Elimination electrocyclic

E is facile. Dehydrochlorination provides the aromatic products 233. An alternatively possible HC1 elimination/electrocyclization/decarboxylation pathway was excluded, since lactone 230B was thermally stable under the reaction conditions in the absence of the catalyst. (NHC)Cu(I) catalyst 232 gave comparable or better yields than 231 in these ATRC/ring contraction sequences, while other (NHC)Cu(I) complexes provided considerably lower yields [320]. Chlorinated cyclic compounds arising from ATRC can also be transformed to chlorinated furans [321]. 

In summary, these results were interpreted to support rate-determining electrocyclization for the ring closure, starting from the all-trans iminium 11, via the cis conformation 13 of the neutral form, followed by fast proton transfer and elimination of aniline (Scheme 8.4.6). 

This information coupled with the proposed mechanism of the Conrad-Limpach reaction, reasonably lead to the below proposed mechanisms. Conjugate addition of aniline and elimination of alcohol provides the P-anilinoacrylate 14, which upon heating to 180-320 °C gives species, like 34a,b, which undergo 6n-electrocyclization to 35 or 36, respectively. Loss of ethanol from 36 gives 35 and tautomerization provides 4-... 

By a photochemically induced elimination of CO, a chromium carbene complex with a free coordination site is generated. That species can coordinate to an alkyne, to give the alkyne-chromium carbonyl complex 4. The next step is likely to be a cycloaddition reaction leading to a four-membered ring compound 5. A subsequent electrocyclic ring opening and the insertion of CO leads to the vinylketene complex 6 ... 

That electrocyclic reaction is related to the Claisen rearrangement of phenyl vinyl ether. In a final step a cyclization takes place with subsequent elimination of ammonia to yield the indole 2 ... 

The insertion of alkynes into a chromium-carbon double bond is not restricted to Fischer alkenylcarbene complexes. Numerous transformations of this kind have been performed with simple alkylcarbene complexes, from which unstable a,/J-unsaturated carbene complexes were formed in situ, and in turn underwent further reactions in several different ways. For example, reaction of the 1-me-thoxyethylidene complex 6a with the conjugated enyne-ketimines and -ketones 131 afforded pyrrole [92] and furan 134 derivatives [93], respectively. The alkyne-inserted intermediate 132 apparently undergoes 671-electrocyclization and reductive elimination to afford enol ether 133, which yields the cycloaddition product 134 via a subsequent hydrolysis (Scheme 28). This transformation also demonstrates that Fischer carbene complexes are highly selective in their reactivity toward alkynes in the presence of other multiple bonds (Table 6). 

Double-bond isomerization can also take place in other ways. Nucleophilic allylic rearrangements were discussed in Chapter 10 (p. 421). Electrocyclic and sigmatropic rearrangements are treated at 18-27-18-35. Double-bond migrations have also been accomplished photochemically, and by means of metallic ion (most often complex ions containing Pt, Rh, or Ru) or metal carbonyl catalysts. In the latter case there are at least two possible mechanisms. One of these, which requires external hydrogen, is called the nwtal hydride addition-elimination mechanism ... 

Another photocyclization to a benzo[c]phenanthridine was reported (127). Oppenauer oxidation of ( )-ophiocarpine (92) with potassium fm-butoxide and benzophenone in dioxane effected C-6—N bond cleavage to afford the hydroxyisoquinoline 219 via berberinephenolbetaine (121) (Scheme 39). Although photolysis of 219 gave only the oxepine 221, that of its methyl ether 220 furnished directly norchelerythrine (222) through electrocyclization followed by spontaneous elimination of methanol. 

Jutz, J. C. Aromatic and Heteroaromatic Compounds by Electrocyclic Ringclosure with Elimination. 73,125-230(1978). 

Pyrrolizin-3-ones may also be obtained by FVP of 3-(pyrrol-2-yl)propenoate esters such as 62, 69, and 74. Also, benzo-annulated pyrrolizinone 17 was obtained by FVP of 2-(tf-methoxycarbonyl phenyl (pyrrole <1999J(P1)2047>. FVP of alcohols 77, 78, and 79 led to 3//-pyrrolyzine derivatives 1, 192, and 193, respectively, in good yields (66-95%). These transformations proceed by elimination of water and subsequent electrocyclization of the in situ-generated cumulene (Scheme 44) <1999J(P1)2049>. 

A further possible mechanism is the concerted electrocyclization of the metalla-1,3,5-triene to yield an intermediate metallacyclohexadiene [333]. Reductive elimination of (C0)5M would also lead to the formation of cyclopentadienes. 

If, instead of electrocyclization, electrophilic attack of the closer upper edge of the phenyl group by the carbene carbon atom occurs, a zwitterionic intermediate might result, which upon 1,4-elimination of (COljW would yield a 1-methoxy-1,3-cyclopentadiene. Suprafacial hydrogen migration would finally lead to the formation of the observed diastereomer. 

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