Basicity Carbenes

The synthetic reactions of nucleophilic carbenes have been reviewed.11 Isonitriles, dimethoxycarbene, and NHCs are covered. The review focuses on the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions made possible when the nucleophilic carbene reacts with electrophiles such as dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate. Such reactions were also the subject of research papers during 2005 (see the section on nucleophilic and basic carbenes). 

An interesting aspect is the relative net electron donicities of carbene hgands. In a series of N-stabilised carbenes [ClNPr ), SIMes, Imes], Herrmann et al. showed that unsaturated NHC are better net donors than saturated NHC and sometimes can even outperform the acyclic and more basic carbene ligand ClNPr l [57,104,107] (see Figure 1.21). A similar observation was made by Dorta et al. [19]. However, the absolute differences between the net donicities of these different carbene ligands are very small and are unlikely to play a major role in catalyst performance [19]. 

Reaction of PF R (R=Me, Ph, F) with a carbene results in the six-coordinate phosphorus species PF R(carbene). The phosphorus compound acts as a Lewis acid toward the Lewis basic carbene, and the phosphorus resonance is shifted upfield by about Afine structure of this upfield shift is of considerable interest. The electronegativity of the substituent R increases in the order Me < Ph < F in accord with an upfield shift in the phosphorus resonance. Therefore, we again witness a case where the loss in electron density through the donor interaction, in the present case from the fluoride substituents on phosphorus. As the influence of the. -bonding interaction on the phosphorus chemical shift is larger than that of the bonding interaction, we witness a net upfield shift. 

The mobility of the proton in position 2 of a quaternized molecule and the kinetics of exchange with deuterium has been studied extensively (18-20) it is increased in a basic medium (21-23). The rate of exchange is close to that obtained with the base itself, and the protonated form is supposed to be the active intermediate (236, 664). The remarkable lability of 2-H has been ascribed to a number of factors, including a possible stabilizing resonance effect with contributions of both carbene and ylid structure. This latter may result from the interaction of a d orbital at the sulfur atom with the cr orbital out of the ring at C-2 (21). 

The reactions of carbenes, which are apparently unique in displaying electrophilic character in strongly basic solutions, include substitution, addition to multiple bonds, and co-ordination with lone pairs of electrons to form unstable ylides. This last reaction is of obvious relevance to a consideration of the reactions of heterocyclic compounds with carbenes and will be summarized. 

The first reaction pathway for the in situ formation of a metal-carbene complex in an imidazolium ionic liquid is based on the well loiown, relatively high acidity of the H atom in the 2-position of the imidazolium ion [29]. This can be removed (by basic ligands of the metal complex, for example) to form a metal-carbene complex (see Scheme 5.2-2, route a)). Xiao and co-workers demonstrated that a Pd imida-zolylidene complex was formed when Pd(OAc)2 was heated in the presence of [BMIMjBr [30]. The isolated Pd carbene complex was found to be active and stable in Heck coupling reactions (for more details see Section 5.2.4.4). Welton et al. were later able to characterize an isolated Pd-carbene complex obtained in this way by X-ray spectroscopy [31]. The reaction pathway to the complex is displayed in Scheme 5.2-3. 

Another means of in situ metal-carbene complex formation in an ionic liquid is the direct oxidative addition of the imidazolium cation to a metal center in a low oxidation state (see Scheme 5.2-2, route b)). Cavell and co-workers have observed oxidative addition on heating 1,3-dimethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate with Pt(PPli3)4 in refluxing THF [32]. The Pt-carbene complex formed can decompose by reductive elimination. Winterton et al. have also described the formation of a Pt-car-bene complex by oxidative addition of the [EMIM] cation to PtCl2 in a basic [EMIM]C1/A1C13 system (free CP ions present) under ethylene pressure [33]. The formation of a Pt-carbene complex by oxidative addition of the imidazolium cation is displayed in Scheme 5.2-4. 

As well as phosphorus ligands, heterocyclic carbenes ligands 10 have proven to be interesting donor ligands for stabilization of transition metal complexes (especially palladium) in ionic liquids. The imidazolium cation is usually presumed to be a simple inert component of the solvent system. However, the proton on the carbon atom at position 2 in the imidazolium is acidic and this carbon atom can be depro-tonated by, for example, basic ligands of the metal complex, to form carbenes (Scheme 5.3-2). 

