Alkyne addition step

The mechanism of alkyne additions is similar but not identical to that of alkene additions. When an electrophile such as HBr adds to an alkene (Sections 6.7 and 6.8), the reaction takes place in two steps and involves an alkyl carbocation intermediate. If HBr were to add by the same mechanism to an alkyne, an analogous vinylic carbocation would be formed as the intermediate. 

The first and rate-determining step involves carbon monoxide dissociation from the initial pentacarbonyl carbene complex A to yield the coordinatively unsaturated tetracarbonyl carbene complex B (Scheme 3). The decarbonyla-tion and consequently the benzannulation reaction may be induced thermally, photochemically [2], sonochemically [3], or even under microwave-assisted conditions [4]. A detailed kinetic study by Dotz et al. proved that the initial reaction step proceeds via a reversible dissociative mechanism [5]. More recently, density functional studies on the preactivation scenario by Sola et al. tried to propose alkyne addition as the first step [6],but it was shown that this... 

A mechanistic pathway is proposed based upon the observed regioselectivities and other results that were obtained during the exploration of the scope and limitations of the Alder-ene reaction.38 Initially, coordination of the alkene and alkyne to the ruthenium catalyst takes place (Scheme 5). Next, oxidative addition affords the metallocycles 42 and 43. It is postulated that /3-hydride elimination is slow and that the oxidative addition step is reversible. Thus, the product ratio is determined by the rate at which 42 and 43 undergo /3-hydride elimination. 

For the thioboration reactions of alkynes preferentially catalyzed by Pd(0) instead of Pt(0), the reaction mechanism involves a metathesis-like process. The reason for not having an oxidative addition step can be related to the electron richness of the alkylthio group, which prevents the oxidative addition of thioborane to the metal center. Because of the preference for having a metathesis-like process, Pd becomes a better candidate due to its relative less electron richness in comparison to Pt. 

Each of the syntheses of seychellene summarized in Scheme 20 illustrates one of the two important methods for generating vinyl radicals. In the more common method, the cyclization of vinyl bromide (34) provides tricycle (35).93 Because of the strength of sjp- bonds to carbon, the only generally useful precursors of vinyl radicals in this standard tin hydride approach are bromides and iodides. Most vinyl radicals invert rapidly, and therefore the stereochemistry of the radical precursor is not important. The second method, illustrated by the conversion of (36) to (37),94 generates vinyl radicals by the addition of the tin radical to an alkyne.95-98 The overall transformation is a hydrostannylation, but a radical cyclization occurs between the addition of the stannyl radical and the hydrogen transfer. Concentration may be important in these reactions because direct hydrostannylation of die alkyne can compete with cyclization. Stork has demonstrated that the reversibility of the stannyl radical addition step confers great power on this method.93 For example, in the conversion of (38) to (39), the stannyl radical probably adds reversibly to all of the multiple bond sites. However, the radicals that are produced by additions to the alkene, or to the internal carbon of the alkyne, have no favorable cyclization pathways. Thus, all the product (39) derives from addition to the terminal alkyne carbon. Even when cyclic products might be derived from addition to the alkene, followed by cyclization to the alkyne, they often are not found because 0-stannyl alkyl radicals revert to alkenes so rapidly that they do not close. 

Intramolecular radical cyclization of an aryl bromide and an alkyne can be used to produce dihydroquinolines (Equation 57) <1998TL2965>. An analogous reaction setup utilizes a Lewis acid-catalyzed novel one-pot domino pathway using silver catalysis in high regioselectivity (Scheme 26) <2005OL2675>. Three mole equivalents of the alkyne are used with the final cyclization step arising from alkynic addition. 

M. Torrent, M. Duran, and M. Sola, Density Functional Study on the Preactivation Scenario of the Dotz Reaction Carbon Monoxide Dissociation versus Alkyne Addition as the First Reaction Step, Organometallics 17, 1492-1501 (1998). 

Mechanism The Pd complex such as Pd(PPh3)4 activates the organic halides by oxidative addition into the carbon-halogen bond. The copper(I) halides react with the terminal alkyne and produce copper acetylide, which acts as an activated species for the coupling reactions. The oxidative addition step is followed by the transmetallation step. The proposed catalytic cycle is shown in Scheme 5.21. 

Mechanistic studies of the metal catalyzed cycloaddition reactions establish the intermediacy of a species bearing cyclopolyenyl or cyclopolyene ligand and a n -bound alkene or alkyne. Low-temperature solution studies established that coupling takes place in two steps, often with rearrangement of the alkene or alkyne fragments. This process is illustrated for alkyne addition to a cycloheptatriene ligand in Scheme 17. 

Later, Arcadi showed that /J-keto-imines react with alkynes intramolecularly to give pyrroles. The intermolecular animation with aniliaes was later developed by Hayashi and Tanaka using a cationic Au(I) catalyst to form imines (equation 27). More recently, Arcadi etal. developed an intramolecular version for the cyclization of o-alkynylanilines to form indoles (equation 28) and Li reported a double intra- and intermolecular hydroamination to obtain A-vinylindoles. " O-Substituted hydroxylamines can also undergo this type of transformation to dihydroisoxazole derivatives. " " Tandem sequences that involve a first alkyne-hydroamination step with anilines have been recently developed " " and are similar to the previonsly discnssed additions with phenols that access isoflavone skeletons. 

In more complex reaction cascades an additional alkyne-insertion step can occur. Thus starting with intramolecular carbopalladation of a vinyl iodide to a carbon-carbon triple bond, followed by two intramolecular alkene-insertion steps and termination with dehydropalladation, a palladium-catalyzed synthesis of l-(5 -methylbicyclo[3.1.0]hex-T-yl)-5,5-bis(carboethoxy)cyclo-hexadiene (52) starting from l-iodo-4,4-bis(carboethoxy)-ll-methyldodeca-l,ll-dien-6-yne (51) is achieved. ... 

Polycyclizations of this type can only proceed if a defined stereochemistry of the addition/inser-tion step prevails (e.g., in alkyne addition), Applications to asymmetric synthesis, either using optically active substrates, or chirally modified catalysts, are conceivable, but have not yet been reported. 

Similar to cyclodimerizations, transition metal catalyzed cyclooligomerizations and cocyclooligomerizations involve dicarborative addition steps. The most important examples of this type are represented by cyclotrimerization and cyclotetramerization of alkenes. dienes, alkynes and systems with hetero multiple bonds, leading to carbocyclic and heterocyclic six-, eight- or twelve-membered rings1 ... 

A number of transition-metal-mediated reactions involving addition of an alkyne to an organosilicon compound may involve an alkyne insertion step (Section III.A and Section VI.E.4). One example, for which alternative mechanisms are possible, is shown in equation 80224. Nickel silyl derivatives (bipy)Ni(SiX3)2 (SiX3 = SiCl3, SiMeCl2) react with... 

Because of the availability of their Ti-electrons, alkenes and alkynes are sensitive to electrophilic addition. It is an intriguing question why, with certain reagents and under certain conditions, alkenes are more reactive than alkynes, whereas in other cases the reverse is true. This question has been addressed by Modena and coworkers. They consider protons and carbocations as reagents that react with alkenes at similar or lower rates than with alkynes. Addition of these reagents gives rise to open carbocations in a ratedetermining step. 

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