Carbenoids copper catalysts

Copper(II) triflate is quite inefficient in promoting cyclopropanation of allyl alcohol, and the use of f-butyl diazoacetate [164/(165+166) = 97/3%] brought no improvement over ethyl diazoacetate (67/6 %)162). If, however, copper(I) triflate was the catalyst, cyclopropanation with ethyl diazoacetate increased to 30% at the expense of O/H insertion (55%). As has already been discussed in Sect. 2.2.1, competitive coordination-type and carbenoid mechanisms may be involved in cyclopropanation with copper catalysts, and the ability of Cu(I) to coordinate efficiently with olefins may enhance this reaction in the intramolecular competition with O/H insertion. 

Aziridines have been synthesized, albeit in low yield, by copper-catalyzed decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate in the presence of an inline 260). It seems that such a carbenoid cyclopropanation reaction has not been realized with other diazo compounds. The recently described preparation of 1,2,3-trisubstituted aziridines by reaction of phenyldiazomethane with N-alkyl aldimines or ketimines in the presence of zinc iodide 261 > most certainly does not proceed through carbenoid intermediates rather, the metal salt serves to activate the imine to nucleophilic attack from the diazo carbon. Replacement of Znl2 by one of the traditional copper catalysts resulted in formation of imidazoline derivatives via an intermediate azomethine ylide261). 

Similar to the intramolecular insertion into an unactivated C—H bond, the intermolecular version of this reaction meets with greatly improved yields when rhodium carbenes are involved. For the insertion of an alkoxycarbonylcarbene fragment into C—H bonds of acyclic alkanes and cycloalkanes, rhodium(II) perfluorocarb-oxylates 286), rhodium(II) pivalate or some other carboxylates 287,288 and rhodium-(III) porphyrins 287 > proved to be well suited (Tables 19 and 20). In the era of copper catalysts, this reaction type ranked as a quite uncommon process 14), mainly because the yields were low, even in the absence of other functional groups in the substrate which would be more susceptible to carbenoid attack. For example, CuS04(CuCl)-catalyzed decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate in a large excess of cyclohexane was reported to give 24% (15%) of C/H insertion, but 40% (61 %) of the two carbene dimers 289). 

Wulfman, D.S., van Thinh, N., McDaniel, R.S., Pierce, B.W., Heitsch, C.W., and Jones, M.T., Metal salt-catalyzed carbenoids. IX. Catalysts in trialkyl phosphite-copper(I) complex catalyzed decomposition of diazomalonic esters in cycloalkenes, ]. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans., 522, 1975. 

There are no mechanistic details known from intermediates of copper, like we have seen in the studies on metathesis, where both metal alkylidene complexes and metallacyclobutanes that are active catalysts have been isolated and characterised. The copper catalyst must fulfil two roles, first it must decompose the diazo compound in the carbene and dinitrogen and secondly it must transfer the carbene fragment to an alkene. Copper carbene species, if involved, must be rather unstable, but yet in view of the enantioselective effect of the ligands on copper, clearly the carbene fragment must be coordinated to copper. It is generally believed that the copper carbene complex is rather a copper carbenoid complex, as the highly reactive species has reactivities very similar to free carbenes. It has not the character of a metal-alkylidene complex that we have encountered on the left-hand-side of the periodic table in metathesis (Chapter 16). Carbene-copper species have been observed in situ (in a neutral copper species containing an iminophosphanamide as the anion), but they are still very rare [9],... 

The metal-catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds has broad applications in organic synthesis [1-8]. Transient metal carbenoids provide important reactive intermediates that are capable of a wide variety of useful transformations, in which the catalyst dramatically influences the product distribution [5]. Indeed, the whole field of diazo compound decomposition was revolutionized in the early 1970s with the discovery that dirhodium tetracarboxylates 1 are effective catalysts for this process [9]. Many of the reactions that were previously low-yielding using conventional copper catalysts were found to proceed with unparalleled efficiency using this particular rhodium catalysis. The field has progressed extensively and there are some excellent reviews describing the breadth of this chemistry [5, 7, 10-17]. 

