Cross-coupling reactions aryl halide oxidative addition

The first step in the cycle, analogous to the cross-coupling reactions, is the oxidative addition of an aryl (vinyl) halide or sulfonate onto the low oxidation state metal, usually palladium(O). The second step is the coordination of the olefin followed by its insertion into the palladium-carbon bond (carbopalladation). In most cases palladium is preferentially attached to the sterically less hindered end of the carbon-carbon double bond. The product is released from the palladium in a / -hydrogen elimination and the active form of the catalyst is regenerated by the loss of HX in a reductive elimination step. To facilitate the process an equivalent amount of base is usually added to the reaction mixture. 

Radical-mediated silyldesulfonylation of various vinyl and (a-fluoro)vinyl sulfones 21 with (TMSlsSiH (Reaction 25) provide access to vinyl and (a-fluoro)vinyl silanes 22. These reactions presumably occur via a radical addition of (TMSlsSi radical followed by /)-scission with the ejection of PhS02 radical. Hydrogen abstraction from (TMSlsSiH by PhS02 radical completes the cycle of these chain reactions. Such silyldesulfonylation provides a flexible alternative to the hydrosilylation of alkynes with (TMSlsSiH (see below). On oxidative treatment with hydrogen peroxide in basic aqueous solution, compound 22 undergoes Pd-catalyzed cross-couplings with aryl halides. 

The mechanism of the Sonogashira cross-coupling follows the expected oxidative addition-reductive elimination pathway. However, the structure of the catalytically active species and the precise role of the Cul catalyst is unknown. The reaction commences with the generation of a coordinatively unsaturated Pd species from a Pd " complex by reduction with the alkyne substrate or with an added phosphine ligand. The Pd " then undergoes oxidative addition with the aryl or vinyl halide followed by transmetallation by the copper(l)-acetylide. Reductive elimination affords the coupled product and the regeneration of the catalyst completes the catalytic cycle. 

Carbon-carbon bond formation reactions and the CH activation of methane are another example where NHC complexes have been used successfully in catalytic applications. Palladium-catalysed reactions include Heck-type reactions, especially the Mizoroki-Heck reaction itself [171-175], and various cross-coupling reactions [176-182]. They have also been found useful for related reactions like the Sonogashira coupling [183-185] or the Buchwald-Hartwig amination [186-189]. The reactions are similar concerning the first step of the catalytic cycle, the oxidative addition of aryl halides to palladium(O) species. This is facilitated by electron-donating substituents and therefore the development of highly active catalysts has focussed on NHC complexes. 

The reaction sequence in the vinylation of aromatic halides and vinyl halides, i.e. the Heck reaction, is oxidative addition of the alkyl halide to a zerovalent palladium complex, then insertion of an alkene and completed by /3-hydride elimination and HX elimination. Initially though, C-H activation of a C-H alkene bond had also been taken into consideration. Although the Heck reaction reduces the formation of salt by-products by half compared with cross-coupling reactions, salts are still formed in stoichiometric amounts. Further reduction of salt production by a proper choice of aryl precursors has been reported (Chapter III.2.1) [1]. In these examples aromatic carboxylic anhydrides were used instead of halides and the co-produced acid can be recycled and one molecule of carbon monoxide is sacrificed. Catalytic activation of aromatic C-H bonds and subsequent insertion of alkenes leads to new C-C bond formation without production of halide salt byproducts, as shown in Scheme 1. When the hydroarylation reaction is performed with alkynes one obtains arylalkenes, the products of the Heck reaction, which now are synthesized without the co-production of salts. No reoxidation of the metal is required, because palladium(II) is regenerated. 

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