Allyl carbanion

Reversible electron addition to the enone forms the radical anion. Rate determining protonation of the radical anion occurs on oxygen to afford an allylic free radical [Eq. (4b) which undergoes rapid reduction to an allylic carbanion [Eq. (4c)]. Rapid protonation of this ion is followed by proton removal from the oxygen of the neutral enol to afford the enolate ion [Eq. (4c)]. 

A variety of conjugated dienones are reduced by lithium-ammonia, presumably via dienyl carbanions analogous to the allyl carbanions encountered in enone reductions. Cross-conjugated l,4-dien-3-ones afford 4-en-3-ones as the major reduction products, indicating that the cyclohexadienyl carbanion (55) protonates largely at C-1. Some protonation at C-5 does occur as shown by examination of the NMR spectrum of the crude reduction product derived from the 17-ethylene ketal of androsta-l,4-diene-3,17-dione. The 17-ethylene ketal of androst-4-ene-3,17-dione is formed in 75%... 

Most dienones that have been reduced have structures such that they cannot give epimeric products. However, reduction of 17 -hydroxy-7,17a-dimethyl-androsta-4,6-dien-3-one (63) affords 17 -hydroxy-7j9,17a-dimethylandrost-4-en-3-one (64), the thermodynamically most stable product, albeit in only 16% yield. The remainder of the reduction product was not identified. Presumably the same stereoelectronic factors that control protonation of the / -carbon of the allyl carbanion formed from an enone control the stereochemistry of the protonation of the (5-carbon of the dienyl carbanion formed from a linear dienone. The formation of the 7 -methyl compound from compound (63) would be expected on this basis. 

The novel cyclizadon takes places by the silane-mediated condensadon of nitroarenes with allylic carbanions, in which a sLx-membered nitrogen-containing ting is constnicted fEq. 9.54. ... 

Sakurai reactions proceed regiospecifically with a large variety of electrophiles due to the so-called /1-effect5-9. However, allylsilanes are also known as masked allyl carbanions, which may be activated by the presence of fluoride ion10-12. 

So far, there is no conclusive evidence that a free allyl carbanion is generated from allylsilanes under fluoride ion catalysis. A hypervalent silyl anion, with the silicon still bonded to the allylic moiety, accounts equally well for the results obtained. Based on a variety of experimental results, it is in fact more likely that a nonbasic hypervalent silyl anion is involved rather than the basic free allyl carbanion first postulated14-23. When allylsilanes are treated with fluoride in the presence of enones. 1,4-addition takes place along with some 1,2-addition13. 

This type of process is analogous to the nucleophilic allylic rearrangements discussed in Chapter 10 (p. 420). There are two principal pathways. The first of these is analogous to the SeI mechanism in that the leaving group is first removed, giving a resonance-stabilized allylic carbanion, and then the electrophile attacks. 

Dithioacetal monoxides undergo Michael addition to acrylonitrile. The addition products are easily converted into y-ketonitriles 382 (equation 221). Benzenesulphinyl allylic carbanions 383 derived from the corresponding allylic sulphoxides react selectively at the y-position with a variety of cycloalkenones to give the l,4-adducts " (equation 222). Recently, Nokami and coworkers have synthesized some prostaglandin analogues via a three-component coupling process involving 1,4-addition of phenylsul-phinyl allylic carbanion (equation 223) . ... 

Deprotonation of allylic aryl sulfoxides leads to allylic carbanions which react with aldehyde electrophiles at the carbon atom a and also y to sulfur . With benzaldehyde at — 10 °C y-alkylation predominates , whereas with aliphatic aldehydes at — 78 °C in the presence of HMPA a-alkylation predominates . When the a-alkylated products, which themselves are allylic sulfoxides, undergo 2,3-sigmatropic rearrangement, the rearranged compounds (i.e., allylic sulfenate esters) can be trapped with thiophiles to produce overall ( )-l,4-dihydroxyalkenes (equation 24). When a-substituted aldehydes are used as electrophiles, formation of syn-diols 27 occurs in 40-67% yields with diastereoselectivities ranging from 2-28 1 (equation 24) . ... 

Whatever the best explanation may be, an indication that allylic alkali metal compounds or allylic carbanions do in fact form the less stable of the two possible acids on neutralization is found in the results of the reduction of aromatic compounds by dissolving metals.376The detection of a paramagnetic intermediate in a similar system and polaro-graphic evidence indicate a one electron transfer in the rate and potential determining step.878 376 The mechanism therefore involves ions (or organometallic intermediates) like the following ... 

In the second approach55 an allylsilane was employed as carbon nucleophile in the side chain. Allylsilanes have been frequently used as masked allyl carbanions, usually in reactions with a keto function57. Palladium-catalyzed reaction of allylsilane 57 with LiCl under similar conditions as used for the other intramolecular 1,4-oxidations afforded 58 (equation 22). Interestingly, the carbochlorination over the diene was highly 1,4-syn... 

