Diethylzinc, reactions with

The cyclopropanation of 1-trimethylsilyloxycyclohexene in the present procedure is accomplished by reaction with diiodomethane and diethylzinc in ethyl ether." This modification of the usual Simmons-Smith reaction in which diiodomethane and activated zinc are used has the advantage of being homogeneous and is often more effective for the cyclopropanation of olefins such as enol ethers which polymerize readily. However, in the case of trimethylsilyl enol ethers, the heterogeneous procedures with either zinc-copper couple or zinc-silver couple are also successful. Attempts by the checkers to carry out Part B in benzene or toluene at reflux instead of ethyl ether afforded the trimethylsilyl ether of 2-methylenecyclohexanol, evidently owing to zinc iodide-catalyzed isomerization of the initially formed cyclopropyl ether. The preparation of l-trimethylsilyloxybicyclo[4.1.0]heptane by cyclopropanation with diethylzinc and chloroiodomethane in the presence of oxygen has been reported. "... 

GC analysis revealed > 290 1 selectivity anti. syn) in the diethylzinc addition. The 4-acetoxy-l,3-dioxane 152 used in the above experiments was a 24 1 mixture of diastereomers, epimeric at the 2-position. This implies that the acetal stereocenter undergoes isomerization to the most stable oxocarbenium ion prior to reaction with Et2Zn. Conclusive evidence for this was obtained when submission of compound 156 to the identical conditions produced 155 as the major product (Eq. 26). 

Organozinc reagents have been used in conjunction with a-bromovinylboranes in a tandem route to Z-trisubstituted allylic alcohols. After preparation of the vinylborane, reaction with diethylzinc effects migration of a boron substituent with inversion of configuration and exchange of zinc for boron.176 Addition of an aldehyde then gives the allylic alcohol. The reaction is applicable to formaldehyde alkyl and aryl aldehydes and to methyl, primary, and secondary boranes. 

Further optimization of this reaction was carried out with TFE as an achiral adduct, since reaction with TFE is much faster than that with neopentyl alcohol. We found that dimethyl- and diethylzinc were equally effective, and the chiral zinc reagent could be prepared by mixing the chiral modifier, the achiral alcohol and dialkylzinc reagent in any order without affecting the conversion and selectivity of the reaction. However, the ratio of chiral to achiral modifier does affect the efficiency of the reaction. Less than 1 equiv of the chiral modifier lowered the ee %. For example with 0.8 equiv of 46 the enantiomeric excess of 53 was only 58.8% but with 1 equiv of 46 it was increased to 95.6%. Reaction temperature has a little effect on the enantiomeric excess. Reactions with zinc alkoxide derived for 46 and TFE gave 53 with 99.2% ee at 0°C and 94.0% ee at 40°C. 

Figure 83 Examples of well-defined Cu-containing enantiopure complexes used in conjugate addition reactions with diethylzinc.82...

Zhang and Chan122 found that Hg-BINOL, (R)- or (S )-134, in which the naphthyl rings in the BINOL were partially hydrogenated,123 can give even better results in the diethylzinc reactions. Using (R)- or (5,)-134 as the chiral ligand, addition of diethylzinc to aromatic aldehydes proceeds smoothly with over 95% ee and, in most cases, quantitative conversion.122... 

Scheme 11.40. Synthesis of 1-arylcyclo-propylamines from aromatic nitriles by reaction with diethylzinc in the presence of MeTi(0/Pr)3 and NaO/ Pr [138].

In a similar fashion to its reaction with the aldehydes, diethylzinc reacts with (N-diphenylphosphonyl)imines in the presence of chiral alkaloids to produce, after hydrolysis, chiral 2-substituted propylamines [42],... 

Radical cyclization of polyfunctional 5-hexenyl halides mediated by Et2Zn and catalyzed by nickel or palladium salts has been demonstrated to produce stereoselectively polyfunctional 5-membered carbo- and heterocycles [56, 57]. Based on this strategy a formal synthesis of methylenolactocin (11) was achieved (Scheme 20). The acetal 130, readily being built up by asymmetric alkylation of aldehyde 127 followed by reaction with butyl vinyl ether and NBS, served as the key intermediate for the construction of the lactone ring. Nickel(II)-catalyzed carbometallation was initiated with diethylzinc to yield exclusively the frans-disubstituted lactol 132, which could be oxidized directly by air to 134. Final oxidation under more forcing conditions then yielded the lactone (-)-75 as a known intermediate in the synthesis of (-)-methylenolactocin (11) [47aj. 

Representative results are shown in Fig. 2.1.2.1. Both reactions with mixtures of diphenylzinc and diethylzinc and those with pure diphenylzinc are catalyzed by ferrocene 9 as indicated by the comparisons between curves A and C as well as B and D, respectively. Apparently the reaction becomes slower when the mixture of the zinc reagents is applied (curve A versus curve B). We presume that this effect is - as hoped - due to a less pronounced background reaction as well as to a modification of the aryl source (potentially PhZnEt or complexes thereof). Consequently, a better control of the enantioselectivity at the expense of the reaction rate is observed. 

So far, attempts to expand the substrate scope further by modifying the aryl transfer agent have remained unsuccessful. Thus, imine addition reactions with arylzinc species other than the one prepared in situ by mixing diphenylzinc and diethylzinc still deserve attention, and will be developed in the near future. 

Transition State Models. The stoichiometry of aldehyde, dialkylzinc, and the DAIB auxiliary strongly affects reactivity (Scheme 9) (3). Ethylation of benzaldehyde does not occur in toluene at 0°C without added amino alcohol however, addition of 100 mol % of DAIB to diethylzinc does not cause the reaction either. Only the presence of a small amount (a few percent) of the amino alcohol accelerates the organometallic reaction efficiently to give the alkylation product in high yield. Dialkyl-zincs, upon reaction with DAIB, eliminate alkanes to generate alkylzinc alkoxides, which are unable to alkylate aldehydes. Instead, the alkylzinc alkoxides act as excellent catalysts or, more correctly, catalyst dimers (as shown below) for reaction between dialkylzincs and aldehydes. The unique dependence of the reactivity on the stoichiometry indicates that two zinc atoms per aldehyde are responsible for the alkyl transfer reaction. 

Methylidenation of allylic thioethers. Methylidenation of an allylic phenyl-thioether with methylene iodide-diethylzinc is accompanied by a 2,3-sigmatropic rearrangement to a homologous allylic phenylthioether. The rearrangement is also initiated by ethylidene iodide. Cyclopropanation is not observed. The Simmons-Smith reaction with allylic sulfides results only in formation of an insoluble polymer. 

Addition of (C2Hs)2Zn to RCHO.1 The diol 1, prepared by Barbier addition of CsHjMgBr (2 equiv.) to the acetonide of dimethyl (R,R)-tartrate,2 converts Ti(OC2H5)4 into the optically active spirotitanate 2. In the presence of 0.05-2.0 equiv. of 2, diethylzinc reacts with anisaldehyde in toluene at 0° to form the (R)-alcohol 3 (equation I). The enantioselectivity and the chemical yield increases with an increase in 2. Surprisingly, the enantioselectivity is reversed in reactions of the... 

Concerning metal alkyl catalysts such as diethylzinc for the copolymerisation, it was established that they formed zinc carboxylate species owing to the reaction with maleic anhydride [192],... 

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