1,5-Cyclooctadiene, from 1,3-butadiene nickel complex

Codimerization of butadiene with dicyclopentadiene (example 8, Table II) was shown to proceed via a crotyl-nickel complex (62). Ring contraction of cyclooctadiene (example 10, Table II) appears to be a hydride promoted reaction. The hydride-promoted dimerization of norbomadiene to -toly 1 norbornene (example 9, Table II) appears to be quite different from dimerization via a metallacycle (see Table I, example 16). 

We had established in previous catalytic reactions involving complex 24 that this precatalyst was activated by the removal of the cod (1,5-cyclooctadiene) from the ruthenium by its reaction with the alkyne substrate via a [2 + 2 + 2] cydization as illustrated in Equation 1.64 [57]. Thus, not only does this reaction constitute an activation of the Ru complex 24 by reacting off the cod, it also serves as a novel atom economic reaction in its own right. Both internal and terminal alkynes participate. The overall atom economy of this process is outstanding since cod itself is simply available by the nickel-catalyzed dimerization of butadiene. Thus, the tricyclic product is available by the simple addition to two molecules of butadiene and an alkyne with anything else only needed catalytically. 

Nickel complexes are also used for the oligomerization of butadiene. Here it is believed that Ni(0) mediates the oxidative coupling of two butadienes to give the bis-Tr-allyl complex 11.27 (Fig. 11.6). According to the exact conditions, the dimers, cyclooctadiene 11,28, vinylcyclohexane 11.29, and even divinylcyclobutane 11.30 can be formed by reductive elimination from 11.27. ... 

One other reaction deserves mention. From bis(cyclooctadiene)nickel and butadiene (31), and in the presence of an isocyanide (RNC, R = cyclohexyl, phenyl, tcrt-butyl) two organic oligomeric products are obtained, 1 -acylimino-11 -vinyl-3,7-cycloundecadiene and 1 -acylimino-3,7,11 -cyclo-dodecatriene. In each, one isocyanide has been incorporated. An analogous reaction with carbon monoxide had been reported earlier. The proposed mechanism of these reactions, via a bis-7r-allyl complex of nickel, is probably related to the mechanism described for allylpalladium complexes above. 

The nickel-catalyzed [4 + 4]-cycloaddition of butadiene to form cyclooctadiene was first reported by Reed in 1954.90 Pioneering mechanistic and synthetic studies largely derived from the Wilke group advanced this process to an industrially important route to cyclodimers, trimers, and other molecules of interest.91-94,943 95,96 While successful with simple dienes, this process is not useful thus far with substitutionally complex dienes as needed in complex molecule synthesis. In 1986, Wender and Ihle reported the first intramolecular nickel-catalyzed [4 + 4]-reaction of... 

Nickel-triarylphosphite complexes catalyze the dimerisation of butadiene to cyclooctadiene. Cyclododecatriene is an unwanted by-product, which results from trimerization catalyzed by the same catalyst. Table 3.2 shows the product yields using various ligand-metal complexes (the remainder in each case is a tarry polymeric material). 

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