Lithium carbenoids reactions

The electrophilic reactivity of lithium carbenoids (reaction b) becomes evident from their reaction with alkyl lithium compounds. A, probably metal-supported, nucleophilic substitution occurs, and the leaving group X is replaced by the alkyl group R with inversion of the configuration . This reaction, typical of metal carbenoids, is not restricted to the vinylidene substitution pattern, but occurs in alkyl and cycloalkyl lithium carbenoids as well ". With respect to the a-heteroatom X, the carbenoid character is... 

Chelation is another driving force that provides diastereoselective bromine-lithium exchange reactions to give cyclopropyl carbenoids. Thus, the exo-bromine atom in dibro-mocyclopropane 25 is exchanged exclusively due to the methoxy substituent, which encourages the lithium to occupy the cis orientation (equation 16) ° Several representative examples of cyclopropyl bromo lithium carbenoids obtained by bromine-lithium exchange reactions are given in Table 1. 

Recently, two more stereoselective cases of bromine-lithium exchange reactions have been observed. Both the glyceraldehyde-derived bromoalkene 45 and lactaldehyde-derived 47 yield the -configurated lithium carbenoids 46 and 48, respectively, when treated with... 

Whereas the halogen-lithium exchange is of limited importance for the generation of a-lithiated ethers, the reductive lithiation of 0/S-acetals has been applied more frequently, the versatility being enhanced by remarkable diastereoselective variants. Thus, a single diastereomer of the lithium carbenoid 52 results from the diastereomeric mixture 51 (equation 34) . Representative examples of a-lithiated ethers generated by this method and their reactions with electrophiles are given in Table 4. 

On the contrary, a-lithiated epoxides have found wide application in syntheses . The existence of this type of intermediate as well as its carbenoid character became obvious from a transannular reaction of cyclooctene oxide 89 observed by Cope and coworkers. Thus, deuterium-labeling studies revealed that the lithiated epoxide 90 is formed upon treatment of the oxirane 89 with bases like lithium diethylamide. Then, a transannular C—H insertion occurs and the bicyclic carbinol 92 forms after protonation (equation 51). This result can be interpreted as a C—H insertion reaction of the lithium carbenoid 90 itself. On the other hand, this transformation could proceed via the a-alkoxy carbene 91. In both cases, the release of strain due to the opening of the oxirane ring is a significant driving force of the reaction. 

A conversion typical of a-halo-a-lithioaUcanes is the formation of epoxides that results from their reaction with aldehydes or ketones. As illustrated in equation 61, the bromo-lithium carbenoid is usually generated by halogen-lithium exchange. The intermediate lithium aUcoxide 113 undergoes an in situ ring closure to give the oxirane 114 . 

Clayden and Julia reported the 1,3-C,H insertion reaction of lithium carbenoid (69) derived from a primary alkyl chloride (68) by H-Li exchange reaction (eqnation 19). Treatment of 68 with a mixture of n-BuLi and tert-BnOK gave three prodncts. These... 

When the same reaction was performed with the corresponding lithium carbenoid, a complex mixture of products was obtained and the yield of 111 was less than 10%51. 13C-labeling experiments revealed that the alkoxyalkyl moiety migrated exclusively (equation 53)58. 

It was noted earlier that the lithium carbenoids on reaction with alkyl halides afford 1-alkyl-1-halo-cyclopropanes. It is possible to effect endo selective monoalkylation, as illustrated with a benzobarrelene... 

In addition to insertion into p-C—H bonds, cyclopropylidenes can undergo other reactions such as alkylation (c/. Section 4.7.3.2), dimerization, insertion into C—H bonds of the ether solvent (equation 60)183 or reaction with alkenes to afford spirocyclopropanes (equation 61).184 Addition of stoichiometric amounts of Bu OK has been shown to promote the reactions of lithium carbenoids, even at -83 C, with THF to give the insertion product (equation 62).185 Addition to alkenes is also promoted under these conditions. Intramolecular addition of the carbenoid to double bonds has been exploited in the synthesis of spirotricyclic compounds (equation 63).186... 

Duraisamy, M. Walborsky, H. M. Chiral vinyl-lithium reagents. Carbenoid reactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1984, 306, 5035-5037. 

Zincate carbenoids. Reaction of lithium trialkylzincates with a 1,1-dibro-moalkane results in a double insertion into the C-Br bonds to provide a secondary zincate carbenoid.2 These products undergo Pd-catalyzed coupling with acid chlorides or vinyl bromides. 

A widely exploited procedure for bringing about carbenoid reactions of organic mono- and fifem-dihalides is by use of lithium alkyls. Examples are given in equations (11) and (12). Dimeric olefin formation, stereospecific cyclopropane formation from olefins, and insertion into carbon-hydrogen bonds have all been observed in suitable cases, together with further reactions of these products with excess of the lithium alkyl. 

Oshima s group has worked extensively on ring-expansion reactions of SCBs promoted by various nucleophiles and nucleophilic carbenoid reagents. Intramolecular and intermolecular insertions of lithium carbenoids have been investigated treatment of 1,1-dimethyl-l-silacyclobutane with lithium carbenoids provided silacyclopentanes smoothly with good yields (Table 7) <1990TL6055, 1993T8487>. 

Table 7 Ring-expansion reactions of 1,1 -dimethyl-1 -silacyclobutane with lithium carbenoids...

Silacyclobutanes as well as silacyclopropanes undergo aldehyde insertion under catalysis by /-BuOK (Equation (77)).292 The reaction of silacyclobutanes with lithium carbenoids such as dihalomethyllithium and oxiranyllithium gives 2-substituted silacyclopentanes (Equation (78)). Treatment of l-(l-iodoalkyl)- and 1-oxiranyl-silacyclobutanes with a stoichiometric amount of an alkali alkoxide leads to silacyclopentanes by anionic 1,2-shift of the ring carbon adjacent to silicon. These ring-expansion reactions proceed probably via a pentacoordinate silane intermediate. 

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