Allylic substitution transition states

For acyclic allylic substrates die situation is mote complex, since a larger number of reactive conformations, and betice corcesponding transition states, compete. Hius, mediyl ciimamyl derivatives 163 tX= O.Acj, upon treatment witli litliiiim dimetliylcuprate, mainly gave tlie S 2 substitution product 166 fentry 1, Tab. 6.6 and Sdieme 6.34) [80]. Hie preference for die S 2 product is expected, since de-conjugation of die alkene system is electronically imfavorable. 

The stereochemical features of the reactions of racemic 1-substituted (Z)-2-butenyl-boronates 2 are considerably different from those of the 1-substituted 2-propenyl- and 1-substituted ( )-2-butenylboronates discussed above. Transition state 5 (see p 1470) is destabilized by allylic interactions between X and the (Z)-methyl substituent26, and consequently diastcrcomcr 10 is the major product via transition state 6 (sec the following table)4,15. 

Formation of cis-l,2-DVCB and ds,dv-COD commences through the formation of a a-bond between the terminal substituted carbons, C3, C6, and the terminal unsubstituted carbons, C1, C8, of the two r 3-allylic groups along 4a —> 9a and 4a —> 10a, respectively (Fig. 8). The transition states TS[4a-9a] and TS[4a 10a] occur at a distance of 1.9 and 2.1 A for the newly formed C-C bond and decay into 9a and 10a, respectively, where the cyclodimers are each coordinated to Ni° by two olelinic double bonds. The several stereochemical pathways are connected with activation barriers that differ significantly. Moderate barriers have to be overcome for 4a —> 9a... 

This regio- and stereochemistry in these reactions can be accounted for as shown in Scheme 17.26 When coordinating electrophiles like ketones and aldehydes are used, the equilibrium between ij1- and 3-allyl complexes shifts to rj1, resulting in the formation of the least substituted -complex 52 preferentially. Carbon-carbon bond formation takes place via a six-membered ring transition state 53, leading to the formation of the branched homoallylic alcohols 54 with //-diastereoselectivity. 

A change in the allyl hapticity (q3 to p1 slippage) leading to the less substituted titanium-carbon o bond accounts for the observed y-regioselectivity. The anti diastereoselectivity stems from a pseudo-equatorial orientation of the aldehyde group. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction can be reversed through the use of a more coordinating cosolvent such as HMPA (Scheme 13.7) [14]. This reversal of anti to syn diastereoselectivity can be rationalized in terms of an open transition state. 

Generally speaking, since the a-carbon of a substituted allylic fragment is a stereogenic center, chirality may be transferred to the carbonyl compounds. Thus, very high diaste-reofacial selectivity has been obtained in the reaction of 32 with isopropyl methyl ketone due to a rigid transition state (Scheme 13.26) [54]. 

For the addition of ethylene, EtOAc as solvent was particularly advantageous and gave 418 in 60% yield (Scheme 6.86). The monosubstituted ethylenes 1-hexene, vinylcyclohexane, allyltrimethylsilane, allyl alcohol, ethyl vinyl ether, vinyl acetate and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone furnished [2 + 2]-cycloadducts of the type 419 in yields of 54—100%. Mixtures of [2 + 2]-cycloadducts of the types 419 and 420 were formed with vinylcyclopropane, styrene and derivatives substituted at the phenyl group, acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate and phenyl vinyl thioether (yields of 56-76%), in which the diastereomers 419 predominated up to a ratio of 2.5 1 except in the case of the styrenes, where this ratio was 1 1. The Hammett p value for the addition of the styrenes to 417 turned out to be -0.54, suggesting that there is little charge separation in the transition state [155]. In the case of 6, the p value was determined as +0.79 (see Section 6.3.1) and indicates a slight polarization in the opposite direction. This astounding variety of substrates for 417 is contrasted by only a few monosubstituted ethylenes whose addition products with 417 could not be observed or were formed in only small amounts phenyl vinyl ether, vinyl bromide, (perfluorobutyl)-ethylene, phenyl vinyl sulfoxide and sulfone, methyl vinyl ketone and the vinylpyri-dines. 

Better results were obtained for the carbamate of 163 (entry 3) [75, 80). Thus, deprotonation of the carbamate 163 with a lithium base, followed by complexation with copper iodide and treatment with one equivalent of an alkyllithium, provided exclusive y-alkylation. Double bond configuration was only partially maintained, however, giving 164 and 165 in a ratio of 89 11. The formation of both alkene isomers is explained in terms of two competing transition states 167 and 168 (Scheme 6.35). Minimization of allylic strain should to some extent favor transition state 167. Employing the enantiomerically enriched carbamate (R)-163 (82% ee) as the starting material, the proposed syn-attack of the organocopper nucleophile could then be as shown. Thus, after substitution and subsequent hydrogenation, R)-2-phenylpentane (169) was obtained in 64% ee [75]. 

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