Allylic chemoselectivity

With higher alkenes, three kinds of products, namely alkenyl acetates, allylic acetates and dioxygenated products are obtained[142]. The reaction of propylene gives two propenyl acetates (119 and 120) and allyl acetate (121) by the nucleophilic substitution and allylic oxidation. The chemoselective formation of allyl acetate takes place by the gas-phase reaction with the supported Pd(II) and Cu(II) catalyst. Allyl acetate (121) is produced commercially by this method[143]. Methallyl acetate (122) and 2-methylene-1,3-diacetoxypropane (123) are obtained in good yields by the gas-phase oxidation of isobutylene with the supported Pd catalyst[144]. 

The wM-diacetate 363 can be transformed into either enantiomer of the 4-substituted 2-cyclohexen-l-ol 364 via the enzymatic hydrolysis. By changing the relative reactivity of the allylic leaving groups (acetate and the more reactive carbonate), either enantiomer of 4-substituted cyclohexenyl acetate is accessible by choice. Then the enantioselective synthesis of (7 )- and (S)-5-substituted 1,3-cyclohexadienes 365 and 367 can be achieved. The Pd(II)-cat-alyzed acetoxylactonization of the diene acids affords the lactones 366 and 368 of different stereochemistry[310]. The tropane alkaloid skeletons 370 and 371 have been constructed based on this chemoselective Pd-catalyzed reactions of 6-benzyloxy-l,3-cycloheptadiene (369)[311]. 

Chemoselective C-alkylation of the highly acidic and enolic triacetic acid lactone 104 (pAl, = 4.94) and tetronic acid (pA, = 3.76) is possible by use of DBU[68]. No 0-alkylation takes place. The same compound 105 is obtained by the regioslective allylation of copper-protected methyl 3,5-dioxohexano-ate[69]. It is known that base-catalyzed alkylation of nitro compounds affords 0-alkylation products, and the smooth Pd-catalyzed C-allylation of nitroalkanes[38.39], nitroacetate[70], and phenylstilfonylnitromethane[71] is possible. Chemoselective C-allylation of nitroethane (106) or the nitroacetate 107 has been applied to the synthesis of the skeleton of the ergoline alkaloid 108[70]. 

Chemoselectivity in the cycloaddition of 2-methylenecycloheptenone (174) changes on addition of In(acac)3. The allylic carbonate 175 reacts with the ketone 174 in the presence of In(acac)3 to give the methylenetetrahydrofuran 176, and the methylenecyclopentane 177 is obtained in its absence[l 13], The cycloaddition of ynones to produce the methylenetetrahydrofuran proceeds smoothly only in the presence of In(acac)3 (10 mol%)[114]. 

Hydroxylysine (328) was synthesized by chemoselective reaction of (Z)-4-acet-oxy-2-butenyl methyl carbonate (325) with two different nucleophiles first with At,(9-Boc-protected hydroxylamine (326) under neutral conditions and then with methyl (diphenylmethyleneamino)acetate (327) in the presence of BSA[202]. The primary allylic amine 331 is prepared by the highly selective monoallylation of 4,4 -dimethoxybenzhydrylamine (329). Deprotection of the allylated secondary amine 330 with 80% formic acid affords the primary ally-lamine 331. The reaction was applied to the total synthesis of gabaculine 332(203]. 

DIBAL, NiCl2(dppp), toluene, CH2CI2, THF, or ether, 80-97% yield. These conditions are chemoselective for simple alkyl and phenolic allyl ethers. More highly substituted allyl ethers are unreactive. 

Allyl bromide, Sb(OEt)3, 80°, 2-6 h, 85-98% yield. This method is chemoselective for aldehydes in the presence of ketones. 

It has been reported that an allylic C-Si bond can be cleaved by tetrabutylammonium fluoride to give an anionic allylic species, which chemoselectively adds to carbonyl compounds (nitriles, esters, and epoxides failed) to form homoallylsilyloxy compounds13. 

Mn. Manganese is also effective for mediating aqueous carbonyl ally-lations and pinacol-coupling reactions. Manganese offers a higher reactivity and complete chemoselectivity toward allylation of aromatic aldehydes.178... 

Hg. Allylmercury bromide and diallylmercury are both stable in water. They can allylate aldehydes in aqueous media but, in the case of allylmercury bromide, activation with tetrahexylammonium bromide was necessary.186 The allylation reaction is chemoselective towards aldehyde on the contrary, ketone compounds are unaffected. 

The reductive coupling/silylation reaction was extended to more complicated polyenes, such as the triene-substituted cyclopentanol 73, which cyclizes to provide 74 with a 72% yield and 6 1 dr after oxidation (Eq. 10) [44], The reaction is chemoselective the initial insertion occurs into the allyl substituent, which then inserts into the less hindered of the two remaining olefins, leaving the most hindered alkene unreacted. 

