Benzannulation alkynes

Because of the strongly electron-withdrawing character of the Cr(CO)5 unit, the reaction with alkynes to hydroquinone and phenol derivatives [35-37] (Dotz reaction) is possible according to Scheme 6 (see also Chap. 4 Chromium -templated Benzannulation Reactions ). 

The reaction of alkoxyarylcarbene complexes with alkynes mainly affords Dotz benzannulated [3C+2S+1C0] cycloadducts. However, uncommon reaction pathways of some alkoxyarylcarbene complexes in their reaction with alkynes leading to indene derivatives in a formal [3C+2S] cycloaddition process have been reported. For example, the reaction of methoxy(2,6-dimethylphenyl)chromium carbene complex with 1,2-diphenylacetylene at 100 °C gives rise to an unusual indene derivative where a sigmatropic 1,5-methyl shift is observed [60]. Moreover, a related (4-hydroxy-2,6-dimethylphenyl)carbene complex reacts in benzene at 100 °C with 3-hexyne to produce an indene derivative. However, the expected Dotz cycloadduct is obtained when the solvent is changed to acetonitrile [61] (Scheme 19). Also, Dotz et al. have shown that the introduction of an isocyanide ligand into the coordination sphere of the metal induces the preferential formation of indene derivatives [62]. 

In the same way as arylcarbene complexes, alkenylcarbene complexes typically react with alkynes to provide [3C+2S+1C0] Dotz cycloadducts (see Chap. ccChromium-Templated Benzannulation Reactions , p. 123 in this book). However, some isolated examples involving the formation of five-membered rings through [3C+2S] cycloaddition processes have been reported [71]. In this context, de Meijere et al. found that /J-donor-substituted alkenylcarbene complexes react with alkynes to give cyclopentene derivatives [71a]. This topic is also discussed in detail in Chap.ccThe Multifaceted Chemistry of Variously Substituted a,/J-Unsaturated Fischer Metalcarbenes , p. 21 of this book. 

Other examples of [2C+2S+1C0] cycloaddition reactions have been described by Herndon et al. by the use of chromium cyclopropyl(methoxy)carbenes. These complexes react with alkynes releasing ethene and forming cyclopenta-dienone derivatives, which evolve to cyclopentenone derivatives in the presence of chromium(O) and water [122] (Scheme 76). This reaction has been extended to intramolecular processes and also to the synthesis of some natural products [123]. These authors have also described another process involving a formal [2C+2S+1C0] cycloaddition reaction. Thus, the reaction of methyl and cyclo-propylcarbene complexes with phenylacetylene derivatives does not afford the expected benzannulated products, and several regioisomers of cyclopentenone derivatives are the only products isolated [124] (Scheme 76). 

Aryl- and alkenylcarbene complexes are known to react with alkynes through a [3C+2S+1C0] cycloaddition reaction to produce benzannulated compounds. This reaction, known as the Dotz reaction , is widely reviewed in Chap. Chromium-Templated Benzannulation Reactions , p. 123 of this book. However, simple alkyl-substituted carbene complexes react with excess of an alkyne (or with diynes) to produce a different benzannulated product which incorporates in its structure two molecules of the alkyne, a carbon monoxide ligand and the carbene carbon [128]. As referred to before, this [2S+2SH-1C+1C0] cycloaddition reaction can be carried out with diyne derivatives, showing these reactions give better yields than the corresponding intermolecular version (Scheme 80). 

The first and rate-determining step involves carbon monoxide dissociation from the initial pentacarbonyl carbene complex A to yield the coordinatively unsaturated tetracarbonyl carbene complex B (Scheme 3). The decarbonyla-tion and consequently the benzannulation reaction may be induced thermally, photochemically [2], sonochemically [3], or even under microwave-assisted conditions [4]. A detailed kinetic study by Dotz et al. proved that the initial reaction step proceeds via a reversible dissociative mechanism [5]. More recently, density functional studies on the preactivation scenario by Sola et al. tried to propose alkyne addition as the first step [6],but it was shown that this... 

The subsequent insertion of the alkyne into the metal-carbene bond affords the (r]1 r]3)-vinylcarbene complex D, which may exist either as a (Z)- or an ( )-metallatriene. This intermediate maybe considered as a branching point in the benzannulation reaction as three diverging routes starting from this point have been explored. 

The distribution of products obtained from the benzannulation reaction may be influenced by the concentration of alkyne substrate [18]. In strongly coordinating solvents the ratio of the phenolic benzannulation product over five-membered cyclisation products increases with the concentration of the alkyne (Scheme 10). 

