Alkylation of Terminal Alkynes

In Section 10.3, we saw that a terminal alkyne can be deprotonated in the presence of a sufficiently strong base, such as sodium amide (NaNH2)  

This reaction has powerful synthetic utility, because the resulting alkynide ion can function as a nucleophile when treated with an alkyl halide  

This transformation proceeds via an Sj,j2 reaction and provides a method to install an alkyl group on a terminal alkyne. This process is called alkylation, and it is achieved in just two steps for example  

This process is only cient with methyl or primary alkyl halides. When secondary or tertiary alkyl halides are used, the alkynide ion functions primarily as a base and elimination products are obtained. This observation is consistent with the pattern we saw in Section 8.14 (substitution vs. elimination). 

Acetylene possesses two terminal protons (one on either side) and can therefore undergo alkylation twice  

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C-Alkylation. (Chloromethyl)dimethylphenylsilane (1) can be utilized to install a silylmethyl group on carbon via base promoted C-alkylation of terminal alkynes, dihydropyrazines, mal-onic esters, phenylacetonitriles, sulfoxides, and imines. Although 1 has been used directly in the alkylation, conversion to the corresponding iodide 2 via Finkelstein displacement (eq 1) prior to alkylation is sometimes warranted. Except for the malonic esters (eq 2), strongly basic conditions and low temperatures (with slow warming) are generally employed in the transformation (eqs 3 and 4). 

Scheme 38 Copper-catalysed enantioselective allylic alkylation of terminal alkynes...

With 2,7-dimethyl-4-octyne appearing to be the precursor of choice, we continue by investigating its synthesis from bifilding blocks of four carbons or fewer. The alkylation of terminal alkynes (Section 13-5) affords us a method of bond formation that divides the molecule into three suitable fragments, shown in the following analysis ... 

Out first example is 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-3-octanone. 3-Octanone can be purchased, but it would be difficult to differentiate the two activated methylene groups in alkylation and oxidation reactions. Usual syntheses of acyloins are based upon addition of terminal alkynes to ketones (disconnection 1 see p. 52). For syntheses of unsymmetrical 1,2-difunctional compounds it is often advisable to look also for reactive starting materials, which do already contain the right substitution pattern. In the present case it turns out that 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone is an inexpensive commercial product. This molecule dictates disconnection 3. Another practical synthesis starts with acetone cyanohydrin and pentylmagnesium bromide (disconnection 2). Many 1,2-difunctional compounds are accessible via oxidation of C—C multiple bonds. In this case the target molecule may be obtained by simple permanganate oxidation of 2-methyl-2-octene, which may be synthesized by Wittig reaction (disconnection 1). 

Organoboranes undergo transmetallation. 1-Hexenylboronic acid (438) reacts with methyl acrylate via the transmetallation with Pd(OAc)2, giving methyl 2,4-nonadienoate (439)[399], The ( )-alkenylboranes 440, prepared by the hydroboration of terminal alkynes, are converted into the alkylated ( )-alkenes 441 by treatment with an equivalent amount of Pd(OAc)2 and triethylamine[400]. The ( )-octenylborane 442 reacts with CO in MeOH in the... 

The thioboration of terminal alkynes with 9-(alkylthio)-9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]-nonanes (9-RS-9-BBN) proceeds regio- and stereoselectively by catalysis of Pd(Ph,P)4 to produce the 9-[(Z)-2-(alkylthio)-l-alkeny)]-9-BBN derivative 667 in high yields. The protonation of the product 667 with MeOH affords the Markownikov adduct 668 of thiol to 1-alkyne. One-pot synthesis of alkenyl sulfide derivatives 669 via the Pd-catalyzed thioboration-cross-coupling sequence is also possible. Another preparative method for alkenyl sulfides is the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of 9-alkyl-9-BBN with l-bromo-l-phe-nylthioethene or 2-bromo-l-phenylthio-l-alkene[534]. 

Hydrozirconation of terminal alkynes R-C=CH (R= aryl, alkyl) with 1 affords terminally ( )-Zr-substituted alkenes with high efficiency and excellent stereochemical and regiochemical control (>98%). These alkenylzirconocene complexes are of particular interest for synthetic use [136, 143, 144]. Moreover, beside the electropositive halogen sources [145] and heteroatom electrophiles [3] used in the pioneering studies to directly cleave the Zr-C bond, ( )-vinyl-Zr complexes were recently transformed into a number of other trans-functionalized alkenes such as ( )-vinyl-sul-fides[146], vinylic selenol esters [147], vinyl-sulfones [148], vinyl-iodonium [149], vinyl-(R0)2P(0) [150], and vinilic tellurides [143]. 

Despite the great success of the transmetalation process in the enantiose-lective arylation of ketones, its extension to allylation or alkynylation reactions failed, providing the corresponding tertiary alcohols with enantiomeric excesses never higher than 50% ee. On the other hand, more success has been found in the alkenylation of ketones. The process started with the hydrozirconation of terminal alkynes to give the corresponding alkenylzirconium intermediates, which were transmetalated by reaction, in this case, with various ketones in the presence of the HOCSAC ligand. This protocol tolerated the presence of other carbon-carbon multiple bonds on the alkyne, as well as different functionalities and achieved excellent results for alkyl ketones, a,(3-unsaturated ketones and even dialkylketones, as shown in Scheme 4.22. 

Both alkynes and alkenes can be obtained from adducts of terminal alkynes and boranes. Reaction with iodine induces migration and results in the formation of the alkylated alkyne.32... 