It was recognized in early examples of nucleophilic addition to acceptor-substituted allenes that formation of the non-conjugated product 158 is a kinetically controlled reaction. On the other hand, the conjugated product 159 is the result of a thermodynamically controlled reaction [205, 215]. Apparently, after the attack of the nucleophile on the central carbon atom of the allene 155, the intermediate 156 is formed first. This has to execute a torsion of 90° to merge into the allylic carbanion 157. Whereas 156 can only yield the product 158 by proton transfer, the protonation of 157 leads to both 158 and 159. 

The Pd(0)-catalyzed displacement of allylic acetates (297) with various nucleophiles via the allylic Pd(II) complex (298) is a well-established procedure (Scheme 114). Through attack of electrons (+2e ) in place of nucleophiles, (298) is expected to undergo a reductive cleavage providing allylic carbanions (299) and the acetate anion along with Pd(0) complexes. The latter can then be captured by various electrophiles (polarity inversion. Scheme 114) leading to (300) [434]. This procedure is useful for the deprotection of allyl esters under neutral conditions. Recently, a mechanistic study of the Pd-catalyzed reaction of allylic acetate (297), using carbonyl compounds as an electrophile, has been reported [435]. 

The mechanism of this addition is similar to that for styrenes only an allylic carbanion is formed instead of a benzylic carbanion [Reaction (26)]. 

The primary allylic carbanion apparently predominates and reacts with aromatic to yield the alkenylbenzene and regenerate the benzylic carbanion [Reaction (27)]. 

The relative amounts of these produced at various temperatures are shown in Table VII. The formation of these products may be explained using carbanionic mechanisms. The cyclic material may form by addition of an allylic carbanion to a molecule of the styrene, followed by a cyclization to yield a benzylic carbanion [Reaction (33a, b, c)]. 

The adduct of the allylic carbanion with a-methylstyrene may possibly eliminate a hydride ion to form a diaryldiolefin, which may cyclize to yield the p-terphenyl [Reaction (34a-e)]. 

Reduction of allyl bromides and iodides at vitreous carbon in an aptotic solvent generally gives good yields of the dimer. This product arises by rapid substitution by the allyl carbanion, formed in an overall two-electron reaction, onto a second molecule of allyl halide [55, 56]. 

The H and chemical shifts of some unsaturated species, their carbanions and the corresponding lithium complexes were calculated by the IGAIM method and compared with experimental values in THF solution. Examples are the lithium salt of the allyl carbanion (102), the dimeric form of the latter (103) and the lithium salt of the bicyclo[3.2.1]octa-3,6-dienyl carbanion (104) . 

Isomerization of jS-isophorone to a-isophorone has been represented as a model reaction for the characterization of solid bases 106,107). The reaction involves the loss of a hydrogen atom from the position a to the carbonyl group, giving an allylic carbanion stabilized by conjugation, which can isomerize to a species corresponding to the carbanion of a-isophorone (Scheme 9). In this reaction, zero-order kinetics has been observed at 308 K for many bases, and consequently the initial rate of the reaction is equal to the rate constant. The rate of isomerization has been used to measure the total number of active sites on a series of solid bases. Figueras et al. (106,107) showed that the number of basic sites determined by CO2 adsorption on various calcined double-layered hydroxides was proportional to the rate constants for S-isophorone isomerization (Fig. 3), confirming that the reaction can be used as a useful tool for the determination of acid-base characteristics of oxide catalysts. 

Dimerization of methyl crotonate has been carried out with alkaline earth metal oxides as basic catalysts 15). The reaction proceeds by Michael addition, which is initiated by abstraction of an allylic hydrogen of methyl crotonate by the basic site to form the allylic carbanion, which attacks a second methyl crotonate molecule at the jS-position to form a methyl diester of 3-methyl-2-vinylglutaric acid. The diester undergoes a double bond migration to form the final E- and Z- isomers of 3-ethylidene-3-methylglutaric acid dimethyl ester (MEG) (Scheme 22). 

Finally, steric effects have an important influence on regioselectivity. This is very clearly demonstrated, for example, in the case of allyl carbanions substituted with silyl groups16. Therefore, despite wide investigation of this topic17, understanding of regiocontrol is still very poor, due to the complexity of the situation. 

Once regiocontrol was achieved, donor-substituted allyl metallics found two synthetically important applications. The hetero-substituted vinyl compounds, obtained by alkylation of a substituted allyl carbanion in the 3-position ( ), can be hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds substituted on the /1-carbon atom. Thus, the substituted allyl carbanion was used as an equivalent of the homoenolate synthon18 19. 

Chiral (5)-2-(methoxymethyl)-l -[( )-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]pyrrolidine obtained from (S)-2-(meth-oxymethyl)pyrrolidine26,30 and ( )-3-bromo-1-phenyl-1-propene, is deprotonated by potassium rert-butoxide/ferf-butyllithium27-28 generating the chiral allyl carbanion, the alkylation of which affords the enamines, which can be hydrolyzed to give 3-alkylated 3-phenylpropanals. 

Electrophilic attack on the allyl carbanion occurs or the Re-face. Therefore, provided that the electrophile introduced possesses the lowest CIP priority, -configurated compounds were obtained. 

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