Alkenes by Transition Metals

Catalysis of reactions of alkenes by transition metal complexes 12.2 Resources... 

The addition of halocarbons (RX) across alkene double bonds in a radical chain process, the Kharasch reaction (Scheme 9.29),261 has been known to organic chemistry since 1932. The overall process can be catalyzed by transition metal complexes (Mt"-X) it is then called Atom Transfer Radical Addition (ATRA) (Scheme 9.30).262... 

The most common isomerisation reactions catalysed by transition metals are those involving the isomerisation of alkenes. Taller, Crabtree and co-workers have reported that the iridium bfy-NHC complex 55 is effective for the isomerisation of... 

As mentioned above, MPVO catalysts are very selective towards carbonyl compounds. Alkenes, alkynes or other heteroatom-containing double bonds are not affected by these catalysts, while they can be reduced by transition-metal catalysts. Examples of the reduction of a,/ -unsaturated ketones and other multifunctional group compounds are compiled in Table 20.3. 

Our literature search on alkene polymerization by transition metal catalysts yielded nearly 20,000 publications since 1993 even after the exclusion of the patents or patent applications, indicating a tremendous interest in this field. Three mutually interconnected trends were identified from the search. 

C-N Ring-forming Reactions by Transition Metal-catalyzed Intramolecular Alkene Hydroamination... 

Homogeneous catalysis by transition metal complexes almost always involves processes in which product-catalyst separation and catalyst recycling are important issues. For years, researchers have worked to find effective ways to isolate metal-complex catalysts in phases separate from those containing the catalyst, usually by anchoring the metal complex to a solid surface. As summarized by Driessen-Holscher, it is now evident that the method that has met with most practical success in this direction involves the use of multiple liquid phases. For example, rhodium complexes with water-soluble sulfonated ligands are used to catalyze alkene hydroformyla-tion, and the aqueous-phase catalyst and the organic products are easily separated as insoluble liquid phases. 

Hydroboration. Although hydroboration seldom requires a catalyst, hydrobora-tion with electron-deficient boron compounds, such as boric esters, may be greatly accelerated by using transition-metal catalysts. In addition, the chemo-, regio- and stereoslectivity of hydroboration could all be affected. Furthemore, catalyzed hydroboration may offer the possibility to carry out chiral hydroboration by the use of catalysts with chiral ligands. Since the hydroboration of alkynes is more facile than that of alkenes the main advantage of the catalytic process for alkynes may be to achieve better selectivities. Hydroboration catalyzed by transition-metal complexes has become the most intensively studied area of the field.599... 

As discussed in Section 6.9 1, 3-dienes and dienophiles in which multiple bonds are not activated by electron-withdrawing or electron-releasing substituents fail to undergo cycloaddition except under the most severe conditions. Particular difficulty is encountered in the cycloaddition of two unactivated species since homodimerization can be a competitive and dominant reaction pathway. The use of transition-metal catalysts, however, has proved to be a valuable solution. Complexation of unactivated substrates to such catalysts promotes both inter- and intramolecular cycloadditions. Consequently, the cycloaddition of such unactivated compounds, that is, simple unsubstituted dienes and alkenes, catalyzed by transition metals is a major, important area of study.655 In addition, theoretical problems of the transformation have frequently been addressed in the more recent literature. 

It appears likely that transient metallacyclobutanes are involved in a variety of organic reactions which are catalyzed by transition metal complexes. Thus, cycloadditions of activated alkenes to strained hydrocarbons such as quadricyclane and bicyclo[2.1.0]pentane are catalyzed by complexes such as Ni(CH2=CHCN)2 and probably involve initial formation of a nickelacyclobutane (Scheme 2) (79MI12200). The nature of the organometallic intermediates in related metal-catalyzed rearrangements (72JA7757) and retro-cyclo-addition reactions (76JA6057) of cyclopropanoid hydrocarbons, e.g. bicyclo[n.l.O]alkanes, has been discussed. 

Although a metal catalysed decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate was originally described by Silberrad and Roy in 19061, it was to be many years before the value of this type of process for cyclopropanation of alkenes using transition metal catalysts was widely appreciated and reliable, efficient methods were developed. By the early 1960s, the reaction had become important in organic synthesis. Various transition metal compounds have been screened for catalytic cyclopropanation. Copper, rhodium and palladium compounds have... 

The binding of alkenes to transition metals, to form n complexes or r 2 complexes or metallacyclopropanes, is a Lewis acid-Lewis base interaction that is made more elaborate by back bonding from the metal to the alkene. There are many examples of deuterium IEs on complexation. One that was studied extensively is the binding of ethylene, propylene, and 2-butene to Ag+, where the deuterated alkene binds more strongly.88 For example, Acd,=cd,/Ac[ i, [Pg.145]

Halocarbons are known to add to alkenes under transition metal catalysis. The reaction proceeds via radicals and was first described by Kharasch and coworkers in 1945 (Scheme 3.9) [73-76],... 

Alkene metathesis, a remarkable reaction catalyzed by transition metal catalysts, can be traced back to Ziegler-Natta chemistry as its origin [11], In 1964, Natta et al. reported a new type polymerization of cyclopentene using Mo- or W-based catalyst, without knowing the mechanism. This was the first example of ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP eq. 1.9) [12],... 

