Insertion, intramolecular

The cyclization to form very congested quaternary carbon centers involving the intramolecular insertion of di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted alkenes is particularly useful for natural products synthesis[l36-138], In the total synthesis of gelsemine, the cyclization of 166 has been carried out, in which very severe steric hindrance is e.xpected. Interestingly, one stereoisomer 167... 

Total syntheses of tazettine and 6a-epi-pretazettine have been carried out by application of the Pd-catalyzed cydization of 169, in which a single pentacyclic product 170 was obtained, establishing a preference for an eclipsed orientation of the Pd—C (7-bond and alkene 7r-bond in the key intramolecular insertion step[l40]. 

The alkenylpalladium intermediate 364, formed by the intramolecular insertion of 363, is terminated by hydrogenolysis with formic acid to give the terminal alkene 365[266]. The intramolecular insertion of 366 is terminated by the reaction of the alkynylstannane 367 to afford the conjugated dienyne system 368[267j. 

The benzene derivative 409 is synthesized by the Pd-catalyzed reaction of the haloenyne 407 with alkynes. The intramolecular insertion of the internal alkyne, followed by the intermolecular coupling of the terminal alkyne using Pd(OAc)2, Ph3P, and Cul, affords the dienyne system 408, which cyclizes to the aromatic ring 409[281]. A similar cyclization of 410 with the terminal alkyne 411 to form benzene derivatives 412 and 413 without using Cul is explained by the successive intermolecular and intramolecuar insertions of the two triple bonds and the double bond[282]. The angularly bisannulated benzene derivative 415 is formed in one step by a totally intramolecular version of polycycli-zation of bromoenediyne 414[283,284],... 

The intramolecular insertion of an internal alkyne into an aryl or alkenyl halide 727 generates aryl- or alkenylpalladium as an intermediate, which is trapped with an organozinc or organostannane to give 728. Overall cis addition to the alkyne takes place[595,596]. The reaction of the alkenylstannane 730 with the 2-bromomethylfuran 729 is used for the introduction of a prenyl group[597]. 

The intermolecular insertion of alkenes into rr-allylpalladium is unknown, except with norbomadiene(476]. On the other hand, the intramolecular insertion of alkene group in 766 into 7r-allylpalladium proceeds smoothly to give the... 

Similarly to alkenes. alkynes also insert. In the reaction of 775 carried out under a CO atmosphere in AcOH, sequential insertions of alkyne, CO. alkene. and CO take place in this order, yielding the keto ester 776[483]. However, the same reaction carried out in THF in the presence of LiCl affords the ketone 777, but not the keto ester[484]. The tricyclic terpenoid hirsutene (779) has been synthesized via the Pd-catalyzed metallo-ene carbonylation reaction of 778 with 85% diastereoselectivity as the key reaction[485], Kainic acid and allo-kainic acid (783) have been synthesized by the intramolecular insertion ol an alkene in 780, followed by carbonylation to give 781 and 782[486],... 

The intramolecular insertion of a conjugated diene into 7r-allylpalladium, initially formed in 789, generates another rr-allyl complex 790, which is trapped with acetate anion to give a new allylic acetate 791. No further reaction of the allylic acetate with alkene takes place[489]. 

The cyclization of the enediynes 110 in AcOH gives the cyclohexadiene derivative 114. The reaction starts by the insertion of the triple bond into Pd—H to give 111, followed by tandem insertion of the triple bond and two double bonds to yield the triene system 113, which is cyclized to give the cyclohexadiene system 114. Another possibility is the direct formation of 114 from 112 by endo-rype. insertion of an exo-methylene double bond[53]. The appropriately structured triyne 115 undergoes Pd-catalyzed cyclization to form an aromatic ring 116 in boiling MeCN, by repeating the intramolecular insertion three times. In this cyclization too, addition of AcOH (5 mol%) is essential to start the reaction[54]. 

The thiepin system 31 is formed quantitatively by ring expansion of the diazoacetate derivative 30 via carbene formation catalyzed by 7r-allylpalladium chloride and its intramolecular insertion[31], The 4-diazomethyl-4//-pyrane 32 is expanded to the oxepine 33 in quantitative yield with the same catalyst[32]. 

Sometimes coordination of SO2 to an organometallic complex is followed by intramolecular insertion of SO2 into the M-C a bond. e.g. 

