Grubbs catalysts carbene reactions

For the last 2 decades ruthenium carbene complexes (Grubbs catalyst first generation 109 or second generation 110, Fig. 5.1) have been largely employed and studied in metathesis type reactions (see Chapter 3) [31]. However, in recent years, the benefits of NHC-Ru complexes as catalysts (or pre-catalysts) have expanded to the area of non-metathetical transformations such as cycloisomerisation. 

The mechanism involves a [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between an alkene and a transition metal carbene (Scheme 10.13). In the absence of a transition metal carbene catalyst, the reaction between two alkenes is symmetry forbidden and only takes place photochemically. However, the d-orbitals on the metal catalyst (typically Grubbs s catalyst as shown in Scheme 10.13), break the symmetry and the reaction is facile. 

The same reaction (RCM) was used as the key step for the formation of a family of potent herbicidal 10-membered lactones. An important aspect from the preparative point of view is the control of stereochemical outcome of the RCM by the choice of catalyst. Thus, the use of the ruthenium indenylidene complex IX always leads to the corresponding ( )-alkenes, whereas the second generation of Grubbs catalyst bearing a N-heterocyclic carbene ligand affords the isomeric (Z)-olefin with good selectivity (Scheme 8.19) [64]. 

Subsequently, alternative syntheses of sulfoximine-containing heterocycles were studied, and one such approach was based on Grubbs olefin metathesis reaction. Using the ruthenium carbene complex 39 as catalyst, a wide range of... 

A common procedure used to forge carbocyclic systems is represented by the ring-closing metathesis reactions exploiting various Grubbs-type carbene catalysts. Based on this cyclization technology, Skaanderup and Madsen [71], on the way to polyhydroxy-nortropane calystegines, reported the asymmetric synthesis of aminated 6a-carbahexoseptanose derivatives 311. 

The ruthenium carbene complex (Grubbs catalyst) which has shown high efficiency in alkene methathesis and related processes, since it displays tolerance toward a wide variety of common functional groups, has also appeared of synthetic utility in the hydrosilylation of ketones to yield silyl ethers-one of the most widely used classes of protecting groups in synthetic chemistry (Eq. 97) [ 151 ]. The reaction requires temperatures above 50 °C, which generate a slightly increased amount of silylated by-products. 

Olefin metathesis is a useful tool for the formation of unsaturated C-C bonds in organic synthesis, and the reaction has been generally accepted to proceed through a series of metallacyclobutanes and carbene complexe intermediates [40-43]. For this type of reaction, the most widely used catalysts include an alkoxyl imido molybdenum complex (Schrock catalyst) [44] and a benzylidene ruthenium complex (Grubbs catalyst) [43]. The former is air- and moisture-sensitive and has some other drawbacks such as intolerance to many functional groups and impurities the latter has increased tolerance to water and many reactions have been used in aqueous solution without any loss of catalytic efficiency. 

The cyclization of this key intermediate to the fully protected conduritol F derivative 19 showcases the different performance of the standard metathesis catalysts. Despite the excellent track record of the original Grubbs benzylidene carbene complex 2 (7) for the cyclization of 6-membered rings, compound 18 reacts poorly with this particular catalyst in refluxing CH2C12, leading to only 32% conversion after 60h reaction time. This reluctance is likely caused by the preference of diene 18 to adopt a zig-zag-conformation holding the olefin units far apart. 

In line with our previous experiences, diene 56 readily cyclized to the desired 19-membered ring 57 on reaction with the ruthenium carbene 2 (5 mol%) in refluxing CH2C12. The fact that neither the free hydroxyl group nor any other functionality in the substrate interfere with RCM illustrates the excellent compatibility and selectivity of the Grubbs catalyst (7). Hydrogenation of the crude cycloalkene ( -mixture) thus obtained afforded the desired disaccharide 57 in 77% yield. The elaboration of this compound into tricolorin A 46 can be achieved according to literature procedures (25). 

