Intermolecular addition carbon nucleophiles

The selective intermolecular addition of two different ketones or aldehydes can sometimes be achieved without protection of the enol, because different carbonyl compounds behave differently. For example, attempts to condense acetaldehyde with benzophenone fail. Only self-condensation of acetaldehyde is observed, because the carbonyl group of benzophenone is not sufficiently electrophilic. With acetone instead of benzophenone only fi-hydroxyketones are formed in good yield, if the aldehyde is slowly added to the basic ketone solution. Aldols are not produced. This result can be generalized in the following way aldehydes have more reactive carbonyl groups than ketones, but enolates from ketones have a more nucleophilic carbon atom than enolates from aldehydes (G. Wittig, 1968). 

The monolithium salt of 4-hydroxy-4-(phenylethynyl)-2.5-cyclohexadienone (12), prepared in situ by the addition of lithium acetylide to /7-benzoquinone, was treated with methylmagnesium chloride in l HF-TMEDA or in THF —DMPU. The syn-, 4-addition adduct 13, derived from intramolecular delivery of the carbon nucleophile by the hydroxy oxygen, as well as the <7s-1,4-diol 14, obtained via intermolecular 1,2-addition, were obtained in varying amounts depending on the conditions. The selectivity on 1,4- to 1,2-addition increased by the addition of cation chelating agents such as DMPU, TMEDA, and 15-crown-5. Although the 1,4 to 1,2... 

In contrast to the well documented conjugate addition of carbon nucleophiles to activated alkenes, similar intermolecular attempts with activated alkynes with non-cuprate reactants are typically non-productive due to competing multiple addition processes.87 6 However, protic intramolecular conjugate additions of ketones as shown for the syntheses of griseofulvin and hirsutic acid,222 are successful. Recently, several aprotic intramolecular conjugate additions to activated alkynes have been reported, as... 

As noted in the introduction, in contrast to attack by nucleophiles, attack of electrophiles on saturated alkene-, polyene- or polyenyl-metal complexes creates special problems in that normally unstable 16-electron, unsaturated species are formed. To be isolated, these species must be stabilized by intramolecular coordination or via intermolecular addition of a ligand. Nevertheless, as illustrated in this chapter, reactions of significant synthetic utility can be developed with attention to these points. It is likely that this area will see considerable development in the future. In addition to refinement of electrophilic reactions of metal-diene complexes, synthetic applications may evolve from the coupling of carbon electrophiles with electron-rich transition metal complexes of alkenes, alkynes and polyenes, as well as allyl- and dienyl-metal complexes. Sequential addition of electrophiles followed by nucleophiles is also viable to rapidly assemble complex structures. 

Alcohols are not only source of ketyl radicals generated by hydrogen abstraction from the a-C-H position (Eq. (7), Table 1). Oxidation of alcohols with Pb(OAc)4, PhI(OAc)2, and S2082 with Ag(I) as catalyst produces alkoxy radicals (RO-) which may further undergo /3-scission (Eq. 13), intramolecular hydrogen abstraction, or intra- and intermolecular addition to alkenes, generating a nucleophilic carbon-centered radical useful for heteroaromatic substitution (Scheme 6) [2]. 

Intermolecular addition of carbon nucleophiles to the ri2-pyrrolium complexes has shown limited success because of the decreased reactivity of the iminium moiety coupled with the acidity (pKa 18-20) of the ammine ligands on the osmium, the latter of which prohibits the use of robust nucleophiles. Addition of cyanide ion to the l-methyl-2//-pyr-rolium complex 32 occurs to give the 2-cyano-substituted 3-pyrroline complex 75 as one diastereomer (Figure 15). In contrast, the 1-methyl-3//-pyrrolium species 28, which possesses an acidic C-3-proton in an anti orientation, results in a significant (-30%) amount of deprotonation in addition to the 2-pyrroline complex 78 under the same reaction conditions. Uncharacteristically, 78 is isolated as a 3 2 ratio of isomers, presumably via epimerization at C-2.17 Other potential nucleophiles such as the conjugate base of malononitrile, potassium acetoacetate, and the silyl ketene acetal 2-methoxy-l-methyl-2-(trimethylsiloxy)-l-propene either do not react or result in deprotonation under ambient conditions. 

