Carbenes, cyclopropenes

The majority of preparative methods which have been used for obtaining cyclopropane derivatives involve carbene addition to an olefmic bond, if acetylenes are used in the reaction, cyclopropenes are obtained. Heteroatom-substituted or vinyl cydopropanes come from alkenyl bromides or enol acetates (A. de Meijere, 1979 E. J. Corey, 1975 B E. Wenkert, 1970 A). The carbenes needed for cyclopropane syntheses can be obtained in situ by a-elimination of hydrogen halides with strong bases (R. Kdstcr, 1971 E.J. Corey, 1975 B), by copper catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds (E. Wenkert, 1970 A S.D. Burke, 1979 N.J. Turro, 1966), or by reductive elimination of iodine from gem-diiodides (J. Nishimura, 1969 D. Wen-disch, 1971 J.M. Denis, 1972 H.E. Simmons, 1973 C. Girard, 1974),... 

The same dichotomy was observed with hexafluorodimethylcarbene (228), formed by thermolysis of diazirine (227) at 150 °C. The carbene (228) can stabilize itself either intramolecularly to perfluoropropene (229), or intermolecularly by addition to multiple bonds. Oxirane (230) is formed with hexafluoroacetone, cyclopropene (231) with 2-butyne (66MI50800). 

Various carbene-transfer reactions can be used with both electron-rich and electron-poor alkynes to make fluorinated cyclopropenes [9. 13, 79, 80, 81, 82] (Table 4). Haloacetylenes are too thermally unstable for most cycloaddition conditions, and simple fluorinated cyclopropenes are made by other methods [32, 45, 83, 84] (equations 30-32). 

Triple-bond compounds react with carbenes to give cyclopropenes, except that in the case of acetylene itself, the cyclopropenes first formed cannot be isolated because they rearrange to allenes. Cyclopropenones (p. 58) are obtained by hydrolysis of dihalocyclopropenes. ... 

Whereas the Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed addition of diazoalkanes to propargyl alcohols readily gives the insertion of the carbene into the 0-H bond, with only a small amoimt of cyclopropenation of the resulting propargylic ether [54] the 2-diazopropane 59 reacts at 0 °C with l,l-diphenyl-2-propyn-l-ol 62a in dichloromethane and exclusively gives, after 10 h of reaction, only the adduct 63a isolated in 75% yield and corresponding to the regioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the 2-diazopropane to the alkyne C - C bond (Scheme 15). 

Products of a so-called vinylogous Wolff rearrangement (see Sect. 9) rather than products of intramolecular cyclopropanation are generally obtained from P,y-unsaturated diazoketones I93), the formation of tricyclo[2,1.0.02 5]pentan-3-ones from 2-diazo-l-(cyclopropene-3-yl)-l-ethanones being a notable exception (see Table 10 and reference 12)). The use of Cu(OTf), does not change this situation for diazoketone 185 in the presence of an alcoholl93). With Cu(OTf)2 in nitromethane, on the other hand, A3-hydrinden-2-one 186 is formed 160). As 186 also results from the BF3 Et20-catalyzed reaction in similar yield, proton catalysis in the Cu(OTf)2-catalyzed reaction cannot be excluded, but electrophilic attack of the metal carbene on the double bond (Scheme 26) is also possible. That Rh2(OAc)4 is less efficient for the production of 186, would support the latter explanation, as the rhodium carbenes rank as less electrophilic than copper carbenes. 

Cycloaddition of the carbene chromium complexes 97 with CO incorporation provides a versatile method for naphthol synthesis, in which the metallacy-clic intermediates 99 are involved [47]. An alternative entry to 101 is achieved by metal carbonyl-catalyzed rearrangement of the cyclopropenes 98 via the same metalla-cyclobutenes 99 and vinylketene complexes 100 [52], Mo(CO)6 shows a higher activity than Cr(CO)6 and W(CO)6. The vinylketene complex 103 is formed by the regioselective ring cleavage of 1,3,3-trimethylcyelopropene 102 with an excess of Fe2(CO)9 [53]. (Scheme 35 and 36)... 

