Allylic halides reactivity

A fundamental problem in the alkylation of enamines, which is inherent in the bidentate system, is the competition between the desired carbon alkylation and attack at the nitrogen. With unactivated alkyl halides (3,267), this becomes especially serious with the enamines derived fromcycloheptan-one, cyclooctanone, cyclononanone, and enamines derived from aldehydes. Increasing amounts of carbon alkylation are found with the more reactive allyl and benzyl halides (268-273). However, with allyl halides one also observes increasing amounts of dialkylation of enamines. 

One of the most gentle methods for the generation of reactive allylmetallic reagents was introduced in 1977 by Hiyama and Nozaki1,2,3,33. By the action of two equivalents of chromi-um(II) chloride on allylic halides in tetrahydrofuran at 0°C in the presence of a carbonyl compound, reductive coupling with the formation of a homoallylic alcohol takes place. 

Few reports describe the cross metathesis of allyl halides [88]. First-generation catalyst 9 does not seem to be sufficiently reactive to promote this reaction in preparatively useful yields and acceptable catalyst loadings, but second-generation catalyst 56d gives good results for allyl chloride. Cross-metathesis... 

Palladium complexes also catalyze the carbonylation of halides. Aryl (see 13-13), vinylic, benzylic, and allylic halides (especially iodides) can be converted to carboxylic esters with CO, an alcohol or alkoxide, and a palladium complex. Similar reactivity was reported with vinyl triflates. Use of an amine instead of the alcohol or alkoxide leads to an amide. Reaction with an amine, AJBN, CO, and a tetraalkyltin catalyst also leads to an amide. Similar reaction with an alcohol, under Xe irradiation, leads to the ester. Benzylic and allylic halides were converted to carboxylic acids electrocatalytically, with CO and a cobalt imine complex. Vinylic halides were similarly converted with CO and nickel cyanide, under phase-transfer conditions. ... 

The difference in reactivity between the anions generated from LDA and LHMDS is difficult to rationalize, but nonetheless reproducible. The same effect has been observed with substituted allyl halides and propargyl halides. Instability of the product under the reaction conditions may account for this phenomenon. Thus, for alkylation of allylic and propargylic halides, LHMDS and KHMDS are the bases of choice. 

Among all the nucleophilic addition reactions of carbonyl compounds, allylation reaction has been the most successful, partly due to the relatively high reactivity of allyl halides. Various metals have been found to be effective in mediating such a reaction (Scheme 8.4). Among them, indium has emerged as the most popular metal for such a reaction. 

Assuming a reactive oxonium ylide 147 (or its metalated form) as the central intermediate in the above transformations, the symmetry-allowed [2,3] rearrangement would account for all or part of 148. The symmetry-forbidden [1,2] rearrangement product 150 could result from a dissociative process such as 147 - 149. Both as a radical pair and an ion pair, 149 would be stabilized by the respective substituents recombination would produce both [1,2] and additional [2,3] rearrangement product. Furthermore, the ROH-insertion product 146 could arise from 149. For the allyl halide reactions, the [1,2] pathway was envisaged as occurring via allyl metal complexes (Scheme 24) rather than an ion or radical pair such as 149. The remarkable dependence of the yield of [1,2] product 150 on the allyl acetal substituents seems, however, to justify a metal-free precursor with an allyl cation or allyl radical moiety. 

Alkyl Halides. Commonly, reductions with liquid silanes and liquid alkyl halides do not require the use of a solvent.186 When the alkyl halide is a solid, either pentane186 or dichloromethane may be used as solvent.192 No significant difference in reactivities is observed between alkyl chloride and bromide substrates,186 but allyl halides are more reactive than 2-halopropanes, which, in turn, are more reactive than 1-halopropanes.190,146... 

Oxidative addition occurs readily with allylic halides. Donor ligands (tertiary phosphines, bipyridyl, halide ions) and anionic complexes are required for activation of aromatic and vinyl halides (4, 70). Certain aliphatic halides are also reactive. The intermediate species R—Ni—X... 

Transmetallation of allyltributyltin with organolithium species has been used for the generation of allyllithium solutions free of the coupling byproducts which often result from reduction of allylic halides with lithium metal. These solutions may then be used directly for the preparation of Gilman reagents and other reactive modifications of the parent allyllithium. 

With the ready availability of 2-fluoro-allylic halides and a-fluoroacrylic acid derivatives, incorporation of a pendant fluorovinyl unit is easier than ever. The utility of these products is markedly enhanced by the reactivity of the fluorovinyl unit in olefin metathesis reactions. Some success has been found in cyclization reactions as shown below [83] (Scheme 36). 

A drawback with these auxiliaries is that they require rather reactive electrophiles such as benzyl, allylic halides or iodomethane. Less reactive halides such as 1-alkyl iodides or 2-methyl-1-alkyl iodides give low yields2,43. 

Despite the lower reactivity of solvated perfluoroalkylzinc reagents, perfluoroalkyl iodides undergo synthetically useful zinc-mediated reactions under Barbier conditions which often employ ultrasound and co-catalysts. Under these conditions, the zinc reagents are not well characterized and radical intermediates and SET mechanisms are proposed in some cases. Representative examples are presented below and include the ultrasound-promoted, zinc-mediated perfluoroalkylation of various substrates as reported by Ishikawa and coworkers (Scheme 10)123 126. Yields of carbinols could be improved by use of Ti(II) co-catalyst. Ultrasound promoted the coupling of perfluoroalkyl iodides with vinyl and allyl halides in the presence of Pd co-catalysts. 

Pentafluorophenylcopper exhibits high reactivity towards a variety of organic substrates such as aryl, vinyl, alkynyl, allyl halides etc. [226,227,229,235-238] (Scheme 77). Similar to trifluorovinylcopper, pentafluorophenylcopper readily adds to hexafluoro-2-butyne to form the syn addition product, which can be quenched with electrophiles [230] (Scheme 78). 

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