A. Conjugate Addition of Carbon Nucleophiles Intermolecular Additions... 

Cyclopenta-fused pyridines 48 have been synthesized through a cascade initiated by intermolecular addition of C radicals to the C = N triple bond in vinylisonitriles. The reaction in Scheme 2.8 shows addition of the nucleophilic alkynyl radical 49 to the carbon end of the isonitrile group in 46 to give vinyl radical 50, which undergoes a... 

Carbon-based nucleophiles 1.03.3.2.4. Intermolecular addition reactions... 

Radical-based carbon-carbon bond formation with electron-deficient heteroaromatics. The reaction entails an intermolecular addition of a nucleophilic radical to protonated heteroaromatic nucleus. 

Nucleophilic attack of stabilized carbon nucleophiles on coordinated olefins is also known. Hegedus developed the alkylation of olefins shown in Equation 11.31. The (olefin)palladium(II) chloride complexes did not react with malonate nucleophiles, but the triethylamine adduct does react with this carbon nucleophile to provide the alkylation product. This reaction has recently been incorporated into a catalytic alkylation of olefins by Widenhoefer. - Intramolecular reaction of the 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with pendant olefins in the presence of (GHjCNl PdCl occurs to generate cyclic products containing a new C-C bond (Equation 11.32). Some intermolecular reactions with ethylene and propylene have also been developed by this group. Deuterium labeling studies (Equation 11.32) have shown that the addition occurs by external attack on the coordinated olefin. ... 

Catalytic and stoichiometric additions of oxygen nucleophiles to coordinated dienes are summarized in Equations 11.33 and 11.34. Early studies involved 1,4-additions of two acetoxy or alkoxy groups across a diene. More recently, intermolecular additions of two different nucleophiles have been developed. The stereochemistry for additions across cyclic dienes makes this procedure particularly valuable. Conditions for either cis or trans additions have been developed. Cis addition is typically observed in the presence of added chloride, and trans addition occurs in the absence of chloride. Both intermolecular and intramolecular " 1,4 additions to dienes have been developed, and reactions of nitrogen and carbon nucleophiles have also been reported. More details on these processes are reported in Chapter 16. 

Lewis acid complexes of p-substituted a,p-unsaturated ketones and aldehydes are unreactive toward alkenes. Crotonaldehyde and 3-penten-2-one can not be induced to undergo ene reactions as acrolein and MVK do. 34 The presence of a substituent on the p-carbon stabilizes the enal- or enone-Lewis acid complex and sterically retards the approach of an alkene to the p-carbon. However, we have found that a complex of these ketones and aldehydes with 2 equivalents of EtAlQ2 reacts reversibly with alkenes to give a zwitterion. 34 This zwitterion, which is formed in the absence of a nucleophile, reacts reversibly to give a cyclobutane or undergoes two 1,2-hydride or alkyl shifts to irreversibly generate a p,p-disubstituted-o,p-unsaturated carbonyl compound (see Figure 19). The intermolecular addition of an enone, as an electrophile, to an alkene has been observed only rarely. The specific termination of the reaction by a series of alkyl and hydride shifts is also very unusual. 35 The absence of polymer is remarkable. 

The development of new procedures for the creation of C-C bonds is of major importance in organic synthesis. In this respect, gold catalysis has emerged as a very efficient synthetic tool, allowing the generally easy and efficient formation of such bonds by addition of various carbone nucleophiles onto alkynes, allenes, and alkenes. These transformations, which can be performed in an intra- or intermolecular manner, are extremely varied. It should however be noted that tlie cycloisomerization of ene-ynes, diene-ynes, or ene-allenes remains the most frequently encountered. A very short selection of such transformations is presented in Scheme 16.16 [15g,k, 20]. 

Although nitronates usually act as carbon nucleophiles or 1,3-dipoles, they can react as carbon electrophiles under catalysis by silicon Lewis acids. A recent study has revealed that cyclic nitronates undergo intermolecular nucleophilic addition of silyl enolates in the presence of t-BuMe2SiOTf (Scheme 9.60) [147]. 

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