Iron-catalyzed reactions substitution

An iron-catalyzed reaction of an a,P-unsaturated oxime such as 68 with a P-oxo ester also gave pyridine derivatives such as nicotinic acid 69 [99]. Under the reaction conditions (150-160 °C, without solvent) first Michael adducts such as intermediate 70 are presumably formed, which further condense via intermediate 71. This method is not restricted to a centric symmetry in the substitution pattern, which is an advantage compared with the Hantzsch synthesis. Moreover, the method starts with hydroxylamine being two oxidation stages above ammonia therefore, no oxidation in the final stage from dihydro- to pyridine is necessary (Scheme 8.31). 

The direct reductive amination (DRA) is a useful method for the synthesis of amino derivatives from carbonyl compounds, amines, and H2. Precious-metal (Ru [130-132], Rh [133-137], Ir [138-142], Pd [143]) catalyzed reactions are well known to date. The first Fe-catalyzed DRA reaction was reported by Bhanage and coworkers in 2008 (Scheme 42) [144]. Although the reaction conditions are not mild (high temperature, moderate H2 pressure), the hydrogenation of imines and/or enam-ines, which are generated by reaction of organic carbonyl compounds with amines, produces various substituted aryl and/or alkyl amines. A dihydrogen or dihydride iron complex was proposed as a reactive intermediate within the catalytic cycle. 

In the course of a study on creation of a library of a great number of hetaryl ketones and related derivatives, Szewczyk et al. <2001AGE216> elaborated a ruthenium-catalyzed transformation of heterocycles with activated C-H bond by reaction with olefins and carbon monoxide. Thus, 253 gave 254, albeit in very poor yield. Synthetically, the more straightforward iron-catalyzed transformation was described by Fiirstner et al. <2002JA13856>. These authors reacted 255 with a Grignard reagent in the presence of Fe(acac)3 to afford the 7-alkyl-substituted derivative 256 in reasonable yield (acac = acetylacetonate). 

An example of an iron-catalyzed C-C bond formation reaction was reported in 2001 [89]. Treatment of propargyl sulfides 87 with trimethylsilyldiazomethane in the presence of 5 mol% FeCl2(dppb) gave substituted homoallenylsilanes 88 in good to moderate yields (Scheme 3.43). The silanes 88d and 88e, which bear two centers of chirality, were obtained as 1 1 mixtures of diastereomers. Slight diastereoselectivity (2 1) was seen for the formation 88f, which is an axially chiral allene with a sterogenic center. 

It has been reported that by heating in the presence of water vapor, silicon can be incorporated into the lattice of y-Fe203 (55,64). It is unlikely that this effect occurs under the butene oxidation conditions since a physical mixture of large size iron oxide and silica gel retains its selectivity for butadiene after a prolonged reaction time without any indication of changes in the catalyst. If silicon substitution takes place, the water from the oxidation reaction could catalyze the substitution. In fact, deliberate pretreatment of such a physical mixture with water vapor before reaction does not change the activity or selectivity (54). 

Exclusive formation of silylstyrenes 76 is achieved when the reactions of styrene and 4-substituted styrenes with HSiEt3 are catalyzed by Fe3(CO)i2 or Fe2(CO)9100. Other iron-triad metal carbonyl clusters, Ru3(CO)i2 and Os3(CO)i2, are also highly active catalysts, but a trace amount of hydrosilylation product 77 is detected in the Ru-catalyzed reactions and the Os-catalyzed reactions are accompanied by 3-12% of 77 (equation 31)100. Mononuclear iron carbonyl, Fe(CO)5, is found to be inactive in this reaction100. 

The oxidative imination of sulfides and sulfoxides via nitrene transfer processes leads to N-substituted sulfilimines and sulfoximines. This reaction is interesting as chiral sulfoximines are efficient chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric synthesis, a promising class of chiral ligands for asymmetric catalysis and key intermediates in the synthesis of pseudopeptides [169]. However, very few examples of such iron-catalyzed transformations have been described. 

Again FeCl3-6H20 is the catalyst of choice for the benzylation of o-xylene by 4-chlorostyrene (Table 6.2). This iron-catalyzed arylation reaction of styrenes allows the synthesis of a wide variety of 1,1-diarylalkanes employing various styrenes and diverse arenes. Scheme 6.15 illustrates selected examples of successfully synthesized 1,1-diarylalkanes and Table 6.3 shows the diversity of different substituted styrenes employed as benzylating agents. 

In order to investigate the scope and limitation of this iron-catalyzed substitution reaction, various nucleophiles [85] and electrophiles were employed in subsequent years [86]. FeBr2 [87] was found to promote this reaction, also, but stoichiometric amounts were necessary. 

Recently, Taillefer et al. reported an Fe/Cu cooperative catalysis in the assembly of N-aryl heterocycles by C—N bond formation [90]. Similarly, Wakharkar and coworkers described the N-arylation of various amines with aryl halides in the presence of Cu—Fe hydrotalcite [91]. Interestingly, Correa and Bolm developed a novel and promising ligand-assisted iron-catalyzed N-arylation of nitrogen nucleophiles without any Cu co-catalysts (Scheme 6.19) [92]. Differently substituted aryl iodides and bromides react with various amides and N-heterocycles. The new catalyst system consists of a mixture of inexpensive FeCl3 and N,N -dimethylethylenediamine (dmeda). Clearly, this research established a useful starting point for numerous future applications of iron-catalyzed arylation reactions. 

Within the past 20 years, ferrates, i.e. anions possessing iron as the center atom, have found increasing application as nucleophilic complexes in substitution chemistry. In these reactions, the ferrate replaces the leaving group X in a first nucleophilic substitution event. A transfer of one ligand from the metal atom (i.e. a reductive elimination, path A, Scheme 7.2) or substitution of the metal atom via external attack of the nucleophile (path B) concludes this mechanistic scenario. However, the exact mechanism in ferrate-catalyzed nucleophilic substitutions is still under debate. Apart from the ionic mechanism, radical processes are also discussed in the literature. 

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