P C-H insertion

The four hitherto known routes of the C-H insertion are shown in Scheme 1. In general, the insertion by singlet carbenes proceeds via route a in one step, whereas the reaction by triplet carbenes proceeds sequentially via route b, i.e., hydrogen abstraction followed by recombination of the radical pairs.4 Other stepwise mechanisms are hydride abstraction (route c) and proton abstraction (route d), both being followed by the recombination of ion pairs. However, extended study on routes c and d for synthetic purposes had not been done before we started, except for a few earlier studies on carbanion-promoted P C-H insertion reactions.5,6 Recent advances in transition metal-catalyzed... 

A significant effect of Lewis acids on such transamiular C-H insertion reactions has been demonstrated. Treatment of 5,6-epoxycydooctene (31) with s-BuLi/ (-)-sparteine gave allylic alcohol 32, formally the product of P-elimination, in good yield (and ee) (Scheme 5.9). In the presence of BF3-Et20, however, alcohol 33 was produced as a result of a-lithiation, in 75% yield and 71 % ee [16]. 

Mioskowski et al. have demonstrated a route to spirocyclopropanes. As an example, treatment of epoxide 100 with n-BuLi in pentane stereoselectively gave tricyclic alcohol 101, albeit in only 47% yield (Scheme 5.21) [29]. With a related substrate, epoxide 102 stereoselectively gave dicydopropane 103 on treatment with PhLi uniquely, the product was isolable after column chromatography in 74% yield [35]. As was also seen with attempts to perform C-H insertion reactions in a non-transannular sense, one should note that steps were taken to minimize the formation of olefin products, either by the use of a base with low nudeophilicity (LTM P) and/or by slow addition of the base to a dilute solution (10-3 m in the case of 102) of the epoxide. 

Tetraphenylmolybdenocene dihydride Mo(r 5-C5HPh4)CpH2 (45) was formed by addition of diphenylacetylene to MoCpL(PhC CPh)CH3 (L = P(OMe)3) (Eq. 15), presumably via an ot-hydrogen abstraction to an intermediate methylidene hydrido complex, followed by addition of two equivalents of diphenylacetylene and C — H insertion with concomitant elimination of L [57 b],... 

Feldman reported a route to dihydropyrroles, pyrroles, and indoles via the reaction of sulfonamide anions with alkynyliodonium triflates <96JOC5440>. Thus, upon nucleophilic addition of the anion of 91 to the p-carbon of the alkynyliodonium salt, the alkylidene carbene 92 is generated which can the undergo C-H insertion to the desired product 93. 

The only other reaction with an aromatic substance is the C-H insertion into ferrocene [85], giving 41,which illustrates the highly electrophilic character of the phosphinidene complex. Other aromatic C-H insertions have been observed, but these likely occur by means of intermediate P,0- and P,N-ylids,such as the reaction of (0C)5W=PR withbenzophenone and azobenzene that give 42 and 43,respectively [56a, 86]. 

C-H insertion also occurs in the reactions with acetone and acetophenone, presumably through the rearrangement of transient OH-substituted phosphi-ranes [87]. C-C insertions occur for diketones to give 45 and have been postulated to occur via initial 1,2-addition to the conjugated enol 44 [87]. Diimines 46 also undergo C-C insertions [88]. Based on a theoretical evaluation, the products 47 are considered to result from a 2,3-sigmatropic rearrangement of initial formed P,N-ylids. 

McKervey and Ye have developed chiral sulfur-containing dirhodium car-boxylates that have been subsequently employed as catalysts for asymmetric intramolecular C-H insertion reactions of y-alkoxy-ot-diazo-p-keto esters. These reactions produced the corresponding ci -2,5-disubstituted-3(2H)-furanones with diastereoselectivities of up to 47% de. Moreover, when a chiral y-alkoxy-a-diazo-p-keto ester containing the menthyl group as a chiral auxiliary was combined with rhodium(II) benzenesulfoneprolinate catalyst, a considerable diastereoselectivity enhancement was achieved with the de value being more than 60% (Scheme 10.74). 