The intramolecular addition of alkynyl-substituted a-diazoketones is catalyzed by Rh2(OAc)4 to give transient cyclopropenes, which spontaneously rearrange to vinylogous a-keto carbene intermediates for further carbon-skeleton transformations [54]. 

The theoretically interesting phenyl hydroxy cyclopropenone (57) was prepared by Famums1, s2 according to the general principle of cyclopropene ring closure developed by Closss3) from 53 via the vinyl carbene 54 and phenyl trichloro cyclopropene (55). 

The carbene obtained by heating compound 68 with DMAD at first gave a cyclopropene derivative, which underwent further transformations (z/rro-substitution and cyclization) to afford tricyclic product 69 in 40% yield <1999TL1483>. The thermolysis carried out in the presence of ArCH=C(CN)2 and DMAD used in excess led to the formation of highly functionalized cyclopentene derivatives 70 <2003TL5029, 2005TL201>. 

The ratio of isomeric ethers is strongly affected by polar substituents which induce an asymmetric distribution of charge in allylic cations. Photolysis of methyl 2-diazo-4-phenyl-3-butenoate (20) in methanol produced 24 in large excess over 25 as the positive charge of 22 resides mainly a to phenyl (Scheme 8).19 As would be expected, proton transfer to the electron-poor carbene 21 proceeds reluctantly intramolecular addition with formation of the cyclopropene... 

The elusive diazoalkenes 6 and 14 are unlikely to react with methanol as their basicity should be comparable to that of diphenyldiazomethane. However, since the formation of diazonium ions cannot be rigorously excluded, the protonation of vinylcarbenes was to be confirmed with non-nitrogenous precursors. Vinyl-carbenes are presumedly involved in photorearrangements of cyclopropenes.21 In an attempt to trap the intermediate(s), 30 was irradiated in methanol. The ethers 32 and 35 (60 40) were obtained,22 pointing to the intervention of the al-lylic cation 34 (Scheme 10). Protonation of the vinylcarbene 31 is a likely route to 34. However, 34 could also arise from protonation of photoexcited 30, by way of the cyclopropyl cation 33. The photosolvolysis of alkenes is a well-known reaction which proceeds according to Markovnikov s rule and is, occasionally, associated with skeletal reorganizations.23 Therefore, cyclopropenes are not the substrates of choice for demonstrating the protonation of vinylcarbenes. 

Vinylcarbene is known to close to cyclopropene.59 The reverse reaction is also possible Triplet-propene-l,3-diyl (frans-T-33 ) can be generated from cyclopropene 32 by irradiation in a bromine-doped xenon matrix at 10 K 1-methylcyclopropene (34) yields triplet-2-butene-l,3-diyl (Iruns-T-SS ).60-62 The concentration of 35 under these conditions is high enough to be able to detect this diradical IR spectroscopically. The experiments suggest that even the parent vinyl carbene 33 is detectable.61,62 Calculations ((U)B3LYP/6-31G )61,62 not only allow the comparison of theoretical and experimental IR spectra but also... 

A further proof for the structure of 3a is the independent synthesis of this cyclopropene via intramolecular addition of a carbene carbon atom to the triple... 

The methyl substitution in carbenes lb-d has a pronounced influence on the yield of the bicyclic isomers 3 24,74 Thus, visible light irradiation of the 2,6-dimethylated carbene lb rapidly and with very high yield produces the cyclopropene 3b (Scheme 7).The yield is significantly higher than in the case of the parent system 3a. In contrast, methyl substitution in 3-position as in lc drastically reduces the yield of the cyclopropene 3c to approximately 10%. 

Rearrangement of the 3,5-dimethylated carbene Id would yield the destabilized cyclopropene 3d with a methyl group in the bridgehead position 1, and consequently no detectable amount of cyclopropene 3d is formed during irradiation of Id. Indeed, whereas the 3,5-dimethyl substituted carbene Id is 3.4 kcal mol-1 more stable than the 2,6-dimethyl isomer lb, the stability is reversed for the cyclopropenes, as 3d is found to be 6.5 kcal mol-1 higher in energy than 3b at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory (Table 3). 

