Alkenes from allenes

The relative stability of vinyl and saturated cations in solution can in principle be evaluated by following three approaches (a) from the competitive formation of vinyl and saturated cations in electrophilic addition to allenes (b) from the relative rates of electrophilic addition to alkynes and alkenes (c) from the relative rates of solvolysis of vinyl and saturated derivatives. 

In an effort to extend tins reactivity to alkenes from allenes, the Toste group [300] performed the cyclohydroamination reaction with their preferred gold catalyst systems using diene-substituted suhbnylamides. Such substrates are prone to proton-mediated reactivity profiles, as discussed earlier, and generation of an acidic species has been postulated for catalytic turnover in Au(I)-catalyzed reactions [300],... 

Cyclopropanations of alkenes with alkyl diazoacetates are catalysed by rhodium(ii) carboxylates, and Sasaki et al have shown that crown ethers have several advantages over quaternary ammoniurq ions for the catalytic synthesis of allene-cyclopropanes from addition of allene-carbenes to olehnic substrates. 

Palladium-catalyzed diboration can be achieved with bis(pinacolato)diboron for strained 1,2-disubstituted alkynes. ° Analogously, palladium-catalyzed addition reactions of diboron compounds provide 1,2-bisborylalkanes from l-alkenes ° or cis-l,4-bisboryl-2-alkenes from 1,3-dienes.2,3-Bisboryl-l-propenes are accessible from allenes (Scheme 5-174). The asymmetric allene diboration was examined by Burks et ai, who showed that monodentate phosphoramidite ligands gave excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee) (Scheme 5-174). The (asymmetric) metal-catalyzed reactions of diboron, silylboron and disilane compounds have been reviewed.Recently, the addition across two triple bonds to give dienes has been explored by Singidi et... 

The proton chemical shifts of the protons directly attached to the basic three carbon skeleton are found between 5.0 and 6.8 ppm. The J(H,H) between these protons is about -5 Hz. The shift region is similar to the region for similarly substituted alkenes, although the spread in shifts is smaller and the allene proton resonances are slightly upfield from the alkene resonances. We could not establish a reliable additivity rule for the allene proton shifts as we could for the shifts (vide infra) and therefore we found the proton shifts much less valuable for the structural analysis of the allene moiety than the NMR data on the basic three-carbon system. 

Tlie thioketone 5-oxide 85, generated from allene 86 and SOCk in situ, decomposes to give the alkene 87. A mechanism, involving the transient formation of the 1,2-dithietane 88 (by dimerization of 85 followed by rearrangement), was proposed (85AGE855). 

As in the case of the base-catalyzed reaction, the thermodynamically most stable alkene is the one predominantly formed. However, the acid-catalyzed reaction is much less synthetically useful because carbocations give rise to many side products. If the substrate has several possible locations for a double bond, mixtures of all possible isomers are usually obtained. Isomerization of 1-decene, for example, gives a mixture that contains not only 1-decene and cis- and franj-2-decene but also the cis and trans isomers of 3-, 4-, and 5-decene as well as branched alkenes resulting from rearrangement of carbocations. It is true that the most stable alkenes predominate, but many of them have stabilities that are close together. Acid-catalyzed migration of triple bonds (with allene intermediates) can be accomplished if very strong acids (e.g., HF—PF5) are used. If the mechanism is the same as that for double bonds, vinyl cations are intermediates. 

Using standard references and protocol, we find the three reactions are respectively endothermic by ca 2, 8 and 6 kJmol-1, or ca 2, 4 and 3 kJmol-1 once one remembers to divide by 2 the last two numbers because the allene is dialkylated. So doing, from equations 10 and 11 we find an average ca 3 kJmol-1 (per alkyl group) lessened stability for alkylated allenes than the correspondingly alkylated alkenes. This is a small difference that fits most naturally in the study of substituted cumulenes such as ketenes and ketenimines, i.e. not in this chapter. But it is also a guideline for the understanding of polyenes with more cumulated double bonds. 

Acetylene is sufficiently acidic to allow application of the gas-phase proton transfer equilibrium method described in equation l7. For ethylene, the equilibrium constant was determined from the kinetics of reaction in both directions with NH2-8. Since the acidity of ammonia is known accurately, that of ethylene can be determined. This method actually gives A f/ acid at the temperature of the measurement. Use of known entropies allows the calculation of A//ac d from AG = AH — TAS. The value of A//acij found for ethylene is 409.4 0.6 kcal mol 1. But hydrocarbons in general, and ethylene in particular, are so weakly acidic that such equilibria are generally not observable. From net proton transfers that are observed it is possible sometimes to put limits on the acidity range. Thus, ethylene is not deprotonated by hydroxide ion whereas allene and propene are9 consequently, ethylene is less acidic than water and allene and propene (undoubtedly the allylic proton) are more acidic. Unfortunately, the acidity of no other alkene is known as precisely as that of ethylene. 

