Cyclohexene copper catalysts

It has been pointed out earlier that the anti/syn ratio of ethyl bicyclo[4.1,0]heptane-7-carboxylate, which arises from cyclohexene and ethyl diazoacetate, in the presence of Cul P(OMe)3 depends on the concentration of the catalyst57). Doyle reported, however, that for most combinations of alkene and catalyst (see Tables 2 and 7) neither concentration of the catalyst (G.5-4.0 mol- %) nor the rate of addition of the diazo ester nor the molar ratio of olefin to diazo ester affected the stereoselectivity. Thus, cyclopropanation of cyclohexene in the presence of copper catalysts seems to be a particular case, and it has been stated that the most appreciable variations of the anti/syn ratio occur in the presence of air, when allylic oxidation of cyclohexene becomes a competing process S9). As the yields for cyclohexene cyclopropanation with copper catalysts [except Cu(OTf)2] are low (Table 2), such variations in stereoselectivity are not very significant in terms of absolute yields anyway. 

Andrus et al.44 employed a C2-symmetric bis(oxazoline) copper catalyst in the Kharasch reaction. When cyclohexene was used as the reaction substrate, yields ranging from 34% to 62% and ee from 30% to 81% were observed (Scheme 8-15). 

The application of dinuclear metal catalysts to the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction is mechanistically intriguing due to their illustrated role in mediating biological oxidations (119). Fahmi (120) examined a variety of dinucleating ligands with Cu(MeCN)4PF6 as catalysts in the allylic oxidation of cyclohexene, Eq. 102. In these studies, early results have been inferior to those obtained from bis(oxa-zoline)-copper catalysts. 

Examples are known where intermolecular carbenoid transformations between diazomalonates or certain diazoketones and appropriate olefins result in competition between formation of cyclopropane and products derived from allylic C—H insertion2-4. For example, catalytic decomposition of ethyl diazopyruvate in the presence of cyclohexene gave the 7-ejco-substituted norcarane 93 together with a small amount of the allylic C—H insertion product 94 (equation 95)142 143. In some cases, e.g. rhodium(II) decomposition of a-diazo-j8-ketoester 95, the major pathway afforded C—H insertion products 96 and 97 with only a small amount of the cyclopropane derivative 98. In contrast, however, when a copper catalyst was employed for this carbenoid transformation, cyclopropane 98 was the dominant product (equation 96)144. The choice of the rhodium(II) catalyst s ligand can also markedly influence the chemoselectivity between cyclopropanation and C—H... 

Catalytic cyclopropanation of alkenes with diazomalonates is sometimes carried out with copper powder, but it appears that copper(I) halide/trialkyl phosphite complexes (for a procedure see Houben-Weyl Vol. E19b, p 1113), bis(acetylacetonato)copper(II), " ° and tet-raacetatodirhodium can be employed more advantageously (Table 13, entries 7-9). For the cyclopropanation of styrene with dicyclohexyl diazomalonate, however, copper(I) triflate was the catalyst of choice, while intramolecular C —H insertion at the cyclohexyl ring took place in the presence of tetraacetatodirhodium. A detailed comparison of copper catalysts for the cyclopropanation of cyclohexene, 1-methyl- and 1,2-dimethylcyclohexene, (Z)- and ( )-hept-2-ene with dimethyl diazomalonate, including competitive reaction pathways such as allylic C-H insertion and carbene dimer formation, is available. The catalyzed interaction between diazomalonic esters and enol ethers leads to cyclopropanes in some cases (e.g. ethoxymethylenecyclohexane to dimethyl 2-ethoxyspiro[2.5]octane-l,l-dicarboxylate ) and to different products in other cases (e.g. 1-methoxycyclohexene, 2-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-2/7-pyran ). This behavior is attributed to the occurence of stabilized dipolar intermediates in these reactions. 

For example, reaction of ethyl diazopyruvate with cyclohexene in the presence of rhodium or copper catalysts furnishes, besides the 7-exo-substituted... 

In view of this we have tested several heterogeneous copper catalysts in the benchmark reaction of ethyl diazoacetate (1) with styrene (2). Some of them have been also used in the reactions of ethyl diazoacetate (1) with cyclohexene (4), a-methylstyrene (6), trans-anethole... 

