Alkene Hydroalumination

Hydroalumination of alkenes. Hydroalumination of alkynes is a well-known reaction, but hydroalumination of alkenes has been achieved only recently under catalysis by TiCU or ZrCU, (8, 288). As expected hydroalumination affords a convenient, high-yield route to primary alkanes (by hydrolysis), terminal primary alcohols (by oxygenation), and primary alkyl halides (reaction with halogens, N-halosuccinimides, or CuXa). ... 

Addition of dialkyl aluminum hydrides (dialkyl alanes) to C=C double bonds in alkenes (hydroalumination) leads to trialkyl alanes (291, 298). For the preparation of higher trialkyl alanes it is proposed to add diethyl-alane to higher 1-alkenes and from the resulting ethyl-alkyl alane mixtures (analogous to the organoboron compounds) (142) to remove the ethyl groups as triethylalane by distillation (241) ... 

The hydroalumination of oxabicyclic alkenes has been developed as a novel enantioselective entry to cycloalkenols (Scheme 3-86). " Catalysts derived from Ni(cod)2 and BINAP efficiently catalyze the asymmetric hydroalumination of DIBAL-H to various oxabicyclic alkenes. Initial alkene hydroalumination is followed by ring opening of the intermediate organoaluminum to produce cyclohexenol or cycloheptenol products. 

The nickel-catalyzed hydroalumination of alkenes has been extensively investigated in a variety of contexts. The interaction of aluminum hydrides with nickel(0) and the mechanism of alkene hydroalumination has been studied in detail by Wilke, Eisch, and Zweifel. The most extensive synthetic applications from Lautens involve the hydroalumination of oxabicyclic alkenes followed by ring opening to produce substituted cyclohexenes and cycloheptenes (Scheme 74). - An as5mimetric variant emplo5dng 2,2 -bis(diphenylphosphino)-l,l -binaphthyl (BINAP) is also quite general for various oxabicyclic starting materials. 

Early attempts by Asinger to enlarge the scope of hydroalumination by the use of transition metal catalysts included the conversion of mixtures of isomeric linear alkenes into linear alcohols by hydroalumination with BU3AI or BU2AIH at temperatures as high as 110°C and subsequent oxidation of the formed organoaluminum compounds [12]. Simple transition metal salts were used as catalysts, including tita-nium(IV) and zirconium(IV) chlorides and oxochlorides. The role of the transition metal in these reactions is likely limited to the isomerization of internal alkenes to terminal ones since no catalyst is required for the hydroalumination of a terminal alkene under these reaction conditions. 

In 1976, Sato reported the hydroalumination of terminal alkenes with LiAlH4 in the presence of ZrCh [13]. For example, 1-hexene was quantitatively converted into n-hexane at room temperature after hydrolytic workup, whereas no reaction occurred in the absence of a catalyst Halogenation of the reaction mixtures indicated that these reactions in fact proceed through organoaluminum intermediates. Later, TiCh was found to be an even more active catalyst [14, 15]. 

The hydroalumination of terminal alkenes by LiAlH4 catalyzed by titanocene and zirconocene dichloride, CpjTiCh and CpjZrCh, respectively, has been reported by Isagawa [16] and Sato [14]. Again, the titartium compound proved to be more active... 

T kCyclooctenyl)(cyclooctadiene)cobalt was also reported to catalyze the hydroalumination of terminal alkenes by BujAl [30]. It should be noted that organoboranes catalyze the addihon of CfAlH to alkenes [39-41] and aUenes [42, 43]. 

Bis(diamino)alanes (R2N)2A1H were used for the hydroalumination of terminal and internal alkenes [18, 19]. TiCb and CpjTiCb are suitable catalysts for these reactions, whereas CpjZrCb exhibits low catalytic activity. The hydroaluminations are carried out in benzene or THF soluhon at elevated temperatures (60°C). Internal linear cis- and trans-alkenes are converted into n-alkylalanes via an isomerization process. Cycloalkenes give only moderate yields tri- and tetrasubstituted double bonds are inert. Hydroaluminahon of conjugated dienes like butadiene and 1,3-hexa-diene proceeds with only poor selechvity. The structure of the hydroaluminahon product of 1,5-hexadiene depends on the solvent used. While in benzene cyclization is observed, the reaction carried out in THF yields linear products (Scheme 2-10). 

Hydroalumination of terminal alkenes using EtjAl as the hydride source must be carried out with titanium catalysts [24], since zirconium compounds lead to the formation of alumacyclopentanes [60, 61] (Scheme 2-11) and carbometallated products [62]. Suitable substrates for hydroalumination include styrene, allylnaphthalene and vinylsilanes. Only one of the ethyl groups in EtjAl takes part in these reactions, allowing the synthesis of diethylalkylalanes, which are difficult to obtain by other methods. 

The hydroalumination of alkenes with BujAlCl catalyzed by Cp2ZrCl2 produces higher dialkylaluminum chlorides, which cannot be prepared by non-catalytic hydroalumination (Scheme 2-12) [63-65]. Terminal alkenes, internal linear alkenes and cycloalkenes can serve as substrates at reaction temperatures increasing in this order. 1,5-Dienes react to give cyclized products. 

