Allenic copper intermediate

These additives also serve to suppress the formation of a common side-product, that is, an allene containing a hydrogen atom instead of the carbon substituent which should have been delivered by the cuprate. The occurrence of such reduction products is also in accordance with the generally accepted mechanistic model (Scheme 44), in which the copper(m) intermediate 186 resulting from the epoxide 185 may be sufficiently stable to survive until work-up of the reaction mixture (or undergo reductive elimination of R-R to give an allenic copper(i) compound), so that protonation leads to the reduction product 188, besides the desired substitution product 187 (Scheme 45).65,74... 

All the starting materials were very easily prepared in a single-pot operation by treatment of the alkoxy-allene 96 [70] with lithium organocuprate either in Et20 (for the formation of the Z- vinyl copper intermediate Z-97) or in THF (for the formation of the -vinyl copper intermediate -97) and trapping the resulting alkenyl copper E- and Z-97 with different unsaturated alkyl halides to give 98a-j (Scheme 35) [71]. 

In acyclic propargylic systems, organocopper and -cuprate reagents react similarly to afford allenes. An overall anti-Sfl process is involved, probably via a copper(III) intermediate. Typical examples are shown in Table 3. 

This system was described in one report and has been synthesized by a copper-assisted cycloisomerization of alkynyl imines. The authors proposed the following mechanism at first, 372 could undergo a base-induced propargyl-allenyl isomerization to form 373 next, coordination of copper to the terminal double bond of the allene (intermediate 374) would make it subjected to intramolecular nucleophilic attack to produce a zwitterion 375. The latter would isomerize into the more stable zwitterionic intermediate 376, which would be transformed to the thiazole 377 (Scheme 55) <2001JA2074>. 

Furthermore, the copper-mediated SN2 substitution reaction is not restricted to carbon-carbon bond formation, as can be seen form the synthesis of silylallenes [15], stannylallenes [16] and bromoallenes [17] using propargylic electrophiles and the corresponding heterocuprates. The resulting allenes are often used as intermediates in target-oriented synthesis, e.g. in cyclization and reduction reactions [15-17]. 

The beneficial effect of added phosphine on the chemo- and stereoselectivity of the Sn2 substitution of propargyl oxiranes is demonstrated in the reaction of substrate 27 with lithium dimethylcyanocuprate in diethyl ether (Scheme 2.9). In the absence of the phosphine ligand, reduction of the substrate prevailed and attempts to shift the product ratio in favor of 29 by addition of methyl iodide (which should alkylate the presumable intermediate 24 [8k]) had almost no effect. In contrast, the desired substitution product 29 was formed with good chemo- and anti-stereoselectivity when tri-n-butylphosphine was present in the reaction mixture [25, 31]. Interestingly, this effect is strongly solvent dependent, since a complex product mixture was formed when THF was used instead of diethyl ether. With sulfur-containing copper sources such as copper bromide-dimethyl sulfide complex or copper 2-thiophenecarboxylate, however, addition of the phosphine caused the opposite effect, i.e. exclusive formation of the reduced allene 28. Hence the course and outcome of the SN2 substitution show a rather complex dependence on the reaction partners and conditions, which needs to be further elucidated. 

Similar models explain the 1,8-, 1,10- and 1,12-addition reactions to the extended Michael acceptors 91, 93 and 95, respectively (Schemes 2.32 and 2.33). Again, these transformations start with the formation of a cuprate Jt-complex at the double bond neighbouring the acceptor group [61a]. Subsequently, an equilibrating mixture of a-copper(III) intermediates is presumably formed and the regioselectivity of the reaction may then be governed by the different relative rates of the reductive elimination step of these intermediates. Consequently, the exclusive formation of allenic prod-... 

A different approach towards titanium-mediated allene synthesis was used by Hayashi et al. [55], who recently reported rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective 1,6-addition reactions of aryltitanate reagents to 3-alkynyl-2-cycloalkenones 180 (Scheme 2.57). In the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane and (R)-segphos as chiral ligand, alle-nic silyl enol ethers 181 were obtained with good to excellent enantioselectivities and these can be converted further into allenic enol esters or triflates. In contrast to the corresponding copper-mediated 1,6-addition reactions (Section 2.2.2), these transformations probably proceed via alkenylrhodium species (formed by insertion of the C-C triple bond into a rhodium-aryl bond) and subsequent isomerization towards the thermodynamically more stable oxa-jt-allylrhodium intermediates [55],... 

Intermediates such as 224 resulting from the nudeophilic addition of C,H-acidic compounds to allenyl ketones such as 222 do not only yield simple addition products such as 225 by proton transfer (Scheme 7.34) [259]. If the C,H-acidic compound contains at least one carbonyl group, a ring dosure is also possible to give pyran derivatives such as 226. The reaction of a similar allenyl ketone with dimethyl mal-onate, methyl acetoacetate or methyl cyanoacetate leads to a-pyrones by an analogous route however, the yields are low (20-32%) [260], The formation of oxaphos-pholenes 229 from ketones 227 and trivalent phosphorus compounds 228 can similarly be explained by nucleophilic attack at the central carbon atom of the allene followed by a second attack of the oxygen atom of the ketone at the phosphorus atom [261, 262], Treatment of the allenic ester 230 with copper(I) chloride and tributyltin hydride in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) affords the cephalosporin derivative 232 [263], The authors postulated a Michael addition of copper(I) hydride to the electron-... 

Terminal allenes.1 Terminal acetylenes can be converted by a one-step reaction into terminal allenes by treatment with formaldehyde, diisopropylaminc, and copper(l) bromide in refluxing THF or dioxane. The Mannich base is an intermediate, but, surprisingly, preparation of the quaternary base is not necessary. The source of the introduced hydrogen is not clear. The highest yields are obtained with 2-propynylic alcohols, ethers, and esters. 

The proposed mechanism involves the initial rearrangement of alkynyl imine 137 into allenyl imine 138. Subsequent coordination of copper(I) to the terminal bond of the allene triggers intramolecular attack of the aromatic ring, a process that finally leads to quinolines 139 via several intermediates. 

Allenes are activated by a diphenylphosphine oxide substituent towards nucleophilic substitution at the j3-carbon atom. Lithium dimethyl-cuprate adds quickly to the 1,2-bond to give, on hydrolysis, the olefin in 16-84% yield, according to the nature of the substituents (76). Optimum conditions were not reported. The intermediate a-copper compound resulting from the addition can be dimerized or reacted with methyl iodide [Eq. (106)]. Similar reactions involving methyllithium are complicated. 

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