Aromatic organometallic reagents

A simple, high-yield procedure for the conversion of ArTlXj into ArjTlX compounds has recently been described 90). This symmetrization reaction, the mechanism of which is not known, can be effected by treatment of the ArTlX2 compound either with triethyl phosphite or with hot aqueous acetone. As a wide variety of ArTlXj compounds can now be easily prepared by electrophilic thallation of aromatic substrates with thallium(III) trifluoroacetate (q. v.), symmetrization represents the method of choice for the preparation of the majority of ArjTlX compounds. Only about twenty mixed compounds, RR TIX, have been prepared so far, and the only general synthetic procedure available consists of a disproportionation reaction between an RTIX2 species and another organometallic reagent [e.g., Eqs. (5)-(7)]. 

Arylation of C-H bonds is achieved by coupling reactions of C-H bonds with aromatic compounds such as halides, triflates, and organometallic reagents. Early works in this field involve the reaction of aryl halides with norbornene. As shown in Scheme 5, the coupling reaction of bromobenzene with norbornene in the presence of Pd(PPh3)4 as a... 

In addition to aryl halides and triflates, organometallic reagents can be utilized for the catalytic arylation reaction. The rhodium-catalyzed arylation of arylpyridines proceeds with the use of tetraarylstannanes (Equation (67)).83 The ruthenium-catalyzed reaction of aromatic ketones with arylboronates affords the ortho-arylated aromatic ketones (Equation (68)).84... 

Addition of organometallic reagents to nitro compounds is possible but is sparingly used. Reaction of aromatic nitro compounds with large excess of phenyl magnesium bromide produces hydroxylamines in moderate yield . Similar addition of Grignard compounds to nitromethane proceeds in low yield ° while addition of excess methyllithium to tertiary nitro compound 113 results in formation of hydroxylamine 114 (equation 83) . ... 

The nucleophilic addition of organometallic reagents to imines provides an attractive route to amines [4]. Recendy, however, some completely different approaches to the synthesis of a-aryl amine were reported. Hayashi and Ishigeda-ni found a new catalytic system for the asymmetric addition of arylstannanes to imines derived from aromatic aldehydes (Scheme 11) [20]. 

The synthesis of 2-methylbutanoic acid (Expt 5.129) is illustrative of the method. Other organometallic reagents undergo a similar carboxylation reaction, and examples of the use of organolithium and organosodium reagents are included in the section on the synthesis of aromatic carboxylic acids (Section 6.13.3, p. 1069). 

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