Copper intermediate reductive elimination

Secondary bromides and tosylates react with inversion of stereochemistry, as in the classical SN2 substitution reaction.24 Alkyl iodides, however, lead to racemized product. Aryl and alkenyl halides are reactive, even though the direct displacement mechanism is not feasible. For these halides, the overall mechanism probably consists of two steps an oxidative addition to the metal, after which the oxidation state of the copper is +3, followed by combination of two of the groups from the copper. This process, which is very common for transition metal intermediates, is called reductive elimination. The [R 2Cu] species is linear and the oxidative addition takes place perpendicular to this moiety, generating a T-shaped structure. The reductive elimination occurs between adjacent R and R groups, accounting for the absence of R — R coupling product. 

The mechanism of carbometallation has been explored computationally.77 The reaction consists of an oxidative addition to the triple bond forming a cyclic Cu(m) intermediate. The rate-determining step is reductive elimination to form a vinyl magnesium (or zinc) reagent, which then undergoes transmetallation to the alkenyl-copper product. 

A general mechanistic description of the copper-promoted nucleophilic substitution involves an oxidative addition of the aryl halide to Cu(I) followed by collapse of the arylcopper intermediate with a ligand transfer (reductive elimination).140... 

Cu(0) species. Alternatively, the Cu(n) species may first undergo oxidation by an external oxidant (or internal redox process) to a Cu(m) intermediate, and then undergo reductive elimination to provide the product and a Cu(i) species. Re-oxidation to Cu(n) would then, in theory, complete the catalytic cycle, but in practice, most reactions of this type have been performed with stoichiometric amounts of the copper reagent. 

Evans suggests that the catalyst resting state in this reaction is a 55c Cu alkene complex 58, Scheme 4 (35). Variable temperature NMR studies indicate that the catalyst complexes one equivalent of styrene which, in the presence of excess alkene, undergoes ready alkene exchange at ambient temperature but forms only a mono alkene-copper complex at -53°C. Addition of diazoester fails to provide an observable complex. These workers invoke the metallacyclobutane intermediate 60 via a formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition from copper carbenoid alkene complex 59. Formation of 60 is the stereochemistry-determining event in this reaction. The square-planar S Cu(III) intermediate 60 then undergoes a reductive elimination forming the cyclopropane product and Complex 55c-Cu, which binds another alkene molecule. 

Similar models explain the 1,8-, 1,10- and 1,12-addition reactions to the extended Michael acceptors 91, 93 and 95, respectively (Schemes 2.32 and 2.33). Again, these transformations start with the formation of a cuprate Jt-complex at the double bond neighbouring the acceptor group [61a]. Subsequently, an equilibrating mixture of a-copper(III) intermediates is presumably formed and the regioselectivity of the reaction may then be governed by the different relative rates of the reductive elimination step of these intermediates. Consequently, the exclusive formation of allenic prod-... 

A theoretical study of the 5 n2 reaction of MeBr with MeaCuLi.LiCl has addressed two mechanistic possibilities a simple S 2 reaction with the carbon nucleophile (eq. 4) and the S 2 reaction with the copper atom (followed by rapid reductive elimination of a triallylcopper(III) intermediate in a manner which forms only the cross-coupling product RR ) (eq. 5). ... 

Density functional calculations, incorporating clusters with and without solvent coordination to lithium and/or copper, reveal that the 5 n2 transition state always features inversion and retention at the electrophilic and nucleophilic centres, respectively. This transition state (100) is such that the carbons of the three alkyl groups are in a different electronic and spatial environment thus, the formation of RR, rather than RR, is governed by the transition state (101) for the reductive elimination reaction of the Cu(II) intermediate. 

A complete set of 13C kinetic isotope effects determined (by a natural abundance CMR method) for addition of lithium dibutylcuprate to cyclohexenone, in THF at —78°C, have been shown to be consistent with those calculated theoretically for ratedetermining reductive elimination from an intermediate square-planar copper complex.120 Thus, die KIE (12k/13k) = 1.020-1.026 at C(3) is indicative of substantial bonding change, and partial alkyl transfer can explain the significant low KIE = 1.011-1.016 for Ca of die butyl group. 

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