S)-(-)-CITRONELLOL from geraniol. An asymmetrically catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction is used to prepare (1 R)-1,3,4-TRIMETHYL-3-CYCLOHEXENE-1 -CARBOXALDEHYDE with an (acyloxy)borane complex derived from L-(+)-tartaric acid as the catalyst. A high-yield procedure for the rearrangement of epoxides to carbonyl compounds catalyzed by METHYLALUMINUM BIS(4-BROMO-2,6-DI-tert-BUTYLPHENOXIDE) is demonstrated with a preparation of DIPHENYL-ACETALDEHYDE from stilbene oxide. A palladium/copper catalyst system is used to prepare (Z)-2-BROMO-5-(TRIMETHYLSILYL)-2-PENTEN-4-YNOIC ACID ETHYL ESTER. The coupling of vinyl and aryl halides with acetylenes is a powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction, particularly valuable for the construction of such enyne systems. 

Diazoalkane decomposition. Surprisingly, tetraphenylethylene is almost as efficient as various copper catalysts for decomposition of diazoalkanes to car-benoids. For example, diazomethane and cyclohexene in the presence of this catalyst react to form norcarane in 15 5% yield with copper catalysis the yield of norcarane is 24%. Cyclopropanations have been observed with this hydrocarbon catalyst with a variety of diazo compounds diazomethane, a-diazoacetophenone, and diazofluorene. Diphenyldiazomethane, however, is converted mainly into benzophenone azine, (C5H5)2C=NN=C(C6Hs)2. 

Copper(II) triflate has also been used for the carbenoid cyclopropanation reaction of simple olefins like cyclohexene, 2-methylpropene, cis- or rran.y-2-butene and norbomene with vinyldiazomethane 2 26,27). Although the yields were low (20-38 %), this catalyst is far superior to other copper salts and chelates except for copper(II) hexafluoroacetylaeetonate [Cu(hfacac)2], which exhibits similar efficiency. However, highly nucleophilic vinyl ethers, such as dihydropyran and dihydrofuran cannot be cyclopropanated as they rapidly polymerize on contact with Cu(OTf)2. With these substrates, copper(II) trifluoroacetate or copper(II) hexafluoroacetylaeetonate have to be used. The vinylcyclopropanation is stereospecific with cis- and rra s-2-butene. The 7-vinylbicyclo[4.1.0]heptanes formed from cyclohexene are obtained with the same exo/endo ratio in both the Cu(OTf)2 and Cu(hfacac)2 catalyzed reaction. The... 

A conveniently prepared amorphous silica-supported titanium catalyst exhibits activity similar to that of Ti-substituted zeolites in the epoxidation of terminal linear and bulky alkenes such as cyclohexene (22) <00CC855>. An unusual example of copper-catalyzed epoxidation has also been reported, in which olefins are treated with substoichiometric amounts of soluble Cu(II) compounds in methylene chloride, using MCPBA as a terminal oxidant. Yields are variable, but can be quite high. For example, cis-stilbene 24 was epoxidized in 90% yield. In this case, a mixture of cis- and /rans-epoxides was obtained, suggesting a step-wise radical mechanism <00TL1013>. 

The first metal-catalyzed nitrogen atom-transfer process was reported by Kwart and Khan, who demonstrated that copper powder promoted the decomposition of benzenesulfonyl azide when heated in cyclohexene.280 Evans has demonstrated that Cu(i) and Cu(n) triflate and perchlorate salts are efficient catalysts for the aziridination of olefins employing TsN=IPh as the nitrene precursor.281 Subsequent to this finding, intensive effort has focused on the identification of... 

The considerable Lewis acidity of bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complexes held promise for catalyzing the ene reaction, a process that usually requires strong Lewis acids. Indeed, these catalysts effect a highly selective ene reaction between a variety of alkene partners and glyoxylate esters to produce a-hydroxy esters in good yield, Eq. 210 (245). The ene reaction between cyclohexene and ethyl glyoxylate proceeds in excellent diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity, Eq. 211. As a testament to the Lewis acidity of these complexes, it is noteworthy that... 

The transition metal-catalyzed cyclopropanation of alkenes is one of the most efficient methods for the preparation of cyclopropanes. In 1959 Dull and Abend reported [617] their finding that treatment of ketene diethylacetal with diazomethane in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper(I) bromide leads to the formation of cyclopropanone diethylacetal. The same year Wittig described the cyclopropanation of cyclohexene with diazomethane and zinc(II) iodide [494]. Since then many variations and improvements of this reaction have been reported. Today a large number of transition metal complexes are known which react with diazoalkanes or other carbene precursors to yield intermediates capable of cyclopropanating olefins (Figure 3.32). However, from the commonly used catalysts of this type (rhodium(II) or palladium(II) carboxylates, copper salts) no carbene complexes have yet been identified spectroscopically. 

