Chromium alkene reduction

Chromium contributes to organic transformations as reagents. Some examples include chromic acid Qones reagent), chromium acetate for the reduction of carbon-halogen bonds and conversion of ketoximes to ketones, chromyl acetate, chromium perchlorate, chromium sulfate (reduction of allq nes to alkenes), and Jacob s reagent (Cr02Cl2). The catalytic... 

IV. Reduction of Conjugated Alkenes with Chromium (II) Sulfate... 

A few remarkable, but rather uncommon, transfer hydrogenations also deserve mention within the context of this chapter namely, the reduction of alkynes to alkenes using a chromium catalyst, and the reduction of double bonds using diimines. 

The proposed mechanism includes a reductive epoxide opening, trapping of the intermediate radical by a second equivalent of the chromium(II) reagent, and subsequent (3-elimination of a chromium oxide species to yield the alkene. The highly potent electron-transfer reagent samarium diiodide has also been used for deoxygenations, as shown in Scheme 12.3 [8]. 

The first steps involve coordination and cycloaddition to the metal. Insertion of a third molecule of ethene leads to a more instable intermediate, a seven-membered ring, that eliminates the product, 1-hexene. This last reaction can be a (3-hydrogen elimination giving chromium hydride and alkene, followed by a reductive elimination. Alternatively, one alkyl anion can abstract a (3-hydrogen from the other alkyl-chromium bond, giving 1-hexene in one step. We prefer the latter pathway as this offers no possibilities to initiate a classic chain growth mechanism, as was also proposed for titanium [8]. The byproduct observed is a mixture of decenes ( ) and not octenes. The latter would be expected if one more molecule of ethene would insert into the metallocycloheptane intermediate. Decene is formed via insertion of the product hexene into the metallo-cyclopentane intermediate followed by elimination. 

REDUCTION OF CONJUGATED ALKENES WITH CHROMIUM(II) SULFATE DIETHYL SUCCINATE... 

Chromium complexes,163 cationic homogeneous complexes of rhodium164 and ruthenium,165 166 and supported palladium complexes141167 have been found to be extremely selective in reduction of alkynes to cis alkenes ... 

Chromium ions at the surfaces of inorganic oxides are characterized by a wide variability of the oxidation state, coordination number, and local structure. Consequently, Cr-based materials are especially attractive as catalysts. Much is known about the catalytic activity of pure Cr203 for various reactions (469), including polymerization of alkenes (470-472), hydrogenation-dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons (473-481), reduction of NO and decomposition of N2O4 (482), and oxidation of organic compounds (483, 484). 

Whereas Fischer-type chromium carbenes react with alkenes, dienes, and alkynes to afford cyclopropanes, vinylcyclopropanes, and aromatic compounds, the iron Fischer-type carbene (47, e.g. R = Ph) reacts with alkenes and dienes to afford primarily coupled products (58) and (59) (Scheme 21). The mechanism proposed involves a [2 -F 2] cycloaddition of the alkene the carbene to form a metallacyclobutane see Metallacycle) (60). This intermediate undergoes jS-hydride elimination followed by reductive elimination to generate the coupled products. Carbenes (47) also react with alkynes under CO pressure (ca. 3.7 atm) to afford 6-ethoxy-o -pyrone complexes (61). The unstable metallacyclobutene (62) is produced by the reaction of (47) with 2-butyne in the absence of CO. Complex (62) decomposes to the pyrone complex (61). It has been suggested that the intermediate (62) is transformed into the vinylketene complex... 

Vinyl halides represent yet another important class of intermediates in the conversion of ketones to alkenes. The most widely applied conditions for the conversion of ketones into vinyl halides are those developed by Barton et a/. ° for the conversion of 3p-acetoxyandrost-5-ene-17-one into 3P-hydroxyandrosta-5,16-diene (Scheme 44). These conditions of vinyl halide formation and subsequent reduction have been useful in a number of steroid systems for the introduction of a A -carbon-carbon double bond and have been shown to be compatible with such functional groups as alcohols, isolated double bonds and acetals. The scope of vinyl iodide formation from hydrazones has been studied by Pross and Stemhell, and recently the original reaction conditions were improved by using sterically hindered guanidine bases rather than triethylamine. Haloalkenes have also been prepared from the corresponding ketones by treatment with iodoform and chromium chloride or with phosphorous penta-halides. ... 

This methodology has been used for an iterative synthesis of the tricyclopenta-noid hirsutene (6), as outlined in equation (II).2 Two steps in the synthesis involve Conversion of an a-chloro ketone to an alkene. This reaction was accomplished by reduction to a chlorohydrin followed by treatment with chromium(II) perchlorate.3... 

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