Carbenes transfer reactions, silver

The carbene transfer reaction from silver NHC complexes has developed into a standard procedure for the synthesis of NHC complexes. This versatile procedure was introduced by Lin et al. in 1998 [102]. It is based on the preparation of silver NHC complexes which are obtained in good yield by the in situ deprotonation of azolium salts with silver oxide (Fig. 9). Depending on the counter ions present in the azolium salt and the steric demand of the N,N -substituents, complexes 25a-25c... 

The two carbene units can be embedded in a (macro)cyclic ring system known as a cyclophane. A standard procedure for the synthesis of such a system starts with a,a -dibromoxylene and potassium imidazolide [368]. Cychsation can be achieved by reacting the bis-imidazole compound with a second equivalent of a,a -dibromoxylene (see Figure 3.116). The cyclic bis-imidazolium cyclophane can then be reacted with paUadium(II) acetate to form the palladium complex [369,370]. The silver(I) and gold(I) complexes are accessible from the reaction with silver(I) oxide [371] and the usual carbene transfer reaction to gold(I) [372]. 

Although silver-mediated oxidative decarboxylation was known for years, its application in synthetic chemistry was very limited (107-110). Systematic studies of this chemistry and other silver-mediated oxidation chemistry in homogeneous solution is rare. This result may be due to the inherent difficulties in working with silver catalysts, which include sensitivity to ligand environment and relative inertness toward oxidation. However, these drawbacks may be overcome with carefully tuned reaction conditions and/or supporting ligand systems. Some of the recent successes with silver nitrene and carbene-transfer reactions will be discussed in detail in Sections VI and Vll. 

Figure 25. Silver-catalyzed carbene transfer reactions.

A review of silver carbenoid reactions including the Wolff rearrangement, carbene-transfer reactions, aziridination, cyclopropanation, formation and reactions of... 

In spite of the fact that silver(i) X-heterocyclic carbene complexes were widely employed as carbene-transfer reagents for the synthesis of other transition metal carbene complexes, their synthesis could also be achieved by the reaction of silver salts with relatively more labile carbene metal complexes, albeit rare. Complexes 71a-71c were reported to be synthesized from the reaction of the corresponding pentacarbonyl(carbene)chromium(i) complexes with silver(i) hexafluorophosphate in CDC13 under inert atmosphere (Scheme 17).117... 

Silver is often used as a halophile. In the context of six-electron species, the role of silver atoms in carbene, nitrene, and silylene transfer reactions, including aziridination, CH insertion, ring expansion, and silacyclopropanation, has been reviewed.9... 

Following their investigations on nitrene, carbene, and oxo transfer reactions catalyzed by fluorinated silver tris(pyrazoyl)borate (see Chapter 6 on nitrene chemistry), Lovely et al. looked for a combined carbene transfer and [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. On the basis of these mechanistic considerations, these authors showed that diazoacetates, indeed, reacted with allyl halides in the presence of this silver catalyst to give a-halo-y-unsaturated esters (Scheme 3.51).77... 

Of course, oxide is a base and thus it falls under the heading of reactions with basic transition metal compounds, but the silver carbene complexes are usually only synthesised because the silver atom coordinates only weakly and can easily be replaced by another metal of choice. It is therefore known as a carbene transfer agent. 

The obtained amino functionalised imidazolium salts could be used to generate the corresponding palladium(ll) carbene complexes using the silver(l) complexes as carbene transfer agents. Application of these palladium(ll) complexes (predominantly in situ) in asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions between ( )-l,3-diphenylprop-3-enyl acetate and dimethyl malonate (a standard reaction for this catalytic process [145]) gave up to 80% ee,... 

Yang et al. used a similar protocol (an ether functionality supported on a primary alkyl halide carrier) to introduce an acetal on either side of the imidazole ring generating an ether functionalised ionic liquid (IL) imidazolium salt [183] (see Rguie 3.58). The anion could be varied without loss of the IL property (melting point below 1(X) °C) [184]. Synthesis of the transition metal carbene complexes (palladium) was done by carbene transfer ftom the corresponding silver(I) complexes or by reaction with the metal acetate (nickel) [162] (see Figure 3.64). 

The ligand was then used to form a variety of transition metal carbene complexes [207] (see Figure 3.72). Interestingly, more than one method for the formation of transition metal carbene complexes was successfully employed presence of an inorganic base (IC COj) to deprotonate the imidazolium salt and the silver(I) oxide method with subsequent carbene transfer to rhodium(I), iridium(I) and copperfi), respectively. The silver(I) and copper(I) carbene complexes were used for the cyclopropanation of styrene and indene with 1,1-ethanediol diacetate (EDA) giving very poor conversion with silver (< 5%) and qnantitative yields with copper. The diastereomeric ratio (endolexo) was more favonrable with silver than with copper giving almost a pnre diastereomer for the silver catalysed reaction of indene. 

