Grubbs cross-metathesis

A synthesis of the Annonaceous acetogenin asimicin and a side-chain analogue has been achieved by a highly convergent route in which Grubbs cross-metathesis played a key role.98... 

Fig. 4. Synthesis of a tetrasaccharide with glycosyl phosphates as sugar donors cleavage of the oligomer from solid support by Grubbs cross-metathesis.

Taber, D. F. and Frankowski, K. J. Grubbs Cross Metathesis of Eugenol with cis-l,4-butene-l, 4-diol to Make a Natural Product, Journal of Chemical Education, 2006, 83, 283-284. Experiment developed by Conrardy, D. and Lampman, G. M., Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA. 

An alternative approach to phosphine-free ruthenium precatalysts is based on pyridine complex 70 [48], which has been established by Grubbs et al. as a valuable precursor for other mixed NHC-phosphine complexes (cf. Scheme 15). Complex 70 is only moderately active in the cross metathesis of allylbenzene... 

Allylboronates are attractive reagents for the highly diastereoselective ally-lation of carbonyl compounds. A sequential cross-metathesis-allylation reaction has recently been developed by Grubbs et al. [88c] and by Miyaura et al. [103]. The sequence is illustrated in Scheme 23 for the formation of homoallylic alcohol 114 from allylboronate 112, acetal 113, and benzaldehyde [88c]. 

For a discussion on the beneficial effect of using homodimers of one CM substrate in cross metathesis reactions, see Blackwell HE, O Leary DJ, Chatterjee AK, Washenfelder RA, Bussmann DA, Grubbs RH (2000) J Am Chem Soc 122 58... 

A similar strategy served to carry out the last step of an asymmetric synthesis of the alkaloid (—)-cryptopleurine 12. Compound 331, prepared from the known chiral starting material (l )-( )-4-(tributylstannyl)but-3-en-2-ol, underwent cross-metathesis to 332 in the presence of Grubbs second-generation catalyst. Catalytic hydrogenation of the double bond in 332 with simultaneous N-deprotection, followed by acetate saponification and cyclization under Mitsunobu conditions, gave the piperidine derivative 333, which was transformed into (—)-cryptopleurine by reaction with formaldehyde in the presence of acid (Scheme 73) <2004JOC3144>. 

Initial reports of cross-metathesis reactions using well-defined catalysts were limited to simple isolated examples the metathesis of ethyl or methyl oleate with dec-5-ene catalysed by tungsten alkylidenes [13,14] and the cross-metathesis of unsaturated ethers catalysed by a chromium carbene complex [15]. With the discovery of the well-defined molybdenum and ruthenium alkylidene catalysts 3 and 4,by Schrock [16] and Grubbs [17],respectively, the development of alkene metathesis as a tool for organic synthesis began in earnest. 

With the development of an analogous ruthenium benzylidene catalyst 17 by Grubbs and co-workers in 1995, a ruthenium carbene catalyst suitable for the cross-metathesis reaction was in place [34]. Benzylidene 17 exhibited the same impressive tolerance of air and moisture, and the same stability towards functional groups as its predecessor 4, but benefited from easier preparation [35,36] and much improved initiation rates. 

Although the Grubbs ruthenium benzylidene 17 has a significant advantage over the Schrock catalyst 3 in terms of its ease of use, the molybdenum alkylidene is still far superior for the cross-metathesis of certain substrates. Acrylonitrile is one example [28] and allyl stannanes were recently reported to be another. In the presence of the ruthenium catalyst, allyl stannanes were found to be unreactive. They were successfully cross-metathesised with a variety of alkenes, however, using the molybdenum catalyst [39] (for example Eq. 20). 

About the same time, we published our own results on the cross-metathesis of the amino acid homoallylglycine using the Grubbs ruthenium catalyst 17 [42]. Both styrene and oct-l-ene were successfully cross-metathesised with protected homoallylglycine to give the desired products in moderate to good yields (Eq. 24). 

In 1995 the first examples of ring-opening cross-metathesis reactions for the preparation of functionalised monomeric products using the Grubbs ruthenium vinylalkylidene catalyst 4 were published by Snapper and co-workers [47]. Reaction of a variety of symmetrical cyclobutenes with simple terminal alkenes... 

For the cross-metathesis of functionalised alkenes the ill-defined classical catalyst systems currently offer very few advantages (cost and heterogeneous catalysis) over the more functional group tolerant Schrock and Grubbs alkylidene... 

