Alkyl Borane Coupling Reactions

Shmaryahu Hoz of Bar-Ilan University reports (J. Org. Chem. 68 4388, 2003) that alkyl boranes couple with dinitro aromatic rings such as 1 to give the alkylated aromatic, with loss of one of the nitro groups. This reaction shows remarkable regioselectivity, as illustrated by the formation of 2. Much more complex alkyl boranes participate also, as illustrated by the coupling of the 9-BBN derivative 3. The reaction proceeded to give 4 as a single diastereomer. 

Coupling reactions of alkyl boranes, formed by hydroboration of alkenes, with unsaturated halides (or triflates or phosphonates) is possible, and this reaction is finding increasing use in synthesis. For example, coupling of the alkyl borane derived from hydroboration (with 9-borobicyclo[3.3.1]nonane, 9-BBN) of the alkene 200 with the alkenyl iodide 201 gave the substituted cyclopentene 202, used in a synthesis of prostaglandin Ei (1.205). This type of B-alkyl Suzuki coupling reaction is very useful for the synthesis of substituted alkenes. 

Moderate yields of acids and ketones can be obtained by paHadium-cataly2ed carbonylation of boronic acids and by carbonylation cross-coupling reactions (272,320,321). In an alternative procedure for the carbonylation reaction, potassium trialkylborohydride ia the presence of a catalytic amount of the free borane is utilized (322). FiaaHy, various tertiary alcohols including hindered and polycycHc stmctures become readily available by oxidation of the organoborane iatermediate produced after migration of three alkyl groups (312,313,323). 

A series of potent, linear C2-symmetric HIV-1 protease inhibitors with K, values in the nanomolar range was prepared from a diaryl bromide precursor emanating from a carbohydrate scaffold, by application of Heck, Suzuki, Stille, and cyanation reactions. Included in this series was the first reported microwave-promoted Suzuki coupling with an alkyl borane [41]. A very high-yielding Suzuki coupling is presented... 

Polystyrene-bound trialkylboranes, which can be prepared by hydroboration of support-bound alkenes with 9-BBN, undergo palladium-mediated coupling with alkyl, vinyl, and aryl iodides (Suzuki coupling Entries 1 and 2, Table 5.3 for vinylations, see Section 5.2.4). Because boranes are compatible with many functional groups and do not react with water, these coupling reactions could become a powerful tool for solid-phase synthesis. To date, however, few examples have been reported. 

Early findings by Suzuki and co-workers [109] showed that the palladium-catalyzed iminocarbonylative cross-coupling reaction between 9-alkyl-9-BBN derivatives, t-butylisocyanide, and arylhalides gives access to alkyl aryl ketones 132 after hydrolysis of the corresponding ketimine intermediates 131. Presumably, the concentration of free isocyanide is kept to a minimum by its coordination with the borane. Formation of an iminoacylpalladium(II) halide 130 by insertion of isocyanide to the newly formed arylpalladium complex followed by a transmetallation step afford the ketimine intermediates 131 (Scheme 8.52). 

Remarkably, cross-couplings of alkyl boranes with alkyl bromides or even chlorides are possible using the catalyst [Pd2(dba)3] and the ligand tricyclohexylphos-phine, PCys (Cy = CeHn). For example, the alkyl chloride 203 was coupled to the alkyl borane 204 (prepared by chemoselective hydroboration with 9-BBN see Section 5.1) to give the product 205 (1.206). The [Pd2(dba)3]/PCy3 catalyst system overcomes the normally slow oxidative addition of the alkyl halide to the palladium and promotes cross-coupling to alkyl boranes in preference to p-hydride elimination. Such B-alkyl Suzuki reactions are likely to be used as key carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions in future synthetic sequences. 

As the overall cross-coupling reaction proceeds with inversion of stereochemistry and reductive ehmination is well known to undergo retention of stereochemistry, the result imphes that transmetaUation in this reaction proceeds predominantly with retention of stereochemistry. In addition to this study, in 1998, Woerpel and Soderquist [102] independently studied the stereochemistry of transmetaUation for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of alkyl boranes with aryl or alkenyl hahdes. Their deuterium labehng study revealed that the transmetaUation of alkyl boranes 163 or 166 proceeds with retention of stereochemistry to give products 165 or 167. Soderquist proposed a closed four-membered cyclic transition state 168 to account for the retention of stereochemistry observed during the reaction. 

Scheme 2.45 Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of primary alkyl boranes and primary alkyl halides.

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