Cuprates, reaction with activated halides

Organozincs generated under similar conditions have been shown to add to optically active vinyl phosphine oxides with retention of configuration at phosphorus [63] (Scheme 8). In this case a 1 1 zinc/copper couple was employed to activate the zinc. The one-pot reaction proceeded best with tertiary or secondary alkyl halides. The resulting phosphine oxides are used as chiral ligands for catalysts in asymmetric synthesis and were previously only available by reaction with the analogous cuprate [147] since conjugate addition of simple alkyl halides normally results in polymerisation. 

Another phenoxide activating approach published by Buchwald et al. [18] is based on the reaction of cesium phenoxides with aryl bromides or iodides in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper(I) triflate and ethyl acetate in refluxing toluene (Scheme 3b). In certain cases equimolar amounts of 1-naphthoic acid have been added in order to increase the reactivity of the phenoxide. The authors assume the formation of a cuprate-like intermediate of the structure [(ArO)2Cu] Cs+ as the reactive species. In addition, diaryl ether formation between phenols and aryl halides has been achieved using a phosphazene base forming naked phenoxide in the presence of copper bromide in refluxing toluene or 1,4-dioxane [19]. 

This reaction illustrates a stereoselective preparation of (Z)-vinylic cuprates, 5 which are very useful synthetic Intermediates. They react with a variety of electrophiles such as carbon dioxide,5,6 epoxides,5,6 aldehydes,6 allylic halides,7 alkyl halides,7 and acetylenic halides 7 they undergo conjugate addition to a,6-unsaturated esters,5 6 ketones,6 aldehydes,6 and sulfones.8 Finally they add smoothly to activated triple bonds6 such as HCSC-OEt, HC3C-SEt, HC=C-CH(0Et)2. In most cases these cuprates transfer both alkenyl groups. The uses and applications of the carbocupration reaction have been reviewed recently.9 The configurational purity in the final product 1s at least 99.951 Z in the above transformations. 

Relative to tertiary alkyl halides, secondary derivatives react considerably slower. At room temperature and long reaction periods ( 24h) cyclohexyl chloride is almost quantitatively methylated with dimethyltitanium dichloride (prepared in situ from dimethylzinc and catalytic amounts of TiQ4)137>, but other cyclic or acyclic halides tend to undergo competing rearrangements prior to C—C bond formation 77). The same applies to 1,2-dihalides such as 1,2-dibromocyclohexane which affords 1,1-dimethylcyclohexane instead of the 1,2-dimethyl derivative137. In complete contrast, activated secondary chlorides behave much like tertiary derivatives, i.e., methylation is fast and position specific at low temperatures. Examples are shown in Equation 86137>. It should be noted that in such cases cuprate chemistry affords less than 40 % of methylation products138). 

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