Oxonium 2,3 -shift

Allylic ethers and acetals can react with carbenoid reagents to generate oxonium ylides that undergo [2,3]-sigmatropic shifts.224... 

Ethers can react with electrophilic carbene complexes to yield oxonium ylides, which usually undergo either elimination reactions or 1,2-alkyl shifts to yield products of a formal carbene C-O bond insertion (Figure 4.11) [1020,1255-1259]. 

If chiral catalysts are used to generate the intermediate oxonium ylides, non-racemic C-O bond insertion products can be obtained [1265,1266]. Reactions of electrophilic carbene complexes with ethers can also lead to the formation of radical-derived products [1135,1259], an observation consistent with a homolysis-recombination mechanism for 1,2-alkyl shifts. Carbene C-H insertion and hydride abstraction can efficiently compete with oxonium ylide formation. Unlike free car-benes [1267,1268] acceptor-substituted carbene complexes react intermolecularly with aliphatic ethers, mainly yielding products resulting from C-H insertion into the oxygen-bound methylene groups [1071,1093]. 

Silylium ions, which are not protected sterically or are not stabilized either electronically or by intramolecular interaction with a remote substituent do interact strongly with the solvent and/or the counteranion. The reaction of the transient silylium ion with solvents like ethers, nitriles and even aromatic hydrocarbons lead to oxonium, nitrilium and arenium ions with a tetrahedral environment for the silicon atom. These new cationic species can be clearly identified by their characteristic Si NMR chemical shifts. That is, the oxonium salt [Me3SiOEt2] TFPB is characterized by S Si = 66.9 in CD2CI2 solution at —70°C. " Similar chemical shifts are found for related silylated oxonium ions. Nitrilium ions formed by the reaction of intermediate trialkyl silylium ions with nitriles are identified by Si NMR chemical shifts S Si = 30—40 (see also Table VI for some examples). Trialkyl-substituted silylium ions generated in benzene solution yield silylated benzenium ions, which can be easily detected by a silicon NMR resonance at 8 Si = 90—100 (see Table VI). ... 

Figure 10 presents a summary of the a carbon chemical shifts of oxonium ions and esters of some of the compounds discussed earlier. The carbon atcxns a to an oxonium center cover a range of about 25 ppm. The peaks due to all the different oxonium ions and esters can be cleeurly distinguished, and C-NMR therefore appeared to be an excellent technique for studying such copolymerizations. ... 

Most recently, we have investigated the use of iterative oxonium ylide [1,2]- or [2,31-shifts as a convenient approach to the polypyran domains often found in the marine polyether ladder toxins (Scheme 18.8) [21]. Initial studies indicated that [l,2]-shifts of O-benzyl oxonium ylides such as 19 a or 19 b were inefficient. Alternative metallocarbene processes including C-H insertion and dimerization were found to predominate in these cases, again suggesting that carbene-ylide equilibration may occur [21b]. On the rationale that concerted [2,3]-shifts of the corresponding O-allyl oxonium ylides might occur more readily, the allyl ethers 19 c, 19 d were then examined. These examples were much more effective, especially in conjunction with the optimized catalyst Cu(tfacac)2 [21a]. However, rhodium(II) triphenylacetate (Rh2(tpa)4) [22] was found to... 

The other major reaction pathway for oxonium ylide is [l,2]-shift (Stevens rearrangement). Compared with [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement, which is an orbital symmetry-allowed concerted process, the [l,2]-shift has higher activation barrier, [1,2]-Shift is generally considered as stepwise process with radical pair as possible intermediates. 

Desymmetrization strategy in enantioselective oxonium ylide formation/[l,2]-shift reaction has been reported by Doyle and co-workers.With dirhodium(ii) tetrakis[methyl l-(3-phenylpropanoyl)-2-oxoimidazolidine-4(3 )-carboxylate] [Rh2(43 -MPPIM)4] as the catalyst, up to 88% ee is obtained (Equation (7)). 

Besides [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement and [l,2]-shift reactions, the oxonium ylide may undergo other reactions. The oxonium ylide intermediate can be trapped by a protic nucleophile. Oku and co-workers have developed a method for ring expansion of cyclic ethers through oxonium ylide formation. Bicyclic oxonium ylide... 

Ammonium ylides undergo [l,2]-shift in a manner similar to oxonium and sulfonium ylides. A preferentially migrating group is usually a benzyl group. A sequence of intramolecular formation of ammonium ylide and subsequent rearrangement was extensively explored by West and co-workers in the synthesis of cyclic amines. ... 

The internally stabilized silyl cation (36), formed by hydride transfer as shown, has a 2-silanorbomyl cation structure, and is not coordinated to die solvent or the counterion.78 NMR chemical shifts calculated on the basis of die bridged structure shown are in agreement with the experimental values. The autiiors describe it as free but internally re-stabilized .78 The silicon-stabilized oxonium ion (37) shows considerable stereoselectivity in its reactions (38) is the preferred product isomer by a 92 8 ratio, and (39) by 98 2.79... 

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