, respectively (Scheme 4.4). Similarly, the asymmetric Pauson-Khand reaction catalyzed by chiral Co complexes most likely involves face-selective cyclic carbometallation of chiral alkyne-Co complexes (Chapter 8,7). 

Although the Pd-catalyzed alkene-CO copolymerization reaction must involve a series of acylpalladation reactions, it is outside the scope of this chapter. And, the readers are referred to recent reviews and pertinent references cited therein [27-29]. As such, the cyclic carbonylation reactions of dienes were of limited synthetic utility because of difficulties in controlling regiochemistry and other aspects of importance in fine chemicals synthesis. Whatever the reasons might have been, little had been reported further until the 1980s. 

Pd complex-catalyzed copolymerization of alkene and CO affords the polyketones via alternating insertion of the two monomers [166, 167]. The polymer growth involves migratory insertion of CO into the metal-carbon bond as a crucial step, which is unique to the late transition metal complexes such as Ni, Pd, Rh, and Co. The copolymerization of allenes and methylenecydopropanes with CO has attracted much less attention than the alkene-CO copolymerization, although it would provide further functionalized polyketones due to the dual functionality of the dienes and the derivatives. 

The reaction obeys first-order kinetics with respect to the concentration of 2-phenyl-1-methylenecyclopropane at -30 to 0 °C. The first-order kinetics indicate that the rate-determining step of polymer growth is the insertion of methylenecyclopropane into the Pd-C bond rather than CO insertion, similar to the many alkene-CO copolymerizations reported so far. 2-Phenyl-1-methylenecyclopropanes having a Me or F substituent on the phenyl ring also undergo copolymerization to give the corresponding polyketones. 

Yet another important development in the area of Pd-catalyzed carbonylation is the development of acylpalladation and related carbonyl-Pd bond addition reactions. Acylpal-ladation may be defined as a process of acyl-Pd bond addition to alkenes and alkynes. Clearly, it is a kind of carbopalladation reaction. For practical reasons, however, it is discussed in Part VI together with other carbonylation reactions mentioned above. Tsuji and Hosaka " reported in 1965 what appears to be the first example of the perfectly alternating alkene-CO copolymerization (Scheme 8). Independently, Brewis and Hughes reported also in 1965 a Pd-catalyzed cyclic carbonylation of dienes with CO and methanol (Scheme 9). Although the exact mechanism of the initiation is unclear, these reactions... 

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