Pt-catalyzed hydration of various aliphatic and aromatic alkynes under phase transfer conditions in (CH2C1)2/H20 in the presence of Aliquat 336 led to either a Markovnikov product, mixtures of two ketones, or ketones with the carbonyl group positioned away from the bulky side.72 In the absence of the phase transfer reagent, Aliquat 336, hardly any reaction took place. Recently, a hydrophobic, low-loading and alkylated polystyrene-supported sulfonic acid (LL-ALPS-SO3H) has also been developed for the hydration of terminal alkynes in pure water, leading to ketones as the product.73 Under microwave irradiation, the hydration of terminal arylalkynes was reported to proceed in superheated water (200°C) without any catalysts.74... 

The opposite regioselectivity is observed in intermolecular alkylative coupling of terminal alkynes and aldehydes with diethylzinc and with alkenylzirconium/ZnCl2 (Scheme 88). 

The regio- and stereoselective dimerization of terminal alkynes into disubstituted enynes is efficiently catalyzed by rare-earth metal alkyl and hydride complexes, as reported independently by Bercaw et al. and Teuben et al. in 1987 [211,212]. Takaki and coworkers have shown that complexes Ln[N(SiMe3)2]3 when combined with an amine additive (typically, ArNH2 compounds) afford an active species for the... 

They react with alkyl halides to give internal alkynes (see Section 5.5.2) via nucleophilic substitution reactions. This type of reaction also is known as alkylation. Any terminal alkyne can be converted to acetylide and alkynide, and then alkylated by the reaction with alkyl halide to produce an internal alkyne. In these reactions, the triple bonds are available for electrophilic additions to a number of other functional groups. 

Rapid development of this area followed the discovery of routes to these complexes, either by ready conversion of terminal alkynes to vinylidene complexes in reactions with manganese, rhenium, and the iron-group metal complexes (11-14) or by protonation or alkylation of some metal Recent work has demonstrated the importance of vinylidene complexes in the metabolism of some chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDT) using iron porphyrin-based enzymes (15). Interconversions of alkyne and vinylidene ligands occur readily on multimetal centers. Several reactions involving organometallic reagents may proceed via intermediate vinylidene complexes. 

A regioselective iodoperfluoroalkylation of terminal alkynes (R—C = CH) has been reported, and is based on photolysis ofthe C—I bond in perfluoroalkyl iodides (Rp-I). Addition of the thus-formed RF" radical onto the alkyne afforded a vinyl radical that in turn abstracts an iodine atom from the starting Rp—I to form the end olefin R-C(I)= CH-Rf. A xenon lamp through Pyrex (hv > 300 nm) was used for the reaction, where aliphatic alkynes gave a better alkylation yield with respect to phenylacetylene [81],... 

The synthesis of the first alkynyliodonium tosylates was achieved by the treatment of terminal alkynes with [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene (HTIB) (equation 8)8,10,11. Such reactions are generally conducted with an excess of alkyne in chloroform at reflux, although they can be carried out at room temperature, and dichloromethane can be employed as solvent. This procedure is, however, restricted to terminal alkynes in which R is either an aryl group or a bulky alkyl group. With linear alkyl groups (i.e. R = n-Pr, n-Bu, fl-C5Hn), phenyl(/ -tosyloxyvinyl)iodonium tosylates are obtained instead (equation 9)8. In some cases (R = /-Pr, /-Bu), mixtures of alkynyl- and (/ -tosyloxyvinyl)iodonium tosylates are produced8. ter -Butylacetylene appears to be the optimum substrate for this approach and has been employed with a series of [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]arenes for the synthesis of various aryl(ter/-butylethynyl)iodonium tosylates (equation 10)9. 

While vinylsilanes and -stannanes have been used primarily for the synthesis of vinyliodonium salts with one or two / -alkyl substituents in the vinyl moiety, the treatment of alkynes with oxyiodanes permits the introduction of oxygen functionality at jft-carbon. The conversion of terminal alkynes with [hydroxy(tosyloxy) iodo]benzene (HTIB) to alkynyliodonium tosylates (equation 8) and/or (j5-tosyloxyvinyl)iodonium tosylates [TsOC (R)=CHiPh, "OTs R = n-Pr, n-Bu, n-C5Hn, i-Pr, i-Bu] (equation 9), depending on the size of R, has already been discussed8,11. In at least three cases, E Z mixtures were... 

Addition of internal alkynes to (t)5-C5H5)(PR3)2RuCI does not lead to the formation of the corresponding disubstituted vinylidene (68). The failure of this reaction could reflect the relative difficulty of a 1,2-alkyl shift for internal alkynes as compared to the 1,2-proton shift for the successful rearrangement of terminal alkynes (Scheme 9). Alternatively, if the deprotonation-reprotonation route is important in the rearrangement of terminal alkynes (vide supra), then clearly internal alkynes would not undergo a similar isomerization. 

Complex 3c, a catalytic precursor for addition reactions to alkynes (65), reacts at room temperature with a variety of terminal alkynes in alcohols to produce stable alkoxyl alkyl carbene ruthenium(II) derivatives 109 in good yields (Scheme 7). Reaction of 3c (L = PMe3), with trimethylsilyacetylene in methanol gives the carbene ruthenium complex 110, by protonolysis of the C—Si bond, whereas with 4-hydroxy-l-butyne in methanol the cyclic carbene complex 111 is obtained (65,66). 

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