Intermolecular reactions diene coupling

In Section 9.2, intermolecular reactions of titanium—acetylene complexes with acetylenes, allenes, alkenes, and allylic compounds were discussed. This section describes the intramolecular coupling of bis-unsaturated compounds, including dienes, enynes, and diynes, as formulated in Eq. 9.49. As the titanium alkoxide is very inexpensive, the reactions in Eq. 9.49 represent one of the most economical methods for accomplishing the formation of metallacycles of this type [1,2]. Moreover, the titanium alkoxide based method enables several new synthetic transformations that are not viable by conventional metallocene-mediated methods. 

Wong reported that stoichiometric amounts of copper(I) chloride alone can promote the intramolecular Stille coupling (equation 138)243. In fact, copper(I)-mediated reaction was cleaner and faster compared with that catalysed by Pd(0) species. Selected examples of intermolecular Stille coupling reactions leading to dienes (Table 25)236a,242b 244, polyenes (Table 26)245 and macrocyclizations (Table 27)246 are given in the respective tables. 

Trost and others have extensively studied the ruthenium-catalyzed intermolecular Alder-ene reaction (see Section 10.12.3) however, conditions developed for the intermolecular coupling of alkenes and alkynes failed to lead to intramolecular cycloisomerization due the sensitivity of the [CpRu(cod)Cl] catalyst system to substitution patterns on the alkene.51 Trost and Toste instead found success using cationic [CpRu(MeCN)3]PF6 41. In contrast to the analogous palladium conditions, this catalyst gives exclusively 1,4-diene cycloisomerization products. The absence of 1,3-dienes supports the suggestion that the ruthenium-catalyzed cycloisomerization of enynes proceeds through a ruthenacycle intermediate (Scheme 11). 

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. 

The synthesis of unsaturated compounds by C-C bond formation can also be carried out by coupling of alkenes with allenes, intermolecularly or intra-molecularly. Thus, 1,3-dienes were selectively obtained by coupling of allenes and vinyl ketones [28-30]. The reaction was catalyzed by the complex CpRuCl(COD) and with CeCl3 as a cocatalyst (Eq. 19). This cocatalyst is expected to decrease the chloride ion concentration to keep the active cationic ruthenium complex coordinatively unsaturated. 

Drawn from these examples it is apparent that controlling the chemose-lectivity in inter-intermolecular Heck-Diels-Alder reactions of two different alkenes can be tedious if the alkenes show comparable reactivities. Nevertheless, the stepwise approach was realized in several other cases. In a synthesis of a derivative of cephalostatin 1 containing a central benzene instead of the pyrazine ring, Winterfeldt et al. linked two steroidal systems by a Heck coupling and subsequently performed high pressure Diels-Alder reactions of the conjugated diene with electron-deficient alkynes [34], Another example, reported by Hayashi et al., involves a selective Heck reaction of a bromoglu-cal with ethylene or acrylic acid derivatives followed by cycloadditions with maleic anhydride or N-phenylmaleimide [35]. 

As alludet to in Section 5.2.3.1, the intermolecular photoinduced [lit + 2tt] cycloaddition of dienes is an efficient reaction in only a relatively few instances. However, many of the liabilities normally associated with the intermolecular cycload tion process can, in principle, be circumvented by employing the intramolecular version of the coupling. The requisite eight-membered ring could then be accessed from thermal rearrangement of the resultant divinylcyclobutane photoproduct. 

Ni-catalyzed multi-component coupling reactions are an efficient protocol for carbon-carbon bond formation [97]. The Ni-catalyzed asymmetric intermolecular reductive coupling of 1,3-dienes and aldehydes with Et Zn as a reducing reagent was realized... 

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