Annulation, alkynes with Fischer carbenes

A variety of annulations leading to ring systems other than benzenes can be isolated from reactions of Fischer carbenes. Cyclopentenone derivatives are formed from a reaction of Z-6-amino-Q ,jS-unsaturated chromium carbenes with alkynes (Scheme 66). In contrast, -B-amino-Q, /3-unsaturated chromium carbenes reacts with alkynes to give cyclopentadienes (Scheme 67). 

In almost all situations the reactions of Fischer carbene complexes of chromium with alkynes lead to the formation of six-membered ring products, but on several occasions five-membered ring annulated products have been observed as minor products or as major products if the formation of six-membered rings is blocked. In an early report by Ddtz, the reaction of the 2,6-dimethylphenyl complex (209) was observed to react with diphenylacetylene to give the complexed and uncomplexed indenes (210) and... 

A comprehensive treatment of the benzannulation of Fischer carbene complexes with alkynes is not possible in this review, and thus instead the material presented here will hopefully serve to give the reader an overview of its scope and limitations. The first report of this reaction was in 1975 by Dotz in which he describes the formation of the naphthol chromium tricarbonyl complex (236) from the reaction of the phenyl chromium complex (la) with diphenylacetylene. In the intervening years over 100 papers have been published describing various aspects of this reaction.The reaction of the generic cartene complex (233 Scheme 34) with alkynes will serve to focus the organization of the scope and limitations of the benzaimulation reaction. The issues to be considered are (i) the regioselectivity with unsymmetri-cal alkynes (ii) possible mechanisms (iii) applications in natural product syntheses (iv) the effect of substitution on the aryl or alkenyl substituent of the carbene carbon (v) functionality on the alkyne (vi) effects of the solvent and the concentration of the alkyne (vii) tandem applications with other reactions of carbene complexes (viii) reactions where aromatization is blocked (cyclohexadienone annulation) (ix) annulation of aryl versus alkenyl carbene complexes (x) the effect of the ligands L on the metal (xi) the effect of the ancilliary substituent RX and (xii) reactions with —C X functionality. 

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