Alkoxides, 1,4-addition intermediate undergoe

The TT-allylpalladium complexes 241 formed from the ally carbonates 240 bearing an anion-stabilizing EWG are converted into the Pd complexes of TMM (trimethylenemethane) as reactive, dipolar intermediates 242 by intramolecular deprotonation with the alkoxide anion, and undergo [3 + 2] cycloaddition to give five-membered ring compounds 244 by Michael addition to an electron-deficient double bond and subsequent intramolecular allylation of the generated carbanion 243. This cycloaddition proceeds under neutral conditions, yielding the functionalized methylenecyclopentanes 244[148], The syn-... 

The retro-Claisen reaction occurs by initial nucleophilic addition of a cysteine -SH group on the enzyme to the keto group of the /3-ketoacyl CoA to yield an alkoxide ion intermediate. Cleavage of the C2-C3 bond then follows, with expulsion of an acetyl CoA enolate ion. Protonation of the enolate ion gives acetyl CoA, and the enzyme-bound acyl group undergoes nucleophilic acyl substitution by reaction with a molecule of coenzyme A. The chain-shortened acyl CoA that results then enters another round of tire /3-oxidation pathway for further degradation. 

This species adds a ketone yielding the alkoxide complex (84) which, after reductive elimination of the corresponding alcohol, generates the 16-electron species (85). This intermediate undergoes oxidative addition of 2-propanol (species (86)) and subsequent reductive elimination of acetone, regenerating the hydride complex (83). 

During their study of P(RNCH2CH2)3N-catalyzed 1,2-addition reactions of activated allylic synthons with aldehydes, Verkade et al. found that the reaction of allylic nitrile with aromatic aldehydes alfords the MBH product (195) as the only product in the presence of P(i-PrNCH2CH2)3N 196 (Scheme 2.101). Unlike the nucleophilic pathway proposed for traditional MBH reactions, the reaction is proposed to proceed through the addition of an allylic anion to the aldehyde, affording an intermediate alkoxide anion that undergoes a facile 1,3-proton shift. 

Asymmetric hydrosilylation of ketones and ketoimines has been demonstrated in the absence of transition metal catalysts. Using catalytic amounts of chiral-alkoxide Lewis bases such as binaphthol (BINOL), Kagan was able to facilitate the asymmetric reduction of ketones (eq 19). This process is believed to arise from activation of the triethoxysilane by mono-alkoxide addition to give an activated pentavalent intermediate, which can undergo coordination of an aldehyde. This highly ordered hexacoordinate transition state directs reduction in an asymmetric manner, with subsequent catalyst regeneration. Brook was able to facilitate a similar tactic for asymmetric reduction by employing histidine as a bi-dentate Lewis base activator of triethoxysilane. A similar chiral lithium-alkoxide-catalyzed asymmetric reduction of imines was demonstrated by Hosomi with the di-lithio salt of BINOL and trimethoxysilane. ... 

A useful application of the silver-mediated additions is 1,3 -diene synthesis by three-carbon elongation of aldehydes [48,51,53]. The bimetallic reagent 3-trimethylsilyl-l-propenylzirco-nocene chloride (A Scheme 8.23) reacts with aldehydes under the influence of a catalytic amount of Ag+ to give the intermediate zirconocene-alkoxide B, which then undergoes a Peterson-type 1,4-elimination of TMS alkoxide to stereoselectively afford ( )-dienes (fc/Z > 96 4) (Scheme 8.23). A Wittig reaction yields the same products without stereoselectivity (ca. 1 1 mixtures of E- and Z-isomers). 

For aromatic ether formation, electron-withdrawing groups on the arene accelerate the rate of reductive elimination. Fm-ther, the more basic alkoxide groups form ethers faster than phenoxides. These facts have led to the proposal that, in addition to the usual concerted reductive elimination mechanism, some substrates can undergo reductive elimination via a Meisenheimer type intermediate (equation 31). 

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