Norbomene Catellani reactions

The use of norbomene as a scaffold for aromatic C-H functionalization, a process we dubbed the Catellani Reaction, is a useful and mechanistically interesting method for the polyfunctionalization of aromatic molecules. Through the development and study of palladium complexes with norbomene, a powerful synthetic method has emerged which has been proven useful primarily through the research efforts of Catellani and Lautens. Future studies in this area should focus on expanding the already wide variety of products available, and to develop and/or utilize new reactions which can be performed on either the palladacycle intermediate or terminal arylpalladium(II) species. 

The Catellani Reactions using Norbomene as a Template for ortAo-Substitution... 

Although the belief that steric factors influence norbomene extrusion is reasonable and supported by Catellani s studies, it is entirely possible that norbomene carbopalladation and extrusion are reversible processes. If so, a species related to 4 may be trapped as the mono-o/t/to-alkylated product. Although mono-functionalization has been observed in stoichiometric studies by Catellani [31, 42], catalytic reactions generally do not afford monoalkylated products. Interestingly, Lautens has shown that in some particular systems mono-alkylation is possible, which may occur as a result of a sterically congested system (Scheme 14) [44], This does lend some evidence to the possibility that norbomene carbopalladation and extrusion are reversible steps, and may occur between ortho functionalization steps. 

The first example of an o/t/20-alkylation/Mizoroki-IIcck coupling was reported by Catellani [4] in 1997. Using the PNP dimer as a catalyst in the presence of an aryl halide, norbomene, an alkyl iodide, a terminal olefin and a base at room temperature, 1,2,3-trisubstituted benzenes (Scheme 16), were synthesized through alkylation of a palladacycle of type 35, followed by Mizoroki-Heck coupling with an arylpalladium(II) species of type 36. Although the synthetic scope of the reaction was limited, the importance of the report reveals an unprecedented catalytic transformation where two aryl C-H bonds are converted to sp2-sp3 C-C bonds followed by a standard Mizoroki-Heck coupling. The 1,2,3-trisubstitution pattern generated in the products would be very difficult to obtain via conventional methods. 

While the PNP dimer was an efficient catalyst for the ort/toalkylation/ Mizoroki-Heck reaction, the practicality of the transformation is lessened by the fact that the PNP dimer is not commercially available, and can be quite difficult to prepare. Thus, Catellani adapted the reaction conditions to include commercially available and air-stable Pd(OAc)2 as the catalyst source [46], Under these conditions, the ortho-u kylation/Mizoroki-I Ieck coupling of aryl iodides containing a pre-existing ortho substituent could be carried out. The reaction required higher temperatures, and the addition of KOAc to promote the carbopalladation of norbomene [47] and encourage the o/t/zo-alkylation pathway vs a direct Mizoroki-Heck coupling. 

Under the reaction conditions, phenylacetylene was found to be a much more reactive coupling partner than arylboronic acids in the analogous Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, as in addition to the desired product (38), alkynylation and further addition reactions occurred with a variety of transient palladium(II) species (Scheme 27). Despite these undesired side reactions, Catellani was able to fine-tune the reaction conditions to form predominantly product 38 or 39. The formation of the desired product 38 (and suppression of product 39) is promoted by acceleration of norbomene carbopalladation by KOAc [47] and by using an excess of alkyl halide affording several structurally similar unsymmetrical alkyne products in good yields (Scheme 28). 

Catellani reported that reaction of diphenylacetylene with the ortfto-substituted phenyl iodide 182 in the presence of norbomene in a less than equivalent amount afforded the 1,5-disubstituted 9,10-diphenylphenanthrene 183 selectively [60], The... 

In continuing studies on Pd-catalyzed reactions of norbomene (1), Catellani has discovered very interesting reactions, in which norbomene shows unique behavior [1]. Catellani and co-workers carried out a three-component reaction of iodobenzene, methyl acrylate, and n-butyl iodide in the presence of 1 equivalent of norbomene (1), and obtained methyl 2,6-di-n-butylphenylacrylate (2) in 93 % yield using cw-exo-2-phenylnorbomylpalladium chloride as a catalyst. Norbomene (1) was recovered after the reaction [2]. No direct Heck reaction of iodobenzene with acrylate occurred showing that the strained double bond in norbomene undergoes insertion much faster than that of acrylate. The behavior of norbomene (1) is tmly remarkable. 

The Catellani s alkylation-alkenylation sequence using norbomene offers a useful synthetic method for 2,6-dialkylated 1-substituted benzenes. Lautens applied the reaction to the synthesis of fused aromatic compounds using ort/jo-substituted iodobenzenes and bromoalkenes. Reaction of o-iodotoluene (11) with ethyl 6-bromo-2-hexenoate (13) afforded the benzocarbocycle 14 via monoalkylation and intramolecular Heck reaction. It is important to use tri-2-furylphosphine (1-3) as a ligand [4]. Similarly the 2,5-disubstituted 4-benzoxepine 17 was obtained in 72% yield by the reaetion of 1-iodonaphthalene (15) with the unsaturated bromo ester 16 [5]. 

Based on a transformation described by Catellani and coworkers [80], Lautens s group [81] developed a series of syntheses of carbocycles and heterocycles from aryl iodide, alkyl halides and Mizoroki-Heck acceptors. In an early example, the authors described a three-component domino reaction catalysed by palladium for the synthesis of benzo-annulated oxacycles 144 (Scheme 8.37). To do so, they used an m-iodoaryl iodoalkyl ether 143, an alkene substimted with an electron-withdrawing group, such as t-butyl acrylate and an iodoalkane such as -BuI in the presence of norbomene. It is proposed that, after the oxidative addition of the aryliodide, a Mizoroki-Heck-type reaction with nor-bornene and a C—H activation first takes place to form a palladacycle PdCl, which is then alkylated with the iodoalkane (Scheme 8.37). A second C—H activation occurs and then, via the formation of the oxacycle OCl, norbomene is eliminated. Finally, the aryl-palladium species obtained reacts with the acrylate. The alkylation step of palladacycles of the type PdCl and PdCl was studied in more detail by Echavarren and coworkers [82] using computational methods. They concluded that, after a C—H activation, the formation of a C(sp )—C(sp ) bond between the palladacycle PdCl and an iodoalkane presumably proceeds by oxidative addition to form a palladium(IV) species to give PdC2. This stays, in contrast with the reaction between a C(sp )—X electrophile (vinyl or aromatic halide) and PdCl, to form a new C(sp )—C(sp ) bond which takes place through a transmetallation. 

Lately, Catellani and coworkers [83] have described a similar process for the synthesis of 6//-dibenzopyran derivatives 147. They investigated the reaction of o-bromophenols 145, iodoarenes and acceptor-substimted alkenes in the presence of norbomene. The... 

In essence, these domino-coupling reactions form cyclohexadiene fragments from three two-carbon fragments. The 1 2 coupling of norbomene and iodobenzene discovered by Catellani and Chiusoli can also be adopted to couple norbomene with /3-bro-mostyrene.f hi an attempt to apply this Pd-catalyzed [2+2 + 2] assembly for an alternative and more productive access to Hopf s trifoliaphane, a 1 2 mixture of [2.2]paracyclophan-l-ene and l-bromo[2.2]paracyclophan-l-ene was tfeated with palladium acetate under Jeffery conditions. The main product was the hydrocarbon consisting of three [2.2]paracyclophane units linked by a common bicyclo[3.3.0]octene unit (Scheme Apparently, the key intermediate formed via a palladacycle preferen-... 

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