Conjugated diene complexes isomerization

The preparation of conjugated diene complexes will be presented by groups. In addition, isomerization reactions, or degenerate rearrangements with activation energies >25 kcalmol-1, will be considered in this section. 

Non-conjugated dienes isomerize during complexation to afford tricarbonyliron-coordinated conjugated dienes. This isomerization has been applied to a wide range of substituted cyclohexa-1,4-dienes available by Birch reduction from aromatic... 

Unconjugated dienes form the 1,3-diene complexes after isomerization to conjugated dienes. Formation of the stable conjugated diene complexe is the driving force of the isomerization. For example, the 1,4-diene in the synthetic intermediate 29 of prostaglandin A can be protected as the diene complex 30 after isomerization to the conjugated diene when it is treated with Fe2(CO)9. This method was applied to the synthesis of prostaglandin C (13). The diene complex 30 is stable for the oxidation of the lactol and introduction of the a-chain [7]. 

Conjugated dienes sucb as butadiene and its open-chain analogues can act as 17 ligands the complexes are u.sunlly prepared from melal carbonyl complexes by direct replacement of 2CO by the diene. Isomerization or rearrangement of the diene may occur a.s indicated schematically below ... 

Very often the carbon framework of the future allene is already present in the substrate and often it is propargylic in nature. For example, base-catalyzed isomeriza-tions of acetylenic hydrocarbons - with the triple bond in a non-terminal (40) or terminal position - were often used to prepare allenic hydrocarbons in the early days of allene chemistry [8]. The disadvantage of this approach consists in the thermodynamic instability of the allenes produced if not prohibited for structural reasons, the isomerizations do not stop at the allene but proceed to the more stable conjugated diene stage. In practice, complex mixtures are often formed [9] (see also Chapter 1). 

Other reactions of dienes with metal atoms are only of a limited synthetic use. Dibenzylideneacetone (PhCH=CH—CO—CH=CHPh DBA) reacts with palladium vapor to afford Pd2(DBA)3, a complex in which the coordination is through the two C=C units and does not involve the C=0 (5, 92). Cobalt vapor undergoes an extremely complicated reaction with 1,4-pentadiene, producing pentenes, C5H6, and various polymers as well as the organometallic product, HCo( 1,3-pen tadiene)2, which involves isomerization from a nonconjugated to a conjugated diene (104, 110). 

Kinetic and product studies provide clear evidence for equilibrium between linoleate and conjugated dienes. Carboxylation of both 1,4- and 1,3-diene systems produce carboxyoctadecenoate (1) as the initial product. Carboxylation of 1 produces 1,3- and 1,4-dicarboxyoctadecanoate (2). The 1,3-dicarboxy acids could also arise from double bond isomerization in a Pd complex intermediate of 1. Our results can be explained by a reaction sequence involving both 1,4- and 1,3-diene PdCl(Ph3P)n complex intermediates (Figure 4). 

In a proton NMR experiment in which 1,4-pentadiene was added to a solution of HNi[P(OMe)3]4, it was possible to watch the isomerization of 1,4- to 1,3-pentadiene, followed by formation of l,3-dimethyl-7t-allyl complexes (53). The observation of 7t-allyl products in the reaction of the hydride with the conjugated diene, but not in the ff-alkyl intermediates involved in isomerization, illustrates the much greater stability of zr-allyl complexes of nickel compared to tr-alkyls, a feature which is also observed in the hydrocyanation reactions. 

In this method, lipid samples are first dissolved in dry toluene, then treated with sodium methoxide, an alkaline catalyst. Fatty acids in complex lipids are then transesterified to form their corresponding methyl esters. This is a relatively mild reaction and does not produce isomerization of conjugated dienes. The limitation of this method is that, unlike the BF3 method (see Basic Protocol 1), free fatty acids are not methylated and the procedure requires more time and glassware. 

The formulas of 37-39 show the substitution of three carbonyls by a conjugated diene. Due to the fact that dienes are four-electron donors, the complexes are electron-deficient species. The electron deficiency is reduced by formation of C—H—Cr three-center, two-electron bonds, previously found for a number of other complexes (43). When 2-methyl-5-isopropyl-l,3-cyclohexadiene is used as a potential ligand, the expected complexes 37r and 39r are not obtained, but instead complexes with the isomeric l-methyl-4-isopropyl-l,3-cyclohexadiene group (37r and 39r ) are formed [Eq. (19)]. Similarly, lk and 11 form not only the corresponding complexes 39k and 391, but also the isomeric complexes with (Z)-l,3-hexadiene (39k ) and with (Z)-2-methyl-1,3-pentadiene (391 ). 

Even non-conjugated di-olefins may be used in these systems as precursors for the (conjugated diene)metallocene synthesis. They become isomerized under the reaction conditions at the bent metallocene system.81 Even vinylcyclopropanes yield the corresponding (l,3-diene)metallocene complexes when treated with the reagent 71. The three-membered ring is readily opened under the typical reaction conditions.82... 

Isomerism in conjugated diene polymers is a considerably more complex phenomenon than that encountered in a-olefin polymers. 

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