Alkenes reduction with triethylsilane

Monosubstituted Alkenes. Simple unbranched terminal alkenes that have only alkyl substituents, such as 1-hexene,2031-octene,209 or ally Icy clohexane230 do not undergo reduction in the presence of organosilicon hydrides and strong acids, even under extreme conditions.1,2 For example, when 1-hexene is heated in a sealed ampoule at 140° for 10 hours with triethylsilane and excess trifluoroacetic acid, only a trace of hexane is detected.203 A somewhat surprising exception to this pattern is the formation of ethylcyclohexane in 20% yield upon treatment of vinylcyclohexane with trifluoroacetic acid and triethylsilane.230 Protonation of the terminal carbon is thought to initiate a 1,2-hydride shift that leads to the formation of the tertiary 1-ethyl-1-cyclohexyl cation.230... 

The reductive cyclization of N-(w-iodoalkyl)succinimides induced by samarium(II) iodide was disclosed by Ha et al. as a novel method for making pyrrolizidines and indoUzidines (Scheme 46). " In the apphcation of the method to the synthesis of (+)-lentiginosine (127), reaction of N-(4-iodo-butyl)tartarimide (+)-335 with samarium(II) iodide in the presence of the iron(III)—tris(dibenzoylmethane) complex as catalyst produced the unsaturated indolizidin-3-one (+)-336 in 82% yield. Reduction of the bridgehead alkene was accomplished with triethylsilane and trifluoroacetic acid via an intermediate acyliminium ion, giving (+)-337 as the sole product in 93% yield. Routine hydrolysis of the silyl ethers produced the known diol (+)-177, after which reduction of the lactam with Hthium aluminum hydride then completed this short synthesis of (+)-127. 

Because of Us high polarity and low nucleophilicity, a trifluoroacetic acid medium is usually used for the investigation of such carbocationic processes as solvolysis, protonation of alkenes, skeletal rearrangements, and hydride shifts [22-24] It also has been used for several synthetically useful reachons, such as electrophilic aromatic substitution [25], reductions [26, 27], and oxidations [28] Trifluoroacetic acid is a good medium for the nitration of aromatic compounds Nitration of benzene or toluene with sodium nitrate in trifluoroacetic acid is almost quantitative after 4 h at room temperature [25] Under these conditions, toluene gives the usual mixture of mononitrotoluenes in an o m p ratio of 61 6 2 6 35 8 A trifluoroacetic acid medium can be used for the reduction of acids, ketones, and alcohols with sodium borohydnde [26] or triethylsilane [27] Diary Iketones are smoothly reduced by sodium borohydnde in trifluoroacetic acid to diarylmethanes (equation 13)... 

The triethylsilane/trifluoroacetic acid reagent system reduces alkenes to alkanes in poor to excellent yields depending largely on the ability of the alkene to form carbocations upon protonation. Under these conditions the more substituted olefins are reduced in better yields and styrene double bonds are reduced in high yields.127,202,207,221-228 The reduction of 1,2-dimethylcyclohexene with this reagent gives a mixture of cis- and trans- 1,2-dimethylcyclohexane.229 The formation of the trifluoroacetate esters is a side reaction.205,230... 

Under certain conditions, the trifluoroacetic acid catalyzed reduction of ketones can result in reductive esterification to form the trifluoroacetate of the alcohol. These reactions are usually accompanied by the formation of side products, which can include the alcohol, alkenes resulting from dehydration, ethers, and methylene compounds from over-reduction.68,70,207,208,313,386 These mixtures may be converted into alcohol products if hydrolysis is employed as part of the reaction workup. An example is the reduction of cyclohexanone to cyclohexanol in 74% yield when treated with a two-fold excess of both trifluoroacetic acid and triethylsilane for 24 hours at 55° and followed by hydrolytic workup (Eq. 205).203... 

A range of aromatic alkenes and acrylic acid derivatives have been converted into benzyl alcohols and a-hydroxyalkanoic acids in good yields by a reductive oxidation process. This reaction is accomplished by reaction with oxygen and triethylsilane with a cobalt(II) catalyst, followed by treatment with trialkyl phosphites (equation 30)154. The aromatic olefins may also be converted into the corresponding acetophenone in a modified procedure where the trialkyl phosphite is removed155. In a similar reaction 2,4-alkadienoic acids are converted into 4-oxo-2-alkenoic acids156. 

Reductive decomplexation/ Although the common practice for removal of the hexacarbonyldicobalt residue from alkyne complexes involves mild oxidants, it is also possible to convert the complexes to free (Z)-alkenes with BUjSnH. If triethylsilane is used the decomplexation is followed by in situ hydrosilylation. 

Isayama has reported an elegant procedure for the hydration of alkenes with molecular oxygen and triethylsilane catalyzed by a cobalt(II) complex followed by a reductive treatment with Na2S203 [41]. The reaction is efficient with terminal alkenes and a,/9-unsaturated esters. The radical nature of this reaction is ques-... 

Silane hydrides can be used for the reduction of carbonyls and alkenes. Reaction of methylcyclohexene with a mixture of triethylsilane (EtsSiH) and trifluoroacetic acid (CF3CO2H) reduced the alkene moiety to give methylcyclohexane in 72% yield. 2 Under the same conditions, however, 1-pentene was not reduced. More commonly, this reagent is used for reduction of conjugated carbonyls, probably via formation of a silyl enolate (secs. 9.2, 9.3.B) as in the reduction of cyclohexenone to cyclohexanone in 85% yield with Ph2SiH2. Addition of transition metals such as ZnCl2, or copper salts to the silane facilitates the reduc-tion,594 as in the conversion of 576 to 577 in 96% yield. ... 

Benzyl esters, ethers and carbamates can be deprotected in the presence of other easily reducible groups by treatment of the substrate with palladium(ll) acetate and triethylamine in the presence of triethylsilane. Competing reduction of bromoarenes, cyclopropanes or alkenes is not observed [Scheme 643)... 

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