The term oxidative cyclization is based on the fact that two-electron oxidation of the central metal occurs by the cyclization. The same reaction is sometimes called reductive cyclization . This term is based on alkene or alkyne bonds, because the alkene double bond in 13 is reduced to the alkane bond 14, and the alkyne 15 bond is reduced to the alkene bond 16 by the cyclization. Cyclizations of alkynes and alkenes catalyzed by transition metal complexes proceed by oxidative cyclization. In particular, low-valent complexes of early transition metals have a high tendency to obtain the highest possible oxidation state, and hence they react with alkynes and alkenes forming rather stable metallacycles by oxidative addition or oxidative cyclization. 

Addition of H and CO to alkenes and alkynes catalysed by transition metal complexes is called hydrocarbonylation, and is useful for the syntheses of carboxylic acids, their esters, aldehydes and ketones [1]. Oxidative carbonylation of alkenes and alkynes with Pd(II), treated in Section 11.1.5, differs mechanistically from hydrocarbonylation. Some carbonylation reactions occur at under 1 atm or low pressures, without using a high-pressure laboratory apparatus. Several commercial processes based on hydrocarbonylation have been developed. 

Cycloadditions are useful for the preparation of cyclic ompounds. Several thermal and photoactivated cycloadditions, typically [4+2] (Diels-Alder reaction), are known. They proceed with functionalized electronically activated dienes and monenes. However, various cycloaddition reactions of alkenes and alkynes without their electronical activation, either mediated or catalysed by transition metal complexes under milder conditions, are known, offering a useful synthetic route to various cyclic compounds in one step. Transition metal complexes are regarded as templates and the reactions proceed with or without forming metallacycles [49]. 

Addition reactions of three kinds of main group metal compounds, namely R—M X (carbometallation, when R are alkyl, alkenyl, aryl or allyl groups), H—M X (hydrometallation with metal hydrides) and R—M —M"—R (dimetallation with dimetal compounds) to alkenes and alkynes, are important synthetic routes to useful organometallic compounds. Some reactions proceed without a catalyst, but many are catalysed by transition metal complexes. 

Addition of organometallic compounds of main group metals R—M —X (M = B, Al, Zn, Mg, Sn) to alkenes and alkynes is called carbometallation. Some reactions proceed without a catalyst, but they are promoted or accelerated by transition metal... 

Metalametallations of alkenes and alkynes are useful methods for the construction of 1,2-dimetala-alkanes and 1,2-dimetala-l-alkenes, which react subsequently with suitable electrophiles to form substituted alkanes and alkenes. Metalametallation is carried out usually with bimetallic reagents of the type R Si-M R, or R Sn-M R in which M = B, Al, Mg, Cu, Zn, Si or Sn. Some metalametallations proceed without catalysts Cu, Ag and Pd compounds are good catalysts. The metalametallation with bimetallic compounds, such as Si-B, Si-Mg, Si-Al, Si-Zn, Si-Sn, Si-Si, Sn-Al or Sn—Sn bonds, catalysed by transition metal complexes, is explained by the oxidative addition of the bimetallic compounds to form 478, and insertion of alkene generates 479. Finally 1,2-dimetallic compounds 480 are formed by reductive elimination. Dimetallation of alkynes proceeds similarly to give 481. Dimetallation is syn addition. 

At present, Mo, W, Re and Ru complexes are known to catalyse alkene metathesis [7]. This unique reaction, catalysed by transition metal complexes, is impossible to achieve by other means. Later, based on studies of the reactivities of Fischer-type carbene complexes, it was discovered that carbene complexes are the intermediates in alkene metatheses. WClg reacts with EtAlCl2 to afford the diethyltungsten complex 3 by transmetallation, and subsequent elimination of a-hydrogen generates ethane and the carbene complex 4 which is the active catalyst. 

Michael-aldol reaction as an alternative to the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction 14 recent results in conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to electron-poor alkenes 15 asymmetric cyclopropanation of chiral (l-phosphoryl)vinyl sulfoxides 16 synthetic methodology using tertiary phosphines as nucleophilic catalysts in combination with allenoates or 2-alkynoates 17 recent advances in the transition metal-catalysed asymmetric hydrosilylation of ketones, imines, and electrophilic C=C bonds 18 Michael additions catalysed by transition metals and lanthanide species 19 recent progress in asymmetric organocatalysis, including the aldol reaction, Mannich reaction, Michael addition, cycloadditions, allylation, epoxidation, and phase-transfer catalysis 20 and nucleophilic phosphine organocatalysis.21... 

Abstract The applications of hybrid DFT/molecular mechanics (DFT/MM) methods to the study of reactions catalyzed by transition metal complexes are reviewed. Special attention is given to the processes that have been studied in more detail, such as olefin polymerization, rhodium hydrogenation of alkenes, osmium dihydroxylation of alkenes and hydroformylation by rhodium catalysts. DFT/MM methods are shown, by comparison with experiment and with full quantum mechanics calculations, to allow a reasonably accurate computational study of experimentally relevant problems which otherwise would be out of reach for theoretical chemistry. 

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