Table 1. Copper complexes used as catalysts for epoxidation of cyclohexene by iodosylbenzene in acetonitrile.

One of the characteristic features of the metal-catalysed reaction of acetylene with hydrogen is that, in addition to ethylene and ethane, hydrocarbons containing more than two carbon atoms are frequently observed in appreciable yields. The hydropolymerisation of acetylene over nickel—pumice catalysts was investigated in some detail by Sheridan [169] who found that, between 200 and 250°C, extensive polymerisation to yield predominantly C4 - and C6 -polymers occurred, although small amounts of all polymers up to Cn, where n > 31, were also observed. It was also shown that the polymeric products were aliphatic hydrocarbons, although subsequent studies with nickel—alumina [176] revealed that, whilst the main products were aliphatic hydrocarbons, small amounts of cyclohexene, cyclohexane and aromatic hydrocarbons were also formed. The extent of polymerisation appears to be greater with the first row metals, iron, cobalt, nickel and copper, where up to 60% of the acetylene may polymerise, than with the second and third row noble Group VIII metals. With alumina-supported noble metals, the polymerisation prod-... 

Feringa reported an enantioselective allylic oxidation of cyclohexene to optically active 2-cyclohexenyl propionate 25 by using a chiral copper complex prepared from Cu(OAc)2 and (S)-proline, as chiral catalyst (Scheme 9.14) [32], In the absence of additives, a negative NLE was observed, whereas in the presence of a catalytic amount of anthraquinone, a positive NLE (asymmetric amplification) was observed. Moreover, higher enantioselectiv-ity was attained when enantiopure (S)-proline was used. However, the role of the additive remains elusive. 

For the aziridination of 1,3-dienes, copper catalysis gave better yields of A-tosyl-2-alkenyl aziridines with 1,3-cyclooctadiene, 1,4-addition occurred exclusively (50%) [46]. Good results were also obtained on rhodium catalysed decomposition of PhI=NNs (Ns = p-nitrophenylsulphonyl) with some alkenes the aziridination was stereospecific, whereas with chiral catalysts asymmetric induction (up to 73% ee) was achieved. However, cyclohexene gave predominantly (70%) a product derived from nitrene insertion into an allylic carbon-hydrogen bond [47]. 

In this reaction, several attractive features can be noted. The bench-stable aquo Cu[(5, 5 )-t-Bu-box](H20)2 (SbF6)2 complex was as effective as the analogous anhydrous Cu[(5 ,5)-r-Bu-box] (SbFg)2 complex, even with catalyst loadings as low as 0.1 mol %, without significant loss of yield and enantioselectivity. A testament for the Lewis acidity of the copper(II) (5,5)-r-Bu-box complexes is that weakly nucleophilic olefins such as hex-l-ene and cyclohexene had not been previously employed in catalytic asymmetric ene reactions. ... 

Oxidations. A widely used method for allylic oxidation is the Kharash-Sosnovsky reaction using a peroxide and a copper(I) salt system. Enantioselective allylic oxidations of cycloalkenes such as cyclopentene, cyclohexene and cycloheptene with tert-butyl peibenzoate were investigated with a variety of catalysts derived from bis(oxazoline) ligands and copper(I) triflate complexes (eq 18). The ligand-copper(I) complexes from the /-Bu-... 

Other authors have also described copper catalysis in the Grignard reaction. In the presence of copper salt, cyclohexene oxide reacts with phenylmagnesium chloride under mild conditions to give tra s-2-phenylcyclohexanol in good yield in the absence of the catalyst, the conversion is low. At the same time, benzylmagnesium chloride led to a yield of 90% even without the catalyst. The reactions between epoxynitriles and Grignard reagents have likewise been studied in detail. ... 

Cyclopropanation of cycloalkenes by this procedure also produced the least sterically hindered bicyclic compound. For example, the copper-catalysed addition of ethyl diazoacetate onto cyclohexene afforded 69% of the exo (111) and 4% of the endo compound (111a) (equation 26). Next to the traditional Cu catalysts, homogeneous... 

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