Chromium template

Because of the strongly electron-withdrawing character of the Cr(CO)5 unit, the reaction with alkynes to hydroquinone and phenol derivatives [35-37] (Dotz reaction) is possible according to Scheme 6 (see also Chap. 4 Chromium -templated Benzannulation Reactions ). 

Aryl- and alkenylcarbene complexes are known to react with alkynes through a [3C+2S+1C0] cycloaddition reaction to produce benzannulated compounds. This reaction, known as the Dotz reaction , is widely reviewed in Chap. Chromium-Templated Benzannulation Reactions , p. 123 of this book. However, simple alkyl-substituted carbene complexes react with excess of an alkyne (or with diynes) to produce a different benzannulated product which incorporates in its structure two molecules of the alkyne, a carbon monoxide ligand and the carbene carbon [128]. As referred to before, this [2S+2SH-1C+1C0] cycloaddition reaction can be carried out with diyne derivatives, showing these reactions give better yields than the corresponding intermolecular version (Scheme 80). 

DOtz KH, Wenzel B, Jahr HC (2004) Chromium-Templated Benzannulation and Hapto-tropic Metal Migration. 248 63-103... 

Mikami M, Hatano M, Akiyama K (2005) Active Pd(II) Complexes as Either Lewis Acid Catalysts or Transition Metal Catalysts. 14 279-322 Minatti A, DOtz KH (2004) Chromium-Templated Benzannulation Reactions. 13 123-156 Miura M, Satoh T (2005) Catalytic Processes Involving b-Carbon Elimination. 14 1-20 Miura M, Satoh T (2005) Arylation Reactions via C-H Bond Cleavage. 14 55-84 Mizobe Y, see Hidai M (1999) 3 227-241... 

Chromium-Templated Benzannulation and Haptotropic Metal Migration... 

Heinrich Dotz, from the Kekule-Institut (a predestined name ) of the University of Bonn, is another famous chemist who has given his name to a reaction. Coming from E. O. Fischer s school, he advantageously exploited his serendipitous discovery of the very rich reactivity of Fischer-type carbene complexes in synthesizing polycydic arene derivatives. This chromium-templated carbene benzannulation approach to densely functionalized arenes (Dotz reaction) is the subject of the chapter (No. 8) that he has co-authored with J. Stendel Jr. 

The Chromium-Templated Carbene Benzannulation Approach to Densely Functionalized Arenes (Dotz Reaction)... 

Scheme 2. Connectivity in the chromium-templated benzannulation reaction.

The mechanism of the benzannulation reaction involves the stepwise construction of the aromatic ring within the coordination sphere of the chromium template (Scheme 3). This idea is strongly supported by experimental evidence for model intermediates and by theoretical calculations [9] highlighting the course of the reaction (see below). 

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