Alkenes, reductive coupling

A much more highly diastereoselective process results when alkenic 3-keto ester and 3-ketoamide substrates can be utilized in the ketone-alkene reductive coupling process. Both electron deficient and unactivated alkenes can be utilized in the reaction (equations 65 and 66). In such examples, one can take advantage of chelation to control the relative stereochemistry about the developing hydroxy and car-boxylate stereocenters. Favorable secondary orbital interactions between the developing methylene radical center and the alkyl group of the ketyl,and/or electrostatic interactions in the transition state account for stereochemical control at the third stereocenter. 

Curiously, the relative stereochemistry between the carboxylate and the adjacent hydroxy group in the Sml2-mediated intramolecular pinacolic coupling reaction is opposite to that observed in the intramolecular Barbier reactions and ketone-alkene reductive coupling reactions discussed previously (compare... 

Among the appHcations of lower valent titanium, the McMurry reaction, which involves the reductive coupling of carbonyl compounds to produce alkenes, is the most weU known. An excellent review of lower valent titanium reactions is available (195). Titanium(II)-based technology is less well known. A titanium(II)-based complex has been used to mediate a stetio- and regio-specific reduction of isolated conjugated triple bonds to the corresponding polyenes (196). 

In another reductive coupling, substituted alkenes (CH2=CH Y Y = R, COOMe, OAc, CN, etc.) can be dimerized to substituted alkanes (CH3CHYCHYCH3) by photolysis in an H2 atmosphere, using Hg as a photosensitizer. Still another procedure involves palladium-catalyzed addition of vinylic halides to triple bonds to give 1,3-dienes. ... 

Catalytic Reductive Coupling of Alkenes and Alkynes to Carbonyl Compounds and Imines Mediated by Hydrogen... 

Abstract Significant advances have been made in the study of catalytic reductive coupling of alkenes and alkynes over the past 10 years. This work will discuss the progress made in early transition metal and lanthanide series catalytic processes using alkyl metals or silanes as the stoichiometric reductants and the progress made in the use of late transition metals for the same reactions using silanes, stannanes and borohydrides as the reductant. The mechanisms for the reactions are discussed along with stereoselective variants of the reactions. 

Metal-mediated reductive coupling of alkenes and alkynes affords access to complicated organic structures, including carbocyclic and heterocyclic molecules, from readily available starting materials. While most of these coupling reactions were initially developed as stoichiometric processes, many selective, catalytic versions have been developed over the past decade these advancements have made reductive coupling much more attractive to synthetic chemists. 

Waymouth and coworkers used chiral zirconocene complexes such as 56 with Et3Al as the stoichiometric reductant to enantioselectively desymmeter-ize oxabicyclic compounds (Scheme 9) [29]. A reductive coupling mechanism to give 57 followed by (i-alkoxidc ring opening and transmetallation is consistent with the experimental results. Neither direct insertion of the alkene into the M - C bond nor nucleophilic attack mechanisms can be ruled out, however [12]. 

The reductive coupling/silylation reaction was extended to more complicated polyenes, such as the triene-substituted cyclopentanol 73, which cyclizes to provide 74 with a 72% yield and 6 1 dr after oxidation (Eq. 10) [44], The reaction is chemoselective the initial insertion occurs into the allyl substituent, which then inserts into the less hindered of the two remaining olefins, leaving the most hindered alkene unreacted. 

The reductive coupling of of dienes containing amine groups in the backbones allows for the production of alkaloid skeletons in relatively few steps [36,46,47]. Epilupinine 80 was formed in 51% yield after oxidation by treatment of the tertiary amine 81 with PhMeSiEh in the presence of catalytic 70 [46]. Notably, none of the trans isomer was observed in the product mixture (Eq. 11). The Cp fuMcTIIF was found to catalyze cyclization of unsubstituted allyl amine 82 to provide 83. This reaction proceeded in shorter time and with increased yield relative to the same reaction with 70 (Eq. 12) [47]. Substitution of either alkene prevented cyclization, possibly due to competitive intramolecular stabilization of the metal by nitrogen preventing coordination of the substituted olefin, and resulted in hydrosilylation of the less substituted olefin. 

Metal complexes of lanthanides beyond lanthanocenes were used to catalyze the reductive coupling reaction of dienes. La[N(TMS)2h was found to effect the cyclization of 1,5-hexadiene in the presence of PhSiH3 (Eq. 13) [50]. Cyclized products 88 and 89 were isolated in a combined yield of 95% (88 89 = 4 1). It was suggested that the silacycloheptane 89 resulted from competitive alkene hydrosilylation followed by intramolecular hydrosilylation. 

A tremendous amount of progress has been made over the past decade in the understanding of the catalyzed reductive coupling of unactivated alkenes and alkynes. Both early and late transition metal complexes accomplish the reaction with good yields and with low catalyst loadings. Enynes and dienes can... 

Ihmels H, Otto D (2005) Intercalation of Organic Dye Molecules into Double-Stranded DNA - General Principles and Recent Developments. 258 161-204 Iida H, Krische MJ (2007) Catalytic Reductive Coupling of Alkenes and Alkynes to Carbonyl Compounds and Imines Mediated by Hydrogen. 279 77-104 Imai H (2007) Self-Organized Formation of Hierarchical Structures. 270 43-72 Indelli MT, see Chiorboli C (2005) 257 63-102 Inoue Y, see Borovkov VV (2006) 265 89-146 Ishii A, Nakayama J (2005) Carbodithioic Acid Esters. 251 181-225 Ishii A, Nakayama J (2005) Carboselenothioic and Carbodiselenoic Acid Derivatives and Related Compounds. 251 227-246... 

The electrochemistry of cobalt-salen complexes in the presence of alkyl halides has been studied thoroughly.252,263-266 The reaction mechanism is similar to that for the nickel complexes, with the intermediate formation of an alkylcobalt(III) complex. Co -salen reacts with 1,8-diiodo-octane to afford an alkyl-bridged bis[Co" (salen)] complex.267 Electrosynthetic applications of the cobalt-salen catalyst are homo- and heterocoupling reactions with mixtures of alkylchlorides and bromides,268 conversion of benzal chloride to stilbene with the intermediate formation of l,2-dichloro-l,2-diphenylethane,269 reductive coupling of bromoalkanes with an activated alkenes,270 or carboxylation of benzylic and allylic chlorides by C02.271,272 Efficient electroreduc-tive dimerization of benzyl bromide to bibenzyl is catalyzed by the dicobalt complex (15).273 The proposed mechanism involves an intermediate bis[alkylcobalt(III)] complex. 

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