Alkylzincation

The carbonylation of aryl iodides in the presence of alkyl iodides and Zn Cu couple affords aryl alkyl ketones via the formation of alkylzinc species from alkyl iodides followed by transmetallation and reductive elimination[380]. The Pd-catalyzed carbonylation of the diaryliodonium salts 516 under mild conditions in the presence of Zn affords ketones 517 via phenylzinc. The a-diketone 518 is formed as a byproduct[381],... 

Ketones can be prepared by trapping (transmetallation) the acyl palladium intermediate 402 with organometallic reagents. The allylic chloride 400 is car-bonylated to give the mixed diallylic ketone 403 in the presence of allyltri-butylstannane (401) in moderate yields[256]. Alkenyl- and arylstannanes are also used for ketone synthesis from allylic chlorides[257,258]. Total syntheses of dendrolasin (404)f258] and manoalide[259] have been carried out employing this reaction. Similarly, formation of the ketone 406 takes place with the alkylzinc reagent 405[260],... 

Mote teceal invesligations have shown tlial tliis reaction operates even under catalytic crrnditions f3-IO mol96 of copperfit) salt), witli alkylzinc reagents as tlie stoicliiometric otganometaliic source fSclieme 6.42) [89]. 

Alkylzinc halides have also been prepared under microwave irradiation. The Reformatsky reagents (2-t-butoxy-2-oxoethyl)zinc bromide and [(2-dibenzylamino)-2-oxoethyl]zinc bromide were synthesized from the corresponding bromides via reaction with zinc in THF (Scheme 5) [24], The oxidative addition was executed at 100 °C in 5 min. The obtained reagents were subsequently used in Negishi reactions on 2-bromopyridine, 3-bromopyridine, 2-bromo-5-nitropyridine, and 2-bromo-5-trifluoromethyl-pyridine using Pd(PPh3)4 as a catalyst (Scheme 5). 

Alkynes react with indium reagents such as (allyl)3ln2l3 to form dienes (allyl substituted alkenes from the alkyne). Allyltin reagents add to alkynes in a similar manner in the presence of ZrCU Alkylzinc reagents add to alkynes to give substituted alkenes in the presence of a palladium catalyst. ... 

These results were significantly improved by the same authors using the well-defined pre-catalyst 16 (PEPPSl-lPr), that is able to promote the coupling of alkyl halides, aryl halides or alkyl sulphonates with alkylzinc chlorides or bromides [83,84]. 

In 2004, excellent enantioselectivities of up to 98% ee were obtained by Morimoto et al. by using a phosphine-sulfonamide-containing 1,1 -binaphthyl-based ligand in the enantioselective copper-catalysed conjugate addition of ZnEt2 to several benzylideneacetones (Scheme 2.27). Similar levels of enan-tioselectivity (up to 97% ee) combined with excellent yields (up to 90%) were obtained by Leighton et al. for the copper-catalysed enantioselective addition of various alkylzincs to cyclic enones performed in the presence of other chiral phosphine-sulfonamide ligands (Scheme 2.27). ... 

The preparation and the use of several C2-symmetric disulfonamides derived from 1,2-amino alcohols in the Ti-catalysed enantioselective addition of di-alkylzinc reagents to aldehydes was described by Yus et al., in 2002. The best... 

Even if hundreds of chiral catalysts have been developed to promote the enantioselective addition of alkylzinc reagents to aldehydes with enantioselectivities over 90% ee, the addition of organozinc reagents to aldehydes is not a solved problem. For example, only very few studies on the addition of vinyl groups or acetylides and even arylzinc reagents to aldehydes have been published, in spite of the fact that the products of these reactions, chiral allylic, propargylic and aryl alcohols, are valuable chiral building blocks. 

This must reflect activation of the carbonyl group by magnesium ion, since ketones are less reactive to pure dialkylzinc reagents and tend to react by reduction rather than addition.141 The addition of alkylzinc reagents is also promoted by trimethylsilyl chloride, which leads to isolation of silyl ethers of the alcohol products.142... 