Nielsen et al. have introduced a monoether linked bis-carbene [209] modelled on an amino linked bis-carbene ligand that acts as a C,N,C pincer ligand in a corresponding palladium(II) complex [156]. Synthesis of the ether linked bis-carbene is facile and involves the reaction of the l-co-dichloro-diethylether with 2 equiv. of methylimidazole. Subsequent reaction with silver oxide and carbene transfer to suitable transition metal precursor complexes affords the corresponding complexes (see Figure 3.73). 

Similar carbene complexes of silver(l) and gold(l) are observed when catechole is used as the scaffold. Synthesis of the bis-imidazohum salt follows the established protocol with bis-iodoethyl catechole and A-(l-naphthylmethyl)-imidazole as the starting materials [214], Reaction with silver(l) oxide and subsequent carbene transfer to copper(l) iodide yields the corresponding silver(l) and copper(l) carbene complexes. 

A totally different approach to bis-carbene ligands on a cyclic scaffold comes from Burgess and coworkers [351], They start from AA -dimethyl-l,2-diaminocyclohexane and acetylate this compound with chloroacetic acid chloride. Addition of an N-substituted imidazole yields the chiral bis-imidazolium salt (see Figure 3.110). Reaction with silver(I) oxide and carbene transfer to palladium(II) completes the reaction sequence. 

Even a rod-like backbone derived from acetylene is conceivable and has been realised by Liu et al. [367] starting from l,4-dichlorobutin-2. The usual reaction with methyl imidazole and subsequent reaction with silver(l) oxide and carbene transfer to gold(I) [Au(SEtj)Cl] makes the dimeric silver(I) and gold(l) complexes accessible featuring argentophilic and aurophilic interactions, respectively. 

The simpler architecture is the 1,1 -biphenyl scaffold, likewise introduced by Hoveyda and coworkers [19]. The synthesis of the imidazolium salt starts with a chiral diamine and a substituted, achiral biphenyl [82-84], Subsequent introduction of a Mes substituent on the remaining primary amino end and ring closure reaction yields the chiral saturated imidazolium salt after hydrolysation of the methoxy group to liberate the phenolic hydroxy group (see Figure 4.22). Reaction with silver(I) oxide and carbene transfer to a Grubbs (Hoveyda) catalyst sets up the ruthenium catalyst complex. 

The hydroxy-binaphthyl functionalised saturated imidazolium salt is readily available from 1-amino-I -hydroxy-binaphthyl in a reaction with a ( oc-protected mesitylamine aldehyde [86] (see Figure 4.24). The resulting Schiff base is reduced to the diamine by Na(OAc)3BH. Subsequent deprotection and ring closure reaction with triethyl orthoformate yields the corresponding hydroxy-binaphthyl functionalised saturated imidazolium salt. Reaction with silver(I) carbonate and subsequent carbene transfer to the ruthenium(II) precursor yields the asymmetric olefin metathesis precatalyst. 

A very interesting amido functionahsed carbene was prepared by Legault et al. [116] from A-mesitylimidazole and 0-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydroxylamine, an electrophilic ami-nation reagent [117]. The exo-amino group is subsequently acylated to afford a zwitterionic amido functionalised carbene (see Figure 4.38). Reaction with silver(l) acetate and sodium carbonate [a rare variant of the silver(I) oxide method] yields the silver(l) carbene complex as a dimer with a Ag-Ag bond. The silver(l) carbene complex can be used as a carbene transfer reagent to synthesise the homoleptic monomeric copper(Il) carbene complex. 

Another interesting approach to an NHC ligand with a chiral, bridging wingtip group was introduced by Perry et al. [45] and uses enantiomerically pure 1,2-diamino-cyclohexane as the scaffold. Reaction with chloroacetic acid chloride and subsequently with DIPP-imidazole yields the imidazolium salt that can be reacted with silver(I) oxide [46] to the respective silver(I) NHC complex. Subsequent carbene transfer to palladium(II) renders the chiral palladium(II) carbene transfer that can be used in catalysis (see Figure 5.9). 

One might ask for the rationale behind destroying the versatile and useful (for catalytic reactions) paUadium-allyl bond. Maybe it was to show that the Pd-NHC bond can stand up to these reaction conditions, especially inertness to basic conditions and no carbene transfer from palladium to silver (see above). 

The silyl group-transfer reaction, or the transfer of a silylene or a silylenoid intermediate to an unsaturated C—C bond, is analogous to nitrene and carbene transfers (136). Fewer methods were developed for the silylenoid transfer this is likely due to the difficulty of handling the substrates and products (137). Woerpl and co-workers (138) discovered several silver-catalyzed silylene-transfer reactions, which greatly enriched silylene-transfer chemistry and its applications. 

Silver can mediate oxidation reactions and has shown unique reactivity. In a few cases, namely, nitrene-, carbene-, and silylene-transfer reactions, novel reactivity was found with homogeneous silver catalysts. Some of these reactions are uniquely facilitated by silver, never having been reported with other metals. While ligand-supported silver catalysts were extensively utilized in enantioselective syntheses as Lewis acids, disappointingly few cases were reported with oxidation reactions. Silver-catalyzed oxidation reactions are still underrepresented. Silver-based catalysts are cheaper and less toxic versus other precious metal catalysts. With the input of additional effort, this field will undoubtedly give more promising results. 

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