Alkynes reaction with alkoxycarbene complexes

This photodriven benzannulation was used in the synthesis of indolocar-bazoles (Eq. 22) [96] and calphostins (Eq. 23) [97]. The thermal insertion of isonitriles into these same classes of carbenes provided a complementary approach to similar benzannulations [98-100]. Manganese alkoxycarbene complexes underwent both inter- [101] and intramolecular [102] photodriven benzannulation reactions with alkynes (Eqs. 24 and 25). 

Clark and co-workers have reported reactions of Ir(III) cations with terminal alkynes in methanol in which alkoxycarbene complexes are formed (60). By analogy with a more extensively studied Pt(II) system (61), it has been concluded that cationic vinylidene complexes, e.g., 35, are reaction intermediates, e.g.,... 

As a supporting evidence, it is well-known that the electron-rich 0 6-arene)Ru complex of terminal alkyne 428 rearranges easily by the treatment with NaPR, of the )/ -vinylidenc complex 429, which is a strongly electrophilic carbene complex. Attack of ROH on the carbene carbon generates the the alkoxycarbene complex 431 via 430 [166]. Formation of ketone 427 by attack of the allylic alcohol is understanable by this mechanism. Formation of Ru-vinylidene complex 429 from the terminal alkyne has been proposed as the intermediate 432 of the reaction of terminal alkyne, amine and CO2 to form the vinyl carbamate 433 [167,168]. 

The reaction of carbene complexes with alkynes offers useful synthetic methods. The formation of various cyclic compounds by the reaction of alkynes with the alkoxycarbene complex 259 can be summarized by the following scheme, which is simplified for easy understanding, although the explanation is not exactly correct mechanistically. 

Three different strategies have been envisaged. The chiral information can either be incorporated into the alkyne or linked to the heteroatom or to the a,/ -unsaturated substituent at the carbene complex carbene carbon. High diastereoselectivities (57a 57b >96 4) have been observed in reactions of vinyl carbene complex 55 with the chiral propargylic ether 56 bearing the bulky trityloxy substituent [57a]. A more general approach is based on chiral alcohols incorporated into the alkoxycarbene complex. Upon benzannulation with tert-butylethyne, the menthyloxy carbene complex 58 gave a diastereoselectivity of 10 1 in favor of the naphthalene tricarbonylchromium complex 59a [57c, 57d]. Finally, the tandem benzannulation-Mitsunobu reaction of optically active carbene complex 60 with 5-hexyn-l-ol afforded the anti-benzoxepine complex 61 as the only diastereomer (Scheme 23) [57b]. 

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