Dimerization of alkynes

Alkynes undergo stoichiometric oxidative reactions with Pd(II). A useful reaction is oxidative carboiiyiation. Two types of the oxidative carbonyla-tion of alkynes are known. The first is a synthesis of the alkynic carbox-ylates 524 by oxidative carbonylation of terminal alkynes using PdCN and CuCh in the presence of a base[469], Dropwise addition of alkynes is recommended as a preparative-scale procedure of this reation in order to minimize the oxidative dimerization of alkynes as a competitive reaction[470]. Also efficient carbonylation of terminal alkynes using PdCU, CuCI and LiCi under CO-O2 (1 I) was reported[471]. The reaction has been applied to the synthesis of the carbapenem intermediate 525[472], The steroidal acetylenic ester 526 formed by this reaction undergoes the hydroarylalion of the triple bond (see Chapter 4, Section 1) with aryl iodide and formic acid to give the lactone 527(473],... 

The analogous dimerization of alkynes over Fe(C0)5 is not applicable, so clearly a different route towards alkynylated derivatives of 25 was needed. Comparison of 25 to cymantrene suggests that metallation of the hydrocarbon ligand should be the route of choice for the synthesis of novel substituted cyclobutadienes. In the literature, addition of organolithium bases (MeLi, BuLi) to the CO ligands with concomitant rearrangement had been observed [25]. But the utilization of LiTMP (lithium tetramethylpiperidide, Hafner [26]) or sec-BuLi as effectively non-nucleophilic bases led to clean deprotonation of the cyclobuta-... 

The same type of bis-functionalization has been reported for the palladium-catalyzed borylstannylative carbocy-cyclization of 1,6-, 1,5-, 1,7-diynes, bis-propargylamine, and ether.377 It should be noted that even 1,2-dialkylidene cyclobutane can be obtained in reasonable yield. Ito has proposed the related silaborative reaction involving nickel(O) catalysis.378 This reaction has been performed in an intra- and intermolecular fashion. The intramolecular reaction allows the formation of cyclic dienes and the intermolecular process proceeds through a dimerization of alkynes to give acyclic dienes. 

The dimerization of alkynes is a useful method for forming compounds such as enynes from simple alkynes [13]. The iridium-catalyzed dimerizahon of 1-alkyries was first reported by Crabtree, and afforded (Zj-head-to-head enynes using [Ir(biph)(PMe3)Cl] (biph = biphenyl-2,2 -diyl) as a catalyst [14]. Thereafter, an iridium complex generated in situ from [Ir(cod)Cl]2 and a phosphine ligand catalyzed the dimerizahon of 1-alkynes 1 to give (Tj-head-to-head enyne 2, fZj-head-to-head enyne 3, or 1,2,3-butatriene derivatives 4 in the presence of hiethylamine... 

Scheme 9.9 Proposed catalytic cycle for dimerization of alkynes in MeOH.

Using established principles of late-transition metal catalysis, several research groups have engineered multi-component coupling reactions from the basis set of known Group 9 metal vinylidene-mediated reactions. In 2004, Jun and coworkers described a new method for the synthesis of enones via rhodium vinylidene-mediated hydrative dimerization of alkynes (Table 9.12) [24]. 

Notes Catalyst for polymerization and dimerization of alkynes and alkenes. Has been used for catalyzing conjugate additions to enones. Useful as a Lewis acid. 

Cyclobutadiene itself is not stable at room temperature. Several derivatives with stabilizing groups have been prepared by the acid-catalyzed dimerization of alkynes (R. Gompper, 1975). Less substituted cyclobutadienes could be obtained by photolytic reactions in solid matrix at low temperatures (G. Maier, 1973, 1974). 

Scheme 1. Linear and branched enyne isomers from dimerization of alkynes.

The catalytic dimerization of alkynes has led to the development of a variety of catalysts by new combinations of transition metals and ligands, and to a better understanding of the processes and mechanism involved, leading to improvement of selectivity and scope. In Table 1 the most relevant catalysts are compared with regard to phenylacetylene dimerization. The nature of the terminal alkyne has also a marked effect on the outcome of this reaction. 

Dimerization of Alkynes and Propargyl Alcohols into Functional Dienes or Cyclobutenes... 

The catalytic synthesis of dienyl esters by dimerization of alkynes and addition of carboxylic acids tolerates a large variety of functional groups and carboxylic... 

Both amido and pinacol derivatives of B-Si compounds 125 and 126 added to terminal and internal alkynes in the presence of a palladium244-246 or platinum(O) catalyst247 by a mechanism involving an oxidative addition-insertion process (Equation (39)).248 On the other hand, phosphine-free nickel(O) catalyst resulted in the dimerization of alkynes giving a Z,Z-isomer of l-silyl-4-borylbutadiene derivatives.249 Since the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling at the C-B bond is faster than the G-Si bond of 137, a silylboration-cross-coupling sequence provided a method for the synthesis of 1-alkenylsilanes.246... 

The four main types of complex obtained from 325 and alkynes are illustrated in Scheme 63.540-542 Rather than insertion into the =C-H bond, coupling of the C2 ligand with 1-alkynes gives 358 which contains a ruthenacycle which has an rj4-interaction with a second Ru atom, as found in the dimerization of alkynes on Ru3 clusters. The Ru5 cluster becomes flattened, as found in 352. Under CO, extrusion of an Ru(CO)w group... 

Half-sandwich lanthanide alkyl complexes and, subsequently oranolanthanide amides were found to be highly efficient catalysts for the cross-coupling reactions of carbodiimides with alkynes and amines, respectively [136, 137]. Although the half-sandwich lanthanide alkyl complexes can also catalyze the dimerization of alkynes, no homodimerization product is observed in the reaction of alkynes with carbodiimides. These reactions offer a wide scope for the substrates of terminal alkynes and amines, respectively [138]. 

The extent and types of interfering reactions during hydroalumination of alkynes were examined in Section 3.11.2.2 (equations 18-24). To a lesser degree two of these reactions are also encountered in A1—H additions to alkenes and cycloalkenes. Analogous to the reductive dimerization of alkynes (equation 23) is the dimerization of a-alkenes by Bu 2AlH, which can be conducted catalytically in hydride to give high yields of dimer (equation 30). ... 

A number of symmetrically substituted cyclopentadienone metal complexes have been prepared by metalcarbonyl-mediated dimerization of alkynes [23a, 24]. The (tetracyclopropylcyclopentadienone)tricarbonyliron complex 27 can easily be obtained as the major product by ironcarbonyl-mediated dimerization with CO insertion of dicyclopropylacetylene [25]. Upon treatment of the complex 27 with triethylamine N-oxide, the uncomplexed tetracyclopropylcy-clopentadienone 28 apparently is liberated however, in contrast to the kineti-cally sufficiently stabilized tetra-ferf-butylcyclopentadienone 19 (see Scheme 5)... 

A study of dimerization of alkynes catalysed by RhCl(PMe3)3 showed the reaction to yield a mixture of straight-chain and branched products. The authors were able to identify a number of rhodium/alkyne complexes along the reaction route, and conclude that the reaction may be summarized by the scheme presented here. Extrusion of the metal then gave rise to products. 

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