Compared to the parent system 3a, the barrier for formation of 3d is the highest in this series whereas the formation of 3b should be the most facile according to our computations. Although the reactions of carbenes la-c are initiated photochemically, the observed reactivity seems to be in line with the computed ground state properties. Thus, while methyl substitution in 3-and 5-position inhibits the vinylcarbene-cyclopropene rearrangement, methyl substitution in 2- and 6-position has the opposite effect. 

Fig. 5). A photochemical activation (irradiation into the visible absorption of carbene 18) is required to induce the ring-closure to the spiro-cyclopropene 19. Both 18 and 19 could be identified by comparison of the experimental with DFT-calculated IR spectra. 

The matrix photochemistry of 2n24 and 2o92 is completely analogous to that of 2a. The primary irreversible loss of nitrogen from 2 produces carbenes 1 in photostationary equilibria with cyclopropenes 3 (Scheme 15). The relative amounts of 1 and 3 formed in the matrix depends very much on the wavelength used for the irradiation. Both carbenes In and lo were chemically identified by oxygen trapping. UV irradiation (248 nm) of In produces a mixture of indeneketene 21, CO, and indenylidene 22 (Scheme 14). 

Carbene Is proved to be photolabile, and long-wavelength irradiation (A. > 515 nm) results in the irreversible formation of the strained cyclopropene 3s. The methyl shift to give p-xylene, which is energetically much more favorable, is not... 

Carbene lv is photolabile, and 400 nm irradiation produces a mixture of products.108 By comparison with calculated IR spectra the major product was identified as cyclopropene 3v. The formation of 3v is irreversible, and it cannot be thermally (by annealing the matrix) nor photochemically converted back to carbene lv. The lv -> 3v rearrangement is calculated (B3LYP/6-31G(d) + ZPE) to be endothermic by only 5.4 kcal/mol with an activation barrier of 18.2 kcal/mol. Due to the two Si-C bonds in the five-membered ring of 3v this cyclopropene is less strained than 3s, which is reflected by the smaller destabilization relative to carbene lv. The thermal energy available at temperatures below 40 K is much too low to overcome the calculated barrier of 12.8 kcal/mol for the rearrangement of 3v back to lv, and consequently 3v is stable under the conditions of matrix isolation. 

The two-step process, depicted by path b, involves initial addition of the carbene carbon to an adjacent it bond to form bicyclo[4.1,0]hepta-2,4,6-triene (2a). This process has precedent in the analogous rearrangement of vinylcar-bene to cyclopropene (Scheme 6),lc18 and is supported by Gaspar s work on 1-cyclohexenylcarbene.17 In the second step of the mechanism in Scheme 5, subsequent six-electron electrocyclic ring opening of 2a yields the cyclic allene 3a. 

Welter, W., Hartmann, A., and Regitz, M., Isomerization reaction of phospho-ryl-vinyl-carbenes to phosphorylated cyclopropenes, acetylenes, indenes, and 1,3-butadienes, Chem. Ber., Ill, 3068, 1978. 

In addition to the ring opening of cyclopropenes noted above, vinylketene complexes 103 have been prepared by (1) ligand initiated carbonyl insertion of vinyl carbene complexes 104 and (2) benzoylation of ,/3-unsaturalcd acyl ferrates 105 (Scheme 20)114. X-ray diffraction analysis of these vinylketene complexes indicates that the structure may be best represented as a hybrid between an /j4-dicnc type complex (103) and an jj3-allyl r/1 acyl complex (106). The Fe-Cl distance (ca 1.92 A) is shorter than the Fe-C2, Fe-C3, or Fe-C4 distances (ca 2.1-2.2 A)113a-C. In addition, the C—C—O ketene array is not linear (bend angle ca 135°). 

The most common method for the generation of the metal alkylidene species seems to be a-elimination from an intermediate dialkyl-metal species. This procedure gives the most active catalysts. Above we mentioned the addition of other carbene precursors, which leads to active catalysts. Other methods to generate the metal alkylidene species involve alkylidene transfer from phosphoranes [16] or ring-opening of cyclopropenes [17], In Chapter 16.4 we will describe a few compounds that are active by themselves as metathesis catalysts. 

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