Carbene complexes addition reactions

Contradictory to a carbene mechanism is the high selectivity which is typical for the metathesis reaction. In the case of carbene complexes, side reactions must be expected, such as addition and insertion [Eqs. (38) and (39)] ... 

The second intermediate s identity has been debated since the mid-1980s. In 1984, Liu and Tomioka suggested that it was a carbene-alkenc complex (CAC).17 Similar complexes had been previously postulated to rationalize the negative activation energies observed in certain carbene-alkene addition reactions.11,30 A second intermediate is not limited to the CAC, however. In fact any other intermediate, in addition to the carbene, will satisfy the kinetic observations i.e., that a correlation of addn/rearr vs. [alkene] is curved, whereas the double reciprocal plot is linear.31 Proposed second intermediates include the CAC,17 an excited carbene,31 a diazo compound,23 or an excited diazirine.22,26 We will consider the last three proposals collectively below as rearrangements in the excited state (RIES). 

The Dotz reaction mechanism has received further support from kinetic and theoretical studies. An early kinetic investigation [37] and the observation that the reaction of the metal carbene with the alkyne is supressed in the presence of external carbon monoxide [38] indicated that the rate-determining step is a reversible decarbonylation of the original carbene complex. Additional evidence for the Dotz mechanistic hyphotesis has been provided by extended Hiickel molecular orbital [23, 24] and quantum chemical calculations [25],... 

Nucleophilic additions to alkenes 293 Nucleophilic vinylic substitution (SNV) Reactions 298 Nucleophilic substitution of Fischer carbene complexes 303 Reactions involving carbocations 309 Miscellaneous reactions 312... 

Organometallic complexes of copper, silver, and gold are ideal precursors for carbene complexes along with some C- and N-coordinated species. Their reactivity pattern, in particular in oxidative addition reactions, was the most comprehensively studied. 

The ease of formation of the carbene depends on the nucleophilicity of the anion associated with the imidazolium. For example, when Pd(OAc)2 is heated in the presence of [BMIM][Br], the formation of a mixture of Pd imidazolylidene complexes occurs. Palladium complexes have been shown to be active and stable catalysts for Heck and other C-C coupling reactions [34]. The highest activity and stability of palladium is observed in the ionic liquid [BMIM][Brj. Carbene complexes can be formed not only by deprotonation of the imidazolium cation but also by direct oxidative addition to metal(O) (Scheme 5.3-3). These heterocyclic carbene ligands can be functionalized with polar groups in order to increase their affinity for ionic liquids. While their donor properties can be compared to those of donor phosphines, they have the advantage over phosphines of being stable toward oxidation. 

Due to the high a-C,H acidity in the alkoxyethylidene complexes 6 (e.g.,piCa=8 (R=Me)) [ 16], transformations via an enolate analog are possible and have been used to introduce additional functionality into the carbene side chain to access various Fischer carbene complexes [3]. The a,/J-unsaturated complex 8 could be obtained from 6 (R=Et) by an aldol-type condensation with benzaldehyde 7 in the presence of triethylamine and trimethylsilyl chloride (Scheme 2) [17]. This reaction proceeds completely diastereoselectively to yield only the trans-isomer. Analogously, binuclear complexes have been prepared from 6 and 1,3-and 1,4-phthaldialdehyde in good yields [17]. This type of condensation has... 

Scheme 4 Access to various a,/ -unsaturated carbene complexes from alkynylcarbene complexes 23. A 1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition. B Diels-Alder reaction. C Ene reaction. D [2+2] Cycloaddition. E Michael-type addition followed by cyclization. F Michael-type additions...

This reaction mode of alkynylcarbene complexes of type 23 undoubtedly provides the most convenient access to /J-amino-substituted a,/J-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes 27 (X=NH2, NHR2, NR2). Fischer et al. reported the very first such addition of an amine to an alkynylcarbene complex of type 23 and observed a temperature-dependent competition between 1,4- and 1,2-addition [12]. In a later systematic study, de Meijere et al. found that in addition to the 1,4-addition products 30,1,2-addition-elimination (formal substitution)... 

Diamino-substituted complexes of type 37 were first obtained by Fischer et al. [12] in two steps via the 1,2-addition-elimination product 34 from di-methylamine and 35 (Scheme 6). The (3-aminoallenylidene)chromium complexes 36, which can be prepared either from 33 [47,48] or directly from 35 [33], can also be transformed to l,3-bis(dialkylamino)-substituted complexes of type 37 (e.g., R2=z Pr) by treatment with dimethylamine in excellent yields [33]. Although the complex 37 is accessible by further reaction of the complex 34 with dimethylamine, and 34 itself stems from the reaction of 35 with dimethylamine, the direct transformation of 33 to 37 could not be achieved [12]. In spite of this, heterocyclic carbene complexes with two nitrogens were obtained by reactions of alkynylcarbene complexes 35 with hydrazine [49] and 1,3-diamines [50]. 

