Molybdenum-catalyzed alkylations

Compared to the tungsten-catalyzed reaction, however, the regiochemistry of the molybdenum-catalyzed alkylation is highly dependent on the structure of the nucleophile89. 

Stable enolates such as diethyl malonate anions react with allyl sulfones (or acetates) in the presence of nickel complexes to give a mixture of the a- and /-product83. The regioselectivity is generally poor in the nickel-catalyzed reaction, but the molybdenum-catalyzed reaction is selective for alkylation at the more substituted allylic site, thereby creating a quaternary carbon center84. 

Chiral pyridine-based ligands were, among various Ar,AT-coordinating ligands, more efficient associated to palladium for asymmetric nucleophilic allylic substitution. Asymmetric molybdenum-catalyzed alkylations, especially of non-symmetric allylic derivatives as substrates, have been very efficiently performed with bis(pyridylamide) ligands. 

Trost and Hachiya [140] studied asymmetric molybdenum-catalyzed alkylations. Interestingly, they noticed that the regioselectivity of this transformation performed with a non-symmetric allylic substrate varied according to the nature of the metal Pd-catalyzed substitutions on aryl-substituted allyl systems led to attack at the less substituted carbon, whereas molybdenum catalysis afforded the more substituted product. They prepared the bis(pyridylamide) ligand 105 (Scheme 55) and synthesized the corresponding Mo-complex from (C2H5 - CN)3Mo(CO)3. With such a catalyst, the allylic... 

Moberg et al. [146] modified further the bis(pyridylamide) ligand described by Trost for the preparation of a polymer-supported pyridylamide (113 in Scheme 60) for the microwave-accelerated molybdenum-catalyzed al-lylic alkylation. TentaGel resin was tested in the presence of high concentrations of reactants and gave, after a 30 min reaction, total conversion in the... 

The molybdenum-catalyzed conversion of alkenes into epoxides by alkyl hydroperoxides is an important commercial process.17,18 The synthetic potential of such reactions in regard to more complex organic molecules has been evaluated19 alkyl hydroperoxides are used as oxidants in the... 

A similar pathway involving a microwave-driven molybdenum-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation as the key step was elaborated by Moberg and coworkers for the preparation of the muscle relaxant (R)-baclofen (Scheme 6.52) [108]. The racemic form of baclofen is used as a muscle relaxant (antispasmodic) lipophilic derivative of y-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Pharmacological studies have shown that the (R)-enantiomer is the therapeutically useful agonist of the GABAb receptor. Asymmetric alkylation of the allylic carbonate precursor with dimethyl malonate afforded... 

Scheme 6.50 Palladium- and molybdenum-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylations.

Scheme 6.51 Molybdenum-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation in the synthesis ofTipranavir.

In a related study, the same group investigated molybdenum-catalyzed alkylations in solution and on a solid phase [35], demonstrating that microwave irradiation could also be applied to highly enantioselective reactions (Scheme 7.15). For these examples, commercially available and stable molybdenum hexacarbonyl [Mo(CO)6] was used to generate the catalytic system in situ. The reactions in solution provided good yields (see Scheme 6.50). In contrast, the conversion rates for the solid-phase examples were rather poor. However, the enantioselectivity was excellent (>99% ee) for both the solution and solid-phase reactions. 

Scheme 7.15 Solid-phase molybdenum-catalyzed allylic alkylation.

A fast and efficient molybdenum-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation under noninert conditions has been reported using MW-accelerated reaction [178]. Inter-molecular hydroacylation of 1-alkenes with aldehydes has been presented as a greener alternative to classical approach using a homogeneous catalyst in toluene. 

It was found by Trost that the low reactivity could be circumvented by the employment of labile ligands, such as the propionitrile in the Mo(CO)3(EtCN)3 precatalyst [57]. Instead of directly transferring this procedure to microwave heating applications, a useful and easily handled microwave procedure was developed for rapid and selective molybdenum-catalyzed allylic alkylations under noninert conditions (Eq. 11.39) [12]. The former, more sensitive, two-step reaction was fine-tuned into a robust one-step procedure employing the inexpensive and stable precatalyst Mo(CO)6, used in low concentrations. The alkylations were conducted in air and resulted in complete conversions, high yields, and an impressive enantiomeric excess (98%) in only 5-6 min. Despite the daunting temperatures, up to 250°C with THF... 

Equation 11.40 Asymmetric molybdenum-catalyzed allylic alkylation with an optimized ligand. 

