Silicon-alkynyl complexes

Very few pericyclic reactions of carbene complexes have been studied that are not in the cycloaddition class. The two examples that are known involve ene reactions and Claisen rearrangements. Both of these reactions have been recently studied and thus future developments in this area are anticipated. Ene reactions have been observed in the the reactions of alkynyl carbene complexes and enol ethers, where a competition can exist with [2 + 2] cycloadditions. Ene products are the major components firom the reaction of silyl enol ethers and [2 + 2] cycloadducts are normally the exclusive products with alkyl enol ethers (Section 9.2.2.1). As indicated in equation (7), methyl cyclohexenyl ether gives the [2 -t- 2] adduct (84a) as the major product along with a minor amount of the ene product (83a). The t-butyldimethylsilyl enol ether of cyclohexanone gives the ene product 9 1 over the [2 + 2] cycloadduct. The reason for this effect of silicon is not known at this time but if the reaction is stepwise, this result is one that would be expected on the basis of the silicon-stabilizing effect on the P-oxonium ion. 

Alkynyl complexes. These complexes, which are readily available by reaction of an alkynyllithium with chromium carbonyl followed by methylation with CH3OSO2F, undergo facile Diels-Alder reactions with dienes to provide a general route to ,p-un-saturated chromium carbene complexes. The latter undergo benzannelation or cyclo-hexadienone annelation on reaction with an alkyne. A (trimethylsilyl)ethynyl complex is useful because benzannelation results in migration of silicon from carbon to oxygen to provide a protected phenol. 

---