Benzannulation reactions

The mechanism of the Dotz benzannulation reaction has not been fully elucidated. The first step is the ratedetermining dissociation of one carbonyl ligand from the Fischer carbene complex, which is cis to the carbene moiety. Subsequently, the alkyne component coordinates to the coordinatively unsaturated carbene complex, and then it inserts into the metal-carbon bond. After the alkyne insertion, a vinylcarbene is formed that can lead to the product by two different pathways (Path A or Path b).  

The architecturally interesting and biologically significant protein kinase C inhibitor calphostins (A-D), and their analogs were synthesized in the laboratory of C.A. Merlic. The key steps in their approach were a Dotz aminobenzannulation utilizing an enantiopure Fischer carbene complex to prepare a pentasubstituted naphthylamine, followed by a biomimetic oxidative dimerization to produce the perylenequinone skeleton. 

Quayle and co-workers utilized the Dotz benzannulation reaction for the synthesis of diterpenoid quinones. The authors developed a novel synthetic approach to 12-O-methyl royleanone using a simple vinyl chromium carbene complex along with a disubstituted oxygenated acetylene. The bicyclic hydrazone was converted to the corresponding vinyllithium derivative by the Shapiro reaction and then functionalized to give the desired crude Fischer chromium carbene complex. The benzannulation took place in refluxing THF with excellent regioselectivity, and the natural product was obtained in 37% overall yield from the hydrazone. 

C-Arylglycosides possess a stable C-C glycosidic linkage and exhibit a broad range of useful antitumor, antifungal and antibiotic properties. S.R. Pulley et al. developed a novel method for the synthesis of this important class of compounds by using the Dotz benzannuiation reaction between alkynyl glycosides and alkoxy phenyl chromium 

An exceptionally mild Dotz benzannulation was used by W.J. Kerr and co-workers for the total synthesis of a natural insecticide, 2-(1,1-dimethyl-2-propenyl)-3-hydroxy-1,4-naphthalenedione, by utilizing dry adsorption (DSA) techniques.  

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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 ). 

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. 

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). 

Abstract Since its discovery the chromium-mediated benzannulation reaction has been developed into a unique and useful tool in organic synthesis. In this review, topical aspects of this reaction concerning its mechanism and the chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity are summerised and discussed in detail. Special attention is paid to the asymmetric benzannulation reaction and, finally, the importance of this reaction as a key step in the total synthesis of natural products is outlined. 

Keywords Fischer carbene complex [3+2+1 ] -benzannulation reaction Asymmetric benzannulation Linear benzannulation... 

Scheme 1 [3+2+1 ] -Benzannulation reaction as the first example of a metal-templated coupling of three different ligands...

Nearly 25 years after its discovery the mechanism of the benzannulation reaction has been theoretically and experimentally elucidated in detail. The most predominant outcome of this reaction is the formation of the 4-methoxyphe-nol or 4-methoxy-l-naphthol skeleton coordinated to a Cr(CO)3 fragment. Therefore the mechanism leading to this type of product will be discussed first. 

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. 

Structural analogues of the /]4-vinylketene E were isolated by Wulff, Rudler and Moser [15]. The enaminoketene complex 11 was obtained from an intramolecular reaction of the chromium pentacarbonyl carbene complex 10. The silyl vinylketene 13 was isolated from the reaction of the methoxy(phenyl)-carbene chromium complex 1 and a silyl-substituted phenylacetylene 12, and -in contrast to alkene carbene complex 7 - gave the benzannulation product 14 after heating to 165 °C in acetonitrile (Scheme 6). The last step of the benzannulation reaction is the tautomerisation of the /]4-cyclohexadienone F to afford the phenol product G. The existence of such an intermediate and its capacity to undergo a subsequent step was validated by Wulff, who synthesised an... 

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 chemoselectivity of the [3+2+1]-benzannulation reaction is governed by four general trends ... 

Amino(aryl)carbene complexes prefer cyclopentannulation over benzannulation. Amino(alkenyl)carbene complexes may react in a benzannulation reaction. 

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). 

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]. 

A double linear annulation was observed in the benzannulation reaction of the helical biscarbene complex 27 with 3-hexyne along with a product bearing... 

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). 

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 second option involves the incorporation of either chiral amines or chiral alcohols into the heteroatom-carbene side chain (R ), which represents the most versatile approach to diastereoselective benzannulation. The optically pure (2R,3R)-butane-2,3-diol was used to tether the biscarbene complex 37. The double intramolecular benzannulation reaction with diphenylbutadiyne allowed introduction of an additional stereogenic element in terms of an axis... 

The inherent plane of chirality in the metal carbene-modified cyclophane 45 was also tested in the benzannulation reaction as a source for stereoselectivity [48]. The racemic pentacarbonyl(4-[2.2]metacyclophanyl(methoxy)carbene)-chromium 45 reacts with 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyne to give a single diastereomer of naphthalenophane complex 46 in 50% yield the sterically less demanding 3-hexyne affords a 2 1 mixture of two diastereomers (Scheme 30). These moderate diastereomeric ratios indicate that [2.2]metacyclophanes do not serve as efficient chiral tools in the benzannulation reaction. 

Scheme 30 A chiral [2.2]metacyclophane carbene complex in a benzannulation reaction...

The use of a stereogenic carbon centre allowed an efficient asymmetric induction in the benzannulation reaction towards axial-chiral intermediates in the synthesis of configurationally stable ring-C-functionalised derivatives of al-locolchicinoids [51]. The benzannulation of carbene complex 52 with 1-pen-tyne followed by oxidative demetalation afforded a single diastereomer 53 (Scheme 33). 

Scheme 34 Manganese carbene complexes in benzannulation reactions...

A benzannulation reaction yielding the naphthoquinone 61 could also be performed with the ruthenium carborane-stabilised carbene 60 and 1-hexyne [56] (Scheme 36). The ruthenium carbene unit can be regarded as an 18-electron fragment containing a formal Ru(II) centre coordinated to a dianionic six-electron-donor cobaltacarborane ligand. 

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). 

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