Metal mediated oxidative decarboxylation

The use of hypervalent iodine reagents in carbon-carbon bond forming reactions is summarized with particular emphasis on applications in organic synthesis. The most important recent methods involve the radical decarboxylative alkylation of organic substrates with [bis(acyloxy)iodo]arenes, spirocyclization of para- and ortho-substituted phenols, the intramolecular oxidative coupling of phenol ethers, and the reactions of iodonium salts and ylides. A significant recent research activity is centered in the area of the transition metal-mediated coupling reactions of the alkenyl-, aryl-, and alkynyliodonium salts. 

This first plan for a decarboxylative cross-coupling carried with it certain weaknesses for potential industrial applications. It was to be expected that the salt metathesis between alkali metal carboxylates and late transition metal halides would be thermodynamically disfavored. We expected the formation of a palladium benzoate complex i from palladium bromide complexes c and potassium benzoate (g) to proceed well only in the presence of a stoichiometric quantity of silver to capture bromide ions [27]. However, we did not like the idea of using stoichiometric quantities of silver salts or of expensive aiyl triflates in the place of aryl halides. Finally, the published substrate scope of the oxidative Heck reactimi led to concerns that palladium catalysts mediate the decarboxylation rally of a narrow range of carboxylates, precluding use of this reaction as a general synthetic strategy. 

Venkataramab et al. reported that MP, MPc, and cyclam complexes, employed as co-catalysts with Pt electrodes, acted as redox mediators which generated a species that catalyzes CO oxidation. Shi and Anson showed that adsorbed Co OEP catalyzed the oxidation of CO to CO2 in aqueous media. The first step was the oxidation of Co OEP to Co OEP, followed by coordination of CO. Van Baar et al. reported that electrocatalytic oxidation of CO occurs in the presence of Rh and Ir porphyrins in aqueous acid solutions. In strongly alkaline media Co and Ee porphyrin counterparts showed excellent catalysis for CO oxidation. The proposed catalytic mechanism was as follows (i) CO adsorption to metal center, (ii) nucleophilic attack by H2O (acid media) or OH (basic media) on the adsorbed CO, and (iii) decarboxylation. The differences in the behavior of the metalloporphyrin complexes was explained in terms of CO affinity for the central metal in the different oxidation states. ... 

In a handful of cases, two CCXIH groups have been activated for the synthesis of biaryls. Larrosa and coworkers reported for the first time the decarboxylative homocoupling of aromatic acids mediated by Pd and Ag [62a]. The reaction makes use of Pd(TFA)j as a catalyst and Ag CO as an additive to afford the desired biaryls in 76-95% yields. The only by-products observed were due to the proto-decarboxylation of the aryl carboxylic acid. Both metals are essential for the reaction, and the role of the Ag salt is not only as the terminal oxidant but also as a mediator of the decarboxylation process. The method is subject to some limitations on the substituents on the benzoic acids. Thus, m- and p-nitrobenzoic acids as well as benzoic acids ortho substituted with F, Br, or MeO failed to give decarboxylative homocoupling products. In all cases, protodecarboxylations to the corresponding arenes were the main products observed. The same problem was reported in the protocol developed by Deng and coworkers, where the best results were obtained with PdCl and PPhj in the presence of Ag COj [62b]. 

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