Carbenoids derived from the aryldiazoacetates are excellent donor/acceptor systems for the asymmetric cyclopropanation reaction [22]. Methyl phenyldiazoacetate 3 cyclopropanation of monosubstituted alkenes catalyzed by Rh2(S-DOSP)4 is highly diaster-eo- and enantioselective (Tab. 14.5) [22]. Higher enantioselectivities can be obtained when these reactions are performed at -78°C, as the catalyst maintains high solubility and activity at this temperature. The phenyldiazoacetate system has been evaluated using many popular rhodium(II) and copper catalysts the rhodium(ll) prolinates have proven to be superior catalysts for this class of carbenoids [37, 38]. 

In contrast to the intermolecular cyclopropanation, the dirhodium tetraprolinates give modest enantioselectivities for the corresponding intramolecular reactions with the do-nor/acceptor carbenoids [68]. For example, the Rh2(S-DOSP)4-catalyzed reaction with al-lyl vinyldiazoacetate 32 gives the fused cyclopropane 33 in 72% yield with 72% enantiomeric excess (Eq. 4) [68]. The level of asymmetric induction is dependent upon the substitution pattern of the alkene cis-alkenes and internally substituted alkenes afford the highest asymmetric induction. Other rhodium and copper catalysts have been evaluated for reactions with vinyldiazoacetates, but very few have found broad utility [42]. 

Carbenoid sources other than those derived from diazo precursors for catalytic cyclopropanation reactions are currently limited. Inter- and intramolecular catalytic cyclopropanation using iodonium ylide have been reported. Simple olefins react with iodonium ylides of the type shown in equations 83 and 84, catalysed by copper catalysts, to give cyclopropane adducts in moderate yield127 128. In contrast to the intermolecular cyclopropanation, intramolecular cyclopropanation using iodonium ylides affords high yields of products (equations 85 and 86). The key intermediate 88 for the 3,5-cyclovitamin D ring A synthon 89 was prepared in 80% yield as a diastereomeric mixture (70 30) via intramolecular cyclopropanation from iodonium ylide 87 (equation 87)1 0. 

Examples are known where intermolecular carbenoid transformations between diazomalonates or certain diazoketones and appropriate olefins result in competition between formation of cyclopropane and products derived from allylic C—H insertion2-4. For example, catalytic decomposition of ethyl diazopyruvate in the presence of cyclohexene gave the 7-ejco-substituted norcarane 93 together with a small amount of the allylic C—H insertion product 94 (equation 95)142 143. In some cases, e.g. rhodium(II) decomposition of a-diazo-j8-ketoester 95, the major pathway afforded C—H insertion products 96 and 97 with only a small amount of the cyclopropane derivative 98. In contrast, however, when a copper catalyst was employed for this carbenoid transformation, cyclopropane 98 was the dominant product (equation 96)144. The choice of the rhodium(II) catalyst s ligand can also markedly influence the chemoselectivity between cyclopropanation and C—H... 

The rhodium(II) catalysts and the chelated copper catalysts are considered to coordinate only to the carbenoid, while copper triflate and tetrafluoioborate coordinate to both the carbenoid and alkene and thus enhance cyclopropanation reactions through a template effect.14 Palladium-based catalysts, such as palladium(II) acetate and bis(benzonitrile)palladium(II) chloride,l6e are also believed to be able to coordinate with the alkene. Some chiral complexes based on cobalt have also been developed,21 but these have not been extensively used. 

Although C—H insertion reactions rarely occur in intermolecular reactions with diazoacetates, these are common side reactions with diazomalonates3132 (equation 10) and diazo ketones (with a-allyl vinyl ethers).33 Several mechanistic pathways are available to generate the products of an apparent direct C—H insertion reaction and these include dipolar intermediates, ir-allyl complexes and ring opening of cyclopropanes.1 Oxidative problems due to the presence of oxygen are common with copper catalysts, but these are rarely encountered with rhodium catalysts except in systems where the carbenoid is ineffectively captured.34... 