Scheme 10.74 Rh-catalysed intramolecular C-H insertions of y-alkoxy-a-diazo-P-keto esters with sulfonamide ligands.

In contrast to the intramolecular carbenoid C-H insertion, the inter-molecular version has not been greatly developed and has been for a long time regarded as a rather inefficient and unselective process. In this context, Davies and Hansen have developed asymmetric intermolecular carbenoid C H insertions catalysed by rhodium(II) (5 )-A-(p-dodecylphenyl)sulfonylprolinate. " Therefore, these catalysts were found to induce asymmetric induction in the decomposition of aryldiazoacetates performed in the presence of cycloalkanes,... 

As another extension of this process, Davies et al. have developed highly regio-, diastereo- and enantioselective C-H insertions of methyl aryldiazoace-tates into cyclic A-Boc-protected amines catalysed by rhodium(II) S)-N- p-dodecylphenyl)sulfonylprolinate. The best results were obtained in the case of the C-H insertion of methyl aryldiazoacetates into A-Boc-pyrrolidine, which gave, in all cases, a diastereoselectivity and an enantioselectivity greater than 90% de and 90% ee respectively (Scheme 10.77). The synthetic utility of this method was demonstrated by means of a two-step asymmetric synthesis of a novel class of C2-symmetric amines. 

A further example of highly diastereoseleetive and enantioseleetive C-H insertions performed in similar eonditions to those deseribed above was the reaetion between aryldiazoacetates and allylsilyl ethers, yielding p-hydroxy ester derivatives that are equivalents to aldol products. " An illustrative reaction between an aryldiazoacetate and trani-2-butenylsilyl ether is shown in Scheme 10.78. This reaction led to the diastereoseleetive formation of the equivalent of a syn-a do product in both high yield and enantioselectivity. 

The behavior of the Si—P 7r-bond toward a G=C triple bond was examined in the case of 15a by employing differently substituted alkynes.14 It appeared that 15a does not react with dialkyl, diaryl-, or disilyl-substi-tuted alkynes at 110°C even cyclooctyne, usually a very reactive alkyne, does not react. However, when 15a was stirred with phenylacetylene at 80°C in toluene, the C—H insertion product 24 was isolated as colorless crystals (Eq. 9).14 Its molecular structure has been elucidated by singlecrystal X-ray diffraction (Fig. 9). 

The use of rhodium(II) acetate in carbenoid chemistry has also been extended to promoting intramolecular C/H insertion reactions of ketocarbenoids 277,280,280 ,). From the a-diazo-P-ketoester 305, highly functionalized cyclopentane 306 could thus be constructed in acceptable yields by regiospecific insertion into an unactivated... 

Accordingly, a re-examination of the benzylchlorocarbene system was performed, with close attention paid to the products formed at low temperature.71 Carbene 10a was photolytically generated from diazirine 9a in isooctane, methylcyclohexane, and tetrachloroethane at temperatures ranging from 30 to —75°C. At —70°C in isooctane, the products included 47% of P-chlorostyrenes 11a and 12a, 2.4% of a-chlorostyrene (49), 2% of dichloride 50, 5.5% of a C-H insertion product of 10a and isooctane, 4% of the dimers of 10a, and 30% of azine 48.71 The sum of the intermolecular products at —70°C was thus 41.5%, of which azine was the principal component. 

By treating the soft iV-heterocyclic carbenel,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene 278 with an electron-rich di(isopro-pyl)amino-phosphaalkyne 279, the bicyclic azaphospholene 281 was formed in almost quantative yield via a P-Ccarbene bond formation 280 and C-H insertion (Equation 123) <2001AGE3144>. 

The first step is coordination of the ethylene through its n orbital. The ethylene is trans to Cl with the C=C bond in the Cl-Ru-H plane. Facile migratory insertion (AE = 7.6 kcal.mol 1) of the coordinated ethylene in the Ru-H bond leads to an alkyl intermediate 6.2 kcal.mol 1 less stable than the n ethylene complex. The alkyl intermediate has a strong P C-H agostic interaction as illustrated by the unusually long agostic C-H bond (1.221 A) which helps to stabilize the unsaturation in the formally 14-electron alkyl intermediate. 