Nickel catalysts promote the hydroalumination of alkenes using trialkylalanes R3AI and dialkylalanes such as BU2AIH as the aluminum hydride sources [9, 29, 30, 33]. However, exhaustive studies of the range of substrates capable of hydroalumination with these reagents has not been carried out. Linear terminal alkenes like 1-octene react quantitatively with BU3AI at 0°C within 1-2 h in the presence of catalytic amounts of Ni(COD)2 [30]. Internal double bonds are inert under these conditions, whereas with 1,5-hexadiene cycHzation occurs. 

Hydroalummation of Functional Croups 63 2.4.1.2 Enantioselective Hydroalumination of Alkenes... 

The asymmetric nickel-catalyzed hydroalumination of prochiral terminal alkenes using adducts of BujAl and chiral amines was reported in 1981 [74], Among the different amines investigated, (-)-N,N-dimethylmenthylamine (DMMA) gave the best enantioselectivities. For example, reaction of 2,3,3-trimethyl-l-butene (39) at room temperature with 0.33 equiv. of the DMMA/iBu3Al adduct in the presence of 0.6 mol% of Ni(mesal)2 gave, after oxidation of the intermediate organoaluminum compounds, 2,3,3-trimethyl-l-butanol 40 in 76% yield and 27% ee (Scheme 2-19). 

Alkynes are much more reactive toward hydroalumination than alkenes. Hence, they readily react with both dialkylaluminum hydrides and LiAlH4 under mild conditions in the absence of a catalyst [1]. However, it is not always possible to avoid side reactions and subsequent transformation of the vinylalanes formed in this transformation [81, 82]. In addition, ds-trans-isomerization of the metallated C=C bond can take place, thereby reducing the stereoselectivity of the overall reaction [83]. 

Some hydrometalation reactions have been shown to be catalyzed by zirconocene. For instance, CpiZrCf-catalyzed hydroaluminations of alkenes [238] and alkynes [239] with BU3AI have been observed (Scheme 8-34). With alkyl-substituted internal alkynes the process is complicated by double bond migration, and with terminal alkynes double hydrometalation is observed. The reaction with "PrjAl and Cp2ZrCl2 gives simultaneously hydrometalation and C-H activation. Cp2ZrCl2/ BuIi-cat-alyzed hydrosilation of acyclic alkenes [64, 240] was also reported to involve hydrogen transfer via hydrozirconation. 

Negishi reported the hydrogen transfer hydroalumination of alkenes with (/-Bu AKTIBA) and catalytic amounts of palladium and other late transition metal complexes.125 Although uncatalyzed hydroaluminations of alkenes with di-and trialkylalanes at elevated temperatures have long been known, their scope and limitations as well as their synthetic utility have not been extensively explored. 

Early attempts at an asymmetric hydroalumination utilized a chiral -butylsalicylidenime complexed to a nickel(n) complex 117.128 When racemic 3,7-dimethyl-1-octene 116 was treated with 0.2mol% of the nickel complex 117 and 0.3 equiv. of TIBA at 0°C, followed by hydrolysis, the alkene 118 with 1.2% ee was obtained. The unreacted olefin 119 was recovered and found to have an ee of 1.8% (Scheme 14). 

Negishi reported the zirconium-catalyzed enantioselective carboalumination of alkenes, which consisted of a hydroalumination/alkylalumination tandem process.133-135 This permits the asymmetric syntheses of methyl-substituted alkanols and other derivatives, typically with >90% ee, which represents an increase in ee value by 15% from the previously obtained 70-80%.136-138 The hydroalumination/zirconium-catalyzed enantioselective carboalumination of alkenes was carried out using (—)-bis(neomenthylindenyl)zirconium dichloride as the catalyst (Table 15).133... 

Table 15 Hydroalumination zirconium catalyzed enantioselective carboalumination of alkenes...

While transition metal-catalyzed hydroboration is a well-established reaction, the same cannot be said for the transition metal-catalyzed hydroalumination. The synthetic utility of this reaction is only just beginning to emerge. Lautens has led the way in the use of hydroaluminations as the key step in the total synthesis of complex natural products. The synthesis of the anti-depressant sertraline130 involved the formation of the tetrahydronaphthalene core, and this is best achieved using the nickel-catalyzed hydroalumination of oxabicyclic alkenes (Table 16). 

Lautens also used this nickel-catalyzed hydroalumination methodology in the total synthesis of ionomycin 145. The starting compound was a [3.2.1]oxabicyclic alkene 143.144 Their rigid bicyclic structures can be used to introduce functional groups in a highly stereoselective manner. The synthesis of the key intermediate 144 involves the slow addition of DIBAL to the oxabicyclic alkene and the Ni(COD)2/(6T)-BINAP in toluene to afford 144 in 95% yield and 93-95% ee. (Scheme 18). 

Monosubstituted alkenes and certain alkynes can undergo hydroalumination with iBujAl in the presence of a catalytic amount of Cp2ZrCl2, providing a convenient alternative to hydrozirconation [75]. 

Hydroalumination. Monosubstituted alkenes undergo hydroalumination with dichloroalane in the presence of (C2H5)3B or C6H5B(OH)2. Hydroalumination of more highly substituted alkenes proceeds reluctantly. The reaction is regiose-lective, and the products react with a variety of electrophiles under mild conditions. 

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