The fact that pentacarbonyl carbene complexes react with enynes in a chemo-selective and regiospecific way at the alkyne functionality was successfully applied in the total synthesis of vitamins of the Kj and K2 series [58]. Oxidation of the intermediate tricarbonyl(dihydrovitamin K) chromium complexes with silver oxide afforded the desired naphthoquinone-based vitamin K compounds 65. Compared to customary strategies, the benzannulation reaction proved to be superior as it avoids conditions favouring (E)/(Z)-isomerisation within the allylic side chain. The basic representative vitamin K3 (menadione) 66 was synthesised in a straightforward manner from pentacarbonyl carbene complex 1 and propyne (Scheme 38). 

In contrast to alkoxycarbene complexes, most aminocarbene complexes appear too electron-rich to undergo photodriven reaction with olefins. By replacing aliphatic amino groups with the substantially less basic aryl amino groups, modest yields of cyclobutanones were achieved (Table 10) [63], (Table 11) [64]. Both reacted with dihydropyran to give modest yields of cyclobutanone. Thio-carbene complexes appeared to enjoy reactivity similar to that of alkoxycar-benes (Eq. 15) [59]. 

Sulfur-stabilized ylides underwent photodriven reaction with chromium alkoxy-carbenes to produce 2-acyl vinyl ethers as E/Z mixtures with the E isomer predominating (Table 22) [ 121-123]. The reaction is thought to proceed by nucleophilic attack of the ylide carbon at the chromium carbene carbon followed by elimination of (CO)5CrSMe2. The same reaction occurred thermally, but at a reduced rate. Sulfilimines underwent a similar addition/elimination process to produce imidates or their hydrolysis products (Table 23) [ 124,125]. Again the reaction also proceeded thermally but much more slowly. Less basic sulfilimines having acyl or sulfonyl groups on nitrogen failed to react. 

Carbene structure, of thiazolium salts in basic medium, 31.34 Carbocation, in thiazolium salts, 32 Carbocyanines. see Trimethine thiazolo-cyanines... 

When the Wolff rearrangement is carried out photochemically, the mechanism is basically the same, but another pathway can intervene. Some of the ketocarbene orieinallv formed can undergo a carbene-carbene rearrangement, through an oxi-... 

More recently, such vinyl cations generated by the alkaline decomposition of 3-nitroso-2-oxazolidones have been trapped by halogens to give vinyl halides as products (108). It has been suggested that unsaturated carbenes, RjC=C , may be the intermediates in the basic decomposition of 132 (109). Indeed, when 132 (Ri=R2=CH3, R3=H) was treated with lithium ethoxide in the... 

Push-spectator carbenes of the type 31 (R, R = alkyl) were synthesized and reacted with various Lewis Acids to compare the reactivity of the phosphorus and carbene centers. Two such reactions are shown in Scheme 7.11. From an X-ray structural analysis, the phosphorus substituent was shown to act as a spectator, leaving its lone pair available to react in a Lewis basic manner. When carbene 31 was reacted with BF3, only the carbene adduct 32 was formed. By contrast, when 31 was reacted with the softer Lewis Acid BH3, it was the phosphorus that reacted to yield adduct 33. These types of carbenes exhibited C-NMR shifts in the range of 320-348 ppm, a P-C-N angle of 116.5° a short C-N distance of 1.296 A, and a long C-P distance of 1.856 A. The latter is very similar to that of a typical C-P single bond. 

The effect of metal basicity on the mode of reactivity of the metal-carbon bond in carbene complexes toward electrophilic and nucleophilic reagents was emphasized in Section II above. Reactivity studies of alkylidene ligands in d8 and d6 Ru, Os, and Ir complexes reinforce the notion that electrophilic additions to electron-rich compounds and nucleophilic additions to electron-deficient compounds are the expected patterns. Notable exceptions include addition of CO and CNR to the osmium methylene complex 47. These latter reactions can be interpreted in terms of non-innocent participation of the nitrosyl ligand. 

Carbyne complex chemistry of osmium and ruthenium is discussed in this section. These studies demonstrate clearly the parallels that exist between the metal-carbon bonds in carbene and carbyne complexes and again emphasize the importance of metal basicity in determining complex reactivity. 

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