Reactions with Boranes

Both alkynes and alkenes can be obtained from adducts of terminal alkynes and boranes. Reaction with iodine induces migration and results in the formation of the alkylated alkyne.32... 

The regioselectivity comes from the first step. The boron s empty p orbital bonds to the more nucleophilic end of the alkene and hydride is transferred to give a borane. Reaction with alkaline H2O2 leads to migration of an alkyl group from boron to oxygen and eventually to the alcohol. 

The desired pyridylamine was obtained in 69 % overall yield by monomethylation of 2-(aminomethyl)pyridine following a literature procedure (Scheme 4.14). First amine 4.48 was converted into formamide 4.49, through reaction with the in situ prepared mixed anhydride of acetic acid and formic acid. Reduction of 4.49 with borane dimethyl sulfide complex produced diamine 4.50. This compound could be used successfully in the Mannich reaction with 4.39, affording crude 4.51 in 92 % yield (Scheme 4.15). Analogous to 4.44, 4.51 also coordinates to copper(II) in water, as indicated by a shift of the UV-absorption maximum from 296 nm to 308 nm. 

Boron trifluoride is used for the preparation of boranes (see Boron compounds). Diborane is obtained from reaction with alkafl metal hydrides organoboranes are obtained with a suitable Grignard reagent. 

BCl, BBr, and BI undergo exchange reactions to yield mixed boron hahdes. Exchange reactions also occur with trialkyl, triaryl, trialkoxy, or triaryloxy boranes and with diborane. Anhydrous metal bromides and iodides can be prepared by the exchange reaction of the metal chloride or oxide and BBr or BI (21)-... 

Other expansion reactions between diborane and borane anions with a B—B edge bond have been reported (79), for example... 

B5H9 also acts as a weak Brpnsted acid and, from proton competition reactions with other boranes and borane anions, it has been established that acidity increases with increasing size of the borane cluster and that arachno-boranes are more acidic than nido-horancs ... 

Trialky I boranes react rapidly with methyl vinyl ketone (and other a,j8-unsaturated ketones) to yield, after hydrolysis, methyl ketones of the indicated structure 4). The reaction with acrolein is analogous to give jS-alkylpropionaldehydes (5). The process is inefficient in that only one of the three alkyl groups of the borane is converted into product, but the rapidity and ease of carrying out the reaction may be adequate... 

In addition to the oxymercuration method, which yields the Markovnikov product, a complementary method that yields the non-Markovnikov product is also useful. Discovered in 1959 by H. C. Brown and cailed hydroboration, the reaction involves addition of a B-H bond of borane, BH3, to an alkene to yield an organoborane intermediate, RBH2. Oxidation of the organoborane by reaction with basic hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, then gives an alcohol. For example ... 

Strategy What is an immediate precursor of a primary alcohol " Perhaps a terminal alkene, which could be hydrated with non-Markovnikov regiochemistiy by reaction with borane Followed by oxidation with H2O2-... 

Results of the asymmetric 2-propenylborations of several chiral a- and /i-alkoxy aldehydes are presented in Table 11 74a-82 84. These data show that diisopinocampheyl(2-propenyl)borane A and l,3-bis(4-methylphenylsulfonyl)-4,5-diphenyl-2-propenyl-l,3,2-diazaborolidine C exhibit excellent diastereoselectivity in reactions with chiral aldehydes. These results are in complete agreement with the enantioselectivity of these reagents in reactions with achiral aldehydes (Section 1.3.3.3.3.1.4.). In contrast, however, the enantioselectivity of reactions of the tartrate 2-propenylboronate B (and to a lesser extent the tartrate (/i)-2-butenylhoronate)53b is highly... 

Cyclohexenyl(diisopinocampheyl)borane (2), prepared by the hydroboration of 1,3-cy-clohexadiene with diisopinocampheylborane, reacts with acetaldehyde at — 78 "C to provide l-(2-cyclohexenyl)ethanol in 66% yield and 94% ee21. Reactions with other aldehydes, however. have not yet been reported. 

To conclude, we shall mention some metal-atom reactions with boranes (172) and carboranes (173). When cobalt atoms reacted with pentaboraneO) and cyclopentadiene, a number of new metalloborane clusters were formed (172), two of which were 65115003(17-05115)3 and cyclopentyl-B5H40o2(i7-05H5)3. Possible structures for the former are shown in Fig. 42. The reaction of cyclopentadiene, pentaboraneO), and 2-butyne with cobalt atoms yielded the metallocarborane species illustrated in Fig. 43 (173). 

Catalytic hydrogenation of triple bonds and the reaction with DIBAL-H usually give the eis alkene (15-11). Most of the other methods of triple-bond reduction lead to the more thermodynamically stable trans alkene. However, this is not the case with the method involving hydrolysis of boranes or with the reductions with activated zinc, hydrazine, or NH2OSO3H, which also give the cis products. 

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