Alkylidene cyclopentenes

The molybdenum initiators also allow for functionalization of the polymer end groups. The use of appropriately substituted alkylidene ligands553,554 and functionalized termination agents555 have both been described. A more convenient approach using chain transfer agents has also been developed, initially with substituted cyclopentenes,509 and then with 1,3-dienes and styrenes.556... 

For didactic reasons we will not show mechanistic proposals that have been abandoned, because the carbene mechanism now7 is well established. It is referred to as the Chauvin-Herisson mechanism, as they were the first to propose the intermediacy of metal-alkylidene species [5], Their proposal was based on the observation (simplified for our purposes) that initially in the ringopening polymerisation of cyclopentene in the presence of 2-pentene a mixture of compounds was obtained rather than the single products if a pair-wise reaction of cyclopentene (or higher homologues) and 2-pentene would occur. Figure 16.3 shows the results. 

If cyclopentene would react pair-wise with 2-pentene, only one product would form, namely 2,7-decadiene, and a similar result for cyclodimers etc. of cyclopentene. If somehow, the alkylidene species would be transferred one by one, we would obtain a mixture of 2,7-nonadiene, 2,7-decadiene, and 2,7-undecadiene in a 1 2 1 ratio. The latter turned out to be the case, which led the authors to propose the participation of metal-carbene (metal alkylidene) intermediates [6], Via these intermediates the alkylidene parts of the alkenes are transferred one by one to an alkene. The mechanism is depicted in Figure 16.4. In the first step the reaction of two alkylidene precursors (ethylidene -bottom- and propylidene -top) with cyclopentene is shown. In the second step the orientation of the next 2-pentene determines whether nonadiene, decadiene or undecadiene is formed. It is clear that this leads to a statistical mixture, all rates being exactly equal, which need not be the case. Sometimes the results are indeed not the statistical mixture as some combinations of metal carbene complex and reacting alkene may be preferred, but it is still believed that a metal-carbene mechanism is involved. Deuterium labelling of alkenes by Gmbbs instead of differently substituted alkenes led to the same result as the experiments with the use of 2-pentene [7],... 

Figure 16.4. Metal alkylidene mechanism for cyclopentene/2-pentene metathesis...

Murakami et al. reported a ring-closing metathesis reaction of allenynes using Schrock s molybdenum alkylidene complex [37]. Treatment of allenynes ISl with a catalytic amount of the complex 15 2 in toluene at rt gave cyclopentene derivatives 1 S3 in good yield. Two possible reaction mechanisms were proposed, one through a vinylidene complex 154 and the other through a carbene complex, but based on several mechanistic studies, they favored the vinylidene complex pathway, which is shown here (Scheme 5.42). 

Alkylidenes (alkylidene carbenes) are valence isomers of alkynes. They have been prepared by alkyne pyrolysis, by homologation of ketones, and by generation of alkenyl anions bearing oc-leaving groups. Generated by any of these means, an alkylidene will insert intramolecularly into a remote C- H bond to form a new C—C bond and thus a cyclopentene. A concerted two-electron process, this reaction proceeds with retention of absolute configuration at the C - H site. 

This reaction apparently proceeds by way of the normal phosphonate condensation product, the diazoalkylidene, which then spontaneously loses nitrogen to form the transient alkylidene car-bene. Careful work showed that, after statistical corrections were applied, the reactivity of a C-H bond toward insertion was approximately 0.003 for primary C-H bonds (methyl), 1.0 for secondary C-H bonds (methylene), 7.5 for benzylic (methylene) C-H bonds and 18.6 for tertiary C-H bonds. These relative reactivities are very similar to those previously observed for intramolecular C-H insertion by an alkylidene carbenoid generated from a vinyl bromide27. It was shown subsequently that the alkylidene carbene insertion reaction proceeds with retention of absolute configuration28. Using this approach, (l )-3-dimethyl-3-phenyl-l-cyclopentene and (i )-4-methyl-4-phenyl-2-cyclohexcnonc were prepared in high enantiomeric purity. 

Ojima has reported a rhodium-catalyzed protocol for the disilylative cyclization of diynes with hydrosilanes to form alkylidene cyclopentanes and/or cyclopentenes. As an example, reaction of dipropargylhexylamine with triethyl-silane catalyzed by Rh(acac)(GO)2 under an atmosphere of CO at 65 °G for 10 h gave an 83 17 mixture of the disilylated alkylidene pyrrolidine derivative 92b (X = N-//-hexyl) and the disilylated dihydro-1/ -pyrrole 92c (X = N-//-hexyl) in 76% combined yield (Equation (60)). Compounds 92b and 92c were presumably formed via hydrosilyla-tion and hydrosilylation/isomerization, respectively, of the initially formed silylated dialkylidene cyclopentane 92a (Equation (60)). The 92b 92c ratio was substrate dependent. Rhodium-catalyzed disilylative cyclization of dipro-pargyl ether formed the disilylated alkylidene tetrahydrofuran 92b (X = O) as the exclusive product in low yield, whereas the reaction of dimethyl dipropargylmalonate formed cyclopentene 92c [X = C(C02Et)2] as the exclusive product in 74% isolated yield (Equation (60)). 

