Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction allylic oxidation

This chapter will begin with a discussion of the role of chiral copper(I) and (II) complexes in group-transfer processes with an emphasis on alkene cyclo-propanation and aziridination. This discussion will be followed by a survey of enantioselective variants of the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction, an allylic oxidation process. Section II will review the extensive efforts that have been directed toward the development of enantioselective, Cu(I) catalyzed conjugate addition reactions and related processes. The discussion will finish with a survey of the recent advances that have been achieved by the use of cationic, chiral Cu(II) complexes as chiral Lewis acids for the catalysis of cycloaddition, aldol, Michael, and ene reactions. 

The allylic acyloxylation of alkenes, the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction, Eq. 81, would be an effective route to nonracemic allylic alcohol derivatives, if efficient, enantioselective catalysts were available. The reaction is mediated by a variety of copper salts, and as such, has been the target of considerable research in an attempt to render the process enantioselective. The original reaction conditions described by Kharasch require high temperatures when CuBr is used as the catalyst (93). However, the use of CuOTf (PhH)0 5 allows the reaction to proceed at temperatures as low as -20°C. Unfortunately, long reaction times are endemic in these processes and the use of excess alkene (2-100 equiv) is conventional. Most yields reported in this field are based on the oxidant. 

Scheme 8. General mechanism of the copper-catalyzed allylic oxidation of alkenes (Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction).

The application of dinuclear metal catalysts to the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction is mechanistically intriguing due to their illustrated role in mediating biological oxidations (119). Fahmi (120) examined a variety of dinucleating ligands with Cu(MeCN)4PF6 as catalysts in the allylic oxidation of cyclohexene, Eq. 102. In these studies, early results have been inferior to those obtained from bis(oxa-zoline)-copper catalysts. 

Asymmetric allylic oxidation and benzylic oxidation (Kharasch-PSosnovsky reaction) are important synthetic strategies for constructing chiral C—O bonds via C—H bond activation.In the mid-1990s, the asymmetric Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction was first studied by using chiral C2-symmetric bis(oxazoline)s. " Later various chiral ligands, based mainly on oxazoline derivatives and proline derivatives, were used in such asymmetric oxidation. Although many efforts have been made to improve the enantioselective Kharasch-Sosnovsky oxidation reaction, most cases suffered from low to moderate enantioselectivities or low reactivities. 

Recently, iron catalysis gained general importance. Its catalytic chemistry has been summarized ([2] recent reviews [3, 4]). Iron(II) and iron(III) salts have a long history in radical chemistry. The former are moderately active in atom-transfer reactions as well as initiators for the Fenton reaction with hydrogen peroxide or hydroperoxides (reviews [5-12]). Important applications of this principle are the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction (the allylic oxidation of olefins) [13], which often... 

Fig. 4.40 The Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction for allylic oxidation of olefins.

The Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction may be carried out in the presence of carboxylic acids to introduce the acyloxy moiety of the acid used, and may also be conducted photochemically at room temperature using UV irradiation. Peioxy acids,diacyl peroxides, and peroxyphosphates and peroxyphospho-nates are alternative oxidants. /-Butyl hydroperoxide may also be used in place of peroxy esters with broadly similar results, although formations of mixed peroxides and /-butyl ethers can then compete with allyl ester production. 

Among oxi tions producing allylic alcohols or their derivatives the modem variants of selenium dioxide oxidations are by far the most popular. Systems based on metal acetates, particularly palladium tri-fluoroacetate, can be very useful and are receiving increasing attention but the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction, once very common for allylic oxidation, is now rarely used. Sensitized photooxidation with singlet oxygen, a very well-known procedure, is still somewhat unpredictable and has periu K received less consideration than it deserves. 

Allylic Oxidation. The Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction involves oxidation of the allylic position while the olefin remains intact. In the presence of catalytic copper (II) salts, treatment of olefins with peresters affords acylated allylic alcohols. When (S)-(—)-4-(2-methylpropyl)-2-(2-pyridyl)-2-oxazoline was involved, (R)-cyclohexenyl benzoate was isolated in 57% yield and 28% ee (eq 6). ... 

The direct oxidation of unfunctionahsed alkanes in an asymmetric fashion is a formidable challenge. However, oxidation of C—H bonds adjacent to suitable functional groups gives a handle on which to operate. In particular, the aUyKc oxidation of cyclic alkenes utilising asymmetric variants of the Kharasch—Sosnovsky reaction has received considerable attention. The reaction is catalysed by copper salts and requires a perester to give the allylic ester as product. 

Oxazolines are nowadays essential ligands in asymmetric catalysis and also important synthons for stereoselective synthesis [8]. The success of the Cj-symmetric bis(oxazolines) ( BOX ) and pyridine-bis(oxazolines) ( Pybox ) discovered in the early 1990s has established them as a privileged class of ligands [9]. In contrast, the development and application of trisoxazolines lagged behind for a long time. Katsuki and collaborators [10] reported the first example of a chiral trisoxazoline in 1995 and their use in the allylic oxidation of alkenes (Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction), as well as the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. 

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