Palladium catalysis carbocyclizations

Keywords Palladium Catalysis Alkyne Heterocycle Carbocycle... 

Considering the rapid growth of asymmetric construction of oxindoles, Sun et al. recently reported their assembly of chiral spirooxindoles by combining secondary amine and palladium catalysis in a cascade reaction [55]. The reaction was initiated by the reversible Michael addition of 3-substituted oxindole to enal, which was followed by a metal/organic-cocatalyzed carbocyclization of the aUcyne tether (Scheme 9.60). Similar to the aforementioned dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformations, this chemistry highlighted the cooperative effects of the two catalysts in the same reaction vessel, while either catalyst could not solely promote the overall reaction, and unsatisfactory results were observed when this reaction was conducted in a two-step mode. 

In contrast, the closely related palladium acetate-promoted intramolecular alkylation of alkenes by tri-methylsilyl enol ethers (Scheme 4)6,7 has been used to synthesize a large number of bridged carbocyclic systems (Table 1). In principle, this process should be capable of being made catalytic in palladium(II), since silyl enol ethers are stable to a range of oxidants used to carry the Pd° -> Pd11 redox chemistry required for catalysis. In practice, catalytically efficient conditions have not yet been developed, and the reaction is usually carried out using a full equivalent of palladium(II) acetate. This chemistry has been used in the synthesis of quadrone (equation 2).8 With the more electrophilic palladium(II) trifluoroace-tate, methyl enol ethers underwent this cyclization process (equation 3).9... 

Cyclic vinyl epoxides are versatile building blocks (Table 11) which have been used in palladium-assisted routes to carbocyclic nucleosides. A formal synthesis of ( )-aris-teromycin101, the carbocyclic analog of adenosine, has been accomplished employing ni-tromethane as the nucleophile which serves as an acyl anion equivalent (Table 11. entry 2). The aldehyde is released by subsequent basic potassium permanganate oxidation. If nitromethane is used diluted in tetrahydrofuran, then a mixture of mono- and bis-alkylated product is formed. Whereas the alkylation of cyclohexenoxide with dimethyl malonate proceeds in a 1,4-crs fashion under palladium(O) catalysis, the 1.2-/ra/i.v-product is formed under basic conditions in the absence of the palladium(O) catalyst. 

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