Allenyl groups from allenes

The addition of a-lithiomethoxyallene 144 [55] to benzaldehyde dimethylhydra-zone 145 (Eq. 13.48) leads to a mixture of pyrroline 146 and dihydroazete 147 [56]. The cydization in this case, which takes place in the same operation as the addition to the hydrazone, follows two distinct pathways, with attack of the nitrogen atom taking place at the inner, in addition to the terminal, carbon atom of the allene. A similar reaction of 144 with SAMP-hydrazone 148 (Eq. 13.49) leads to 3-pyrroline 149 in 88% yield and excellent diastereoselectivity [57]. Cleavage of the chiral auxiliary group from 149 takes place in two steps (1, methyl chloroformate 2, Raney nickel, 50 bar, 50 °C) in 74% overall yield. When the addition of 144 to 148 is conducted in diethyl ether, cydization of the adduct does not take place. Surprisingly, the hydrazones of aliphatic aldehydes react with 144 in poor yield in THF, but react quantitatively and diastereoselectively in diethyl ether to give the (uncyclized) allenyl hydrazone products. 

Pauson-Khand reaction of alkynyl ketones in which an allenyl group is extended further from the a -position is intriguing. It has been found that one of the double bonds of the allene unit can be selected to participate by using certain transition metal catalysts besides modification of the substrates. ... 

An analogous mechanism was proposed for the conversion of the triflate 416 to the vinyl-, allyl- and allenyl-A2-cephems 448 in yields of 47-71% by the respective tributyltin compounds in the presence of cuprous chloride (Scheme 6.91) [176]. Accordingly, the cyclic allene 417 should be liberated from 416 in the first step. Then, the organocopper species would transfer a hydrocarbon group to the central allene carbon atom of 417, leading to an allyl anion derivative, which is protonated during the workup. These reactions of 416 and 443 indicate that the cyclic allenes 417 and 444 behave toward nucleophiles as 1,2-cyclohexadiene (6) (Schemes 6.11— 13) and its non-polar derivatives such as 215 (Scheme 6.51), 221 (Scheme 6.52), 311 (Scheme 6.67) and 333 (Schemes 6.71 and 6.73), that is, they interact with nucleophiles at the central carbon atom of the allene system exclusively. 

The analogous transformation of 125, also realized by flash vacuum pyrolysis, gave rise to allenic oximes 126 [165], which are not directly accessible by the classical route starting from allenyl ketones and hydroxylamine (see Section 7.3.2) [122], Because compounds 125 are prepared from allenyl ketones and furan by [4 + 2]-cycloaddition followed by treatment with hydroxylamine, the retro-Diels-Alder reaction 125 —> 126 is in principle the removal of a protecting group (see also Scheme 7.46). 

Based on nucleophilic addition, racemic allenyl sulfones were partially resolved by reaction with a deficiency of optically active primary or secondary amines [243]. The reversible nucleophilic addition of tertiary amines or phosphanes to acceptor-substituted allenes can lead to the inversion of the configuration of chiral allenes. For example, an optically active diester 177 with achiral groups R can undergo a racemization (Scheme 7.29). A 4 5 mixture of (M)- and (P)-177 with R = (-)-l-menthyl, obtained through synthesis of the allene from dimenthyl 1,3-acetonedicar-boxylate (cf. Scheme 7.18) [159], furnishes (M)-177 in high diastereomeric purity in 90% yield after repeated crystallization from pentane in the presence of catalytic amounts of triethylamine [158], Another example of a highly elegant epimerization of an optically active allene based on reversible nucleophilic addition was published by Marshall and Liao, who were successful in the transformation 179 — 180 [35], Recently, Lu et al. published a very informative review on the reactions of electron-deficient allenes under phosphane catalysis [244]. 

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-... 

Hashmi et al. investigated a number of different transition metals for their ability to catalyze reactions of terminal allenyl ketones of type 96. Whereas with Cu(I) [57, 58] the cycloisomerization known from Rh(I) and Ag(I) was observed (in fact the first observation that copper is also active for cycloisomerizations of allenes), with different sources of Pd(II) the dimer 97 was observed (Scheme 15.25). Under optimized conditions, 97 was the major product. Numerous substituents are tolerated, among them even groups that are known to react also in palladium-catalyzed reactions. Examples of these groups are aryl halides (including iodides ), terminal alkynes, 1,6-diynes, 1,6-enynes and other allenes such as allenylcarbinols. This che-moselectivity might be explained by the mild reaction conditions. 

Nina A. Nedolya was born in Irkutsk (Russia) and educated in organic chemistry at the Irkutsk State University (Diploma 1972, PhD 1982, DSc 1998). From 1995 to 1999 she was associated with Prof. L. Brandsma at the Utrecht University (The Netherlands). In 1999 she obtained her second PhD from the Utrecht University. She is presently Head of the Research Group of Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds at A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry. She is the author of over 210 review articles and research papers. She is also one of the inventors for 112 patents. She is interested in the chemistry of polyfunctional unsaturated heteroatomic systems (vinyl, allenyl, and alkynyl ethers and their derivatives, linear and cyclic heteropolyenes, hetero-cumulenes), including synthesis of important heterocycles, particularly pyrroles, thiophenes, thiazoles, imidazoles, dihydrofurans, dihydropyridines, pyridines, quinolines, dihydroazepines, and azepines, based on metallated allenes or alkynes and/or heterocumulenes. 

Ethynyl carbinols (propargylic alcohols) such as 134 (Scheme 2.58) represent another important group of oxidation level 3 compounds. Their preparation involves nucleophilic addition of acetylides to the carbonyl group, a reaction that is nearly universal in its scope. Elimination of water from 134 followed by hydration of the triple bond is used as a convenient protocol for the preparation of various conjugated enones 135. Easily prepared O-acylated derivatives are extremely useful electrophiles in reactions with organocuprates, which proceed with propargyl-allenyl rearrangements to furnish allene derivatives 136. 

One possible mechanism is the following. The allenyl geminal diester 70 is expected to be susceptible to Michael-type addition of LnPd(O) species to the allenyl sp carbon, resulting in the formation of the palladacyclopropane 71. Insertion of carbon monoxide into 71 and methanolysis afford the triester 72 (Scheme 11-20). The alkene geometry of the product 72 is exclusively E. The high stereoselectivity can be rationalized by assuming that a nucleophilic attack of Pd(0) species on the allenyl sp carbon in 70 takes place from the less-hindered side of a smaller alkyl substituent (R ). Needless to say, in allene 70, the two ester groups are perpendicular to the two substituents Rl and Rg. 

If the allenic Claisen substrate is derived from a secondary allenyl alcohol, e.g., 7, the relative configuration of the diastereomeric alcohol determines the geometries of the double bonds of the diene part, and the absolute configuration of the stereocenter at C-2 of the product depends on the absolute configuration of the substrate by 1,4-chirality transfer, provided the rearrangement takes place via a chairlike transition state. Chair transition state A, with the substitutuent R1 equatorial, seems to be preferred because of 1,3-diaxial interactions of R1 with the amide group in transition state B660. 

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