The cyclopropanation of alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic compounds by carbenoids generated in the metal-catalyzed decomposition of diazo ketones has found widespread use as a method for carbon-carbon bond construction for many years, and intramolecular applications of these reactions have provided a useful cyclization strategy. Historically, copper metal, cuprous chloride, cupric sulfate, and other copper salts were used most commonly as catalysts for such reactions however, the superior catalytic activity of rhodium(ll) acetate dimer has recently become well-established.3 This commercially available rhodium salt exhibits high catalytic activity for the decomposition of diazo ketones even at very low catalyst substrate ratios (< 1%) and is less capricious than the old copper catalysts. We recommend the use of rhodium(ll) acetate dimer in preference to copper catalysts in all diazo ketone decomposition reactions. The present synthesis describes a typical cyclization procedure. 

Functionalized cyclopropenes are viable synthetic intermediates whose applications [99.100] extend to a wide variety of carbocyclic and heterocyclic systems. However, advances in the synthesis of cyclopropenes, particularly through Rh(II) carboxylate—catalyzed decomposition of diazo esters in the presence of alkynes [100-102], has made available an array of stable 3-cyclopropenecarboxylate esters. Previously, copper catalysts provided low to moderate yields of cyclopropenes in reactions of diazo esters with disubstituted acetylenes [103], but the higher temperatures required for these carbenoid reactions often led to thermal or catalytic ring opening and products derived from vinylcarbene intermediates (104-107). 

Carbene metal complexes are the reactive species in these catalyzed processes and arc known as carbenoids . Copper carbenoids are the most widely used catalysts in the mediation of carbene reactions. During the last decade, however, the use of other metal salts has been particularly beneficial (e.g., Rh.Pd). 

Asymmetric copper catalysts arc less efficient. Low optica) yields were obtained with chiral phosphine liijpinds, and these experimems wctc significant in proving the formation of copper carbenoids rather than free carbenes in the copper catalyzed decomposition of diaio compounds. From a practical point of view, however, the optical yield was too low to be of much interest. The best results with copper catalysts were those obtained by Aratani [36] using complex (36). 

Loss of nitrogen from a diazo compound can be effected by heat, light, or a copper catalyst. This gives either a carbene (heat or light) or a carbenoid (copper). 

An extremely versatile approach to ylides involves the light-promoted or metal-catalyzed generation of carbenes from diazonium salts. In most cases, metal-catalyzed reactions give better yields and cleaner reaction mixtures than do corresponding photolytic techniques (Scheme 16, equation a). A classical example is to be found in penicillin chemistry (Scheme 16, equation b). However, copper catalysts have their limitations in the generation of carbenoid intermediates. These limitations can be largely over-... 

The earliest examples of transition metal carbenoid C-H insertion reactions were carried out with ethyl diazoacetate 13 (EDA) and simple alkanes acting as the reaction solvent. In 1974, Scott and DeCicco reported that CuS04 and CuCl were capable of decomposing EDA in the presence of cyclohexane (14) to generate C-H insertion product 15 [13]. Although these results, along with control experiments, provided proof that the copper catalyst was necessary for the transformation to take place, the maximum yield of the product was only 24%, and dimeric byproducts of the diazo compound dominated, even at high dilution (Scheme 3). 

NH insertions were already known at the time of the exclusive use of copper catalysts for metal-carbene transformations, but, like CH insertions, they became important in synthesis only at the time of growing interest in rhodium catalysts. A breakthrough was the intramolecular carbenoid insertion into the NH bond of azetidin-2-one, catalyzed by [Rh2(OCOCH3)4] (8.127), as it was first described for the synthesis of thienamycin (8.140) by the group of Salzmann (1980) in the Merck laboratories. This synthesis (8-60) opened the way for many related pharmaceutical products of the carbapenem and the carbacephem type (see Maas, 1987, Table 21, p. 201). At an early date, the NH insertion of the parent compound 8.141 was studied... 

As cyclopropenyl esters are formed in analogous reactions of metal carbenoids with alkynes, it may be that the final products are furan derivatives, as it is known (Komendantov et al., 1975) that such rearrangements (8-74) take place easily in the presence of copper catalysts. 

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