Radicals, reduction reversible addition

Abstract Recent advances in the metal-catalyzed one-electron reduction reactions are described in this chapter. One-electron reduction induced by redox of early transition metals including titanium, vanadium, and lanthanide metals provides a variety of synthetic methods for carbon-carbon bond formation via radical species, as observed in the pinacol coupling, dehalogenation, and related radical-like reactions. The reversible catalytic cycle is achieved by a multi-component catalytic system in combination with a co-reductant and additives, which serve for the recycling, activation, and liberation of the real catalyst and the facilitation of the reaction steps. In the catalytic reductive transformations, the high stereoselectivity is attained by the design of the multi-component catalytic system. This article focuses mostly on the pinacol coupling reaction. 

Scheme 16 summarizes the results obtained by enantioselective radical reduction of a-bromoester by chiral binaphthyl-derived tin hydride. The reactions were generally performed at - 78 °C. An increase in the temperature resulted in the lowering of the selectivity. All reactions mediated by (S)-configured chiral tin hydride showed an (R)-selective preference in the product. The use of the opposite enantiomer of the chiral stannane resulted in a quantitative reversal of the selectivity (not shown). The selectivity remained modest on addition of magnesium Lewis acids. These reductions were also feasible when a catalytic amount of chiral tin hydride (1 mol %) was employed in combination with an excess of achiral hydride NaCNBH3, providing similar results. 

While in most of the reports on SIP free radical polymerization is utihzed, the restricted synthetic possibihties and lack of control of the polymerization in terms of the achievable variation of the polymer brush architecture limited its use. The alternatives for the preparation of weU-defined brush systems were hving ionic polymerizations. Recently, controlled radical polymerization techniques has been developed and almost immediately apphed in SIP to prepare stracturally weU-de-fined brush systems. This includes living radical polymerization using nitroxide species such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidin-l-oxyl (TEMPO) [285], reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization mainly utilizing dithio-carbamates as iniferters (iniferter describes a molecule that functions as an initiator, chain transfer agent and terminator during polymerization) [286], as well as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) were the free radical is formed by a reversible reduction-oxidation process of added metal complexes [287]. All techniques rely on the principle to drastically reduce the number of free radicals by the formation of a dormant species in equilibrium to an active free radical. By this the characteristic side reactions of free radicals are effectively suppressed. 

The immersion of a polycrystalline gold electrode into a chloroform/methanol (2 1, v/v) solution of the tetrachloride salt of 6 (Fig. 7.4) results in the adsorption of this electroactive thiol on the metal surface.270 Consistently, the cyclic voltammogram (Fig. 7.5a), recorded after an immersion time of 24 h and extensive rinsing of the electrode surface, shows the reversible reduction of the bipyridinium dications to the corresponding radical cations. In addition, zp increases linearly with v (Fig. 7.6a),... 

In redox methods, radicals are generated and removed either by chemical or electrochemical oxidation or reduction. Initial and final radicals are often differentiated by their ability to be oxidized or reduced, as determined by substituents. In oxidative methods, radicals are removed by conversion to cations. Such oxidations are naturally suited for the additions of electrophilic radicals to alkenes (to give adduct radicals that are more susceptible to oxidation than initial radicals). Reductive methods are suited for the reverse addition of alkyl radicals to electron poor alkenes to give adducts that are more easily reduced to anions (or organometallics). 

The need to better control surface-initiated polymerization recently led to the development of controlled radical polymerization techniques. The trick is to keep the concentration of free radicals low in order to decrease the number of side reactions. This is achieved by introducing a dormant species in equilibrium with the active free radical. Important reactions are the living radical polymerization with 2,2,4,4-methylpiperidine N-oxide (TEMPO) [439], reversible addition fragment chain transfer (RAFT) which utilizes so-called iniferters (a word formed from initiator, chain transfer and terminator) [440], and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) [441-443]. The latter forms radicals by added metal complexes as copper halogenides which exhibit reversible reduction-oxidation processes. 

The reaction was shown to be triggered by protonation of the ketone and reduction to 139. Cyclisation of the carbon centred radical to the pyridinium ring next produced radical cation 140. Addition of a second electron then gave enamine 141, which underwent reversible protonation to iminium salt 138. Further cathodic reduction completes the sequence (Scheme 38). Interestingly, such cyclisations appear to be reversible as the product mixtures attained better reflect a reaction under thermodynamic control than one under kinetic control <03EJO2919>. 

The bifunctional initiator approach using reversible addition fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization (RAFT) as the free-radical controlling mechanism was soon to follow and block copolymers of styrene and caprolactone ensued [58]. In this case, a trithiocarbonate species having a terminal primary hydroxyl group provided the dual initiation (Figure 13.3). The resultant polymer was terminated with a trithiocarbonate reduction of the trithiocarbonate to a thiol allows synthesis of a-hydroxyl-co-thiol polymers which are of particular interest in biopolymer applications. 

Reversible electron addition to the enone forms the radical anion. Rate determining protonation of the radical anion occurs on oxygen to afford an allylic free radical [Eq. (4b) which undergoes rapid reduction to an allylic carbanion [Eq. (4c)]. Rapid protonation of this ion is followed by proton removal from the oxygen of the neutral enol to afford the enolate ion [Eq. (4c)]. 

More recently it has become apparent that proton equilibria and hence pH can be equally important in aprotic and other non-aqueous solvents. For example, the addition of a proton donor, such as phenol or water, to dimethylformamide has a marked effect on the i-E curve for the reduction of a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (Peover, 1967). In the absence of a proton donor the curve shows two one-electron reduction waves. The first electron addition is reversible and leads to the formation of the anion radical while the second wave is irreversible owing to rapid abstraction of protons from the solvent by the dicarbanion. 

In the anion and cation radicals of fulvalene (XXI) the situation turns out to be quite reversed. Removal of an electron from the neutral molecule to produce the cation radical results in a symmetry reduction (Dj -> C2 ), the stabilization energy being calculated to be 17.8 kcal mole . On the other hand, addition of an electron to form the anion radical leaves the molecular symmetry unaffected. 

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