The superior donor properties of amino groups over alkoxy substituents causes a higher electron density at the metal centre resulting in an increased M-CO bond strength in aminocarbene complexes. Therefore, the primary decarbo-nylation step requires harsher conditions moreover, the CO insertion generating the ketene intermediate cannot compete successfully with a direct electro-cyclisation of the alkyne insertion product, as shown in Scheme 9 for the formation of indenes. Due to that experience amino(aryl)carbene complexes are prone to undergo cyclopentannulation. If, however, the donor capacity of the aminocarbene ligand is reduced by N-acylation, benzannulation becomes feasible [22]. 

Wulff et al. examined the necessary reaction conditions for a,fi-unsaturated aminocarbene complexes to react in a benzannulation reaction [23]. The reaction of dimethylamino(alkenyl)carbene complexes 18 with terminal alkynes in non-coordinating and non-polar solvents afforded phenol products in acceptable yields (Scheme 12). 

If the dimethylamino group is exchanged for a pyrrolidino 20 or a mor-pholino moiety the choice of alkyne is not restricted any more, and both electron-rich and electron-poor terminal and internal alkynes may be applied to the benzannulation [24,42b] (Scheme 13). 

An unexpected varying regiochemistry in intramolecular benzannulation has also been observed in the synthesis of cyclophanes. As mentioned above, there are only two possible regiochemical outcomes in the benzannulation reaction, which differ in the direction of alkyne incorporation. / -Tethered vinyl-carbene chromium complexes undergo an intramolecular benzannulation reaction with incorporation of the tethered alkyne with normal regioselectivity to give meta-cyclophanes [28]. 

The electrophilic carbene carbon atom of Fischer carbene complexes is usually stabilised through 7i-donation of an alkoxy or amino substituent. This type of electronic stabilisation renders carbene complexes thermostable nevertheless, they have to be stored and handled under inert gas in order to avoid oxidative decomposition. In a typical benzannulation protocol, the carbene complex is reacted with a 10% excess of the alkyne at a temperature between 45 and 60 °C in an ethereal solvent. On the other hand, the non-stabilised and highly electrophilic diphenylcarbene pentacarbonylchromium complex needs to be stored and handled at temperatures below -20 °C, which allows one to carry out benzannulation reactions at room temperature [34]. Recently, the first syntheses of tricyclic carbene complexes derived from diazo precursors have been performed and applied to benzannulation [35a,b]. The reaction of the non-planar dibenzocycloheptenylidene complex 28 with 1-hexyne afforded the Cr(CO)3-coordinated tetracyclic benzannulation product 29 in a completely regio- and diastereoselective way [35c] (Scheme 18). 

Exo-alkylidene oxacycloalkylidene complexes such as chromium 2-oxacy-clopentylidene 30 are reluctant to react thermally with alkynes. Nevertheless, benzannulation can be achieved under photochemical conditions (for a detailed... 

Due to the inherent unsymmetric arene substitution pattern the benzannulation reaction creates a plane of chirality in the resulting tricarbonyl chromium complex, and - under achiral conditions - produces a racemic mixture of arene Cr(CO)3 complexes. Since the resolution of planar chiral arene chromium complexes can be rather tedious, diastereoselective benzannulation approaches towards optically pure planar chiral products appear highly attractive. This strategy requires the incorporation of chiral information into the starting materials which may be based on one of three options a stereogenic element can be introduced in the alkyne side chain, in the carbene carbon side chain or - most general and most attractive - in the heteroatom carbene side chain (Scheme 20). 

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). 

Encouraged by the short synthesis of K vitamins, the chromium-mediated benzannulation was extended to the synthesis of vitamin E 68 [59]. The problem of imperfect regioselectivity of alkyne incorporation - which did not hamper the approach to vitamin K due to the final oxidation to the quinone - was tackled by demethylation of both regioisomeric hydroquinone monomethyl ethers 67 to give the unprotected hydroquinone. Subsequent ring closure yielded a-tocopherol (vitamin E) 68 (Scheme 39). 

The convergent approach comprises, among other reaction steps, a regio-specific intermolecular benzannulation reaction between the alkyne 88 and the chromium carbene complex 89 for AB ring construction (Scheme 43). It is noteworthy that the regioselectivity of this reaction is attributed to the bulky TBDMS ether in the alkyne a-substituent, that dictates the incorporation of the large substituent ortho to the phenol. Another curiosity is the fact that the reaction failed to provide 90 in the absence of acetic anhydride. 

