Carbene-olefin cyclization

This process intercepted the vinyl ether intermediate from the existing bulk route in 24% overall yield and is highlighted by a crystallization driven diastereoselective condensation, an intramolecular cyclization that controlled the selectivity of the glycosidation, and by a selective Hoffman elimination. It also addressed the main objectives BSCA was removed from the process, the cryogenic step that utilized lithium tri-5ec-butylborohydride had been circumvented, and a dimethyl titanium carbene olefination was not required. However, this was not viewed as the ultimate manufacturing route. A limitation was that the sequence was lengthy and it incorporated a large number of operations. 

The stereochemistry of the ring product (17) was rationalized in terms of the attraction and repulsion between the involved substituents98. The accompanying olefins may be formed via carbene intermediates (arising from a-elimination of S02 from sulfene), and the intermediacy of thiadiazoline dioxide (from sulfene and diazoalkane) explains the formation of the ketazine side-products. Thiadiazoline, on its part, may be formed directly by the cyclization of zwitterion 101. 

In turn, the propensity of 1 to respond to steric hindrance can be used to control the site of initiation of an RCM reaction in a polyene substrate (Scheme 9) [20]. Thus, dienyne 25 reacts with the catalyst regioselectively at the least substituted site the evolving ruthenium carbene 26 undergoes a subsequent enyne metathesis leading to a new carbene 27, which is finally trapped by the disubsti-tuted olefin to afford the bicyclo[4.4.0]decadiene product 28. By simply reversing the substitution pattern of the double bonds, the complementary bicyclo [5.3.0] compound 32 is formed exclusively, because the cyclization cascade is then triggered at the other end of the substrate. Note that in both examples tri-substituted olefins are obtained by means of a ruthenium based metathesis catalyst [20] ... 

Dehydrocyclization, 30 35-43, 31 23 see also Cyclization acyclic alkanes, 30 3 7C-adsorbed olefins, 30 35-36, 38-39 of alkylaromatics, see specific compounds alkyl-substituted benzenes, 30 65 carbene-alkyl insertion mechanism, 30 37 carbon complexes, 32 179-182 catalytic, 26 384 C—C bond formation, 30 210 Q mechanism, 29 279-283 comparison of rates, 28 300-306 dehydrogenation, 30 35-36 of hexanes over platintim films, 23 43-46 hydrogenolysis and, 23 103 -hydrogenolysis mechanism, 25 150-158 iridium supported catalyst, 30 42 mechanisms, 30 38-39, 42-43 metal-catalyzed, 28 293-319 n-hexane, 29 284, 286 palladium, 30 36 pathways, 30 40 platinum, 30 40 rate, 30 36-37, 39... 

The reductive cyclization of readily available enol phosphates of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds bearing pendant olefinic units has been explored [66,67]. The chemistry is exceptionally interesting, and provides a unique route to structures possessing a cyclopropyl unit which is suitable for structural elaboration. The reaction occurs in a manner wherein the phosphate-bearing carbon behaves like a carbene that adds to the pendant alkene to form a cyclopropane. While this provides a useful way of viewing the transformation, mechanistic studies indicate that a carbene is not an actual intermediate. Examples are portrayed in Table 11. 

In addition to reactions characteristic of carbonyl compounds, Fischer-type carbene complexes undergo a series of transformations which are unique to this class of compounds. These include olefin metathesis [206,265-267] (for the use as metathesis catalysts, see Section 3.2.5.3), alkyne insertion, benzannulation and other types of cyclization reaction. Generally, in most of these reactions electron-rich substrates (e.g. ynamines, enol ethers) react more readily than electron-poor compounds. Because many preparations with this type of complex take place under mild conditions, Fischer-type carbene complexes are being increasingly used for the synthesis [268-272] and modification [103,140,148,273] of sensitive natural products. 

