Alkylideneallyl cations

Chapter 5 by M. Fujita and T. Okuyama examines the ringopening reactions of alkylidenecyclopropanone acetals for solvolytic generation and trapping of alkylideneallyl cations (resonance hybrids of 1-vinyl-substituted vinyl cations). In Chapter 6 by V. P. Reddy et al. stable ion and computational studies of cyclobutylmethyl cations are discussed. In Chapter 7, G. I. Borodkin and V. G. Shubin discuss and... 

Generation of Alkylideneallyl Cations from Alkylidenecyclopropanone Acetals Selectivity of Reaction with Nucleophiles... 

Alkylideneallyl cations can be described as resonance hybrids of 1-vinyl-substituted vinyl cations and allenylmethyl cations, and thus contain two reactive sites (the sp- and sp2-hybridized carbons) for nucleophilic addition (Scheme 1) (7,2). Hybridization affects the electronic and steric character of these reaction sites. The electronic property was deduced from the l3C NMR chemical shifts of alkylideneallyl cations measured under superacidic conditions (3) and also from the charge distribution calculated (4). The charge distributions are affected by substituents on the cation the sp2 carbon is more positive than the sp carbon when two methyl groups are introduced at the sp2 carbon. 

Some reactions via intermediate alkylideneallyl cations have been reported. Solvolysis of 3-bromo-2,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene in ethanol at 100 °C for 80 min gives 5-ethoxy-2,5-dimethyl-2,3-hexadiene in quantitative yield (Scheme 2) (5). This indicates that ethanol selectively attacks the sp2 carbon of the intermediate alkylideneallyl cation. A similar selectivity has been observed in the solvolysis of 2,3-dienyl alcohols (6), and is in agreement with the charge distribution. A cycloaddition reaction via an alkylideneallyl cation intermediate has been reported as illustrated in Scheme 3(7). 

Scheme 2. Solvolysis of vinyl bromide via an alkylideneallyl cation.

We have recently developed a novel method for the generation of alkylideneallyl cations from alkylidenecyclopropanone acetals (8, 9). This method provides a nice opportunity to examine the selectivity of reactions of the ambident cation with various nucleophiles including siloxyalkenes (10) and furans (11). The reaction of the cation with the carbon nucleophiles gives [4 + 3] and [3 + 2] cycloaddition products as well as simple nucleophilic addition products. These results are summarized in this chapter. 

The regioselectivity of ring opening of 4a-c is successfully controlled by the choice of reaction conditions. Lewis acid in dichloromethane and hydrogen chloride in alcohol are suitable conditions for generation of an alkylideneallyl cation, which was employed for studying its reactivity with nucleophiles such as... 

Scheme 6. Lewis acid-mediated reaction via alkylideneallyl cation.

The product ratio of 8K/9K is similar to that of the Lewis acid-mediated reaction of 4a-c. These products of the C2-C3 bond cleavage (8K and 9K) may be formed via alkylideneallyl cation intermediate, which is formed by the oxygen protonation of 4. Thus, the product ratio of 10/(8K + 9K) is controlled by the protonations at the olefinic carbon and at the acetal oxygen of 4. 

An alkylideneallyl cation intermediate 5 was effectively formed in alcoholic solvent during the HCl-mediated reaction of 4a-c. Reaction of 4a in methanol also gave 11K (Scheme 9). When the reaction was carried out in CD3OD,... 

Reaction of 4a with TiCl4 was carried out in the presence of siloxyalkene 3 as nucleophile and the results are summarized in Table III. In the reaction with ketene silyl acetals 3a and 3e at -78 °C, y-ketoesters 15a and 15e were obtained instead of chloride product 8 which is a major product in the absence of 3. Formation of product 15 is likely to result from trapping of alkylideneallyl cation 5 with 3 at the sp2 carbon. In contrast, the reactions with silyl enol ethers 3f and 3g gave no acyclic product 15, but gave cyclopentanone derivatives 16-18. The product distribution depends on the mode of addition of TiCl4 (entries 4-7). 

A plausible mechanism for the reactions of alkylideneallyl cation 5 with siloxyaikenes 3 is illustrated in Scheme 12. The cation 5M generated from 4a is... 

Product distribution in the reaction of 4 with furan depends on the reaction conditions as well as on the oxy group of the acetal substrates 4a-c. The diverse products formed in the reaction of 4a-c with furan are rationalized by the reaction pathways illustrated in Scheme 13. All products arise from nucleophilic addition of furan to alkylideneallyl cation intermediate 5M (5S), which is generated by acid-mediated ring opening of cyclopropanone acetals 4a-c (Scheme 5). The [4 + 3] cycloadduct 23 is simply formed via 27, and the furanyl... 

To obtain further insight into the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of alkylideneallyl cation 5, the reaction with 2,3-benzofuran was carried out as shown in Scheme 15. The reaction of 4a gave a simple [3 + 2] cycloadduct 30 as a single regioisomer in 76 % isolated yield. The regioisomeric structure of 30 confirmed by NOE measurements is well compatible with the cyclic structure of 29. These... 

Modes of cycloaddition of alkylideneallyl cation are also controlled by the reaction conditions. [4 + 3] Cycloaddition occurs in the reaction with furan. The [4 + 3] cycloaddition with furan was observed for the siloxy-substituted allyl cation 5S, but not for the methoxy-substituted allyl cation 5M. The lower electrophilicity of 5S may prefer the concerted pathway of [4 + 3] cycloaddition in competition with the stepwise pathway to yield a [3 + 2] cycloadduct and an electrophilic substitution product. 

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