Allylic oxonium ylides

Most recently, we have investigated the use of iterative oxonium ylide [1,2]- or [2,31-shifts as a convenient approach to the polypyran domains often found in the marine polyether ladder toxins (Scheme 18.8) [21]. Initial studies indicated that [l,2]-shifts of O-benzyl oxonium ylides such as 19 a or 19 b were inefficient. Alternative metallocarbene processes including C-H insertion and dimerization were found to predominate in these cases, again suggesting that carbene-ylide equilibration may occur [21b]. On the rationale that concerted [2,3]-shifts of the corresponding O-allyl oxonium ylides might occur more readily, the allyl ethers 19 c, 19 d were then examined. These examples were much more effective, especially in conjunction with the optimized catalyst Cu(tfacac)2 [21a]. However, rhodium(II) triphenylacetate (Rh2(tpa)4) [22] was found to... 

It is worth noting that Doyle and co-workers have reported quite recently a Rh-catalyzed highly enantioselective [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic oxonium ylides in place of the allylic chalcogen ylides [51]. 

Allylic ethers and acetals can react with carbenoid reagents to generate oxonium ylides that undergo [2,3]-sigmatropic shifts.224... 

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. 

Woerpel and coworkers interpreted the results of these mechanistic experiments as evidence that the insertion of silylene into the C-O bond occurs through a [1,2]-Stevens rearrangement of oxonium ylide 198 and that a competitive [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of 198 could account for allylic transposition. 

Iodonium ylides (136), generated in situ with bisacetoxyiodobenzene, are converted to allyl- or benzyl-substituted oxonium or sulfonium ylides (137) via rhodium- or copper-catalysed carbene transfer.115 Such ylides undergo [1,2]- or [2,3]-rearrangement to the corresponding 2-substituted heterocycles (138). An example of the rhodium-catalysed reaction is reported in Scheme 36. 

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