Nicholas propargylation

Metal-catalyzed substitution reactions involving propargylic derivatives have not been studied in much detail until recently [311, 312]. In this context, the ability shown by transition-metal allenylidenes to undergo nucleophilic additions at the Cy atom of the cumulenic chain has allowed the development of efficient catalytic processes for the direct substitution of the hydroxyl group in propargylic alcohols [313]. These transformations represent an appealing alternative to the well-known and extensively investigated Nicholas reaction, in which stoichiometric amounts of [Co2(CO)g] are employed [314-317]. 

In 1993, Nicholas and his co-worker developed the stereospecific propargylic alkylation of chiral propargylic alcohols 30 with enol silanes 31 by using a stoichiometric amount of [Co2(CO)5L] (L = phosphite), but separation procedures of the produced diastereoisomers are necessary twice on the way to obtain the compounds specifically alkylated at the propargylic position 32 (Scheme 5). In 2001, Montana and his co-worker reported the diastereo-selective Nicholas alkylation of propargylic acetal complexes 33 bearing a chiral auxiliary with various enol silanes 34 (Equation (14)). A high diastereoselectivity is observed, but unfortunately, only low to moderate enantioselec-tivities are achieved in all cases. 

In 1997, Nicholas and his co-workers developed a novel radical cyclization, where propargylic radical 50 is trapped intramolecularly by activated alkenes (Equation (26)). This reaction proceeds with exclusive... 

Saha, M., Bagby, B., and Nicholas, K.M. (1986) Colbalt-mediated propargylation/ annelation total synthesis of ( )-cyclo-colorenone. Tetrahedron Letters, 27, 915-918. 

Varghese V, Saha M, Nicholas KM (1988) Org Synth 67 141 Nicholas KM (1987) Acc Chem Res 20 207 Caffyn AJM, Nicholas KM (1995) Transition metal alkyne complexes transition metal stabilized propargyl system. In Abel EW, Stone FGA, Wilkinson G (eds) Comprehensive organometallic chemistry II, vol 12. Pergamon Press, Oxford, p 685 Schreiber SL, Klimas MT, Sammakia T (1987) J Am Chem Soc 109 5749 Nakamura T, Matsui T, Ta-nino K, Kuwajima I (1997) J Org Chem 62 3032... 

Scheme 20 Nicholas-PKR for the synthesis of propargyl allyltosylamides and subsequent cyclization...

Finally, a Nicholas-type reaction is presumably responsible for an unexpected result reported by Alcaide. During their work devoted to the application of the PKR in the field of -lactams and azetidines they reacted complexed azetidine 91 with TMANO, isolating a mixture of the expected PK product 92 and by-product 93. The formation of 93 is believed to be a consequence of the ionization of the propargylic C - N bond at the cobalt-acycle step. The crowded metallacycle formed after the insertion of the olefin (93), would prompt the cleavage of the C - N bond, forming an ionic species (94) that would trap a hydride, possibly from a cobalt hydride giving 95, which then would follow the usual pathway towards the cyclopen-tenone (Scheme 27) [124],... 

The chemistry and synthetic utility of cobalt complexed propargyl cations have been demonstrated by Nicholas in an impressive series of papers, and the area was reviewed in 1987.72 More recently, reviews of cluster-stabilized cations73 and propargylium complexes74 have appeared. Two general routes for the synthesis of dicobalt-propargylium complexes have been developed. The most commonly used method is the treatment of an alkynic ether or alkynic alcohol-hexacarbonyldicobalt complex with a Lewis or Bronsted acid [Eq. (7)]. 

The Nicholas reaction, that is, the addition reaction of nucleophiles to cobalt-complexed propargylic cations, formed in situ, has been extensively developed. " The... 

Coupling of silyl enol ethers or boron enolates with Co2(CO)6-stabilized carbocations, generated via Lewis acid treatment of the appropriate propargyl ethers or aldehydes (aldol reaction), via the Nicholas reaction has been used to obtain large, highly strained, ring ketones. 

The Nicholas reaction was used to synthesize the p-lactam precursor of thienamycin in the laboratory of P.A. Jacobi and thereby accomplish its formal total synthesis. The necessary p-amino acid was prepared by the condensation of a boron enolate (derived from an acylated oxazolidinone) with the cobalt complex of an enantiopure propargylic ether. The resulting adduct was oxidized with ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) to remove the cobalt protecting group from the triple bond, and the product was obtained with a 17 1 anti.syn selectivity and in good yield. 

Nicholas reaction Trapping of dicobalt hexacarbonyl-stabilized propargylic cations with various nucleophiles. 314... 

Lockwood, R. F., Nicholas, K. M. Transition metal-stabilized carbenium ions as synthetic intermediates. I. a-[(Alkynyl)dicobalt hexacarbonyl] carbenium ions as propargylating agents. Tetrahedron Lett. 1977, 4163-4166. 

Nicholas, K. M., Caffyn, A. J. M. Transition metal alkyne complexes Transition metal-stabilized propargyl systems, in Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry II. (eds. Abel, E. W., Stone, F. G. A.,Wilkinson, F.), 12, 685-702 (Oxford, 1995). 

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