Alkyne compound from propargyl alcohol

Propargylic (or 2-alkynyl) compounds are derivatives of alkynes. However, Pd-catalyzed reactions of propargylic derivatives, particularly esters and halides, are very different mechanistically from those of simple alkynes, except in a few cases. Therefore, the reactions of propargylic esters and halides are treated in this section separately from those of other alkynes. However, some reactions of propargylic alcohols, which behave similarly to simple alkynes, are treated in Section 6. 

Previous syntheses of terminal alkynes from aldehydes employed Wittig methodology with phosphonium ylides and phosphonates. 6 7 The DuPont procedure circumvents the use of phosphorus compounds by using lithiated dichloromethane as the source of the terminal carbon. The intermediate lithioalkyne 4 can be quenched with water to provide the terminal alkyne or with various electrophiles, as in the present case, to yield propargylic alcohols, alkynylsilanes, or internal alkynes. Enantioenriched terminal alkynylcarbinols can also be prepared from allylic alcohols by Sharpless epoxidation and subsequent basic elimination of the derived chloro- or bromomethyl epoxide (eq 5). A related method entails Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation of an allylic chloride and base treatment of the acetonide derivative.8 In these approaches the product and starting material contain the same number of carbons. 

Some synthetically important allenylmetallics, such as allenylzinc and allenylin-dium reagents, are prepared from allenylpalladium intermediates. These reactions are discussed in appropriate sections of this chapter. This section covers the reactions of allenylpalladium compounds without further transmetallation. Allenylpalladium complexes can be prepared from propargylic halides, acetates, carbonates, mesylates, alcohols and certain alkynes [83-87], The allenylpalladium compound prepared from 3-chloro-3-methyl-l-butyne has been isolated and characterized spectroscopically (Eq. 9.106) [83], It was found to couple with organozinc chlorides to produce homologated allenes quantitatively (Eq. 9.107). 

Quite recently, some mononuclear ruthenium complexes such as [(p-cymene)RuX-(CO)(PR3)]OTf (X = Cl, OTf, R = Ph, Cy) have been found to work as catalysts for the propargylation of aromatic compounds such as furans, where some ruthenium complexes were isolated as catalytically active species from the stoichiometric reactions of propargylic alcohols (Scheme 7.27) [31]. The produced active species promoted the propargylation of furans vdth propargylic alcohols bearing not only a terminal alkyne moiety but also an internal alkyne moiety, indicating that this propargylation does not proceed via allenylidene complexes as key intermediates. 

The high synthetic utility of alcohols 38 stems from the fact that terminal alkynes are among the most versatile functional groups for the further elaboration of a carbon skeleton. Asymmetric synthesis of alcohols 38 from aldehydes with the concurrent formation of the two stereogenic C atoms has been accomplished mainly by two methods. The first features synthesis of chiral nonracemic allenylmetal compounds from the corresponding chiral nonracemic propargyl alcohols and addition of the former to aldehydes [26] and the second method in-... 

The formation of allenylidene derivatives from ethynyl-hexanol and alkenyl-vinylidene mononuclear complexes (9), the formation of mononuclear ruthenium allenyl complexes from terminal alkynes (10), the intermediacy of ruthenium-allenylidene complexes in forming propargylic alcohols (II), and in the cyclization of propargyl alcohols (12), and the use of mononuclear ruthenium compounds in allylic alkylation catalysis (13) have also been reported. 

B-l-Alkynyl-9-BBN compounds prepared [6-8] from the corresponding 1-alkynes and B-MeO-9-BBN, readily undergo addition to aldehydes and ketones, and afford the propargylic alcohols in very high isolated yields (Scheme 6.8) [9]. They are not basic and are safely used in the presence of compounds such as sulfoxides and diethylmalonate. 

In the remainder of this chapter, particular reactions are selected for examination of their synthetic potential. Acetylide ions are useful for linking carhon chains, particularly where a double bond is desired with stereoselectivity. Acetylene and 1-alkynes may be deprotonated with strong bases such as LDA and then treated with alkyl halides or carbonyl compounds. Preformed lithium acetylide complexed with ethylenediamine is available as a dry powder. Several alkynes derived from acetylide and carbon dioxide or formaldehyde are available, including propargyl alcohol (HC CCHjOH), propargyl bromide (HC CCH Br), and methyl propio-late (HC=CC02CH3). 

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