Carbenoids insertion reactions

Interestingly, [Ee(F20-TPP)C(Ph)CO2Et] and [Fe(p2o-TPP)CPh2] can react with cyclohexene, THF, and cumene, leading to C-H insertion products (Table 3) [22]. The carbenoid insertion reactions were found to occur at allylic C-H bond of cyclohexene, benzylic C-H bond of cumene, and ot C-H bond of THF. This is the first example of isolated iron carbene complex to undergo intermolecular carbenoid insertion to saturated C-H bonds. 

Carbenoid N-H insertion of amines with diazoacetates provides a useful means for the synthesis of ot-amino esters. Fe(III) porphyrins [64] and Fe(III/IV) corroles [65] are efficient catalysts for N-H carbenoid insertion of various aromatic and aliphatic amines using EDA as a carbene source (Scheme 16). The insertion reactions occur at room temperature and can be completed in short reaction times and with high product yields. It is performed in a one-pot fashion without the need for slow... 

In recent years, much attention has been focused on rhodium-mediated carbenoid reactions. One goal has been to understand how the rhodium ligands control reactivity and selectivity, especially in cases in which both addition and insertion reactions are possible. These catalysts contain Rh—Rh bonds but function by mechanisms similar to other transition metal catalysts. 

Rhodium carboxylates have been found to be effective catalysts for intramolecular C—H insertion reactions of a-diazo ketones and esters.215 In flexible systems, five-membered rings are formed in preference to six-membered ones. Insertion into methine hydrogen is preferred to a methylene hydrogen. Intramolecular insertion can be competitive with intramolecular addition. Product ratios can to some extent be controlled by the specific rhodium catalyst that is used.216 In the example shown, insertion is the exclusive reaction with Rh2(02CC4F9)4, whereas only addition occurs with Rh2(caprolactamate)4, which indicates that the more electrophilic carbenoids favor insertion. 

The use of rhodium(II) acetate in carbenoid chemistry has also been extended to promoting intramolecular C/H insertion reactions of ketocarbenoids 277,280,280 ,). From the a-diazo-P-ketoester 305, highly functionalized cyclopentane 306 could thus be constructed in acceptable yields by regiospecific insertion into an unactivated... 

Concerning the mechanism of O/H insertion, direct carbenoid insertion, oxonium ylide and proton transfer processes have been discussed 7). A recent contribution to this issue is furnished by the Cu(acac)2- or Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed reaction of benz-hydryl 6-diazopenicillanate 237) with various alcohols, from which 6a-alkoxypenicil-lanates 339 and tetrahydro-l,4-thiazepines 340 resulted324. Formation of 340 is rationalized best by assuming an oxonium ylide intermediate 338 which then rearranges as shown in the formula scheme. Such an assumption is justified by the observation of thiazepine derivatives in reactions which involved deprotonation at C-6 of 6p-aminopenicillanates 325,326). It is possible that the oxonium ylide is the common intermediate for both 339 and 340. 

Vinylidenecarbene or allenylidene3 (R)2C=C=C has a lance-shaped, unsubstituted and sp-hybridized carbene center and, therefore, will not be easily subject to steric hindrance in its insertion reactions. On this assumption, (2-methyljpropenylidenecarbene or its carbenoid was chosen as a prototype of typical vinylidenecarbenes and its insertion reaction with several different types of alkoxides was investigated by employing two methods (A and B, Scheme 10) for carbene generation.20 The insertion products 20 were obtained almost exclusively except lithium allyloxide (Table 4, entry 10).21 By-products such as propargyl ether and allenyl ether were not formed at all. To be noted here, in... 

Since alkyllithium compounds and their carbanions have an isoelectronic structure with alkoxides, their reaction behavior with carbenes is expected to be similar to that of alkoxides, showing enhanced reactivity in both C-H insertion and hydride abstraction.35 In this reaction, the hydride abstraction cannot be followed by recombination and, therefore, can be differentiated from the insertion. Indeed, the reaction of alkyllithium compounds 70 or nitrile anions (see Section IV.B) with ethyl(phenylthio)carbenoid, which is generated by the reaction of 1-chloropropyl sulfide 69 with BuLi, takes place at the -position of 70 more or less in a similar manner giving both insertion product 71 and hydride abstraction products 72 and 73, respectively. This again supports a general rule C-H bonds at the vicinal position of a negatively charged atom are activated toward carbene insertion reactions (Scheme 22). 

Most of the carbenes examined in this study have more or less a carbenoid nature because they are generated from halogenated precursors and strong base. In this regard, it still remains as an intriguing problem to verify experimentally the higher electrophilicity and selectivity of carbenoids41,42 in comparison to those of free carbenes in the insertion reaction. 

Intramolecular C-H insertion reactions of metal carbenoids have been widely used for the stereoselective construction of substituted lactams, lactones, cyclopentanones, benzofurans, and benzopyrans. Several excellent reviews have been published covering the general aspects of intramolecular C-H insertion by metal carbenoids.46,47 62 71 99-104 The following section highlights the major advances made since 1994, especially in asymmetric intramolecular C-H insertion. 

Activation of a C-H bond requires a metallocarbenoid of suitable reactivity and electrophilicity.105-115 Most of the early literature on metal-catalyzed carbenoid reactions used copper complexes as the catalysts.46,116 Several chiral complexes with Ce-symmetric ligands have been explored for selective C-H insertion in the last decade.117-127 However, only a few isolated cases have been reported of impressive asymmetric induction in copper-catalyzed C-H insertion reactions.118,124 The scope of carbenoid-induced C-H insertion expanded greatly with the introduction of dirhodium complexes as catalysts. Building on initial findings from achiral catalysts, four types of chiral rhodium(n) complexes have been developed for enantioselective catalysis in C-H activation reactions. They are rhodium(n) carboxylates, rhodium(n) carboxamidates, rhodium(n) phosphates, and < // < -metallated arylphosphine rhodium(n) complexes. 

The carbenoid fragment reacts as an electron-deficient carbon centre. Substituents both at rhodium and at the carbene centre can make it more electron-deficient. If the carbenoid is given the choice between a cyclopropanation and C-H insertion reaction, the preference for C-H insertion increases with the electron deficiency [19], Figure 17.10. 

On the contrary, a-lithiated epoxides have found wide application in syntheses . The existence of this type of intermediate as well as its carbenoid character became obvious from a transannular reaction of cyclooctene oxide 89 observed by Cope and coworkers. Thus, deuterium-labeling studies revealed that the lithiated epoxide 90 is formed upon treatment of the oxirane 89 with bases like lithium diethylamide. Then, a transannular C—H insertion occurs and the bicyclic carbinol 92 forms after protonation (equation 51). This result can be interpreted as a C—H insertion reaction of the lithium carbenoid 90 itself. On the other hand, this transformation could proceed via the a-alkoxy carbene 91. In both cases, the release of strain due to the opening of the oxirane ring is a significant driving force of the reaction. 

Cyclic epoxides such as 124 can react in two ways with strong bases (a) via abstraction of a /3-proton to form allylic alcoholates 125 or (b) by deprotonation at the epoxide carbon atom forming the intermediate 126 and, after electrophilic substitution, the epoxides 128. If there is a suitable C—H bond in the vicinity of the C-Li moiety, intramolecular carbenoid insertion reactions to 127 may take place (equation 27) ° . ... 

Carbenes and carbenoids can add to double bonds to form cyclopropanes or insert into C—H bonds. These reactions have very low activation energies when the intermediate is a free carbene. Intermolecular insertion reactions are inherently nonselective. The course of intramolecular reactions is frequently controlled by the proximity of the reacting groups.53... 

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