Molybdenum-catalyzed allylic alkylation has been used as a complementary synthetic procedure to the palladium-catalyzed process/ because allylic alkylation of unsymmetrical substrates takes place mostly at the more substituted carbon atom, in contrast to the palladium case. 

Hallberg and his co-workers reported in 1999 the first microwave-promoted asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of acyclic and cyclic allylic esters with dimethyl malonate, using some chiral ligands 57 and 118 (Equations (65) and (55))3 s,l6Sa,i6Sb both cases, microwave irradiation reduces reaction time without any loss of enantio-selectivity. The same group successfully applied this reaction system to the molybdenum-catalyzed allylic alkylation (Equation ((,7)) 60.160 -l60. 

Kaiser, N.-F., Bremberg, U., Larhed, M., Moberg, C. and Hallberg, A. Fast, convenient, and efficient molybdenum-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation under noninert conditions an example of microwave-promoted fast chemistry, Angew. Chem., 2000, 112, 3742-3744. 

While some molybdenum complexes such as Mo03(dien) were found to be inactive,236 the rates of molybdenum-catalyzed epoxidation of alkenes were found to be independent of the structure of the complex used, after an induction period representing the time for exchange of anionic ligands by the alkyl hydroperoxide. cis-Dioxomolybdenum(VI) diolates such as (78) were isolated... 

The detailed mechanism of molybdenum-catalyzed epoxidation is still disputed 12. In the molybdenum hexacarbonyl catalyzed reaction it is probably the intact alkyl hydroperoxide that delivers the epoxide oxygen73. The active catalyst seems to incorporate the substrate74. As in the case of 3/i-acetoxy-5-cholestene (Table 4), selectivity for the sterically less congested /(-face increases with increasing bulk of the alkyl group. 

The molybdenum-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation can also be carried out under non-inert conditions with microwave activation (eq 5). In comparison to the thermally promoted reaction, reaction times are shorter (5 min vs 4 h). Nevertheless, high yields (87%) and ee (98%) are obtained, the regioselectivity is lower in the microwave reactions (19 1). This can be improved (41 1) by introducing an electron-donating substituent (4-methoxypyridine derivative) into the title ligand. ... 

Molybdenum-catalyzed alkylation of aryl-substituted allylic carbonates has been directed to give the alkylation at the substituted site affording the branched isomer as the major product with a high enantioselectivity by employing a specially designed diamine type ligand (Eq. 16) [37]. 

R. A. Sheldon, Molybdenum-catalyzed epoxidation of olefins with alkyl hydroperoxides. 

Previous studies indicated that the structure of the alkyl hydroperoxide in molybdenum catalyzed epoxidations has only a minor effect on the rate and selectivity [10]. Hence, we were initially surprised to observe that PHP failed to give the expected epoxidation of cyclohexene (1) and limonene (2) in the presence of a molybdenum catalyst (Tablel). Epoxidation of limonene with TBHP as oxidant, in contrast, gave the epoxide of the more highly substituted double bond in 84% selectivity, consistent with nucleophilic attack of the olefin on the alkylperoxomolybdenum(Vl) [3,5]. We tentatively concluded that this low reactivity of PHP is a result of steric hindrance in the putative alkylperoxomolybdenum(VI) intermediate. This prompted us to carry out a systematic investigation [8] of steric effects of the alkyl substituents in the alkyl hydroperoxide on the rate of molybdenum catalyzed epoxidations. 

Molybdenum-catalyzed epoxidations of cyclohexene under pseudo first-order reaction conditions showed the highest rate, of the investigated tertiary alkyl hydroperoxides (Figure 1), with TBHP. 

Other examples of microwave-assisted catalysis include allylic alkylation, both palladium catalyzed and molybdenum catalyzed. In the latter case, air stable precursor complexes could be used under non-inert conditions. Microwave-enhanced Pauson-Khand reactions have also been reported, as have hydroamination of alkynes, and metathesis of functionalized alkynes. " Recently, microwave enhancement has been applied to C-H activation reactions, for example, for the formation of functionalized heterocycles, allowing the reaction to be performed with no solvent purification and minimal precautions to exclude air. A solvent-free chelation-assisted hydroacylation... 

Larhed [34] described the molybdenum-catalyzed allylic alkylation of ( )-3-phenyl-2-propenyl acetate. The reaction occurs with good reproducibility complete conversion, high yields, and excellent enantiomer excess (ee) in only a few minutes (Scheme 5.3). In the standard solvent (THF), and with an irradiation power of 250 W, a yield of 87% was obtained and high regioselectivity and ee (98%) were achieved. Regioselectivity was somewhat lower (17-19 1) than in the previously re-... 

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