Electrophilic alkylidene

Another example of electrophilic alkylidene chemistry involves cationic Fe species, which typically react with a variety of nucleophiles at Ccarbene. Several routes are available to synthesize these carbene complexes equations 10.4465 and 10.4566 demonstrate two of these. 

For information on the scope and synthetic utility of cyclopropanation using electrophilic alkylidenes, see Footnote 67b. 

It was noted above that the photolysis of indole and aldehydes in the solid state leads to diindolymethanes by a mechanism postulated to involve an oxetane intermediate (Scheme 14). The reaction also proceeds when aromatic aldehydes and indole or 2-methylindole are irradiated with UV light in acetonitrile solution (Scheme 28) [61]. Under these circumstances, it has been proposed that light-induced electron transfer from the indole to the aldehyde yields a ketyl radical anion and the indole radical cation. Proton transfers, coupling, and elimination of water can then yield an electrophilic alkylidene indolenine 65 which can react with indole thermally to give the observed product. 

Pettit-type electrophilic alkylidene complexes reaction of an acid with a methoxy ligand, protonation of a vinyl complex, reaction of a diazo or another source of carbene on a complex that has a vacant coordination site or a labile ligand. 

F.N. Tebbe (1978 [footnote 20]) and R.R. Schrock (1976) have shown that electrophilic titanium or tantalum ylides can alkylidenate the carbonyl group of esters. Vinyl ethers are obtained in high yields with Tebbe s reagent, p-chlorobis(ri -2,4-cyclopentadien-l-ylXdime-thylaluminum)- 4-methylenetitanium (S.H. Pine, 1980 A.G.M. Barrett, 1989). 

A decade after Fischer s synthesis of [(CO)5W=C(CH3)(OCH3)] the first example of another class of transition metal carbene complexes was introduced by Schrock, which subsequently have been named after him. His synthesis of [((CH3)3CCH2)3Ta=CHC(CH3)3] [11] was described above and unlike the Fischer-type carbenes it did not have a stabilizing substituent at the carbene ligand, which leads to a completely different behaviour of these complexes compared to the Fischer-type complexes. While the reactions of Fischer-type carbenes can be described as electrophilic, Schrock-type carbene complexes (or transition metal alkylidenes) show nucleophilicity. Also the oxidation state of the metal is generally different, as Schrock-type carbene complexes usually consist of a transition metal in a high oxidation state. 

The reactivity of a remarkable electronically unsaturated tantalum methyli-dene complex, [p-MeCgH4C(NSiMe3)2]2Ta( = CH2)CH3, has been investigated. Electrophilic addition and olefination reactions of the Ta = CH2 functionality were reported. The alkylidene complex participates in group-transfer reactions not observed in sterically similar but electronically saturated analogs. Reactions with substrates containing unsaturated C-X (X = C, N, O) bonds yield [Ta] = X compounds and vinylated organic products. Scheme 117 shows the reaction with pyridine N-oxide, which leads to formation of a tantalum 0x0 complex. ... 

The synthesis and X-ray structural determination of a stable Ir111 hydride/alkylidene complex, (165), has been reported, in which the tridentate N3 ligand is TpMe2. 9 The complex undergoes reversible hydride migration onto the electrophilic carbene atom, as shown in reaction Scheme 20. 

Complex 169 is very susceptible to electrophilic attack, as shown in Scheme 32. The protonation of 169 with PyHCl gave back 166. In this reaction, the assistance of one of the oxygens as the primary site of the protonation cannot be excluded. The alkylation with MeOTf, unlike in the case of 161 (see Scheme 29),22 occurs at the alkylidene carbon as well, forming the 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene-W derivative 167, which was obtained also by the direct synthesis given in Scheme 31. 

The effect of metal basicity on the mode of reactivity of the metal-carbon bond in carbene complexes toward electrophilic and nucleophilic reagents was emphasized in Section II above. Reactivity studies of alkylidene ligands in d8 and d6 Ru, Os, and Ir complexes reinforce the notion that electrophilic additions to electron-rich compounds and nucleophilic additions to electron-deficient compounds are the expected patterns. Notable exceptions include addition of CO and CNR to the osmium methylene complex 47. These latter reactions can be interpreted in terms of non-innocent participation of the nitrosyl ligand. 

The characteristic reactivity of neutral dg alkylidene complexes of Ru, Os, and Ir is with electrophilic reagents. The osmium methylene 47 reacts with the widest range of electrophiles, the most significant reactions being summarized in Scheme 2. 

The impetus for the development of gem-bimetallics was initially to discover alkylidene-transfer reagents akin to Tebbe s reagent [14]. Schwartz prepared bimetallic aluminum—zirconocene derivatives by the hydrometallation of various vinyl metallic compounds [15—17]. Knochel has developed zinc—zirconium gem-bimetallics by hydrozircona-tion of vinylzincs and has used them as alkylidene-transfer reagents [18], More recently, other gem-bimetallics have been developed that exhibit different reactivities of the two carbon—metal bonds. Thus, Normant and Marek have reported the allylmetallation of vinyl metals to afford zinc—magnesium and zinc—lithium gem-bimetallics, which react selectively with various electrophiles such as ClSnBu3, H20, etc. [19, and references cited therein]. However, selective and sequential cleavage of the two carbon—metal bonds... 

