Kharasch-Sosnovsky reactions

This chapter will begin with a discussion of the role of chiral copper(I) and (II) complexes in group-transfer processes with an emphasis on alkene cyclo-propanation and aziridination. This discussion will be followed by a survey of enantioselective variants of the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction, an allylic oxidation process. Section II will review the extensive efforts that have been directed toward the development of enantioselective, Cu(I) catalyzed conjugate addition reactions and related processes. The discussion will finish with a survey of the recent advances that have been achieved by the use of cationic, chiral Cu(II) complexes as chiral Lewis acids for the catalysis of cycloaddition, aldol, Michael, and ene reactions. 

The allylic acyloxylation of alkenes, the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction, Eq. 81, would be an effective route to nonracemic allylic alcohol derivatives, if efficient, enantioselective catalysts were available. The reaction is mediated by a variety of copper salts, and as such, has been the target of considerable research in an attempt to render the process enantioselective. The original reaction conditions described by Kharasch require high temperatures when CuBr is used as the catalyst (93). However, the use of CuOTf (PhH)0 5 allows the reaction to proceed at temperatures as low as -20°C. Unfortunately, long reaction times are endemic in these processes and the use of excess alkene (2-100 equiv) is conventional. Most yields reported in this field are based on the oxidant. 

The mechanism of the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction remains unclear. The generally accepted version, as proposed by Kochi and co-workers (94-96) and later improved by Beckwith and Zavitsos (97), is illustrated in Scheme 8. Cuprous ion reduces the perbenzoate to Cu(II)OBz (Bz = benzoyl) and free /-BuO radical. The radical abstracts an allylic hydrogen atom generating an allyl radical that combines with the cupric salt to form an allylcopper(III) species. Reductive elimination with... 

Scheme 8. General mechanism of the copper-catalyzed allylic oxidation of alkenes (Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction).

The use of bis(oxazoline) ligands in the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction proved to be beneficial, affording well-behaved catalysts. The original investigations were communicated independently and concurrently by Pfaltz and co-workers (108) and Andrus et al. (109). 

The application of dinuclear metal catalysts to the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction is mechanistically intriguing due to their illustrated role in mediating biological oxidations (119). Fahmi (120) examined a variety of dinucleating ligands with Cu(MeCN)4PF6 as catalysts in the allylic oxidation of cyclohexene, Eq. 102. In these studies, early results have been inferior to those obtained from bis(oxa-zoline)-copper catalysts. 

Asymmetric allylic oxidation and benzylic oxidation (Kharasch-PSosnovsky reaction) are important synthetic strategies for constructing chiral C—O bonds via C—H bond activation.In the mid-1990s, the asymmetric Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction was first studied by using chiral C2-symmetric bis(oxazoline)s. " Later various chiral ligands, based mainly on oxazoline derivatives and proline derivatives, were used in such asymmetric oxidation. Although many efforts have been made to improve the enantioselective Kharasch-Sosnovsky oxidation reaction, most cases suffered from low to moderate enantioselectivities or low reactivities. 

SCHEME 128. Catalytic enantioselective Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction catalyzed by different Cu-oxazohne chiral complexes... 

TABLE 31. Results of the Cu/oxazoline-catalyzed Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction of various alkenes (yields are given and ee values are given in parentheses)... 

Although the first example of an asymmetric Kharasch-Sosnovski reaction with a chiral perester was reported as early as 1965 [17], major advances have only been made in the last ten years. In the early 1990s, Muzart carefully reinvestigated earlier results obtained by Araki and Nagase [18]. After intensive optimization of the reaction conditions, the acyloxylation of cydopentene and cyclohexene gave products with up to 59 and 45 % ee, respectively. The best conditions for the oxidation of cyclohexene were found to involve the use of 5 mol% copper oxide, 10 mol% proline (1), and tert-butyl perbenzoate/benzoic acid in benzene under reflux (Scheme 2) [19]. 

Recently, iron catalysis gained general importance. Its catalytic chemistry has been summarized ([2] recent reviews [3, 4]). Iron(II) and iron(III) salts have a long history in radical chemistry. The former are moderately active in atom-transfer reactions as well as initiators for the Fenton reaction with hydrogen peroxide or hydroperoxides (reviews [5-12]). Important applications of this principle are the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction (the allylic oxidation of olefins) [13], which often... 

The development of ruthenium complexes for other applications in radical chemistry is still in its infancy, but seems well suited to future expansion, thanks to the versatility of ruthenium as a catalytically active center. Large avenues have not been explored yet and remain open to research. For instance, the development of methodologies for the asymmetric functionalization of C-H bonds remains a challenge. The Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction [51,52],in which the allylic carbon of an alkene is acyloxylated, its asymmetric counterpart, and the asymmetric version of the Kharasch reaction itself are practically terra incognita to ruthenium chemistry, and await the discovery of improved catalysts. 

Fig. 4.40 The Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction for allylic oxidation of olefins.

The Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction may be carried out in the presence of carboxylic acids to introduce the acyloxy moiety of the acid used, and may also be conducted photochemically at room temperature using UV irradiation. Peioxy acids,diacyl peroxides, and peroxyphosphates and peroxyphospho-nates are alternative oxidants. /-Butyl hydroperoxide may also be used in place of peroxy esters with broadly similar results, although formations of mixed peroxides and /-butyl ethers can then compete with allyl ester production. 

Among oxi tions producing allylic alcohols or their derivatives the modem variants of selenium dioxide oxidations are by far the most popular. Systems based on metal acetates, particularly palladium tri-fluoroacetate, can be very useful and are receiving increasing attention but the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction, once very common for allylic oxidation, is now rarely used. Sensitized photooxidation with singlet oxygen, a very well-known procedure, is still somewhat unpredictable and has periu K received less consideration than it deserves. 

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