Ketene isomerization

W. H. Miller For a reaction such as H + O2 — OH + O, or ketene isomerization CC O — OCC H2, which involve a metastable intermediate, one can certainly do better than simple TST by using a model with two transition states and the unified statistical model to approximate the net reactive flux. Such an approach, though often useful, is nevertheless an approximate model that can never be made into a rigorous description. Such a model, for example, cannot describe the resonance tunneling structure in the ketene isomerization that I described. 

E. R. Lovejoy and C. B. Moore, Structures in the energy dependence of the rate constant of ketene isomerization, J. Chem. Phys. 98 7846 (1993). 

Figure 4.14 Roaming trajectory for ketene isomerization. Reprinted with permission from Ref. 61, Copyright (2013) American Chemical Society.

Lovejoy, E.R. and Moore, C.B., Structures in the Energy Dependence of the Rate Constant for Ketene Isomerization,/. Chem. Phys., 98, 7846,1993. 

DimeriZa.tlon. A special case of the [2 + 2] cyclo additions is the dimerization of ketenes. Of the six possible isomeric stmctures, only the 1,3-cyclobutanediones and the 2-oxetanones (P-lactones) are usually formed. Ketene itself gives predominandy (80—90%) the lactone dimer, 4-methylene-2-oxetanone (3), called diketene [674-82-8], approximately 5% is converted to the symmetrical dimer, 1,3-cyclobutanedione [15506-53-3] (4) which undergoes enol-acetylation to so-called triketene [38425-52-4] (5) (44). 

The industrial precursor to 2,4-pentanedione is isopropenyl acetate, produced from acetone and ketene (307,308). The diketone is formed by the high temperature isomerization of isopropenyl acetate over a metal catalyst (309—311). 

Benzonitrile oxide reacted with 3-phenyl-4-benzylideneisoxazolinone to produce two isomeric spiro compounds (Scheme 153) (72MI41609,72MI41608). The reaction of benzonitrile oxide with ketene produced a spiro derivative (67MI41600) with allenes, bis(spiroisoxazo-lines) along with monoaddition products were formed (Scheme 154) (79JOC2796, 70CR(C)-(271)1468). 

The photochemical addition of azirines to the carbonyl group of aldehydes, ketones, and esters is also completely regiospecific (77H(6)143). Besides the formation of the isomeric oxazolines (50) from (39) and ethyl cyanoformate, there is also formed the imidazole (51) from addition to C=N in the expected regioselective manner. Thioesters lead to thiazolines (52), while isocyanates and ketenes produce heterocycles (53). 

Neither ground-state ethynol (hydroxyacetylene) (80) nor carbenaoxirane (81) appears to be a viable point of ingress to the oxirene-methanoylcarbene system, as both can isomerize to ketene by lower-energy pathways. The limited experimental information available on carbenaoxirane (Section 5.05.6.3.4(f/)) indicates that it is indeed largely isolated from the oxirene-methanoylcarbene manifold (but note the photolysis of ketene in Section 5.5.6.3.4(ff)) appropriate labelling experiments with (the unknown) ethynol have not been performed. 

The isomerization of carbenaoxirane (81) to oxirene seems unlikely, as ab initio calculations predict a more facile conversion to ketene (Figure 3). However, oxirene involvement has been demonstrated for ketene photolysis (Scheme 102) (80PAC1623) and this may proceed through vibrationally excited (81) cold carbenaoxiranes would appear to be even... 

Flash thermolysis of compounds of the type (120), derivatives of Meldrum s acid , is a fairly general synthesis of ketenes (Scheme 103). Brown and coworkers (77AJC179) found that the spirooxirane (121) gave ketene, possibly via the expected carbonyloxirane (122) and probably by isomerization of carbenaoxirane (Scheme 104). 

Oxirene is probably a true intermediate, but is separated from ketene by only a very low barrier. Since its instability results from unimolecular isomerization rather than from attack of other molecules, the only viable current technique for its direct observation seems to be generation and spectroscopic examination in an inert matrix at temperatures near absolute zero. 

The previous sections have dealt with stable C=N-I- functionality in aromatic rings as simple salts. Another class of iminium salt reactions can be found where the iminium salt is only an intermediate. The purpose of this section is to point out these reactions even though they do not show any striking differences in their reactivity from stable iminium salts. Such intermediates arise from a-chloroamines (133-135), isomerization of oxazolidines (136), reduction of a-aminoketones by the Clemmensen method (137-139), reductive alkylation by the Leuckart-Wallach (140-141) or Clarke-Eschweiler reaction (142), mercuric acetate oxidation of amines (46,93), and in reactions such as ketene with enamines (143). 

