Grubbs Heterocycle

Fig. 16. Structure of the Grubbs heterocyclic carbene olefin metathesis catalyst.

Unfortunately, complexes 39 and 40 are still more prone to decomposition than catalyst 16. Therefore, Grubbs sought to investigate a series of new ruthenium catalysts bearing NHCs with varying degrees of iV-heterocyclic backbone and aryl side chain substitution, and catalysts 16 and 30a were chosen as basic catalyst structures [57]. In 2009, complexes 41a-c and 42a-c were prepared to attempt to understand how the degree of substitution on the backbone influences catalyst activity and lifetime (Fig. 3.15). 

Grubbs and coworkers [238] used the ROM/RCM to prepare novel oxa- and aza-heterocyclic compounds, using their catalyst 6/3-15 (Scheme 6/3.9 see also Table 6/3.1). As an example, 6/3-35 gave 6/3-36, by which the more reactive terminal alkene moiety reacts first and the resulting alkylidene opens the five-membered ring. In a similar reaction, namely a domino enyne process, fused bicyclic ring systems were formed. In this case the catalyst also reacts preferentially with the terminal alkene moiety. 

By contrast, much of the work performed using ruthenium-based catalysts has employed well-defined complexes. These have mostly been studied in the ATRP of MMA, and include complexes (158)-(165).400-405 Recent studies with (158) have shown the importance of amine additives which afford faster, more controlled polymerization.406 A fast polymerization has also been reported with a dimethylaminoindenyl analog of (161).407 The Grubbs-type metathesis initiator (165) polymerizes MMA without the need for an organic initiator, and may therefore be used to prepare block copolymers of MMA and 1,5-cyclooctadiene.405 Hydrogenation of this product yields PE-b-PMMA. N-heterocyclic carbene analogs of (164) have also been used to catalyze the free radical polymerization of both MMA and styrene.408... 

Some of these approaches were attempted by Grubbs et al. 143 171. In later studies [45, 46], the phenoxyimine ligands used in their initial study were replaced with nucleophilic heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands with the objective of pushing more electrons into the metal center to reduce the tendency of a last-inserted acrylate... 

Fig. 6 Grubbs nickel complex bearing sterically encumbered nucleophilic heterocyclic carbene ligand...

As the 2-aminopyrimidine moiety is found in various biologically important natural products, a variety of reactions involving these substituted heterocycles have been reported. For example, Grubb employed the cyclocondensation of a-bromoaldehyde 64 with diaminopyrimidone 65 in their total synthesis of queuine (66), also known as Q Base, found in tRNA <00T9221>. 

The ruthenium carbene catalysts 1 developed by Grubbs are distinguished by an exceptional tolerance towards polar functional groups [3]. Although generalizations are difficult and further experimental data are necessary in order to obtain a fully comprehensive picture, some trends may be deduced from the literature reports. Thus, many examples indicate that ethers, silyl ethers, acetals, esters, amides, carbamates, sulfonamides, silanes and various heterocyclic entities do not disturb. Moreover, ketones and even aldehyde functions are compatible, in contrast to reactions catalyzed by the molybdenum alkylidene complex 24 which is known to react with these groups under certain conditions [26]. Even unprotected alcohols and free carboxylic acids seem to be tolerated by 1. It should also be emphasized that the sensitivity of 1 toward the substitution pattern of alkenes outlined above usually leaves pre-existing di-, tri- and tetrasubstituted double bonds in the substrates unaffected. A nice example that illustrates many of these features is the clean dimerization of FK-506 45 to compound 46 reported by Schreiber et al. (Scheme 12) [27]. 

The chemistry described in this review article demonstrates the impressive positive influence that catalytic RCM has had on our research in connection to the development of other catalytic and enantioselective C-C bond forming reactions. There is no doubt that in the absence of pioneering work by Schrock and Grubbs, the Zr-catalyzed alkylation and kinetic resolution would be of less utility in synthesis. The number of unsaturated heterocyclic and carbocyclic substrates available for Zr-catalyzed asymmetric carbomagnesation would be far more limited without catalytic RCM. 

Singh and Han [60] have reported the preparation of another dihydropyrrole by using a N-Cbz derivative obtained by decarboxylative amidation (Scheme 9.27, results line 1) as starting material. N-Alkylation with allyl bromide followed by RCM (Grubbs II catalyst) furnished the dihydropyrrole in excellent yield (95%). Lee et al. have similarly transformed the amination product (Table 9.2, entry 21) into a variety of N-heterocycles [54]. 

Triene 257 was transformed into the racemic cyclopentenone 258 by a ring closing metathesis using Grubbs iST-heterocyclic carbene catalyst (102) [55]. 

The Tins group used Grubbs AT-heterocyclic carbene catalyst (102) for the ring closing metathesis of the triene 262 (Eq. 4) [55, 133] ... 

Later Grubbs discovered ruthenium carbene complex and used it for a metathesis reaction to synthesize cyclic compounds 5a-d [Eqs. (6.4) and (6.5)]. In 1995, Grubbs found that ruthenium benzylidene carbene complex Ic," which is now commercially available, has the same reactivity as that of lb. Many researchers have therefore used this complex for olefin metathesis, and this reaction has been useful for the synthesis of carbo- and heterocyclic compounds and fused bicyclic compounds [Eq. [6.6)] °... 

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]. 

In 1999, Herrmann, Nolan, and Grubbs independently synthesized novel ruthenium carbene complexes Id-lg (Figure j) 5 5 5b,6,6a,7,7a complexes have an iV-heterocyclic carbene ligand in common and are called second-... 

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... 

The construction of the heterocycle 3 started with enantiomerically-pure ethyl lactate. Protection, reduction and oxidation led to the known aldehyde 6. Chelation-controlled allylation gave the monoprotected-diol 7. Formation of the mixed acetal with methacrolein followed by intramolecular Grubbs condensation then gave 3. The dihydropyran 3 so prepared was a 1 1 mixture at the anomeric center. 

In 2001, Grubbs and co-workers reported a class of Ru catalysts [(cf. 90, Eq. (2)] [30] that bear a chiral monodentate N-heterocyclic carbene ligand [31], The re-... 

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