Carbocyclizations intramolecular annulation

The platinum-catalysed intramolecular domino annulation reaction of o-alkynylben-zaldehydes has been described as a versatile approach to naphthalenes with annulated carbocycles or heterocycles of various sizes (Scheme 32).94 A plausible mechanism for the platinum(II)-catalysed annulation reaction shows that the double annulation process most probably proceeds through the benzopyrylium cation (117), which results from the nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl oxygen at the alkyne, activated by the Lewis-acidic platinum salt. A subsequent intramolecular Huisgen-type 3 + 2-cycloaddition of the second alkyne is assumed to generate intermediate (118). Rearrangement to (119) and the formal 4 + 2-cycloaddition product (118) leads to the aromatized final (116), liberating the active catalyst. In the case of FeCl3 as the Lewis acid, we assume that intermediate (118) is oxidatively transformed to (121). 

Annelation-ring cleavage.1 A bifunctional reagent with an acetal and an allylsi-lane group can be used for annulation of silyl enol ethers to six- and seven-membered carbocycles (equation I).2 The reaction involves conjugate addition to give an adduct that undergoes intramolecular cyclization. 

Schweitzer has synthesized alkylidene cyclopropanes by Wittig reaction with a cyclopropyl phosphonium salt. If, however, the electrophilic character of the cyclopropane is enhanced by a second acceptor group (e.g. CO2R, SR), suitable nucleophiles are able to attack the three-membered ring. The resulting ylid can form hetero- and carbocycles by an intramolecular Wittig reactionas demonstrated in equations 62 and 63. These annulation reactions have been applied to terpene and alkaloid preparations. 

Related to the Heck reaction is the Larock annulation of internal alkynes, which is a general route to heterocyclic and carbocyclic systems. Especially attractive is the construction of the pharmaceutically important indole ring system via palladium-catalyzed coupling of 2-iodo-aniline and the corresponding V-methyl, acetyl, and tosyl derivatives with a wide variety of internal alkynes. The catalytic process appears to involve arylpalladium formation, regioselective addition to the carbon-carbon triple bond, and subsequent intramolecular palladium displacement.- ... 

Abstract Palladium readily catalyzes the cross-coupling of functionally substituted aryl or vinylic halides and alkynes to afford a wide variety of heterocycles and carbocycles in one efficient step. Terminal alkynes presumably initially generate aryl (vinylic) alkynes, which under the reaction conditions are rapidly cyclized by the palladium or copper salts employed in the first step to produce the final product. Internal alkynes apparently react by carbo-palladation of the alkyne and subsequent intramolecular nucleophilic substitution of the palladium moiety to generate the observed products. A variety of other closely related processes have also been reported, including the simultaneous annulation of alkynes and car-... 

---