Allylic alkylations nucleophiles

Silyl ethers serve as preeursors of nucleophiles and liberate a nucleophilic alkoxide by desilylation with a chloride anion generated from CCI4 under the reaction conditions described before[124]. Rapid intramolecular stereoselective reaction of an alcohol with a vinyloxirane has been observed in dichloro-methane when an alkoxide is generated by desilylation of the silyl ether 340 with TBAF. The cis- and tru/u-pyranopyran systems 341 and 342 can be prepared selectively from the trans- and c/.y-epoxides 340, respectively. The reaction is applicable to the preparation of 1,2-diol systems[209]. The method is useful for the enantioselective synthesis of the AB ring fragment of gambier-toxin[210]. Similarly, tributyltin alkoxides as nucleophiles are used for the preparation of allyl alkyl ethers[211]. 

Additions of carbon nucleophiles to vinylepoxides are well documented and can be accomplished by several different techniques. Palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of these substrates with soft carbon nucleophiles (pKa 10-20) proceeds under neutral conditions and with excellent regioselectivities [103, 104]. The sul-fone 51, for example, was cyclized through the use of catalytic amounts of Pd(PPh3)4 and bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe) under high-dilution conditions to give macrocycle 52, an intermediate in a total synthesis of the antitumor agent roseophilin, in excellent yield (Scheme 9.26) [115, 116]. 

The protocol of the allylic alkylation, which proceeds most likely via a c-allyl-Fe-intermediate, could be further improved by replacing the phosphine ligand with an M-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) (Scheme 21) [66]. The addition of a ferf-butyl-substituted NHC ligand 86 allowed for full conversion in the exact stoichiometric reaction between allyl carbonate and pronucleophile. Various C-nucleophiles were allylated in good to excellent regioselectivities conserving the 71 bond geometry of enantiomerically enriched ( )- and (Z)-carbonates 87. Even chirality and prochirality transfer was observed (Scheme 21) [67]. 

Years earlier, Nicholas and Ladoulis had found another example of reactions catalyzed by Fe2(CO)9 127. They had shown that Fe2(CO)9 127 can be used as a catalyst for allylic alkylation of allylic acetates 129 by various malonate nucleophiles [109]. Although the regioselectivites were only moderately temperature-, solvent-, and substrate-dependent, further investigations concerned with the reaction mechanism and the catalytic species were undertaken [110]. Comparing stoichiometric reactions of cationic (ri -allyl)Fe(CO)4 and neutral (rj -crotyl ace-tate)Fe(CO)4 with different types of sodium malonates and the results of the Fe2(CO)9 127-catalyzed allylation they could show that these complexes are likely no reaction intermediates, because regioselectivites between stoichiometric and catalytic reactions differed. Examining the interaction of sodium dimethylmalonate 75 and Fe2(CO)9 127 they found some evidence for the involvement of a coordinated malonate species in the catalytic reactions. With an excess of malonate they... 

Allyl acetates are more commonly used as electrophiles for the palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation than allylic nitro compounds.20 However, the reaction of allylic nitro compounds has found wider applications. Allylic nitro compounds are readily available by nitration of alkenes. The regio- and stereoselective introduction of electrophiles and nucleophiles into alkenes is possible as outlined in Eq. 7.19. In fact, this strategy is applied to the synthesis of terpenoids.21... 

The asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) reaction has been adapted for use with pyrrole nucleophiles <06JACS6054>. For example, treatment of pyrrole 55 and cyclopentene 56 with a palladium catalyst in the presence of a chiral additive gave pyrrole 57 in up to 92% ee. The latter was elaborated into piperazinone-pyrrole natural product, agelastatin A 94. 

Although transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation has become one of the most powerful methods in chemical synthesis, the formation of ether bonds using this process has been slow to evolve.119-121 The main reasons for this disparity are the lower nucleophilicity and higher basicity of oxygen nucleophiles, particularly those derived from aliphatic alcohols, compared to their carbon or nitrogen analogs. However, this notion has rapidly been revised, as recent advances in the O-allylation area have largely addressed the issue of the reactivity mismatch between the hard alkoxide and the soft 7r-allylmetal species to provide a considerable body of literature. 

While the notion that the alkoxides derived from aliphatic alcohols are poor nucleophiles toward 7r-allylmetal complexes has prevailed over the years, much progress made in the recent past has rendered the transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation a powerful method for the O-allylation of aliphatic alcohols. In particular, owing to the facility of five- and six-membered ring formation, this process has found extensive utility in the synthesis of tetrahydrofurans (THFs) (Equation (29))150-156 and tetrahydropyrans (THPs).157-159 Of note was the simultaneous formation of two THP rings with high diastereoselectivity via a Pd-catalyzed double allylic etherification using 35 in a bidirectional synthetic approach to halichondrin B (Equation (30)).157 The related ligand 36 was used in the enantioselective cyclization of a Baylis-Hillman adduct with a primary alcohol (Equation (31)).159... 

Scheme 7. The simplest type of enantioselective allylic alkylation which occurs on treatment of an allylic substrate with a metal derivative, together with a stabilized nucleophile (R = H, alkyl or aryl X" = leaving group [M] = metal catalyst Nu" = nucleophile L = coordinating atom).

