Phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles

The Wittig and Related Reactions of Phosphorus-Stabilized Carbon Nucleophiles... 

SECTION 2.4. THE WITTIG AND RELATED REACTIONS OF PHOSPHORUS-STABILIZED CARBON NUCLEOPHILES... 

Recent advances in the stereoselective olefination of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles have been reviewed. Recent applications of the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction to the synthesis of natural products have been highlighted. ... 

Recent advances in the stereoselective olefination of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles have been reviewed. Applications of the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction to the synthesis of natural products have been highligted. A highly Z-selective synthesis of a, -unsaturated nitriles using the Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction has been reported this involves a new nitrile reagent, (o-t-BuC6H40)2P(0)CH2CN, which reacts with various types of aldehydes with 86 to >99% Z selectivity. 

Stereodefined alkenes are ubiquitous structural motifs in many natural products and pharmaceutics, and, moreover, they serve as a foundation for a broad range of chemical transformations. Nowadays, carbonyl olefination, elimination, alkyne addition, alkenylation, and alkene metathesis constitute the most widely used methods for the stereoselective synthesis of various alkenes [1-3]. Whereas no single method provides a universal solution to stereoselective alkene synthesis, the olefination reactions of aldehydes and ketones with phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles have enjoyed widespread prominence and recognition owing to their simplicity, convenience, complete positional selectivity, and generally high levels of geometrical control [4-9]. 

Scheme 1 Olefination reactions of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles...

The employment of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles for alkene synthesis was initiated by the discovery of the Wittig reaction [10], which provides a convenient method for the preparation of a wide variety of polysubstituted alkenes with complete positional selectivity and generally high levels of geometrical control. Moreover, the phosphonium ylides used in the Wittig reaction are readily formed by the addition of suitable bases to the corresponding phosphonium salts, which are commonly prepared by treating alkyl halides with phosphines. 

In contrast to many other methods commonly employed for stereoselective alkene synthesis such as elimination, alkenylation, alkene metathesis, alkyne addition, the JuUa olefination, and the Peterson olefination [1-3], the olefination reactions of phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles remain very powerful for modem stereoselective alkene synthesis owing to their convenience, complete positional selectivity, and generally high levels of geometrical control. However, further modifications of these olefination reactions are definitely needed to broaden substrate scope, enhance stereoselectivity, and improve environmental impacts. 

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