Copper lithium alkyl cuprates

The alkyls and aryls may be obtained by interaction of copper(I) halides with lithium or Grignard reagents. The alkyls usually decompose readily but methyl copper, a bright yellow polymer insoluble in organic solvents, is reasonably stable it can be used in certain organic syntheses, but the use of lithium alkyl cuprates... 

As stated above, intermolecular coupling reactions between carbon atoms are of limited use. In the classical Wurtz reaction two identical primary alkyl iodide molecules are reduced by sodium. n-Hectane (C100H202), for example, has been made by this method in 60% yield (G. Stallberg, 1956). The unsymmetrical coupling of two alkyl halides can be achieved via dialkylcuprates. The first halide, which may have a branched carbon chain, is lithiated and allowed to react with copper(I) salts. The resulting dialkylcuprate can then be coupled with alkyl or aryl iodides or bromides. Although the reaction probably involves radicals it is quite stereoselective and leads to inversion of chiral halides. For example, lithium diphenyl-cuprate reacts with (R)-2-bromobutane with 90% stereoselectivity to form (S)-2-phenylbutane (G.M. Whitesides, 1969). 

A key step in the reaction mechanism appears to be nucleophilic attack on the alkyl halide by the negatively charged copper atom but the details of the mechanism are not well understood Indeed there is probably more than one mechanism by which cuprates react with organic halogen compounds Vinyl halides and aryl halides are known to be very unreactive toward nucleophilic attack yet react with lithium dialkylcuprates... 

The formation of g-alkyl-a,g-unsaturated esters by reaction of lithium dialkylcuprates or Grignard reagents in the presence of copper(I) iodide, with g-phenylthio-, > g-acetoxy-g-chloro-, and g-phosphoryloxy-a,g-unsaturated esters has been reported. The principal advantage of the enol phosphate method is the ease and efficiency with which these compounds may be prepared from g-keto esters. A wide variety of cyclic and acyclic g-alkyl-a,g-unsaturated esters has been synthesized from the corresponding g-keto esters. However, the method is limited to primary dialkylcuprates. Acyclic g-keto esters afford (Zl-enol phosphates which undergo stereoselective substitution with lithium dialkylcuprates with predominant retention of stereochemistry (usually > 85-98i )). It is essential that the cuprate coupling reaction of the acyclic enol phosphates be carried out at lower temperatures (-47 to -9a°C) to achieve high stereoselectivity. When combined with they-... 

The regiochcmistry for stoichiometric alkylation with butyl(cyano)copper magnesium bromide is the same as that for the copper cyanide catalyzed reaction. The regiochemistry with dibutyl-copper magnesium bromide is also very similar to that of the copper(I) bromide catalyzed reaction. Lithium cuprates do not exhibit y regioselectivity in this biased system. 

Electrophiles, which lead to high yields, are methyl iodide, trialkyltin- and trialkylsUyl chlorides, diphenylphosphinyl chloride, acid chlorides, aldehydes and carbon dioxide. Remarkably, though highly acidic ketones are formed on acylation, no deprotonation or racemization by excess of carbanionic species occurs. Other alkyl halides than methyl iodide react very sluggishly with low yields. Benzylic and aUylic halides lead to partial racemization, presumably due to single-electron transfer (SET) in the alkylation step. As very recently found by Papillon and Taylor, racemization of 42 can be suppressed by copper-zinc-lithium exchange before alkylation to 43 via the Knochel cuprates (equation 7) °. 

Hindered cuprates. A novel route to lithium dialkylcuprates containing a secondary or a tertiary alkyl group involves reaction of the tosylhydrazone of an aldehyde with a copper reagent, such as dilithium trimethylcuprate (6, 386 7, 115). An example is shown in equation (I) for preparation of a cuprate containing the t-butyl group.1... 

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