Iridium nucleophilic addition reactions

The addition of terminal acetylenes to imines is an important reaction because of the importance of these products as building blocks. Conventionally, the addition reaction shown in Scheme 5.2 is performed with stoichiometric amounts of butyllithium in a step that is, separate from the subsequent nucleophilic addition reaction (see (b)). Carreira has recently developed a procedure that utilizes an iridium catalyst to effect the addition reaction to a wide range of aldimines and ketimines (see (a)). ... 

Reaction of lithium 2,5-dimethylpyrrolate ion with [RhCl(CO)2]2 leads to formation of 84 (88PAC1193 90P1503). This is the first example of the mixed mode, when the ti N) and ti (C=C) coordination are realized simultaneously. Nucleophilic addition of triphenylphosphine and triphenylarsine gives 85 (E = P, As). The iridium analogs of 84 and 85 have also been synthesized. 

Addition reactions. Spiroacetal formation from dihydroxyalkynes is the result of a triple bond activation by iridium complex (1). Prenylation of an aldehyde from its mixture with 1,1-dimethylaUene under hydrogen is significant as the nucleophilic species is highly substituted. Alcohols are dehydrogenated in the presence of proper iridium complexes (cf. 2 and S ) therefore the same type of products are accessible while obviating hydrogen gas. ... 

Studies on oxidative-addition reactions of alkyl halides to square-planar iridium(i) complexes and other low-valent metal centres have shown that the reactions may either be regarded as Ss2 processes in which the metal centre acts as a nucleophile or else involve a concerted, three-centre addition. However, it has now been found that the oxidative-addition reaction of many alkyl halides to /w j-[IrCl(CO)(PMe3)2] can also proceed via a free-radical pathway. The studies show that the rates of reaction are greatly enhanced if small quantities of oxygen or a radical initiator, e.g. benzoyl peroxide, are present and that reaction rates are retarded by traces of radical scavengers, e.g. duroquinone or hydroquinone. Studies with the halides (1) show that the reaction proceeds with loss of stereochemistry at carbon. It is also found that the reaction rate... 

The first iridium catalysts for allylic substitution were published in 1997. Takeuchi showed that the combination of [fr(COD)Cl]2 and triphenylphosphite catalyzes the addition of malonate nucleophiles to the substituted terminus of t -allyliridium intermediates that are generated from allylic acetates. This selectivity for attack at the more substituted terminus gives rise to the branched allylic alkylation products (Fig. 4), rather than the linear products that had been formed by palladium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions at that time [7]. The initial scope of iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution was also restricted to stabilized enolate nucleophiles, but it was quickly expanded to a wide range of other nucleophiles. 

Although Helmchen et al. showed that asymmetric iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution could be achieved, the scope of the reactions catalyzed by iridium complexes of the PHOX ligands was limited. Thus, they evaluated reactions catalyzed by complexes generated from [lr(COD)Cl]2 and the dimethylamine-derived phosphoramidite monophos (Scheme 8) [45,51]. Although selectivity for the branched isomer from addition of malonate nucleophiles to allylic acetates was excellent, the highest enantiomeric excess obtained was 86%. This enantiomeric excess was obtained from a reaction of racemic branched allylic acetate. The enantiomeric excess was lower when linear allylic acetates were used. This system catalyzed addition of the hthium salts of A-benzyl sulfonamides to aUylic acetates, but the product of the reaction between this reagent and an alkyl-substituted linear aUylic acetate was formed with an enantiomeric excess of 13%. 

Reactions of allylic electrophiles with stabilized carbon nucleophiles were shown by Helmchen and coworkers to occur in the presence of iridium-phosphoramidite catalysts containing LI (Scheme 10) [66,69], but alkylations of linear allylic acetates with salts of dimethylmalonate occurred with variable yield, branched-to-linear selectivity, and enantioselectivity. Although selectivities were improved by the addition of lithium chloride, enantioselectivities still ranged from 82-94%, and branched selectivities from 55-91%. Reactions catalyzed by complexes of phosphoramidite ligands derived from primary amines resulted in the formation of alkylation products with higher branched-to-linear ratios but lower enantioselectivities. These selectivities were improved by the development of metalacyclic iridium catalysts discussed in the next section and salt-free reaction conditions described later in this chapter. 

As previously discussed, activation of the iridium-phosphoramidite catalyst before addition of the reagents allows less basic nitrogen nucleophiles to be used in iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions [70, 88]. Arylamines, which do not react with allylic carbonates in the presence of the combination of LI and [Ir(COD)Cl]2 as catalyst, form allylic amination products in excellent yields and selectivities when catalyzed by complex la generated in sim (Scheme 15). The scope of the reactions of aromatic amines is broad. Electron-rich and electron-neutral aromatic amines react with allylic carbonates to form allylic amines in high yields and excellent regio- and enantioselectivities as do hindered orlAo-substituted aromatic amines. Electron-poor aromatic amines require higher catalyst loadings, and the products from reactions of these substrates are formed with lower yields and selectivities. 

The scope of reactions catalyzed by metalacychc iridium-phosphoramidite complexes is remarkably broad, but reactions with some substrates, such as allylic alcohols, prochiral nucleophiles, branched allylic esters, and highly substituted allylic esters, that would form synthetically valuable products or would lead to simpler symthesis of reactants occur with low yields and selectivities. In addition, iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions are sensitive to air and water and must be conducted with dry solvents under an inert atmosphere. Several advances have helped to overcome some, but not aU of these challenges. 

Hartwig and coworkers reported an approach to address this limitation involving tandem catalytic reactions. In this tandem process, sequential palladium-catalyzed isomerization of the branched isomer to the linear isomer, followed by iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution leads to the branched product with high enantiomeric excess [105]. More specifically, treatment of branched allylic esters with catalytic amounts of the combination of Pd(dba)2 and PPhs led to rapid isomerization of the branched allylic ester to the linear isomer, and the linear isomer underwent allylic substitution after addition of the iridium catalyst and nucleophile (Scheme 31). 

Oxidative Addition of Alkyl Halides to Palladium(0). The stereochemistry of the oxidative addition (31) of alkyl halides to the transition metals of group VIII can provide information as to which of the many possible mechanisms are operative. The addition of alkyl halides to d8-iridium complexes has been reported to proceed with retention (32), inversion (33), and racemization (34, 35) via a free radical mechanism at the asymmetric carbon center. The kinetics of this reaction are consistent with nucleophilic displacement by iridium on carbon (36). Oxi-... 

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