Recently, a catalytic system consisting of a second generation Grubbs catalyst or an in situ non-carbenic ruthenium complex have allowed a cascade catalytic reaction of cyclopropanation/ring closing metathesis of dienynes containing a malonate or bissulfone moiety. In this reaction, the interaction between the triple bond and one double bond gives a bicyclic product via cyclopropanation, and then the subsequent diene RCM produces the last cyclization step [16] (Scheme 6). 

There are essentially three different types of transition metal carbene complexes featuring three different types of carbene ligands. They have all been named after their first discoverers Fischer carbenes [27-29], Schrock carbenes [30,31] and WanzUck-Arduengo carbenes (see Figure 1.1). The latter, also known as N-heterocycUc carbenes (NHC), should actually be named after three people Ofele [2] and Wanzlick [3], who independently synthesised their first transition metal complexes in 1968, and Arduengo [1] who reported the first free and stable NHC in 1991. Fischer carbene complexes have an electrophilic carbene carbon atom [32] that can be attacked by a Lewis base. The Schrock carbene complex has a reversed reactivity. The Schrock carbene complex is usually employed in olefin metathesis (Grubbs catalyst) or as an alternative to phosphorus ylides in the Wittig reaction [33]. 

Danopoulos and coworkers [473] then developed a ruthenium(II) pincer carbene complex exactly on the lines described above starting from the Grubbs catalyst. Reaction with the free carbene ligand results in displacement of the phosphane ligands and coordination of the central pyridine unit changes the coordination geometry from square pyramidal to octahedral (see Figure 3.157). 

The mechanism for olefin metathesis is complex, and involves metal-carbene intermediates— intermediates that contain a metal-carbon double bond. The mechanism is drawn for the reaction of a terminal alkene (RCH=CH2) with Grubbs catalyst, abbreviated as Ru=CHPh, to form RCH = CHR and CH2 = CH2. To begin metathesis, Grubbs catalyst reacts with the alkene substrate to form two new metal-carbenes A and B by a two-step process addition of Ru=CHPh to the alkene to yield two different metallocyclobutanes (Step [1]), followed by elimination to form A and B (Steps [2a] and [2b]). The alkene by-products formed in this process (RCH=CHPh and PhCH=CH2) are present in only a small amount since Grubbs reagent is used catalytically. 

Summary Two catalytic reactions, i.e. silylative coupling (mms-silylation) (SC) catalyzed by complexes containing or generating Ru-H and/or Ru-Si bonds (I, II, V, VI) and cross-metathesis (CM) catalyzed by mthenium-carbene (i.e. 1st and 2nd generation mthenium Grubbs catalyst (ID, IV)) of vinyl and allyl-substituted hetero(N,S,B)organic compounds with conunercially available vinyltrisubstituted silanes, siloxanes, and silsesquioxane have been overviewed. They provide a universal route toward the synthesis of well-defined molecular compounds with vinylsilicon functionality. 

Mechanistic implications of a general cross-metathesis of vinylsilicon with allyl-substituted heteroorganic compounds have been studied in detail for the reaction with allyl alkyl ethers [13]. The detailed NMR study of the stoichiometric reaction of Grubbs catalyst with allyl-n-butyl ether has provided information on individual steps of the catalytic cycle. A general mechanism of the cross-metathesis of vinyltri(alkoxy, siloxy)silanes (as well as octavinylsilsesquioxane) with 3-heteroatom-containing 1-alkenes in the presence of ruthenium carbene is shown in Scheme 5. 

To date there are only a few examples of polymers having a disilandiyl-carbon backbone, but they could not be synthesized by an olefin-metathesis process with Grubbs catalyst [4 - 6]. The aim of our work is to investigate the catalytic activity of the ruthenium-carbene complex RuCl2(PCy3)2(=CHPh) (Grubbs catalyst) in acyclic diene metathesis reactions of different unsaturated organodisilanes. 

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