Ylides Allylic, -sigmatropic rearrangement

The premier example of this process in an ylide transformation designed for [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement is reported in Eq. 15 [107]. The threo product 47 is dominant with the use of the chiral Rh2(MEOX)4 catalysts but is the minor product with Rh2(OAc)4. That this process occurs through the metal-stabilized ylide rather than a chiral free ylide was shown from asymmetric induction using allyl iodide and ethyl diazoacetate [107]. Somewhat lower enantioselectivities have been observed in other systems [108]. 

Thia-[2,3]-Wittig sigmatropic rearrangement of lithiated carbanions 47, obtained by deprotonation of the S-allylic sulfides 46, affords the thiols 48 or their alkylated derivatives 49. The corresponding sulfonium ylides 51, prepared by deprotonation of the sulfonium salts 50 also undergoes a [2,3]-sigmatropic shift leading to the same sulfides 49 [36,38] (Scheme 13). As far as stereochemistry is concerned, with crotyl (R R =H,R =Me) and cinnamyl (R, R =H,R =Ph) derivatives, it has been shown that the diastereoselectivity depends on the nature of the R substituent and on the use of a carbanion or an ylide as intermediate. 

A more direct access to the unstable and non isolated sulfonium ylides 58a- c is the reaction of diisopropyl diazomethylphosphonate 57 with allylic sulfides, catalyzed by Cu(II), Rh(II) [39], or ruthenium porphyrins.[40] For example, the a-phosphorylated y,d-unsaturated sulfides 59-61 are obtained through the [2,3] -sigmatropic rearrangement of 58a-c. This method allows the use of a greater variety of starting allylic sulfide substrates, such as 2-vinyl tetrahydrothiophene, or propargylic sulfides (Scheme 15). 

The rearrangements of allylic sulfoxides, selenoxides, and amine oxides are an example of the first type. Allylic sulfonium ylides and ammonium ylides also undergo [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements. Rearrangements of carbanions of allylic ethers are the major example of the anionic type. These reactions are considered in the following sections. 

Allylic sulfonium ylides readily undergo [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement.280 The ylides are usually formed by deprotonation of the S-allyl sulfonium salts. 

Synthetically valuable [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements include those of allyl sulfonium and ammonium ylides and a -carbanions of allyl vinyl ethers. 

Ammonium ylides can isomerize to (1,2) rearrangement products (Stevens rearrangement) or to (2,3) shift products (Sommelet-Hauser sigmatropic rearrangement) when allyl or benzyl are located on the nitrogen atom. A strong microwave effect is noticed (Eq. 66) [116]. 

Common reactions of the ylide include (i) [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic, propargylic, and allenic ylides (ii) [l,2]-shift (Stevens rearrangement) (iii) 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the ylide generated from carbonyl compounds or imines with dipolarophiles, usually G=G or C=C bonds and (iv) nucleophilic addition/elimination, leading to the formation of epoxides or cyclopropanes (Figure 2). 

Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 11999, 2439—2447. Blid, J. Somfai, P. Lewis add mediated [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic ammonium ylides. Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 3159-3162. 

A valuable part of the [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of ammonium ylides is the fact that stereochemical information can be transferred. For example, Kaiser and co-workers stereoselectively alkylated the C-6 position of penicillin using the nitrogen ylide 46 derived from lactam 45.28 Quatemization of 45 with allyl bromide followed by ylide generation using sodium hydride effected the [2,3]-rearrangement. This resulted in the exclusive formation of P-lactam 47 in 75% yield. 

The reaction of dichlorocarbene with A, A -diethyl-3-methyl-2-butenamine (100) produced A V-diethyl-4-methyl-2-pentenamide (103) as the major product.51 The formation of this material was attributed to the generation of ammonium ylide 101 followed by a [l,2]-allylic shift to give intermediate 102 which then hydrolyzed during workup to produce amide 103. No product resulting from a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of ylide 101 was detected in the crude reaction mixture. 

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. 

Sulphonium ylides are in certain cases unstable and they undergo further transformation affording useful final products. In this way allylic sulphides and selenides were used to transfer an alkylthio- or alkylseleno-group onto the a-carbon of / -dicarbonyl compounds in the form of their ylides the sequence of reactions were a transylidation followed by [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. 

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