Allylic cations initiators

Scheme 1.7. Allyl cation-initiated cyclization/rearrangement.

The positively charged allyl cation would be expected to be the electron acceptor in any initial interaction with ethylene. Therefore, to consider this reaction in terms of frontier orbital theory, the question we need to answer is, do the ethylene HOMO and allyl cation LUMO interact favorably as the reactants approach one another The orbitals that are involved are shown in Fig. 1.27. If we analyze a symmetrical approach, which would be necessary for the simultaneous formation of the two new bonds, we see that the symmetries of the two orbitals do not match. Any bonding interaction developing at one end would be canceled by an antibonding interaction at the other end. The conclusion that is drawn from this analysis is that this particular reaction process is not favorable. We would need to consider other modes of approach to analyze the problem more thoroughly, but this analysis indicates that simultaneous (concerted) bond formation between ethylene and an allyl cation to form a cyclopentyl cation is not possible. 

A similar transformation results when trimethylsilyloxy-substituted allylic halides react with silver perchlorate in nitromethane. The resulting allylic cation gives cycloaddition reactions with dienes such as cyclopentadiene. The isolated products result from desilyla-tion of the initial adducts ... 

Polyfluoropropenes alkylate fluormated ethylenes in the presence of antimony pentafluoride This condensation proceeds by initial formation of an allyl cation [175] (equation 150)... 

Tetraene 4 (Scheme 1.3), when treated with 40 mol % of triflic acid in methylene chloride at -23 °C for 1 h, gives the adducts 5 and 6 in a 1 1 ratio as the main reaction products. The formation of these adducts has been justified [21] by a stepwise mechanism that requires an initial reversible protonation of 4 to produce the allyl cation 7, which then cyclizes to 8 and 9 in a non-reversible process. Deprotonation of 8 and 9 gives 5 and 6, respectively. 

Scheme 10.1 gives some representative examples of laboratory syntheses involving polyene cyclization. The cyclization in Entry 1 is done in anhydrous formic acid and involves the formation of a symmetric tertiary allylic carbocation. The cyclization forms a six-membered ring by attack at the terminal carbon of the vinyl group. The bicyclic cation is captured as the formate ester. Entry 2 also involves initiation by a symmetric allylic cation. In this case, the triene unit cyclizes to a tricyclic ring system. Entry 3 results in the formation of the steroidal skeleton with termination by capture of the alkynyl group and formation of a ketone. The cyclization in Entry 4 is initiated by epoxide opening. 

Iron(II) salts, usually in conjunction with catalytic amounts of copper(II) compounds, have also been used to mediate radical additions to dienes91,92. Radicals are initially generated in these cases by reductive cleavage of peroxyesters of hydroperoxides to yield, after rearrangement, alkyl radicals. Addition to dienes is then followed by oxidation of the allyl radical and trapping by solvent. Hydroperoxide 67, for example, is reduced by ferrous sulfate to acyclic radical 68, which adds to butadiene to form adduct radical 69. Oxidation of 69 by copper(H) and reaction of the resulting allyl cation 70 with methanol yield product 71 in 61% yield (equation 29). 

The fact that the anodic oxidation of allylsilanes usually gives a mixture of two regioisomers suggests a mechanism involving the allyl cation intermediate (Scheme 3). The initial one-electron transfer from the allylsilane produces the cation radical intermediate [9], Although in the case of anodic oxidation of simple olefins the carbon-allylic hydrogen bond is cleaved [28], in this case the... 

The allylic cation thus formed is said to be the initiating species. 

The second is that the initiation consists of the addition to the monomer of some or all of the cationic species thus formed to give the growing carbenium ion (I) (reaction (8)). Even if the first part is proved, the second part must be tested separately, for it is possible, though at present it seems unlikely, that the cations in the initiator solution could generate cations from the monomer by reactions other than the addition reaction (8). For instance, they could generate an allylic cation (II) by abstracting H" (reaction (12)), or they could form a radical-cation (III) by abstracting an electron (reaction (13)), from the monomer ... 

Allenes react with isocyanates to give the a-alkylidene-/Mactams. The highly reactive chlorosulfonyl isocyanate (CSI) is often used. Initial nucleophilic attack of the central allenic carbon atom to the central isocyano carbon atom produces an allylic cation intermediate, which cyclizes to the /i-lactam. 

The latter results have been explained on the basis of the following reaction scheme. The 1,2-regioisomers derived from butadiene are obtained through a non-symmetrical iodonium ion intermediate. The subsequent nucleophilic attack on the allylic position gives, under kinetic control, 1,2-derivatives. Nevertheless, when poorer nucleophiles such as benzene or acetonitrile are employed, the conversion of the initially formed iodonium ion into the allylic cation has been suggested to give 1,4-products, under thermodynamic control. However, other alternatives like nucleophilic attack involving allylic participation have not been excluded for the formation of 1,4-derivatives. 

The compounds geranyl diphosphate, farnesyl diphosphate, and geranylgeranyl diphosphate are biochemical precursors of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes respectively, and virtually all subsequent modifications of these precursors involve initial formation of an allylic cation through loss of diphosphate as the leaving group. 

You may think that is the end of the problem but, since we have an unsymmetrical diene, it is also necessary to consider protonation of the other double bond. Protonation on C-4 also gives a favourable resonance-stabilized allylic carbocation, this time with primary and secondary limiting structures. Protonation on C-3 gives an unfavourable primary carbocation with no resonance stabilization. Since the products formed are related to initial protonation at C-1, it is apparent that, despite the stability associated with an allylic cation, a tertiary limiting structure is formed in preference to that with a secondary limiting structure. 

One of the problems associated with thermal cyclodimerization of alkenes is the elevated temperatures required which often cause the strained cyclobutane derivatives formed to undergo ring opening, resulting in the formation of secondary thermolysis products. This deficiency can be overcome by the use of catalysts (metals Lewis or Bronsted acids) which convert less reactive alkenes to reactive intermediates (metalated alkenes, cations, radical cations) which undergo cycloaddilion more efficiently. Nevertheless, a number of these catalysts can also cause the decomposition of the cyclobutanes formed in the initial reaction. Such catalyzed alkene cycloadditions are limited specifically to allyl cations, strained alkenes such as methylenccyclo-propane and donor-acceptor-substituted alkenes. The milder reaction conditions of the catalyzed process permit the extension of the scope of [2 + 2] cycloadditions to include alkene combinations which would not otherwise react. 

The initially formed chromate ester is fragmented, producing an allylic cation that can be attacked at two positions by a chromate anion. The resulting allylic chromates evolve by producing two isomeric ketones. 

The results would indicate initial formation of a bridged cation 94 which may open in an S l process to generate an allyl cation and react with all available anions according to equation (15) (Y=Br, Cl, OAc). 

The first step is the formation of a symmetrical allyl cation, which then initiates the cyclization. The next double bond is disubstituted so that it has no built-in regioselectivity but prefers to form a six-member ed rather than a five-member ed ring B. The next double bond is trisubstituted and directs the formation of a six-membered ring C. The alkyne, being linear, can reach only through its inner end and so a five-membered ring D is formed. The resulting linear vinyl cation picks up a molecule of water to... 

The five-membered ring A is there to ensure efficient initiation of the cyclization by the symmetrical allylic cation. It can easily be opened with ozone and the product cyclized to progesterone. 

In suitable cases, allylic alcohols can be converted to the cyclopropylcarbinyl cations by reaction with superacids. The reaction involves the rearrangement of the initially formed allyl cation to the homoallyl cation by a 1,2-hydride transfer followed by its cyclization to the cyclopropylcarbinyl cation (equation 9). 

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