Ylides benzylidene—

Equilibrium concentrations of semi-stabilized benzylidene ylides derived from optically pure arsonium salts and alkali metal ethoxides react with aromatic aldehydes to produce high yields of enantiomerically enriched tra s-2,3-diaryloxiranes and optically pure tertiary arsines with retention of configuration at arsenic (equation S)" -" . 

Benzylidene ylides react regioselectively with the formyl group of 4-formyI-benzoyl chloride to give (33). However, the same selectivity is not observed in... 

In the initial report by Corey and Chaykovsky, dimethylsulfonium methylide (2) reacted smoothly with benzalaniline to provide an entry to 1,2-diphenylaziridine 67. Franzen and Driesen reported the same reaction with 81% yield for 67. In another example, benzylidene-phenylamine reacted with 2 to produce l-(p-methoxyphenyl)-2-phenylaziridine in 71% yield. The same reaction was also carried out using phase-transfer catalysis conditions.Thus aziridine 68 could be generated consistently in good yield (80-94%). Recently, more complex sulfur ylides have been employed to make more functionalized aziridines, as depicted by the reaction between A -sulfonylimine 69 with diphenylsulfonium 3-(trimethylsilyl)propargylide (70) to afford aziridine 71, along with desilylated aziridine 72. ... 

Vasishtha [56] also reportedp-acetyl benzylidene triphenyl arsonium ylide radically initiated bulk polymeriza-... 

The C2 symmetry of sulfide 13 means that a single diastereomer is formed upon alkylation (Scheme 1.10). Attack from the Si face of the ylide is preferred as the Re face is shielded by the methyl group cis to the benzylidene group (28). Metzner postulates that this methyl group also controls the conformation of the ylide, as a steric clash in 27b renders 27a more favorable [16]. However, computational studies by Goodman revealed that 27a was not particularly favored over 27b, but it was substantially more reactive, thus providing the high enantioselectivity observed... 

Salt-free ylides have been prepared from phosphonium chlorides and bromides by treatment with sodamide in refluxing THF. The sodium halide precipitates and is removed by filtration. Allylidene- and benzylidene-trimethylphosphoranes have been obtained as low melting distillable solids from the phosphonium chlorides and butyl-lithium in ether. The allylidenephosphorane on standing at room temperature slowly decomposed to give methylenetrimethylphosphorane. 

Thus far, in the alkaloid series discussed, the nitrogen atom has always been part of the core of the alkaloid strucmre, rather than acting in a dipolarophilic manner in the cycloaddition of the carbonyl ylide. Recently, Padwa et al. (117) addressed this deficiency by conducting model studies to synthesize the core of ribasine, an alkaloid containing the indanobenzazepine skeleton with a bridging ether moiety (Scheme 4.57). Padwa found that indeed it was possible to use a C = N 7i-bond as the dipolarophile. In the first generation, a substimted benzylidene imine (219) was added after formation of the putative carbonyl ylide from diazoketone 218. The result was formation of both the endo and exo adduct with the endo adduct favored in an 8 1 ratio. This indicates that the endo transition state was shghtly favored as dictated by symmetry controlled HOMO—LUMO interactions. 

The formation of tungsten complexes of thiiranes from diarylthioketones and W(CO)5-benzylidene complex is believed to occur via a thiocarbonyl ylide-like intermediate (115). 

Only a few examples of the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of thiocarbonyl ylides with C=N compounds have been reported so far. By comparison with aldehydes, imines are poor dipolarophiles. For example, Al-benzylidene methylamine and adamanta-nethione (5)-methylide (52) produce 1,3-thiazolidine (129) in only 13% yield (163). An alternative and efficient approach to 1,3-thiazohdines involves the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with thiocarbonyl compounds [cf. (169)]. 

In addition to copper and rhodium catalysts commonly used in the generation of metal carbene complexes, other transition metals have also been explored in the diazo decomposition and subsequent ylide generation.Che and co-workers have recently studied ruthenium porphyrin-catalyzed diazo decomposition and demonstrated a three-component coupling reaction of a-diazo ester with a series of iV-benzylidene imines and alkenes to form functionalized pyrrolidines in excellent diastereoselectivities (Scheme 20). ... 

The cyano-substituted nitrile ylides 123 have been generated via 1,1-elimination reactions. For example, the benzylidene derivative 122 (R=Ph) eliminated benzene on vapor phase pyrolysis to give 123 (R=Ph), which reacted via 1,5-electrocycli-zation [see also (66)] to give the isoindole 124 (41%) (67). In a similar way, 122 [R=(CH2)3CH=CH2] gave the corresponding nitrile ylide that reacted via intramolecular cycloaddition to give the pyrroline derivative 126. 

