Alkyl metals, vinyl halide cross-coupling

Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between vinyl organometallic compounds and unactivated alkyl halides that can be usually performed with palladium, nickel and cobalt are of particular synthetic interest [37-39]. Recently, the groups of Cahiez [48] and Cossy [49] concurrently reported the first iron-catalyzed reaction of alkenyl Grignard compounds with primary and secondary alkyl halides (X=Br, I) (Scheme 5.15). The two protocols basically differ in the iron source... 

The reaction sequence in the vinylation of aromatic halides and vinyl halides, i.e. the Heck reaction, is oxidative addition of the alkyl halide to a zerovalent palladium complex, then insertion of an alkene and completed by /3-hydride elimination and HX elimination. Initially though, C-H activation of a C-H alkene bond had also been taken into consideration. Although the Heck reaction reduces the formation of salt by-products by half compared with cross-coupling reactions, salts are still formed in stoichiometric amounts. Further reduction of salt production by a proper choice of aryl precursors has been reported (Chapter III.2.1) [1]. In these examples aromatic carboxylic anhydrides were used instead of halides and the co-produced acid can be recycled and one molecule of carbon monoxide is sacrificed. Catalytic activation of aromatic C-H bonds and subsequent insertion of alkenes leads to new C-C bond formation without production of halide salt byproducts, as shown in Scheme 1. When the hydroarylation reaction is performed with alkynes one obtains arylalkenes, the products of the Heck reaction, which now are synthesized without the co-production of salts. No reoxidation of the metal is required, because palladium(II) is regenerated. 

The stereospecific insertion of 2-monosubstituted alkenyl carbenoids was successfully employed in the preparation of 1-alkyl-1-zircono-dienes. The Z and E carbenoids of 1-chloro-l-lithio-l,3-butadiene (69 and 70, respectively) are generated in situ fromE- andZ-l,4-dichloro-2-butene [53] (Scheme 25). Inversion of configuration at the carbenoid carbon during the 1,2-metalate rearrangement stereospecifically yields terminal dienyl zirconocenes 71 and 72 [54] (Scheme 25). As the carbenoid-derived double bond is formed in 9 1=Z E for 69 and >20 1=E Z isomeric mixtures for 70, the metalated dienes 71 and 72 are expected to be formed with the same isomeric ratio. Carbon-carbon bond formation was achieved by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling with allyl or vinyl halides to give the functionalized products with >95 5 stereopurity [55-57]. 

Cross Coupling. In cross-coupling reactions, an aryl, vinyl, or acyl halide or triflate undergoes a palladium-catalyzed Heck-type coupling to an aryl-, vinyl-, or alkyl-metal reagent (eq 14) to give a new carbon-carbon bond. ... 

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