Carbanions metal reaction, alkene

It has an NiAs-type structure (Fig. 15-5), and the isolated methyl groups are presumably in the lattice as the pyramidal CHJ ion.35 Sofiium amd potasstuirralkyl5 can be used for metallation reactions- for example, in eq. 6-2. They can also be prepared from Na or K dispersed on an inert support material, and such solids act as carbanionic catalysts for the cyclization, isomerization or polymerization of alkenes. The so-called alfin catalysts for copolymerization of butadiene with styrene or isoprene to give rubbers consist of sodium alkyl (usually allyl) and alkoxide (usually isopropoxide) and NaCl, which are made simultaneously in hydrocarbons.33... 

During the coverage period of this chapter, reviews have appeared on the following topics reactions of electrophiles with polyfluorinated alkenes, the mechanisms of intramolecular hydroacylation and hydrosilylation, Prins reaction (reviewed and redefined), synthesis of esters of /3-amino acids by Michael addition of amines and metal amides to esters of a,/3-unsaturated carboxylic acids," the 1,4-addition of benzotriazole-stabilized carbanions to Michael acceptors, control of asymmetry in Michael additions via the use of nucleophiles bearing chiral centres, a-unsaturated systems with the chirality at the y-position, and the presence of chiral ligands or other chiral mediators, syntheses of carbo- and hetero-cyclic compounds via Michael addition of enolates and activated phenols, respectively, to o ,jS-unsaturated nitriles, and transition metal catalysis of the Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. ... 

The mechanism for the stereoselective polymerization of a-olefins and other nonpolar alkenes is a Ti-complexation of monomer and transition metal (utilizing the latter s if-orbitals) followed by a four-center anionic coordination insertion process in which monomer is inserted into a metal-carbon bond as described in Fig. 8-10. Support for the initial Tt-com-plexation has come from ESR, NMR, and IR studies [Burfield, 1984], The insertion reaction has both cationic and anionic features. There is a concerted nucleophilic attack by the incipient carbanion polymer chain end on the a-carbon of the double bond together with an electrophilic attack by the cationic counterion on the alkene Ti-electrons. 

It has been shown experimentally that attack by strong nucleophiles also occurs regio-selectively at this C atom, stereo selectively from the face opposite to the metal [287]. Since the alkyl group a bonded to the metal is very carbanion-like, it is susceptible to protonation by acids, yielding an alkane. The overall reaction provides the mechanism for homogeneous hydrogenation of alkenes. It may be extended to hydrogenation of C=N and C=0 pi bonds. 

Very little work has been done on reactions involving nucleophiles formed from hydrocarbons.124-142 The limitation on basicity of the carbanion, so that it does not react with solvent, has led to use of conjugated hydrocaibons, such as dienes or alkenes conjugated with aromatic rings. When initiated by dissolving alkali metal in liquid ammonia, complex mixtures are often produced on account of reduction processes,124 and regiochemistry and multiplicity of arylation in conjugated systems also create prob-... 

The same transition metal systems which activate alkenes, alkadienes and alkynes to undergo nucleophilic attack by heteroatom nucleophiles also promote the reaction of carbon nucleophiles with these unsaturated compounds, and most of the chemistry in Scheme 1 in Section 3.1.2 of this volume is also applicable in these systems. However two additional problems which seriously limit the synthetic utility of these reactions are encountered with carbon nucleophiles. Most carbanions arc strong reducing agents, while many electrophilic metals such as palladium(II) are readily reduced. Thus, oxidative coupling of the carbanion, with concomitant reduction of the metal, is often encountered when carbon nucleophiles arc studied. In addition, catalytic cycles invariably require reoxidation of the metal used to activate the alkene [usually palladium(II)]. Since carbanions are more readily oxidized than are the metals used, catalysis of alkene, diene and alkyne alkylation has rarely been achieved. Thus, virtually all of the reactions discussed below require stoichiometric quantities of the transition metal, and are practical only when the ease of the transformation or the value of the product overcomes the inherent cost of using large amounts of often expensive transition metals. 

The reaction of dimethylformamide diethyl acetal with the carbanion which forms when the isocyanide (31) is metalated gives an alkene (32) which reacts with methyl iodide to give an imidazole product (79LA1444). In the presence of base, 2-isocyanoalkane nitriles (33) react with alcohols, thiols or hydrogen sulfide to form imidazoles which have an oxygen or sulfur substituent at C-5 (Scheme 16) (79LA1602). 

Alkythioacetylenes also smoothly add stabilized lithio carbanions located on the same substrate to provide functionalized exocyclic thioenol ethers (Scheme 7-14) [17a]. It should be noted that only one alkene stereoisomer was obtained this results from an atypical trans-carbometallation reaction, or from a cw-carbometallation followed by an equilibration of the metallated intermediate [15]. 

Like hydroalumination and hydrozirconation, hydroboration of alkynes also provides a convenient and Stereospecific route to alkenyl metal reagents. However, initial attempts to achieve palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkenylboranes with alkenyl halides were unsuccessful, due to the poor carbanionic character of these reagents. Later, Suzuki discovered that the desired transformation could be effected in the presence of an alkoxide or hydroxide base weaker bases, such as sodium acetate or triethylamine, were not generally effective. The reaction is suitable for the preparation of ( , )-, ( ,Z)- and (Z,Z)-dienes. Since reactions of alkenylboronates are higher yielding than those of alkenylboranes, the recent availability of (Z)-l-alkenylboronates " substantially improves the Suzuki method for the preparation of (Z)-alkenes. An extension of the methodology to the synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes has also been reported. " ... 

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