The benzannulation reaction with small alkynes such as 1-pentyne may generate a two-alkyne annulation product. In this case the original [3+2+l]-benz-annulation is changed to a [2+2+1+1]-benzannulation. After CO dissociation and insertion of the first alkyne, the coordinated a,/J-unsaturated moiety in the vinylcarbene complex is supposed to be replaced by the second alkyne. The subsequent reaction steps give the phenol 112 (Scheme 50). 

The thermal benzannulation of Group 6 carbene complexes with alkynes (the Dotz reaction) is highly developed and has been used extensively in synthesis [90,91]. It is thought to proceed through a chromium vinylketene intermediate generated by sequential insertion of the alkyne followed by carbon monoxide into the chromium-carbene-carbon double bond [92]. The realization that photodriven CO insertion into Z-dienylcarbene complexes should generate the same vinylketene intermediate led to the development of a photochemical variant of the Dotz reaction (Table 14). 

This photodriven benzannulation was used in the synthesis of indolocar-bazoles (Eq. 22) [96] and calphostins (Eq. 23) [97]. The thermal insertion of isonitriles into these same classes of carbenes provided a complementary approach to similar benzannulations [98-100]. Manganese alkoxycarbene complexes underwent both inter- [101] and intramolecular [102] photodriven benzannulation reactions with alkynes (Eqs. 24 and 25). 

The vinyl metal intermediate arising from intermolecular nucleophilic addition of an oxygen nucleophile to a metal-alkyne complex has been harnessed for further transformations prior to protonation. An example is the ruthenium-catalyzed benzannulation of 1,5-enedyines that occurs through a tandem sequence involving hydroalk-oxylation, carbometallation, and protonation (Equation (82)).293... 

Merlic discovered the novel benzannulation of biindole 249 to 250 during studies to synthesize indolocarbazoles [123]. Several unsymmetrical biindoles were also prepared and their reactions with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and related alkynes were studied. Yields of indolocarbazoles were 51-88% and some regioselectivity was observed in unsymmetrical cases (up to 80 20). 

Among the synthetically useful reactions of Fischer carbenes, the benzannulations are certainly the most prominent. In particular, the so-called Dotz reaction, first reported by Dotz in 1975 [3], is an efficient synthetic method that starting from aryl- or alkenyl-substituted alkoxycarbene complexes of chromium affords p-alkoxyphcnol derivatives by successive insertion of the alkyne and one CO ligand in an a,/Tunsaturated carbene, and subsequent electrocyclic ring closure (see Figure 1). 

In addition to reactions characteristic of carbonyl compounds, Fischer-type carbene complexes undergo a series of transformations which are unique to this class of compounds. These include olefin metathesis [206,265-267] (for the use as metathesis catalysts, see Section 3.2.5.3), alkyne insertion, benzannulation and other types of cyclization reaction. Generally, in most of these reactions electron-rich substrates (e.g. ynamines, enol ethers) react more readily than electron-poor compounds. Because many preparations with this type of complex take place under mild conditions, Fischer-type carbene complexes are being increasingly used for the synthesis [268-272] and modification [103,140,148,273] of sensitive natural products. 

Aryl(dialkylamino)carbene chromium complexes do not yield aminonaphthols upon treatment with alkynes, but form indene derivatives. Vinyl(dialkylamino)car-bene complexes, however, react with alkynes to yield aminophenols as the main products if solvents of low nucleophilicity are used [335]. (2-Amino-1-vinyl)carbene complexes do not undergo benzannulation when treated with alkynes, but form cyclopentadienes or heterocycles instead [251]. 

In addition to the reaction of vinylcarbene complexes with alkynes, further synthetic procedures have been developed in which Fischer-type carbene complexes are used for the preparation of benzenes. Most of these transformations are likely to be mechanistically related to the Dbtz benzannulation reaction, and can be rationalized as sequences of alkyne-insertions, CO-insertions, and electrocycli-zations. A selection of examples is given in Table 2.18. Entry 4 in Table 2.18 is an example of the Diels-Alder reaction (with inverse electron demand) of an enamine with a pyran-2-ylidene complex (see also Section 2.2.7 and Figure 2.36). In this example the adduct initially formed eliminates both chromium hexacarbonyl ([4 -I- 2] cycloreversion) and pyrrolidine to yield a substituted benzene. 

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