Phosphorus ylides carbene complexes

Non-heteroatom-substituted carbene complexes can also be generated by treatment of electrophilic transition metal complexes with ylides (e.g. diazoalkanes, phosphorus ylides, nucleophilic carbene complexes, etc. Section 3.1.3). Alkyl complexes with a leaving group in the a-position are formed as intermediates. These alkyl complexes can undergo spontaneous release of the leaving group to yield a carbene complex (Figure 3.2). 

Alkylidene complexes can be prepared by ligand displacement with phosphorus ylides [513,514] or nucleophilic tantalum carbene complexes [409,515]. This methodology has, however, not found widespread use. Representative examples are given in Figure 3.21. 

As discussed in previous sections, high-valent carbene complexes of early transition metals have ylide-like, nucleophilic character. Some Schrock-type carbene complexes react with carbonyl compounds in the same manner as do phosphorus ylides, namely by converting the carbonyl group into an alkene. 

It is particularly interesting, that some titanium and tantalum carbene complexes olefinate derivatives of carboxylic acids. These reagents are, moreover, much less basic than phosphorus ylides, and thus enable the olefination of strongly C-H acidic carbonyl compounds. 

The most recent development concerns the heterocyclic (amino)(ylide)carbenes AYC. Such compounds have been known for some years [203] but so far had little impact compared to their diamino stabilized relatives. Both phosphorus ylide (86) and sulfur ylide (87) stabilized AYC ligands have been generated in situ and were stabilized at suitable metal centers (Fig. 27) [204, 205]. The palladium complex 88 with an anionic (amino) [bis(ylide)]carbene is also known [206]. 

There are essentially three different types of transition metal carbene complexes featuring three different types of carbene ligands. They have all been named after their first discoverers Fischer carbenes [27-29], Schrock carbenes [30,31] and WanzUck-Arduengo carbenes (see Figure 1.1). The latter, also known as N-heterocycUc carbenes (NHC), should actually be named after three people Ofele [2] and Wanzlick [3], who independently synthesised their first transition metal complexes in 1968, and Arduengo [1] who reported the first free and stable NHC in 1991. Fischer carbene complexes have an electrophilic carbene carbon atom [32] that can be attacked by a Lewis base. The Schrock carbene complex has a reversed reactivity. The Schrock carbene complex is usually employed in olefin metathesis (Grubbs catalyst) or as an alternative to phosphorus ylides in the Wittig reaction [33]. 

Assuming that Fischer-type carbene complexes react similarly to ketones and that phosphorus ylides are good carbon nucleophiles, predict the products in the following reaction ... 

CO)sCr=C(OR)R complexes allenes. Photolysis of a mixture of the chromium carbene 1 and the stabilized phosphorus ylide 2 under CO gives the allene 3 in 60% > ield. Hydrolysis of 3 with HaO in ether provides the /3-substituted (Z)-enone 4. The allene 3 rearranges to a (Z)-l,3-diene (5). Pyridiniump-toluenesulfonamide is an effective catalyst for this rearrangement. 

The phosphorus and sulfur ylides are more stable than the nitrogen and oxygen analogs (66). The former species are comprised of carbenes complexed to soft donors, whereas in the latter the carbenes are not stabilized by the adjoining hard bases. The high stability of CH2I compared to that of CHjF is at variance with the classical theory of inductive effect, but it is exactly as predicted on the basis of HSAB principle if regarded as [X complexes. 

A few years later, Tebbe and co-workers found that the methylene-bridged metallacycle 3, which has become known as the Tebbe reagent, is useful for the methylenation of ketones and aldehydes [5]. Titanocene-methylidene 4, the active species of this olefination, also transforms carboxylic acid derivatives into heteroatom-substituted olefins. Because the carbene complex 4 is much less basic than conventional olefination reagents such as phosphorus ylides, it can be employed for the olefination of carbonyl compounds possessing highly acidic a-protons or of highly hindered ketones, and has become an indispensable tool in organic synthesis. Various methods for the preparation of titaniumcarbonyl olefination. This chapter focuses on the use of metal-carbene complexes and some related species in carbonyl olefination (Scheme 4.2). 

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