Triazines are generally more reactive in [2 + 4] cycloaddition in comparison with 1,2,3-tria-zines. The wide variety of dienophiles can be employed enamines, enaminones, vinyl silyl ethers, vinyl thioethers, cyclic ketene jV,O-acetals, /V-phenylmaleimide, 6-dimethylaminopentafulvene, 2-alkylidene-imidazolidines (cychc ketene aminals), cyclic vinyl ethers, arynes, benzocyclopropene, acetylenes, and alkenes like ethylene, (Z)-but-2-ene, cyclopentene, cyclooctene and bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene, hexa-1,5-diene, cycloocta-1,5-diene, diallyl ether, cyclododeca-l,5,9-triene,... 

As shown above, insertion of alkylidene carbenes is highly regioselective. However, when the normal 1,5-C-H insertion pathway is blocked, 1,4- or 1,6-C-H insertion takes place [Eq. (109)]. Thus, the cyclobutene 121 [192] and the six-membered enol ether 123 [193] were obtained in modest yields. Intramolecular insertion into carbon-carbon double bond provides a method for synthesis of cyclopenten-annulated dihydropyrrole 124, which results from homolytic scission of a methylenecyclopropane intermediate [194]. 

The cyclopentene annulations can also occur in the reactions of alkynyliodo-nium salts with nitrogen- and sulfur nucleophiles (Scheme 61). Specifically, azi-docyclopentene 155 is formed upon treatment of octynyliodonium tosylate 154 with sodium azide in dichloromethane [123]. The reaction of alkynyliodonium salt 156 with sodium toluenesulfinate results in the formation of substituted indene 157 via alkylidene carbene aromatic C-H bond insertion [124]. 

The domino carbonylation and Diels-Alder reaction proceed only as an intramolecular version. Attempted carbonylation and intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction of conjugated 2-yne-4-enyl carbonates 101 in the presence of various alkenes as dienophiles give entirely different carbocyclization products without undergoing the intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction. The 5-alkylidene-2-cyclopenten-4-onecarboxy-lates 102 were obtained unexpectedly by the incorporation of two molecules of CO in 82% yield from 101 at 50 °C under 1 atm [25], The use of bidentate ligands such as DPPP or DPPE is important. The following mechanism of the carbocyclization of 103 has been proposed. The formation of palladacyclopentene 105 from 104 (oxidative cyclization) is proposed as an intermediate of 108. Then CO insertion to the palladacycle 105 generates acylpalladium 106. Subsequent reductive elimination affords the cyclopentenone 107, which isomerizes to the cyclopentenone 108 as the final product. 

The activity of the ruthenium alkylidene complex can be greatly increased by exchanging triphenylphosphine ligands for the more electron-donating bulky tricyclohexylphosphine ligands a complex with the latter ligands is active for the polymerisation of only slightly strained cyclopentene [93,94]. 

Most reactions of this category involve the base-induced generation of alkylidene-carbenes (R2C = C ) which undergo an intramolecular 1,5-carbon-hydrogen insertion providing a useful route for the construction of substituted cyclopentenes a competing intramolecular pathway is rearrangement to alkynes. 

These highly reactive yet stable species are strong electrophiles of tetraphilic character, since nucleophiles may attack three different carbon atoms (a,/ ,a ) and iodine. In most reactions the first step is a Michael addition at fi-C with formation of an alkenyl zwitterionic intermediate (ylide) which normally eliminates iodoben-zene, generating an alkylidene carbene then, a 1,2-shift of the nucleophile ensues. The final result is its combination with the alkynyl moiety which behaves formally as an alkynyl cation. The initial adduct may react with an electrophile, notably a proton, in which case alkenyl iodonium salts are obtained also, cyclopentenes may be formed by intramolecular C-H 1,5-insertion from the alkylidenecarbenes ... 

In subsequent work, Gilbert showed that the alkylidene carbene insertion reaction proceeds with retention of absolute configuration. Using this approach, cyclopentene (45) and cyclohexene (46) were prepared in high enantiomeric purity (equation 18). 

Cycloadditions. 1,2,4-Trienes participate in cycloaddition, using their conjugated diene moieties, with alkynes and carbon monoxide to give aromatic products and 2-alkylidene-3-cyclopenten-l-ones, respectively. The latter process is subject to asymmetric induction of chiral phosphine ligands. 

Practitioners of total synthesis have been pushing the limits of Grubbs metathesis. Siegfried Blechert of the Technisches Universitat, Berlin, envisioned (Tetrahedron 2004, 60, 9629) that Grubbs metathesis of 1 could open the cyclopentene, to give a new Ru alkylidene that could condense with a styrene such as 2. In practice, this transformation worked well, yielding 3. Deprotection, intramolecular Michael addition and reduction then gave (-)-lasubine II4,... 

Insertion reactions of alkylidene carbenes offer a useful entry to cyclopentene ring systems (4.81). Insertion is most effective with dialkyl-substituted alkylidene carbenes (R = alkyl), since rearrangement of the alkylidene carbene to the alkyne occurs readily when R = H or aryl. A number of methods have been used to access alkylidene carbenes. One of the most convenient uses a ketone and the anion of trimethylsilyl diazomethane. Addition of the anion to the ketone and eUmination gives an intermediate diazoalkene, which loses nitrogen to give the alkylidene carbene. For example, a synthesis of the antibiotic (-)-malyngolide started from the ketone 102 (4.82). The insertion reaction takes place with retention of configuration at the C—H bond. 

An alternative approach to alkylidene carbenes uses the deprotonation or halogen-lithium exchange of vinyl haUdes. Hence, treatment of the vinyl chloride 103 with potassium hexamethyldisilazide (KHMDS) resulted in the formation of the cyclopentene 104 via the intermediate alkylidene carhene (4.83). The carbene... 

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