In acceptor-substituted carbene complexes with hydrogen at Cp fast hydride migration to the carbene will usually occur [1094,1095]. The resulting olefins are often formed with high stereoselectivity. 1,2-Hydride migration will also occur in P-hydroxy carbene complexes, ketones being formed in high yields (Table 4.2). Intramolecular 1,5-C-H insertion can sometimes compete efficiently with 1,2-insertion [1096]. 

Experimental Procedure 4.2.1. Reparation of a p-Lactam by Intramolecular C-H Insertion Ethyl /ra -2-Oxo-l,4-diphenyl-3-azetidinecarboxylate... 

Alkylidenecarbenes 40 generated by the reaction of alkynyl p-phenylene)bis-iodonium ditriflates 39 with phenoxide anion undergo selective intramolecular aromatic C—H insertion, thereby providing 2-substituted benzofurans 41 (93TL4055) (Scheme 15). 

C-H insertion of an alkylidene carbene intermediate, which was generated via the Michael addition of a sulfinate anion to the acetylenic p-carbon. In MeOH,... 

Moreover, CCI2 insertion into the benzylic tertiary C—H of (5)-2-butylbenzene (32) occurred with retention, as expected for direct C—H insertion. Finally, the C—D analogue of 32 gave fen/feo for CCI2 insertion as 2.5. This relatively small primary kinetic isotope effect, together with the low Hammett p value, suggest an early transition state, in which relatively little charge separation has developed. 

The transition state of singlet carbene cycloaddition to alkenes involves an electrophilic approach of the vacant p orbital to the n bond of alkenes. By contrast, the first step of the triplet addition process may involve the in-plane a orbital of the carbene. As in the case of C—H insertion (see Section 5.1), the difference in the transition structure between the singlet and triplet cycloaddition becomes important in the intramolecular process, especially when approach to a double bond is restricted by ring strain. Direct photolysis of ( )-2-(2-butenyl)phenyldiazomethane (99) in the presence of methanol gives l-ethenyl-l,la,6,6fl-tetrahydrocycloprop [fljindene [100, 29%, (E/Z)= 10 1] and l-(2-butenyl)-2-(methoxymethyl)benzene (101, 67%). Triplet-sensitized photolysis results in a marked increase in the indene (52%, EjZ) = 1.3.T) at the expense of the ether formation (4%) (Scheme 9.30). On the other hand, direct photolysis of phenyldiazomethane in an equimolar mixture of... 

In the reaction of nucleogenic atoms with toluene, the methyl group traps an initially formed o-tolylcarbene (54) as benzocyclobutene (55). A partial degradation of 55 and an examination of the label distribution indicated that 43% of 55 arose from 54 formed by an initial C—H insertion (Eq. 34). The remainder of the label in 55 was in the ring, indicating the initial formation of the m- and p-tolylcar-benes and/or a methylcycloheptatetraene. 

Carbene generation by C atom deoxygenation has been useful in answering questions concerning the intermediacy of free carbenes in certain systems. For example, ferf-butylcarbene (101) from several precursors gives 1,1-dimethylcyclo-propane (102) by C—H insertion, and 2-methyl-2-butene by C—C insertion. However, calculations ([QCISD(T)/6-31+G(2d,p)]// MP2/6-31G(d)) indicate that C—C insertion should not be competitive with C—H insertion in this carbene. 

A very interesting synthetic method of bicyclo[n.l.O]alkanes from cychc ketones via this 1,3-C,H insertion of magnesium carbenoid as a key reaction was reported (equation 22) . 1-Chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxide (76) was synthesized from cyclopentadecanone and chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide in three steps in high overall yield. Lithium enolate of tert-butyl acetate was added to 76 to give the adduct 77 in quantitative yield. a-Chlorosulfoxide (77) in a toluene solution was treated with i-PrMgCl in ether at —78 °C and the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to 0°C to afford the bicyclo[13.1.0]hexadecane derivative 79 in 96% yield through the reaction of the intermediate magnesium carbenoid 78. 

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