Aryl aldehydes, reductive coupling addition

As in all C-C cross-coupling reactions, the Negishi reaction mechanism consists in three steps (Fig.4.1) oxidative addition, transmetalation, and reductive elimination. The former and the latter are common to all the other cross-coupling reactions, whereas the transmetalation step is particular of this reaction. Unfortunately, this transmetalation has been less studied compared to the ones in the Stille [12-17] or Suzuki reactions, [18-21] in spite of the fact that the transmetalation between organozinc and palladium complexes is also involved in other relevant processes, such as the hydroalkylation of styrenes, [22] the asymmetric allylation of aryl aldehydes, [23] the coupling propargylic benzoates and aldehydes, [24] or the double-transmetalation oxidative cross-coupling reaction [25, 26]. 

Indium chloride is known to have little water sensitivity and this has led to the discovery of a novel multicomponent synthesis of monocyclic 1,4-diazepines from aldehyde, amine, and a,p-xmsaturated ketone [89]. The initial step was the bimolecular reductive coupling of the aldimine formed in situ leading to the formation of N, N -diphenyl-l,2-diaryl-l,2-diamino ethane, which underwent aza-Michael addition to the a,p-xmsaturated ketone. The product 129 (Scheme 26) was isolated by simple recrystallization and obtained in very good yield witir excellent diastereose-lectivity favoring the trans-isomer. In the dimerization of tire radical Zn anion of aldimine, the repulsion of the lone pair on nitrogen and steric hindrance between the aryl groups seemed to have contributed toward frans-selectivity. 

For reductive cross-coupling between a,P-unsaturated ketones and aldehydes, Kim et al. made use of In-InCl3 in aqueous media to prepare p,y-unsaturated ketones from methyl vinyl ketone and aryl aldehydes [282] (Figure 8.128). A radical mechanism was proposed, with InCb activating the carbonyl group for cyclopropanation and addition. Uemura also studied the same reaction, with InCl3 (10 mol%) as catalyst, Al as reductant, and requiring the presence of TMSCl [283]. 

Sml2 can effectively promote the intermolecular reductive dimerisation of aldehydes or ketones giving rise to symmetrical diols.7 9 Generally, arylalde-hydes and aryl ketones couple within seconds in THF at room temperature. Aliphatic aldehydes and ketones react considerably more slowly several hours are required for the aldehydes, whereas for ketones reaction times of 24 h are usually needed. Nevertheless, these slower couplings can be greatly accelerated by the addition of additives such as HMPA.10... 

Cheng has published a convenient and synthetically useful alternative method to the NHK reaction for the arylation of aromatic aldehydes in a mild and selective way with nickel(ll) bromide/zinc/dppe mediated protocol for the synthesis of diaryl carbinols. Durandetti reported an electrochemical coupling of aryl halides with aldehydes for the synthesis of diaryl carbinols which was catalytic in chromium and nickel salts. Comins utilized the NHK reaction to prepare 5-(l-hydroxyalkyl)-2,3-dihydro-4-pyridones, which were then explored in reductive, oxidative and substitutive reactions. " The first asymmetric catalytic synthesis of 5y -alk-l-ene-3,4-diols was developed the regio-, diastereo- and enantioselective addition of 3-chloropropenyl pivaloate to aldehydes was made possible by exploiting Salen r(II) species in a catalytic version of the NHK reaction. ... 

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