Particularly interesting is the reaction of enynes with catalytic amounts of carbene complexes (Figure 3.50). If the chain-length between olefin and alkyne enables the formation of a five-membered or larger ring, then RCM can lead to the formation of vinyl-substituted cycloalkenes [866] or heterocycles. Examples of such reactions are given in Tables 3.18-3.20. It should, though, be taken into account that this reaction can also proceed by non-carbene-mediated pathways. Also Fischer-type carbene complexes and other complexes [867] can catalyze enyne cyclizations [267]. Trost [868] proposed that palladium-catalyzed enyne cyclizations proceed via metallacyclopentenes, which upon reductive elimination yield an intermediate cyclobutene. Also a Lewis acid-catalyzed, intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition of, e.g., acceptor-substituted alkynes to an alkene to yield a cyclobutene can be considered as a possible mechanism of enyne cyclization. 

Sames et al. have reported the intramolecular cyclization of alkene-amide substrates catalyzed by [Ir(COE)2Cl]2 and the A-heterocyclic carbene ligand, N, A -bis-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-imidazolyl, via olefin insertion following oxidative addition of an sp C-H bond (Scheme 11) [117]. 

A novel route to 2,3-dihydrothiophenes involved a titanocene-promoted carbene formation and subsequenct intramolecular cyclization onto a thiol ester <99SL1029>. Treatment of thioacetal 9 with the low-valent titanium complex 10 gave 2,3-dihydrothiophene 12 by intramolecular olefination of the thiol ester of titanium-carbene intermediate 11. Another metal-mediated cyclization onto the thiophene ring system involved the palladium-catalyzed cyclization of 1,6-diynes <99T485>. For example, treatment of thioether 1,6-diyne 13 with Pdlj in the presence of CO and Oj in methanol followed by treatment with base gave 14. 

The cyclization of this key intermediate to the fully protected conduritol F derivative 19 showcases the different performance of the standard metathesis catalysts. Despite the excellent track record of the original Grubbs benzylidene carbene complex 2 (7) for the cyclization of 6-membered rings, compound 18 reacts poorly with this particular catalyst in refluxing CH2C12, leading to only 32% conversion after 60h reaction time. This reluctance is likely caused by the preference of diene 18 to adopt a zig-zag-conformation holding the olefin units far apart. 

Many substituted carbenes have been prepared in situ by heating the tolyl hydrazones of aldehydes and ketones with alkali in aprotic solvents. Intermediates are diazo compounds which then decompose thermally to give nitrogen and a carbene. In the carbene, a-H or a-R migration readily occurs to give an olefin product and some intramolecular cyclization is observed. If no a-H or a-R are available, possible fates of the carbene include dimerization, insertion, and addition to the substrate. Some examples are... 

As with all polycondensation reactions, the formation of cychc ohgomers by ADMET is possible and has been demonstrated in a variety of cases [31-33]. This occurs by intramolecular back-biting metathesis of an active metal carbene with an internal olefin of the polymer (Scheme 6.5) to hberate cyclooctadiene, for example, from ADMET polybutadiene, although larger cychcs have also been observed. A related undesired cyclization is the intramolecular cyclization of the monomer by RCM. 

In analogy with the carbenoid 1,1-cyloadditions of nitrile ylides (Section II,B), nitrilimines can undergo intramolecular cyclizations to give 1,2-diazepines or cyclopropa[c]cinnolines (Eq. 41).197 The latter compounds are formed stereospecifically, thus supporting a concerted carbene-like 1,1-addition of the nitrilimine to the olefinic double bond.197a... 

However, evidence opposing the intermediacy of a carbene species in the Corey-Winter olefin synthesis also exists.3 Thermal decomposition of hydrazone salt 14, which is proposed to proceed via carbene 12, leads to a mixture of products 13, 15, and 16.7 Thus, an alternative mechanism has been proposed for the Corey-Winter reaction that invokes a phosphorus ylide. In this mechanistic scenario, initial reaction of thionocarbonate 10 with trimethylphosphite affords zwitterion 11. Cyclization generates... 

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