Organogermanium compounds can be prepared by transmetallation reactions with tin reagents. Examples include Me2PhGeCl (Equation (66)),89 the alkene-functionalized species 26-28, (Equations (67) and (68)),90 and the allenic (Equation (69)) and propargylic (Equation (70)) species 29 and 30.91 A series of aryltrichlorogermanes was prepared from the corresponding tin reagents (Equation (71), Table 9).92 Transmetallation with zirconium species can also be used (Equation (72), Table 10).93... 

Attempts to liberate l-methyl-l-aza-2,3-cyclohexadiene (329) from 3-bromo-l-methyl-l,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine (326) by KOtBu in the presence of [18]crown-6 and furan or styrene did not lead to products that could have been ascribed to the intermediacy of 329 (Scheme 6.70) [156], Even if there is no doubt as to the allene nature of 329 on the basis of the calculations on the isopyridine 179 and 3d2-lH-quinoline (257), it is conceivable that the zwitterion 329-Za is only a few kcal mol-1 less stable than 329. This relationship could foster the reactivity of 329 towards the tert-butoxide ion to an extent that cycloadditions to activated alkenes would be too slow to compete. On the other hand, the ultimate product of the trapping of 329 by KOtBu could have been an N,0-acetal or a vinylogous N,0-acetal, which might not have survived the workup (see, for example, the sensitivity of the N,0-acetal 262 [14], Scheme 6.57). 

By chance, the existence of the borane complex 330 of 329 was discovered. The liberation of 330 occurred with the best efficiency with sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)-amide from the borane complex 327 of 326. When styrene or furan was used as the solvent, three diastereomeric [2 + 2]-cycloadducts 328 and [4 + 2]-cycloadducts 331, respectively, were obtained in 30and 20% yield (Scheme 6.70) [156]. With no lone pair on the nitrogen atom, 330 cannot be polarized towards a zwitterionic structure, which is why its allene subunit, apart from the inductive effect of the nitrogen atom, resembles that of 1,2-cydohexadiene (6) and hence undergoes cycloaddition with activated alkenes. It is noted that the carbacephalosporin derivative 323 (Scheme 6.69) also does not have a lone pair on the nitrogen atom next to the allene system because of the amide resonance. 

Like alkenes, methoxyallene undergo [5 + 2]-cycloaddition with the oxidopyrylium ion formed from the precursor 254 and triethylamine. The allenic terminal C=C bond adds from its sterically less encumbered face to afford the [5 + 2]-cycloadduct [186],... 

Cycloisomerizations are one of the most popular methods for the formation of carbo- and heterocyclic compounds [1, 2], Although in most cases alkenes and/or alkynes are still involved, there now exist a significant number of similar applications of allenes which benefit from the higher reactivity of the allene-unit. 

Activation of one the double bonds of the allene by coordination to an electrophilic metal center such as Hg(II), Ag(I), Pd(II), Rh(I), Cu(I) or Au(III). Then an intramolecular nucleophile can attack and the product is formed by protodemetallation of the intermediate (Scheme 15.1). Depending on electronic and steric factors, either the proximal or the distal Jt-bond of the allene 1 is activated in that way (2 and/or 3). For each of these two possibilities now an exo or endo attack of the nucleophile is conceivable, leading to intermediates 4—7. An equilibrium between both 5 and 6 and 9 is possible. Finally, from 4 the vinyl-substituted 8 is formed. From 5, 6 or 9 the exocyclic alkene 10 and/or the endocyclic alkene 11 can be observed. Compound 7 would deliver the endocyclic alkene 12. 

Tius and co-workers elegantly applied a variant of the Nazarov reaction to the preparation of cyclopentenone prostaglandins (Scheme 19.39) [46]. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the chirality of non-racemic allenes is transferred to an sp3-hybridized carbon atom. Preparation of allenic morpholinoamide 214 and resolution of the enantiomers by chiral HPLC provided (-)- and (+)-214. Compound (-)-214 was exposed to the vinyllithium species 215 to afford a presumed intermediate which was not observed but spontaneously cyclized to give (+)- and (—)-216 as a 5 1 mixture. Compound (+)-216 was obtained with an 84% transfer of chiral information and (-)-216 was obtained in 64% ee. The lower enantiomeric excess of (—)-216 indicates that some Z to E isomerization took place. This was validated by the conversion of 216 to 217, where the absolute configuration was established. The stereochemical outcome of this reaction has been explained by conrotatory cyclization of 218 in which the distal group on the allene rotates away from the alkene to give 216. 

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