Intermediate 37 can be transformed into ( )-thienamycin [( )-1)] through a sequence of reactions nearly identical to that presented in Scheme 3 (see 22— 1). Thus, exposure of /(-keto ester 37 to tosyl azide and triethylamine results in the facile formation of pure, crystalline diazo keto ester 4 in 65 % yield from 36 (see Scheme 5). Rhodium(n) acetate catalyzed decomposition of 4, followed by intramolecular insertion of the resultant carbene 3 into the proximal N-H bond, affords [3.2.0] bicyclic keto ester 2. Without purification, 2 is converted into enol phosphate 42 and thence into vinyl sulfide 23 (76% yield from 4).18 Finally, catalytic hydrogenation of 23 proceeds smoothly (90%) to afford ( )-thienamycin... 

The thermal decomposition of diazo(phenylsulfonyl)methane 223 under a nitrogen atmosphere generates phenylsulfonylcarbene which is trapped by olefin such as cyclohexene to give norcaranes 224 and 225 (equation 138)132. No cycloheptatriene derivative is isolated from the thermolysis of223 in benzene133. In contrast, intramolecular insertion of sulfonylcarbenes into a benzene ring is observed in the thermolysis of 226 (equation 139)134. 

Intramolecular insertion has been reported. The positively charged carbon of the carbocation (23), generated from the diazonium salt of the triptycene compound (22), reacted with the CH3 group in close proximity with it. ... 

There are numerous examples of metal carbene insertion reactions, usually requiring a catalyst. " The C—H insertion reactions of metal carbenes can be highly selective. Intramolecular insertion reactions are very versatile and tolerate a... 

Thirdly, insertion reactions may sometimes be considered as being inter- or intramolecular depending on whether Y was precoordinated to M. Thus Eq. (4) furnishes one example of an intramolecular insertion (191). 

Singlet Carbene C-H Insertions Although [1,2]-H shifts are formally carbene C-H insertions, these rearrangements have different orbital symmetry aspects than those of intramolecular insertions. As described above, overwhelming evidence exists that triplet carbenes undergo abstraction-recombination reactions to... 

There is some increase in selectivity with functionally substituted carbenes, but it is still not high enough to prevent formation of mixtures. Phenylchlorocarbene gives a relative reactivity ratio of 2.1 1 0.09 in insertion reactions with i-propylbenzene, ethylbenzene, and toluene.212 For cycloalkanes, tertiary positions are about 15 times more reactive than secondary positions toward phenylchlorocarbene.213 Carbethoxycarbene inserts at tertiary C—H bonds about three times as fast as at primary C—H bonds in simple alkanes.214 Owing to low selectivity, intermolecular insertion reactions are seldom useful in syntheses. Intramolecular insertion reactions are of considerably more value. Intramolecular insertion reactions usually occur at the C—H bond that is closest to the carbene and good yields can frequently be achieved. Intramolecular insertion reactions can provide routes to highly strained structures that would be difficult to obtain in other ways. 

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. 

Intramolecular insertion reactions show a strong preference for formation of five-membered rings.219 This was seen in a series of a-diazomethyl ketones of increasing chain length. With only one exception, all of the products were five-membered lactones.220 In the case of n = 3, the cyclization occurs in the side chain, again forming a five-membered ring. 

The most common rearrangement reaction of alkyl carbenes is the shift of hydrogen, generating an alkene. This mode of stabilization predominates to the exclusion of most intermolecular reactions of aliphatic carbenes and often competes with intramolecular insertion reactions. For example, the carbene generated by decomposition of the tosylhydrazone of 2-methylcyclohexanone gives mainly 1- and 3-methylcyclohexene rather than the intramolecular insertion product. 

Carbenes can also be stabilized by migration of alkyl or aryl groups. 2-Methyl-2-phenyl-1-diazopropane provides a case in which products of both phenyl and methyl migration, as well as intramolecular insertion, are observed. 

Intramolecular insertion and addition reactions are very rare for alkyl nitrenes. In fact, it is not clear that the nitrenes are formed as discrete species. The migration may be concerted with elimination, as is often the case in the Wolff rearrangement.251... 

A few intramolecular insertion reactions, especially in aromatic systems, go in good yield.253... 

More recently, a new mode of cis-trans isomerization of a disilene has been suggested for the extremely hindered disilene 27. As will be detailed in Section VIII. B, 27 undergoes thermal dissociation into the corresponding silylenes. Monitoring the thermolysis of (Z)-27 at 50°C by H and 29Si NMR reveals a competitive formation of the isomerized ( >27 and benzosilacyclobutene 37, which is most likely formed by intramolecular insertion of silylene 36 into the C—H bond of the o-bis(trimethylsilyl)-methyl group (Scheme 3).22,59 This suggests the possible occurrence of cis-trans isomerization via a dissociation-association mechanism. 

---