Transition carbonyl compounds, Group

Another synthetic route, capable of giving block copolymers, involves the use of a trichloroacetyl-azo initiator. Indeed, terminal carbon-centred macroradicals are formed upon irradiation of poljmiers having -CX3, -CH2X2, and -CH3X end groups (X = halogen atom) in the presence of carbonyl compounds of transition metals, preferably the manganese and rhenium carbonyls, Mn2(CO)io and Re2(CO)io [141] (Scheme 39) ... 

The chemistry of carbonyl compounds with transition metal compounds is very rich. The paper by J. Bryan and M. Mayer [22] deserves special attention. It reports on a new type of oxidative addition reaction in which a carbonyl double bond is cleaved to form divalent ligands. The final result is an oxoalkylidene complex (Sch. 6). Such complexes are discussed in a mechanistic study of OM mediated by high-valent group 6 catalysts [23]. Three bimolecular chain termination steps, resulting in olefin, carbonyl compound and singlet oxygen, are proposed. 

Three-dimensional potential energy diagrams of the type discussed in connection with the variable E2 transition state theory for elimination reactions can be used to consider structural effects on the reactivity of carbonyl compounds and the tetrahedral intermediates involved in carbonyl-group reactions. Many of these reactions involve the formation or breaking of two separate bonds. This is the case in the first stage of acetal hydrolysis, which involves both a proton transfer and breaking of a C—O bond. The overall reaction might take place in several ways. There are two mechanistic extremes ... 

In the transition state, the torsional strain involving the partially formed bond between the nucleophile and the carbonyl group represents a substantial fraction of the total strain, even when the degree of bonding is low. Thus, in the case of acyclic carbonyl compounds, a staggered conformation is preferred in the transition state (Figure 6). 

With a-alkyl-substituted chiral carbonyl compounds bearing an alkoxy group in the -position, the diastereoselectivity of nucleophilic addition reactions is influenced not only by steric factors, which can be described by the models of Cram and Felkin (see Section 1.3.1.1.), but also by a possible coordination of the nucleophile counterion with the /J-oxygen atom. Thus, coordination of the metal cation with the carbonyl oxygen and the /J-alkoxy substituent leads to a chelated transition state 1 which implies attack of the nucleophile from the least hindered side, opposite to the pseudoequatorial substituent R1. Therefore, the anb-diastereomer 2 should be formed in excess. With respect to the stereogenic center in the a-position, the predominant formation of the anft-diastereomer means that anti-Cram selectivity has occurred. 

R groups in which the C=0 group is conjugated with C=C (1,4-addition can also compete here, cf. p. 200), or with a benzene ring, also exhibit slower addition reactions than their saturated analogues. This is because the stabilisation, through delocalisation, in the initial carbonyl compounds (7 and 8) is lost on proceeding to the adducts (9 and 10), and to the transition states that precede them ... 

As mentioned above, MPVO catalysts are very selective towards carbonyl compounds. Alkenes, alkynes or other heteroatom-containing double bonds are not affected by these catalysts, while they can be reduced by transition-metal catalysts. Examples of the reduction of a,/ -unsaturated ketones and other multifunctional group compounds are compiled in Table 20.3. 

Regarding the first problem, the most elemental treatment consists of focusing on a few points on the gas-phase potential energy hypersurface, namely, the reactants, transition state structures and products. As an example, we will mention the work [35,36] that was done on the Meyer-Schuster reaction, an acid catalyzed rearrangement of a-acetylenic secondary and tertiary alcohols to a.p-unsaturatcd carbonyl compounds, in which the solvent plays an active role. This reaction comprises four steps. In the first, a rapid protonation takes place at the hydroxyl group. The second, which is the rate limiting step, is an apparent 1, 3-shift of the protonated hydroxyl group from carbon Ci to carbon C3. The third step is presumably a rapid allenol deprotonation, followed by a keto-enol equilibrium that leads to the final product. 