Such a methodology is also useful for the chemoselective functionalization of internal voids of dendrimers. This can be accomplished for example by adding 2 equiv. of allyl, propargyl or phosphonate trifluoromethane sulfonate on the dendrimer of generation 1 71-lGj] (Scheme 34). Functionalization occurs on the sulfur atom of the two P=N-P(S) units with the quantitative formation of the... 

The research has inspired related investigation into the coupling reaction between aromatic aldehydes and benzyl bromide or chloride in water. The yields are slightly higher than the results for allylation despite the fact that aqueous benzylation is intrinsically more difficult than allylation. It is also found that the coupling reaction is chemoselective for aromatic aldehydes over aliphatic aldehydes, and also for aromatic aldehydes over aromatic ketones.98 Aqueous Grignard chemistry is attractive for its use of an environmentally benign solvent, and has been the subject of several... 

Highly diasteroselective and chemoselective reductions may be performed on the hydroxy functions of (r/6-arene)-tricarbonylchromium complexes. Treatment of the chromium-complexed benzylic alcohol 29 with triethylsilane and boron trifluoride etherate in dichloromethane at —78° to 0° gives only diastereomer 30 in 75% yield (Eq. 40).181 In a similar fashion, treatment of the complexed exo-allyl-endo-benzylic alcohol 31 with an excess of Et3SiH/TFA in dichloromethane at room temperature under nitrogen produces only the endo-aflyl product 32 in 92% yield after 1.5 hours (Eq. 41). It is noteworthy that no reduction of the isolated double bond occurs.182... 

High chemoselectivity is observed in this ruthenium-catalyzed isomerization of allylic alcohols. Simple primary and secondary alcohols and isolated double bonds are not affected by these catalysts. Furthermore, free hydroxy group is essential for this catalysis. The reaction of l-acetoxycyclododec-2-ene-4-ol furnished 4-acetoxycyclododecanone in high yield (Scheme 14).37... 

A ruthenium(n)-indenyl complex, which is an efficient catalyst for the isomerization of allylic alcohols, is also an effective catalyst for the isomerization of propargylic alcohols to both a,/3-enals and a,/ -enones (Scheme 57).96 In this reaction, the addition of 20—40 mol% InClj is highly effective. The reaction exhibits extraordinary chemoselectivity and a variety of functional groups are unaffected, which allows a highly efficient synthesis of dienals (R1 =Me2C = CH, R2 = H). 

Formation of a bis-allylated product of 4-nitrobenzoyl chloride by the reaction with allyltrimethyltin in the presence of a benzylpalladium(ll) complex was observed by Stille and co-workers in 1983.4 Trost and King also reported allylation of aldehydes by allyltin reagents in 1990.456 However, the precise mechanism was unclear until the extended studies were performed by Yamamoto and co-workers since 1995.4S7,4S7a 4S7 Aldehydes and imines react with allyltin reagents in the presence of a palladium catalyst (Equations (95) and (96)), and imines are chemoselectively allylated in the presence of aldehydes (Equation (97)).4S7,4S7l 4 b Mechanistic studies using NMR spectroscopy proved that bis-7t-allylpalladium complex 203 is a key nucleophilic intermediate (Figure 3). 

Ruthenium catalysts have also been used in this context.200,201 In particular, the cationic ruthenium complex, CpRu(CH3CN)3PF6, in conjunction with carboxylic acid ligand 3, has been used to achieve the remarkably chemoselective allylation of a variety of alcohols via dehydrative condensation with allyl alcohol (Equation (50)).202 It is worth noting that this transformation proceeds with 0.05 mol% catalyst loading and does not require the use of excess allyl alcohol. 

The stereoselectivity mechanisms for polymerizations of dienes present several peculiar aspects mainly related to the nature of the bond between the transition metal of the catalytic system and the growing chain, which is of allylic type rather than of o type, as for the monoalkene polymerizations. There is experimental evidence, also supported by molecular modeling studies, that a relevant role for chemoselectivity and stereoselectivity is also played by the chirality of the back-biting coordination to the metal of the double bond of the polydienyl chain closest to the coordinated allyl group. 

Bianchini and coworkers [126] found a difference in the chemoselectivity between the metals Fe, Ru, and Os in the complexes [M(H2)H(P(CH2CH2PPh2)3)]-BPh4 in the hydrogenation of benzylideneacetone by transfer from iso-propanol. The Fe and Ru catalysts reduced the 0=0 bond to give the allyl alcohol, with Ru more active than iron (TOF 79 IT1 at 60°C for Ru versus 13 IT1 at 80°C for Fe), while the Os catalyst first reduced the 0=0 bond but then catalyzed isomerization of the allyl alcohol to give the saturated ketone (TOF 55 IT1 at 80°C). The difference in reactivity was attributed to the weak binding of the alkene of the allyl alcohol to Fe and Ru relative to Os in these complexes. A variety of selec-tivities was noted for other unsaturated ketones, whereas unsaturated aldehydes were not hydrogenated. 

This was the first example of catalytic chemoselective reduction of a,/ -unsatu-rated ketones to allylic alcohols by hydrogen transfer and, unusually, did not require the use of a basic co-catalyst. 

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