Metal-catalyzed addition/elimination

Isomerization of allylic alcohol to ketone has been extensively studied [13], and two different pathways have been established, including tt-allyl metal hydride and the metal hydride addition-elimination mechanisms [5,14]. McGrath and Grubbs [ 15] investigated the ruthenium-catalyzed isomerization of allyl alcohol in water and proposed a modified metal hydride addition-elimination mechanism through an oxygen-functionality-directed Markovnikov addition to the double bond. 

We and others recently reported the metal-catalyzed addition of diboron compounds to alkenes and alkynes.15,16 Subsequent work has improved the catalysts and extended the scope of the substrate to include disubstituted alkenes, enynes, and dienes.17 Stoichiometric reactivity studies support a mechanism which involves oxidative addition of the B-B bond to the metal center, followed by insertion of the substrate into the M-B bond, and product-forming B-C reductive elimination (Scheme l).18... 

The two established pathways for transition metal-catalyzed alkene isomerization are the jr-allyl metal hydride and the metal hydride addition-elimination mechanisms. The metal hydride addition-elimination mechanism is the more common pathway for transition metal-catalyzed isomerization. In this mechanism, free alkene coordinates to a metal hydride species. Subsequent insertion into the metal-hydride bond yields a metal alkyl. Formation of a secondary metal alkyl followed by y3-elimination yields isomerized alkene and regenerates the metal hydride. The jr-allylhydride mechanism is the less commonly found pathway for alkene isomerization. Oxidative addition of an activated allylic C-H bond to the metal yields a jr-allyl metal hydride. Transfer of the coordinated hydride to the opposite end of the allyl group yields isomerized alkene. 

There are transition-metal catalyzed addition reaction of alkyl units to alkenes, often proceeding with metal hydride elimination to form an alkene. An intramolecular cyclization reaction of an A-pyrrolidino amide alkene was reported using an iridium catalyst for addition of the carbon ot to nitrogen to the alkene unit. OS I, 229 IV, 665 VII, 479. 

Synthetic applications that consist of metal catalyzed addition of X-X to carbon-carbon unsaturated substrates, generally alkynes, have been described for X = X = SR, SeR, TeR and X = SeR, X = PR2 as well as X = SR, X = BR2, SiR3 [201], These transformations generally involve oxidative addition of the X-X reactant to the metal center followed by insertion of the alkyne, into the M-X bond. Reductive elimination leads to the final disubstituted alkene, which shows cis stereochemistry. 

Other syntheses of alkenyl halides have been pubhshed over the last decade using different approaches such as selective hydrogenation, hydroboration/protonolysis, metal-catalyzed addition, and E2 elimination just to name a few. 

Synthetically important substitutions of aromatic compounds can also be done by nucleophilic reagents. There are several general mechanism for substitution by nucleophiles. Unlike nucleophilic substitution at saturated carbon, aromatic nucleophilic substitution does not occur by a single-step mechanism. The broad mechanistic classes that can be recognized include addition-elimination, elimination-addition, and metal-catalyzed processes. (See Section 9.5 of Part A to review these mechanisms.) We first discuss diazonium ions, which can react by several mechanisms. Depending on the substitution pattern, aryl halides can react by either addition-elimination or elimination-addition. Aryl halides and sulfonates also react with nucleophiles by metal-catalyzed mechanisms and these are discussed in Section 11.3. 

Some experimental evidences are in agreement with this proposed mechanism. For example, coordinating solvents like diethyl ether show a deactivating effect certainly due to competition with a Lewis base (149). For the same reason, poor reactivity has been observed for the substrates carrying heteroatoms when an aluminum-based Lewis acid is used. Less efficient hydrovinylation of electron-deficient vinylarenes can be explained by their weaker coordination to the nickel hydride 144, hence metal hydride addition to form key intermediate 146. Isomerization of the final product can be catalyzed by metal hydride through sequential addition/elimination, affording the more stable compound. Finally, chelating phosphines inhibit the hydrovinylation reaction. 

The dissociation of water coordinated to exchangeable cations of clays results in Brtfnsted acidity. At low moisture content, the Brrfnsted sites may produce extreme acidities at the clay surface-As a result, acid-catalyzed reactions, such as hydrolysis, addition, elimination, and hydrogen exchange, are promoted. Base-catalyzed reactions are inhibited and neutral reactions are not influenced. Metal oxides and primary minerals can promote the oxidative polymerization of some substituted phenols to humic acid-like products, probably through OH radicals formed from the reaction between dissolved oxygen and Fe + sites in silicates. In general, clay minerals promote many of the reactions that also occur in homogenous acid or oxidant solutions. However, rates and selectivity may be different and difficult to predict under environmental conditions. This problem merits further study. 

This preparation illustrates an efficient two-step process for the transformation of a cycloalkenone to the corresponding a-substituted derivative. The first step involves the installation of an a-iodo substituent by a process thought to involve nucleophilic addition of pyridine, iodine capture of the resulting enolate, and pyridine-promoted elimination of pyridine.5 The resulting vinyl iodides are superior to other vinyl halides as participants in a variety of transition-metal catalyzed coupling reactions, illustrated here by the Suzuki coupling with an arylboronic acid. Other coupling partners that... 

Transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation is generally considered to involve mechanistically four fundamental steps as shown in Scheme 1 coordination, oxidative addition, ligand exchange, and reductive elimination. A key step of the catalytic cycle is an initial formation of a (7r-allyl)metal complex and its reactivity. The soft carbon-centered nucleophiles, defined as those derived from conjugate acids whose pAj, < 25, usually attack the allyl ligand from the opposite side... 

Of the steps listed in Table 1. some are encountered more frequently, while others are less common. Transition metal catalyzed processes usually begin with oxidative addition or coordination-addition as an Entry, which is commonly followed by transmetalation or insertion in the Attachment phase. The final Detachment step is either reductive elimination, or p-hydride elimination, depending on the nature of the intermediate. 

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