There has been new information on the products of photolysis of derivatives of compound 1. Low temperature irradiation of the ester 254 gives a ketene (93JACS8621) the isolation of an isomeric ketene from a 3-pyridyldiazo ester suggests the involvement of the open chain form 255. Photolysis of the 3-phenyl derivative 256 in the presence of cyclopentadiene gives exo and endo cyclopropanes and a dipyridylstilhene, suggesting the intermediacy of the carhene 257 (99JOC6635). 

Nevertheless, a more traditional approach to the stabilization of carbenes and the investigation of their spectral properties deals with the direct generation of carbenes in low-temperature matrices, e.g. by the photolysis of diazo-compounds or ketenes. The method allows stabilization of carbenes in their ground electronic state, prevents intramolecular isomerization and also facilitates direct spectroscopic monitoring of their chemical transformations in low-temperature matrices. 

Different rearrangements were observed in other cases. Thus, Maas22 reported that when photolyzed in benzene the polysilyldiazoketone 180 gave the isomeric ketene 181, the product of a Wolff rearrangement (a 1,2 carbon-to-carbon rearrangement) of the initially formed carbene 182 (Eq. 57). The isomeric bis-silylketene 183 was not observed, but the siloxa-tene 184 was also a product of the reaction. 

The reaction of 3-bromo-5-(methylthio)-2-methylselenophene (61) with ethyllithium and ethyl bromide (Eq. 18) gives mixed thioselenoacetals of an acetylenic ketene (62) in high yield.80 Similarly, isomeric 3-bromo-5-methyl-2-(methylthio)selenophene (63) is also easily cleaved to give 2-ethylseleno-5-methylthio-2-hepten-4-yne (64) (Eq. 17). Such compounds are difficult to obtain by other methods. 

Likewise, an efficient one-pot multicomponent synthesis of annelated 2-amino pyridines (e.g., 17) utilizing [4+2] cycloadditions has been described <06JOC3494>. The process involves the in situ generation of 1-aza-1,3-butadiene from a palladium-catalyzed coupling-isomerization reaction of aryl halides (e.g., 18) with propargyl V-tosylamines (e.g., 19). The resulting butadiene then undergoes cycloadditions with V.S -ketene acetals (e.g., 20) to form annelated pyridines (e.g., 17). 

Thermal reactions of N-aryl cyclopropenone imines 268 are differentiated by the nature of the N-aryl substituent. Imines 268 (Ar = phenyl, p-nitro-phenyl) undergo isomerization to N-aryl-2-phenyl-indenone imines 271 when heated in aprotic solvents202. Since in protic solvents, e.g. ethanol, only the iminoester 272 is isolated, evidence seems to be given for the intermediacy of 269 implying carbene and ketene imine functionality, which may either cause electrophilic ring closure with a phenyl group to form 271 or may add to the hydroxylic solvent (272). 

At low temperatures cyclopropenones and enamines or ketene acetals were shown to yield 2-azonia-bicyclo(3,l, 0)hex-3-enolates-3 (371, X=0), which can be isomerized thermally to penta-2,4-diene amides(372, X=0). At elevated temperatures the amides were found to be the principal products arising from C-N-insertion 237) (insertion of the cyclopropenone three-carbon unit into the C-N bond of the enamine). These were accompanied in some cases by 3-aminoenones 373 arising from C-C-insertion 237) (insertion of the cyclopropenone into the C-C double bond of the enamine) and a-amino cyclopentenones 375 formed by Stevens rearrangement of the ylide 369 and cyclopentenones 374 ( condensation 237)). 

Scheme 1. Reaction coordinate for the isomerization of labeled ketene 74 vio oxirene 76.

But there is also good news about the members of the C2H2O family and that is the matrix isolation of oxiranylidene (78). Besides ketene 74 and ethynol (77)104 carbene 78 should be a minimum on the C2H2O potential surface101 with a considerable barrier to isomerization. Indeed, oxiranylidene 78 is observable under matrix conditions.105... 

The lifetime of formylcarbene was determined by transient absorption and grating spectroscopies.39 Photolysis of formyldiazomethane produces formylcarbene which can isomerize, kr, to ketene or react with pyridine (Scheme 4). Using the pyridine ylide method, the lifetime of singlet formylcarbene was estimated to be 150-730 ps in CH2CI2. This is in reasonable agreement with the lifetime of 900 ps determined by transient grating spectroscopy. 

Silyl Ketene Acetal to a-Silyl Ester Isomerization... 

The isomerization of an O-silyl ketene acetal to a C-silyl ester is catalyzed by a cationic zirconocene—alkoxide complex [92], This catalysis was observed as a side reaction in the zirconocene-catalyzed Mukaiyama aldol reactions and has not yet found synthetic use. The solvent-free bis(triflate) [Cp2Zr(OTf)2] also catalyzes the reaction in nitromethane (no reaction in dichloromethane), but in this case there may be competitive catalysis by TMSOTf (cf. the above discussion of the catalysis of the Mukaiyama aldol reaction) [91] (Scheme 8.51). 

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