Allylic oxidations alkenes, manganese acetate

Allylic acetoxylation with palladium(II) salts is well known however, no selective and catalytic conditions have been described for the transformation of an unsubstituted olefin. In the present system use 1s made of the ability of palladium acetate to give allylic functionalization (most probably via a palladium-ir-allyl complex) and to be easily regenerated by a co-oxidant (the combination of benzoquinone-manganese dioxide). In contrast to copper(II) chloride (CuClj) as a reoxidant,8 our catalyst combination is completely regioselective for allcyclic alkenes with aliphatic substrates, evidently, both allylic positions become substituted. As yet, no allylic oxidation reagent is able to distinguish between the two allylic positions in linear olefins this disadvantage is overcome when the allylic acetates are to... 

Earlier studies have also shown that a catalyst system consisting of palladium(II) and copper salts plus oxygen for the reoxidation did not work well,t in contrast to the result with the Wacker oxidation. However, if quinone or hydroquinone was added to a mixture of palladium acetate and copper acetate, oxygen could be used as an efficient oxidant for conversion of alkenes into allylic acetates. Thus, cyclohexene gave better than 85% cyclohexenyl acetate (Scheme 10). The combination of oxygen and cobalt or manganese acetate also works, but less well.t ... 

Hwu et al. have examined the dependence of the metal oxidant on the mode of reactivity in silicon-controlled allylation of 1,3-dioxo compounds [95JOC856]. The use of manganese(III) acetate furnished the dihydrofuran product 22 only. On the other hand, use of cerium(IV) nitrate resulted in the formation of both acyclic (23) as well as the cyclized compound, with the product distribution dependent on the nature of the allylsilane. Facile synthesis of dihydrofurans by the cerium(IV) mediated oxidative addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to cyclic and acyclic alkenes has also been reported [95JCS(P1)187]. 

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