Aryl zinc reagents are considerably more reactive than alkylzinc reagents in these catalyzed additions to aldehydes.151 Within the same computational framework, phenyl transfer is found to have about a lOkcal/mol advantage over ethyl transfer.152 This is attributed to participation of the tt orbital of the phenyl ring and to the greater electronegativity of the phenyl ring, which enhances the Lewis acid character of the catalytic zinc. 

Lewis acid-catalyzed additions can be carried out in the presence of other chiral ligands that induce enantioselectivity.156 Titanium TADDOL induces enantioselectivity in alkylzinc additions to aldehydes. A variety of aromatic, alkyl, and a, (3-unsaturated aldehydes give good results with primary alkylzinc reagents.157... 

Lewis acids catalyze the reaction of alkylzinc reagents with acyl chlorides.160 The reaction is also catalyzed by transition metals, as is discussed in Chapter 8. 

Catalytic amounts of chiral amino alcohols both catalyze the reactions of alkylzinc reagents with aldehydes and induce a high degree of enantioselec-tivity. Two examples are given below. Formulate a mechanism for this catalysis. Suggest transition structures consistent with the observed enantioselectivity. 

Either Cul or CuCN (10 mol %) in conjunction with BF3 and TMS-C1 catalyze addition of alkylzinc bromides to enones. 

Configurational integrity of secondary alkylzinc reagents had been demonstrated by Knochel although the preparation of the zinc reagent was not practical (Scheme 8.8) [13],... 

Pd-catalyzed coupling of racemic secondary alkylzincs with aryl halides had been reported by Hayashi (Scheme 8.9) [14]. 

Scheme 8.9 Hayashi s cross coupling of sec-alkylzincs with aryl bromides.

Bis(trimethylsilyl)arsine reacts with diethyl- or dimethylzinc to form different arsenide complexes with the structure dependent on the steric demands of the alkyl group. In the presence of both methyl and ethyl groups alkylzinc bis(trimethylsilylarsenide) forms which has a trimeric solid state structure (37) with a six-membered Zn3As3 and Zn-As distances with an average of 2.48 A.322... 

Zinc carbamate complexes are well known, and the structural types and stabilities can be compared with thiocarbamates and dithiocarbamates which are discussed in Sections 6.8.11.1.3 and 6.8.7.1.4482 Carbamates of zinc can be formed from the reaction of carbon dioxide with alkylzinc alkyl amides and further reaction with alkylzinc can give a distorted cubane structure.483 The tetrameric diethylcarbamate species initially formed can also be used to produce monomeric or dimeric carbamate structures in reaction with amines tetramethylethylenediamine forms a monomer [(Me2NCH2)2Zn(02CN(C2H5)2)2] with an octahedral zinc center and pyridine forms a dimer[CsH5NZn2Me(02CN(C2H5)2)3] with tetrahedral zinc centers.484... 

The possible mechanism for the reaction is that an alkylzinc halide forms first and then reacts with the acid to produce the alkane ... 

Copper-catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylations with Alkylzinc Reagents 403... 

Catalytic reactions of alkylzinc halides with a-chloroketones 410... 

The organization of the material in this chapter is naturally subjective, and certain topics could equally well have been discussed in another section or in a different order. For example, the Simmons-Smith reagent is both an alkylzinc iodide and a carbenoid, and because both sections exist in this chapter, it is discussed under the more specific heading of zinc carbenoids. 

Nickel and palladium complexes catalyze the conversion of alkyl iodides to alkylzinc iodides 30 with added diethylzinc (Scheme 28).74 Thus, for example, 1-iodooctane was converted at room temperature to n-octylzinc iodide after treatment with 2 equiv. of diethylzinc in the presence of 1.5 mol% of a palladium bis(phosphine) complex. 

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