Treatment of alkylidene-bridged zirconium—aluminum species with HMPA activates the C—A1 bond of the alkylidene unit, making it susceptible to electrophilic attack [146]. Ligand-based activation of the C—A1 bond can also be used to convert alkylidene-bridged zirconium-aluminum reagents to other bimetallic species. Thus, treatment of 3 with HMPA followed by addition of a weakly electrophilic metal salt can give rise to a new heterome-tallic species. Slow addition of a solution of R3SnCl in toluene to a solution of 3 and 1... 

Today, however, carbene complexes covering a broad range of different reactivities have been prepared. Often it is no longer possible to predict whether a carbene complex will behave as an electrophile or as a nucleophile. Thus, a reactivity-based nomenclature would be difficult to apply consistently. For this reason in this book compounds with a carbon-metal double bond will be called carbene complexes or alkylidene complexes , terms not associated with any specific chemical behavior. 

Electrophilic transition metal complexes can react with organic ylides to yield alkylidene complexes. A possible mechanism would be the initial formation of alkyl complexes, which are converted into the final carbene complexes by electrophilic a-abstraction (Figure 3.18). This process is particularly important for the generation of acceptor-substituted carbene complexes (Section 4.1). 

Thus, pyrrole and acetone react as shown above. This involves pyrrole acting as the nucleophile to attack the protonated ketone in an aldol-like reaction. This is followed by elimination of water, facilitated by the acidic conditions. This gives an intermediate alkylidene pyrrolium cation, a highly reactive electrophile that reacts with another molecule of nucleophilic pyrrole. We then have a repeat sequence of reactions, in which further acetone and pyrrole molecules are incorporated. The presence of the two methyl substituents from acetone forces the growing polymer to adopt a planar array, and this eventually leads to a cyclic tetramer, the terminal pyrrole attacking the alkylidene pyrrolium cation at the other end of the chain. 

Upon discovery of this mechanism, new catalysts have been developed, now presenting alkylidene ligands in the metal coordination sphere, such as [(=SiO) Ta(=CH Bu)Np2 and [(=SiO)Mo(=NAr)(=CH Bu)Np] [43, 88]. Table 11.4 presents results obtained with several catalysts prepared by SOMC. Although [(=SiO) Ta(CH3)3Cp (=SiOSi=)] is not active in alkane metathesis (the tantalum site would not be as electrophilic as required) [18], results obtained with [(=SiO)Mo(=NAr) (=CH Bu)Np] show that ancillary ligands are not always detrimental to catalytic activity this species is as good a catalyst as tantalum hydrides. Tungsten hydrides supported on alumina or siHca-alumina are the best systems reported so far for alkane metathesis. The major difference among Ta, Mo and W catalysts is the selectivity to methane, which is 0.1% for Mo and less than 3% for W-based catalysts supported on alumina, whereas it is at least 9.5% for tantalum catalysts. This... 

Aliphatic substrates also perform well, forming five membered rings in good yield and high enantioselectivity Eq. 6a. Typical Michael acceptors, however, are not sufficiently electrophilic to induce cyclization to form six-membered aliphatic rings. In order to effect this cyclization, use of a more electrophilic Michael acceptor, such as alkylidene malonate 83, was required Eq. 6b [70]. The difference in reactivity is presumably due to the extra conformational freedom of the aliphatic linker compared to the fused aromatic linker of substrate 79 coupled with potential competing non-productive pathways. 

Another type of Cinchona alkaloid catalyzed reactions that employs azodicarbo-xylates includes enantioselective allylic amination. Jprgensen [51-53] investigated the enantioselective electrophilic addition to aUyhc C-H bonds activated by a chiral Brpnsted base. Using Cinchona alkaloids, the first enantioselective, metal-free aUyhc amination was reported using alkylidene cyanoacetates with dialkyl azodi-carboxylates (Scheme 12). The product was further functionalized and used in subsequent tandem reactions to generate useful chiral building blocks (52, 53). Subsequent work was applied to other types of allylic nitriles in the addition to a,P-unsaturated aldehydes and P-substituted nitro-olefins (Scheme 13). 

The stoichiometric interaction of an enyne and [RuCl(PCy3)(pcymene)]B(Ar )4 XVIIIa containing a bulky non-coordinating anion B(ArF)4 showed by NMR at —30 ° C the formation of the alkenyl alkylidene ruthenium complex and acrolein. This formation could be understood by the initial formation of a vinylidene intermediate and transfer of a hydride from the oxygen a-carbon atom to the electrophilic vinylidene carbon, as a retroene reaction step (Scheme 8.13) [54]. 

Addition of various nucleophiles to the o o-double bond of 5-alkylidene-l,3-dioxane-4,6-diones has been reported in the literature. Two different pathways have been examined (1) the addition of a nucleophile followed by aqueous (protic) workup and (2) the transition metal-catalyzed successive addition of a nucleophile and an electrophile to the double bond (Scheme 16). 

The reaction of 5-alkylidene-l,3-dioxanes with electrophiles has been investigated in two different fields. Most importantly, additions of halogen and other electrophiles have been studied with respect to the stereo- and regiochemical outcome of the reaction and the role of the endocyclic heteroatoms <1998J(P2)1129, 1998J(P2)1139>. 

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