Durst [478, 479] has shown that the sulfonium ylide (3) transfers its benzylidene group to some carbonyl compounds with e.e. values approaching enantiomeric purity, although the reaction was not yet amenable to synthetic utility (low overall yields, side reaction). However, an interpretation of the difference of behaviour of (3) and (4) towards PhCHO (e.e. values, respectively, 96% and less than 3%) led the authors to propose a [2 + 2] cycloaddition mechanism rather than the commonly accepted nucleophilic antiperiplanar addition for the reaction of a sulfur ylide with a carbonyl compound [479]. Clearly, more work is needed in this area. 

Benzylidene triphenylarsoranes have been prepared in situ from their corresponding salts, either with butyl- or phenyllithium in ether (5.5, 76) or with sodium alkoxide in alcohol (97). Carbomethoxybenzylidene triphenylarsorane (3) has been prepared from the corresponding salt in chloroform with ammonia (74). With the same method or with sodium alkoxide in alcohol, acetylmethyl-, phenacyl-, and carbomethoxymethyl-triphenylarsonium salts afforded the corresponding ylides (28, 48, 70, 73, 74, 94). 

Semistabilized ylides such as benzylidene- (55) or methylene- (59) triphenylarsorane reacted with carbonyl compounds in ether to give olefins as well as oxiranes. For example, reaction of methylene triphenylarsorane with benzophenone gave, besides triphenylarsine oxide... 

Trippett and Walker (97) found that the reaction of para-substituted benzylidene triphenylarsoranes with carbonyl compounds led to olefins when the benzylidene para substituent is highly electron withdrawing, but otherwise to epoxide. KumaricY al. (64) prepared two new semistabilized arsonium ylides, p-bromo- and p-iodobenzylidene triphenylarsorane, which were treated with a series of carbonyl compounds to yield exclusively trans-olefins. In no case was an epoxide obtained. 

The benzylidene and p-chlorobenzyIidene triphenylarsorane ylides, when generated from sodium ethoxide in ethanol, react with a series of substituted benzaldehydes to give epoxides regardless of the nature of substituents present on the aromatic aldehyde (55, 97). However, the same ylides generated from sodium hydride in benzene (59), reacted with a series of aldehydes to give olefins. These observations clearly show that the base and solvent, in addition to the nature of substituent present on the ylidic carbanion, play an important role in dictating the exact path of the reaction. 

Keywords chalcone, benzylidene aniline, trimethyloxosulfonium iodide, ylide reaction, cyclopropane, aziridine... 

Note added in proof Very recent work by Schrock has extended this tantalum ylide chemistry very considerably and some cyclopentadienyl tantalum methylenes and benzylidenes could be isolated and fully characterized (82b). Among the new compounds the complex (C5H4CH3)2Ta(CH3)(CH2) is particularly noteworthy. Its crystal structure has been determined and the temperature dependence of its nmr spectra has been carefully investigated (17b). The ylidic carbon is in a trigonal planar configuration ... 

Porco et al.74 accessed pyrroloisoquinoline heterocycles 46 by employing a domino process. Initially, a metal-catalyzed cycloisomerization of alkynyl iV-benzylidene glycinates 45 gave azomethine ylide CC (Scheme 5.21), which underwent... 

Studies aimed at the comparison of Rh(II) and Cu(II)-catalyzed onium ylide reactions of diazoketones 449 using 3 mol% of the former and 15 mol% of the latter led to the conclusion that the copper-catalyzed process provides the better yields and selectivities for [1,2]-rearrangement products 450 (Fig. 107) [490, 491]. In the rhodium-catalyzed process, 1,5-C-H insertion may compete. The diastereo-selectivity with both catalysts is in some cases similar, in others the Rh-catalyzed process is more selective. Analogous reactions of acetal 451 provided a mixture of stereoisomers 452a and 452b at the benzylidene position, supporting a stepwise process. The authors proposed that the involved intermediate was either a 1,6-biradical or the corresponding ion pair. 

More recently, another route to N-metallated azomethine ylides has been presented. The N-(p-substituted benzylidene) imines of a-amino esters are... 

Ester-stabilized azomethine ylides 76 (R = MeO, EWG = COOR ) show a high reactivity to imines such as 2-phenyl-1-azirine and Af-benzylidene-methylamine, cycloadduct 220 being obtained in the former case (82LA2146). 

Chiral arsonium ylides containing the benzylidene group react with aromatic aldehydes to produce trans-2,3-diaryloxiranes with optical purities of up to 41%. The degree of asymmetric induction depends upon the nature of the substituents on the ylide, the substrate, and upon the reaction conditions. For the variety of arsonium ylides investigated, however, the yields of recovered optically active arsines were almost quantitative with complete retention of configuration at arsenic in each case. Thus, apart from the value of stereoselective benzylidene transfer for the asymmetric synthesis of trans-2,3-diaryl oxiranes, the reaction provides the cleanest route to the recovery of optically active arsines from resolved benzylarsonium salts (see Section III.B.5). The mechanism of the reaction, which must take into account the exclusive formation of trans-diaryloxiranes, is believed to occur via the stereoselective decomposition of a pair of (R, S )-betaines (Scheme 16). 

---