Cascade reactions carbon nucleophiles

Base-catalyzed hydration of conjugated carbonyls, followed by retro-aldol fragmentation has been a common strategy for studying the reaction cascade (1-4). The kinetically important step in the base-catalyzed hydration of an alpha/beta unsaturated carbonyl is similar to a nucleophilic substitution reaction at carbon 3. The reaction cascade proceeds rapidly from the conjugated carbonyl through its hydration and subsequent fragmentation. 

It is very well known that jr-allyl palladium complex 1, which is a key intermediate for the Tsuji-Trost type allylation, has an electrophilic character and reacts with nucleophiles to afford the corresponding allylation products. We discovered that bis 7r-allyl palladium complex 2 is nucleophilic and reacts with electophiles such as aldehydes [27] and imines [28-32] (Scheme 2, Structure 2). We have also shown that bis 7r-allyl palladium complex 2 can act as an amphiphilic catalytic allylating agent it reacts with both nucleophilic and electrophilic carbons at once to produce double allylation products [33]. These complexes incorporate two allyl moieties that can bind with different hapticity to palladium (Scheme 3). The different complexes may interconvert by ligand coordination. The complexes 2a, 2b and 2c are called as r]3,r]3-bisallypalladium complex (also called bis-jr-allylpalladium complex), r)l,r)3-bis(allyl)palladium complex, -bis(allyl)palladium complex, respectively. Bis zr-allyl palladium complex 2 can easily be generated by reaction of mono-allylpalladium complex 1 and allylmetal species 3 (Scheme 4) [33-36]. Because of the unique catalytic activities of the bis zr-allyl palladium complex 2, a number of interesting cascade reactions appeared in the literature. The subject of the present chapter is to review some recent synthetic and mechanistic aspects of the interesting palladium catalyzed cascade reactions which in-... 

Silyl allenes such as 48 and enol acetates such as 50 were particularly effective substrates for these reactions. The oxidative cascade reaction of trisubstituted alkene substrate 52 demonstrated a powerful application of ETIC chemistry to form bicycle 53 through consecutive carbon-carbon and carbon-oxygen bond construction. Highly diastereoselective reactions were observed when the nucleophile was... 

Intramolecular termination by carbon nucleophiles has been achieved with dialkyl malonate moieties. These cascade reactions, developed essentially by Balme, Gore, and colleagues, open an avenue especially to variously substituted methylenecyclopentane derivatives (Scheme 19,and Sect. V.3.4). 

Other Cascades Initiated by Michael Reactions Using Stabilized Carbon Nucleophiles... 

This Pd-catalyzed cascade bis-cyclization reaction can also be applied to trans linear substrates 40 and 41. It was possible to effect either 5-exo or 6-endo cyclizalion selectively by an appropriate choice of the electron-withdrawing substituents of the nucleophile, as illustrated in Scheme 20. Ero-cyclizations were observed when sterically encumbered nucleophiles were employed. Cyclopentanes were obtained as a result of steric interactions between the nucleophile and one of the allylic hydrogens of the linear substrate. Endo-cyclizations leading to trani-octahydrophenanthrene were the only reactions observed when less sterically demanding nucleophiles were employed. Notably, these cyclizations proceed in a completely stereoselective trans manner. Attack of the carbon nucleophile onto a double bond electrophilicaUy activated by the palladium species results in a trans configuration of the fused ring junction. This stereochemistry is defined by that of the double bond in the initial substrate the relative configuration of compound 42 or 43 is hereby controlled. 

A combination of Michael addition, Mannich reaction, and intramolecular condensation allowed Xu and coworkers to get a quite facile access to tetrahydropyridines 165 with C3 all-carbon quaternary stereocenters in moderate yields and good optical purity (up to 74% ee) [79], The developed organocatalytic enantioselective multicomponent cascade reaction relies on the catalytic ability of the simple (5)-proline (1) that quickly reacts with the intermediate A, generated in turn via a Knoevenagel reaction between the p-ketoester 91 and formaldehyde 65. The resnlting iminium ion B undergoes the nucleophilic attack of a second moiety of p-ketoester 91 prodncing the Michael adduct D. Such intermediate enamine is then involved in the Mannich reaction with the imine E (dne to the in situ condensation between primary amine 51 and formaldehyde 65) to furnish the advanced intermediate F, which after an intramolecular condensation releases the (5)-proline (1), and the desired prodnct 165 (Scheme 2.52). 

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