Further development of this idea led to the proposal (56) that reactive B=C groups, for instance carbonyl systems, would be able to activate alcohol acceptors AH by generating a related A—B—C—H intermediate (Scheme 8, path I). It seemed that chloral might act as a catalyst along these lines. However, it turned out that the rate of decay in the transition state is too low in all systems tested thus far. Therefore, the carbonyl compound is more or less a substitute for a Lewis acid catalyst, as indicated in Scheme 8, path II. The high reactivity and diastereoselectivity in chloral-catalyzed reactions is attributable to the nitriles used as solvents in these reactions [see Section III.3.b and Ref. (62)]. 

The oxidative carbonylation of amines to give ureas is at present one of the most attractive ways for synthesizing this very important class of carbonyl compounds via a phosgene-free approach. Ureas find extensive application as agrochemicals, dyes, antioxidants, resin precursors, synthetic intermediates (also for the production of carbamates and isocyanates), and HIV-inhibitors. Many transition metals (incuding Au [244], Co [248,253-255], Cu [242], Mn [249,256-258], Ni [259], Rh [246,247,260-262], Ru [224,260,263] and especially Pd [219,225,226,264-276], and, more recently, W [277-283]) as well as main-group elements (such as sulfur [284-286] and selenium [287— 292]) have been reported to promote the oxidative carbonylation of amines, usually under catalytic conditions. In some cases, carbamates and/or oxamides are formed as byproducts, thus lowering the selectivity of the process. 

Dunitz (180) has collected X-ray crystallographic data for carbonyl compounds that possess nucleophilic atoms in proximity to C=0, and has postulated that such molecules can be used as models for the incipient transition state (reaction coordinate) for the nucleophilic addition to carbonyl compounds. Atrop-isomeric compounds have the potential, by providing a variety of such data, for understanding the incipient transition states. For example, the interaction found in the 1,4-dimethoxy-9-(2-acyloxyethyl)triptycenes (130) can be viewed as a model for SN2 type reactions where the acyloxy group is the leaving group and the methoxy is the nucleophile. In an extreme case of this sort, cyclization actually takes place. Such an example has been reported (181). 

As discussed in previous sections, high-valent carbene complexes of early transition metals have ylide-like, nucleophilic character. Some Schrock-type carbene complexes react with carbonyl compounds in the same manner as do phosphorus ylides, namely by converting the carbonyl group into an alkene. 

Rate constants and Arrhenius parameters for the reaction of Et3Si radicals with various carbonyl compounds are available. Some data are collected in Table 5.2 [49]. The ease of addition of EtsSi radicals was found to decrease in the order 1,4-benzoquinone > cyclic diaryl ketones, benzaldehyde, benzil, perfluoro propionic anhydride > benzophenone alkyl aryl ketone, alkyl aldehyde > oxalate > benzoate, trifluoroacetate, anhydride > cyclic dialkyl ketone > acyclic dialkyl ketone > formate > acetate [49,50]. This order of reactivity was rationalized in terms of bond energy differences, stabilization of the radical formed, polar effects, and steric factors. Thus, a phenyl or acyl group adjacent to the carbonyl will stabilize the radical adduct whereas a perfluoroalkyl or acyloxy group next to the carbonyl moiety will enhance the contribution given by the canonical structure with a charge separation to the transition state (Equation 5.24). 

Recently, the oxidative addition of C2-S bond to Pd has been described. Methyl levamisolium triflate reacts with [Pd(dba)2] to give the cationic palladium complex 35 bearing a chiral bidentate imidazolidin-2-ylidene ligand [120]. The oxidative addition of the levamisolium cation to triruthenium or triosmium carbonyl compounds proceeds also readily to yield the carbene complexes [121], The oxidative addition of imidazolium salts is not limited to or d transition metals but has also been observed in main group chemistry. The reaction of a 1,3-dimesitylimidazolium salt with an anionic gallium(I) heterocycle proceeds under formation of the gaUium(III) hydrido complex 36 (Fig. 12) [122]. 

Despite the apparent generality of this Wittig-type process, it must be noted that the reactions of Ph3P=C=PPh3 with transition-metal carbonyl compounds do not always result in the formation of phosphonioacetylide moieties. Thus, replacement of, instead of addition to (see Scheme 24), the CO group has been observed in some... 

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