Scheme 13. Methods of favouring nucleophilic addition to the least-substituted terminus in allylic alkylations of mono-substituted substrates.

Allylic alkylation (cf., 12,557). This W(0) complex in combination with 2,2 -bipyridyl (bpy) catalyzes reactions of nucleophiles with allylic acetates or carbonates, but the chemoselectivity is complementary to that of Pd(0), as shown in equation (I). The W(0)-catalyzed reactions are influenced by inductive and steric... 

The first iridium catalysts for allylic substitution were published in 1997. Takeuchi showed that the combination of [fr(COD)Cl]2 and triphenylphosphite catalyzes the addition of malonate nucleophiles to the substituted terminus of t -allyliridium intermediates that are generated from allylic acetates. This selectivity for attack at the more substituted terminus gives rise to the branched allylic alkylation products (Fig. 4), rather than the linear products that had been formed by palladium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions at that time [7]. The initial scope of iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution was also restricted to stabilized enolate nucleophiles, but it was quickly expanded to a wide range of other nucleophiles. 

The effect of the nature of ion pairs as nucleophiles in a metal-catalysed substitution reaction has been investigated by determining product ratios for the Pd-catalysed allylic alkylations of substrates (9)-(ll) under various conditions, particularly with respect to catalyst ligands, nucleophiles, and counterions. Each dienyl acetate ionizes to form initially the vinyl (7r-allyl)-Pd intermediate corresponding most closely to the leaving group, i.e. (12) from (9), (13) from (11), but (12) and (13) from (10). The initial intermediate can then either be trapped by the nucleophile or it can begin to equilibrate to some mixture of vinyl 7r-allyl intermediates. If nucleophilic addition occurs before full equilibration, the product ratio is different for each substrate if... 

Allylic substitutions with nonstabilized C-nucleophiles are an important domain of organocopper chemistry [51]. However, on close inspection of the literature, it becomes apparent that regioselectivity in favor of the branched allylic alkylation products is only obtained with alkyl copper compounds, while aryl copper compounds mainly give the linear alkylation products. This observation was an incentive for Alexakis et al. [52] to probe the reactions of aryl zinc hahdes in the Ir-catalyzed allylic substitution (Scheme 9.18). 

For further details of this reaction, the reader is referred to Chapter 9. The catalytic allylation with nucleophiles via the formation of Ti-allyl metal intermediates has produced synthetically useful compounds, with the palladium-catalyzed reactions being known as Tsuji-Trost reactions [31]. The reactivity of Ti-allyl-iridium complexes has been widely studied [32] for example, in 1997, Takeuchi idenhfied a [lrCl(cod)]2 catalyst which, when combined with P(OPh)3, promoted the allylic alkylation of allylic esters 74 with sodium diethyl malonate 75 to give branched... 

Rhodium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation Reaction with Stabilized Carbon Nucleophiles... 

Ketones and Esters as Nucleophiles for Rhodium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation... 

Ketone and ester enolates have historically proven problematic as nucleophiles for the transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction, which can be attributed, at least in part, to their less stabilized and more basic nature. In Hght of these limitations, Tsuji demonstrated the first rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction using the trimethly-silyl enol ether derived from cyclohexanone, albeit in modest yield (Eq. 4) [9]. Matsuda and co-workers also examined rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation, using trimethylsilyl enol ethers with a wide range of aUyhc carbonates [22]. However, this study was problematic as exemplified by the poor regio- and diastereocontrol, which clearly delineates the limitations in terms of the synthetic utihty of this particular reaction. 

In light of these significant challenges, Evans and Leahy reexamined the rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation using copper(I) enolates, which should be softer and less basic nucleophiles [23]. The copper(I) enolates were expected to circumvent the problems typically associated with enolate nucleophiles in metal-allyl chemistry, namely ehmina-tion of the metal-aUyl intermediate and polyalkylation as well as poor regio- and stereocontrol. Hence, the transmetallation of the lithium enolate derived from acetophenone with a copper(I) hahde salt affords the requisite copper] I) enolate, which permits the efficient regio- and enantiospecific rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction of a variety of unsymmetrical acychc alcohol derivatives (Tab. 10.3). 

Evans and Uraguchi also examined the rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation with hard nucleophiles [31]. Aryl organozinc halides proved optimal nucleophiles for the regio- and stereospecific allylic alkylation of enantiomerically enriched unsymmetrical allylic alcohol derivatives (Tab. 10.4). The reaction occurs with net inversion of absolute... 

The regio- and diastereoselective rhodium-catalyzed sequential process, involving allylic alkylation of a stabilized carbon or heteroatom nucleophile 51, followed by a PK reaction, utilizing a single catalyst was also described (Scheme 11.14). Alkylation of an allylic carbonate 53 was accomplished in a regioselective manner at 30 °C using a j-acidic rhodium(I) catalyst under 1 atm CO. The resulting product 54 was then subjected in situ to an elevated reaction temperature to facilitate the PK transformation. 

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