Recently Cavaleiro et al. described an easy synthetic approach to glycoporphyrins from zinc(n) protoporphyrin-IX dimethyl ester 4 and O-allyl carbohydrate acetonides 5A-E (D-ribose (A), D-galactose (B), D-glucose (C), and two isomeric derivatives (D) and (E) of D-fructose) by cross-metathesis (Scheme 2).12 Two equivalents of each carbohydrate and the Grubbs catalyst were used, giving the carbohydrate derivatives 6 in a range of 74% to 93% yields. 

For a review of asymmetric Mo-catalyzed metathesis, see Catalytic Asymmetric Olefin Metathesis, A. H. Hoveyda, R. R. ScHROCK, Chem. Eur. J. 2001, 7, 945-950 for reports on chiral Ru-based complexes, see (b) Enantioselective Ruthenium-Catalyzed Ring-Qosing Metathesis, T.J. Sei-DERS, D.W. Ward, R.H. Grubbs, Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 3225-3228 (c) A Recyclable Chiral Ru Catalyst for Enantioselective Olefin Metathesis. Efficient Catalytic Asymmetric Ring-Opening/Cross Metathesis In Air, J. J. Van Veldhuizen, S. B. 

Synthesis of Trisubstituted Alkenes via Olefin Cross-Metathesis, A. K. Chatter-JEE, R.H. Grubbs, Org. Lett. 1999, 1,... 

As described above in Eq. 43, simple allylboronates can be transformed into more elaborated ones using olefin cross-metathesis. " Treatment of pinacol allylboronate 31 with a variety of olefin partners in the presence of Grubbs second-generation catalyst 142 smoothly leads to formation of 3-substituted allylboronates 143 as cross-metathesis products (Eq. 104). Unfortunately, these new allylic boronates are formed as mixtures of geometrical isomers with modest E/Z selectivity. They are not isolated but rather are treated directly with benzaldehyde to give the corresponding homoallylic alcohol products in good yields (Table A). 

Schrader, T. O. Snapper, M. L. Ring-Opening Cross-Metathesis. In Handbook of Metathesis, 1st ed. Grubbs, R. H., Ed. Wiley-VCH ... 

Olefin Cross-Metathesis, Pages 179-205, R.H. Grubbs, A.G. Wenzel and A.K. Chatterjee... 

Kevin J. Quinn of the College of the Holy Cross chose (Organic Lett. 2005, 7, 1243) a complementary approach in his synthesis of rollicosin. The symmetrical diol 4 is also available from carbohydrate precursors. Monosilylation followed by esterification with acryloyl chloride gave 5. Exposure of 5 to the Grubbs catalyst in the presence of 6 led, by ring-closing metathesis and cross metathesis, to the y-lactonc 7. Note that 5-lactone formation did not compete ... 

With the discovery by Grubbs of ruthenium carbene complexes such as Cl2(PCy3)2Ru=CHR, which mediate olefin metathesis under mild reaction conditions and which are compatible with a broad range of functional groups [111], the application of olefin metathesis to solid-phase synthesis became a realistic approach for the preparation of alkenes. Both ring-closing metathesis and cross-metathesis of alkenes and alkynes bound to insoluble supports have been realized (Figure 5.12). 

There thenfollowed reports by Katz [13] and Grubbs [14] and their co-workers on studies that aimed to simplify and confirm the analysis. The key remaining issue was whether a modified pairwise mechanism, in which another alkene can coordinate to the metal and equilibrate with the product prior to product displacement, would also explain the appearance of the anomalous cross-over products early in the reaction evolution. However, a statistical kinetic analysis showed that for a 1 1 mixture of equally reactive alkenes, the kinetic ratio of cross-metathesis should be 1 1.6 1 for the pairwise mechanism and 1 2 1 for the Chauvin mechanism. Any equilibration (substrate or product) would, of course, cause an approach towards a statistical distribution (1 2 1) and thus allow no distinction between the mechanisms. 

The utility of Ru-catalyzed cross-metathesis in multicomponent coupling strategies has also been demonstrated. For instance, one-pot cross-metathesis/allylboration sequences have been reported by Miyaura [170] and by Goldberg and Grubbs [171]. Pinacol allyl boronate 174 was reacted with a series of functionalized olefins, which include symmetrically 1,2-disubstituted olefins as well as hindered olefins and styrenes, in the presence of catalyst 175 to produce intermediate allyl boro-nates (e.g. 176). The latter may then be reacted in situ with aldehydes to produce functionalized homoallylic alcohols with high levels of anti-selectivity (Scheme 8.80). 

Facile, regioselective ring opening-cross-metathesis reactions between unsymmet-rical norbornene derivatives and electron-rich alkenes in the presence of the second-generation Grubbs catalyst have been reported to generate highly substituted furans and pyrroles.114... 

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