The ability of Fischer carbene complexes to transfer their carbene ligand to an electron-deficient olefin was discovered by Fischer and Dotz in 1970 [5]. Further studies have demonstrated the generality of this thermal process, which occurs between (alkyl)-, (aryl)-, and (alkenyl)(alkoxy)carbene complexes and different electron-withdrawing substituted alkenes [6] (Scheme 1). For certain substrates, a common side reaction in these processes is the insertion of the carbene ligand into an olefinic C-H bond [6, 7]. In addition, it has been ob-... 

The reactions of Fischer carbene complexes with 1,3-dienes (carbodienes or heterodienes) lead to the formation of cyclic products with different ring sizes depending upon both the nature of the reaction partners and the reaction conditions. Between these synthetically useful transformations are found [2c+2s], [3C+2S], [4S+1C], [3S+3C], [4S+2C], [4S+3C] and [2S+1C+1C0] cycloaddition reactions which will be summarised further on, in addition to the [2S+1C] cycloaddition processes here described. 

The [3S+1C] cycloaddition reaction with Fischer carbene complexes is a very unusual reaction pathway. In fact, only one example has been reported. This process involves the insertion of alkyl-derived chromium carbene complexes into the carbon-carbon a-bond of diphenylcyclopropenone to generate cyclobutenone derivatives [41] (Scheme 13). The mechanism of this transformation involves a CO dissociation followed by oxidative addition into the cyclopropenone carbon-carbon a-bond, affording a metalacyclopentenone derivative which undergoes reductive elimination to produce the final cyclobutenone derivatives. 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions are a powerful kind of reaction for the preparation of functionalised five-membered heterocycles [42]. In the field of Fischer carbene complexes, the a,/ -unsaturated derivatives have been scarcely used in cyclo additions with 1,3-dipoles in contrast with other types of cyclo additions [43]. These complexes have low energy LUMOs, due to the electron-acceptor character of the pentacarbonyl metal fragment, and hence, they react with electron-rich dipoles with high energy HOMOs. 

The potential of Fischer carbene complexes in the construction of complex structures from simple starting materials is nicely reflected in the next example. Thus, the reaction of alkenylcarbene complexes of chromium and tungsten with cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone enamines allows the di-astereo- and enantioselective synthesis of functionalised bicyclo[3.2.1]octane and bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives [12] (Scheme 44). The mechanism of this transformation is initiated by a 1,4-addition of the C -enamine to the alkenylcarbene complex. Further 1,2-addition of the of the newly formed enamine to the carbene carbon leads to a metalate intermediate which can... 

Seven-membered carbocycles are also available from the reaction of alkenylcarbene complexes of chromium and lithium enolates derived from methyl vinyl ketones [79b] (Scheme 65). In this case, the reaction is initiated by the 1,2-addition of the enolate to the carbene complex. Cyclisation induced by a [1,2]-migration of the pentacarbonylchromium group and subsequent elimination of the metal fragment followed by hydrolysis leads to the final cyclo-heptenone derivatives (Scheme 65). 

S+3C] Heterocyclisations have been successfully effected starting from 4-amino-l-azadiene derivatives. The cycloaddition of reactive 4-amino-1-aza-1,3-butadienes towards alkenylcarbene complexes goes to completion in THF at a temperature as low as -40 °C to produce substituted 4,5-dihydro-3H-azepines in 52-91% yield [115] (Scheme 66). Monitoring the reaction by NMR allowed various intermediates to be determined and the reaction course outlined in Scheme 66 to be established. This mechanism features the following points in the chemistry of Fischer carbene complexes (i) the reaction is initiated at -78 °C by nucleophilic 1,2-addition and (ii) the key step cyclisation is triggered by a [l,2]-W(CO)5 shift. 

Tungsten alkynyl Fischer carbene complexes are excellent dienophile partners in the classical Diels-Alder reaction with 1-azadienes (see Sect. 2.9.2.1). On the contrary, the chromium-derived complexes exhibit a different behaviour and they react through a [4S+3C] heterocyclisation reaction to furnish azepine derivatives [116] (Scheme 68). The reaction is initiated by a 1,2-addition of the nitrogen lone pair to the carbene carbon followed by a [l,2]-Cr(CO)5 shift-pro-... 

Iwasawa et al. also developed a new reaction involving a three-component coupling process which affords five-membered heterocycles. This [2s+2sh-1c] cycloaddition reaction supposes the consecutive addition of an alkynyllithium derivative to a Fischer carbene complex followed by the addition of a third component which can be an aldehyde, an imine, an isocyanate, or C02 [119] (Scheme 74). 

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... 

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