Reactions Involving Allenes

It is worth noting that in most of the reactions involving allenes with an internal nucleophile, cr-vinyl complexes are formed but their further reaction usually lead to unwanted by-products. 

In conclusion, the palladium-catalyzed two- or three-component coupling reactions involving allenes have been established as powerful tools for the efficient synthesis of cyclic compounds. Reaction patterns involving all three carbon atoms of the allene moiety have been observed, with the selectivity depending on the structures of the starting materials, nature of the catalyst, and... 

A number of cycloaddition reactions involving allene derivatives as dienophiles have been recorded. Allene itself reacts only with electron-deficient dienes but allene carboxylic acid or esters, in which a double bond is activated by conjugation with the carboxylic group, react readily with cyclopentadiene to give 1 1 adducts in excellent yield. For example, the allene 12 gave, with very high yield and selectivity, the cycloadduct 13, used in a synthesis of (-)-P-santalene (3.19). An allene equivalent is vinyl triphenylphosphonium bromide, which is reported to react with a number of dienes to form cyclic phosphonium salts. These can be converted into methylene compounds by the usual Wittig reaction procedure (3.20). 

Pd species forms a C,C bond with the central carbon atom of the allene moiety thus, the carbopalladation reaction of allenes provides an efficient entry to versatile and reactive TT-allylpalladium species. Extensive studies have been carried out for the Pd-catalyzed reactions involving allenes (Scheme 6). 

A special mention deserves the overview Nick Turro has published of his work in physical organic, organic supramolecular and spin chemistry during his five decades carrier at Columbia. A tutorial review has been published on the utility of photolabile protecting groups in chemical synthesis and in biology. A wide scope crytical review has been devoted to the 2 + 2 cycloaddition reaction involving allenes and includes several photoehemical examples. ... 

ESI-MS Studies in Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions Involving Allenes... 

ESI-MS Studies in Paiiadium-Catat fzed Reactions Involving Allenes 255... 

In another study of palladiumotalyzed reactions involving allenes [38], Guo et al. described a three-component tandem double addition-cyclization reaction of allenyl malonates, aryl halides and imines to give pyrroUdine derivatives [42] (Scheme 7.22). Apart from the methodological synthetic study, the authors conducted a mechanistic study of the process using the ESI-MS technique [43]. The particular reaction studied is shown in Scheme 7.22. 

ESI-MS Studies in Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions Involving Allenes 257 Table 7.10 Species detected by ESI mass spectrometry of reaction shown in Scheme 7.22. 

On the other hand, Jamison and co-workers focused on the development of reactions involving allenes as source of chirality. They described the enantio-and regioselective coupling of various allenes, aldehydes and silanes catalyzed by [(IPr)2Ni] to produce (Z)-silylated allyl alcohols (Equation (10.30)). " ... 

CASCADE REACTIONS INVOLVING ALLENES 6.4.1 Cascade Reactions of Monoallenes... 

Abstract The photoinduced reactions of metal carbene complexes, particularly Group 6 Fischer carbenes, are comprehensively presented in this chapter with a complete listing of published examples. A majority of these processes involve CO insertion to produce species that have ketene-like reactivity. Cyclo addition reactions presented include reaction with imines to form /1-lactams, with alkenes to form cyclobutanones, with aldehydes to form /1-lactones, and with azoarenes to form diazetidinones. Photoinduced benzannulation processes are included. Reactions involving nucleophilic attack to form esters, amino acids, peptides, allenes, acylated arenes, and aza-Cope rearrangement products are detailed. A number of photoinduced reactions of carbenes do not involve CO insertion. These include reactions with sulfur ylides and sulfilimines, cyclopropanation, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, and acyl migrations. 

Such reactions involve the addition of organometallic reagent to unsaturated systems like alkynes, alkenes, allenes, or related structures in order to create a new C-C bond and C-M bond at the same time. The C-M bond can then be functionalized by an electrophile to generate a wide range of products. 

Various intermolecular coupling reactions involving acetylene hydrocarbons have been reported to lead to vinylallenes. For example, 1-phenylpropyne (93), after activation with Hg(II) chloride, is first metalated by butyllithium treatment, then trans-metalated with zinc bromide and finally coupled with 1-iodo-l-phenylethene (94) in the presence of tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium to provide the diphenylvinyl-allene 95 in moderate yield (Scheme 5.12) [31]. 

A regioselective [3 + 2]-cycloaddition approach to substituted 5-membered carbo-cycles was made available by the use of allenylsilanes [188]. The reaction involves regioselective attack of an unsaturated ketone by (trimethylsilyl)allene at the 3-position. The resulting vinyl cation undergoes a 1,2-silyl migration. The isomeric vinyl cation is intercepted intramolecularly by the titanium enolate to produce a highly substituted (trimethylsilyl)cyclopentene derivative. 

Palladium(II) is one of the most important transition metals in catalytic oxidations of allenes [1], Scheme 17.1 shows the most common reactions. Transformations involving oxidative addition of palladium(O) to aryl and vinyl halides do not afford an oxidized product and are discussed in previous chapters. The mechanistically very similar reactions, initiated by nucleophilic attack by bromide ion on a (jt-allene)pal-ladium(II) complex, do afford products with higher oxidation state and are discussed below. These reactions proceed via a fairly stable (jt-allyl)palladium intermediate. Mechanistically, the reaction involves three discrete steps (1) generation of the jt-allyl complex from allene, halide ion and palladium(II) [2] (2) occasional isomeriza-... 

An exceptionally interesting example of the electrohydrocyclization reaction involves the use of allenes which are tethered to a,/S-unsaturated esters (Table 3) [19]. The chemistry takes place in a manner wherein the new carbon-carbon bond forms between the central carbon of the allene and the /S-carbon of the unsaturated ester. Of particular value is the preservation of one of the double bonds of the original allene, thereby providing functionality for further elaboration. It is important to carry out these transformations in an undivided cell, as the use of a divided cell led to hydrogenation of the olefins instead of cyclization. 

Hibino et al. reported a formal synthesis of murrayaquinone A (107) starting from 2-chloro-3-formylindole (891) by an allene-mediated electrocyclic reaction involving the indole 2,3-bond. The 4-hydroxy-3-methylcarbazole (858), a known precursor for murrayaquinone A (107), and required for this formal synthesis was obtained in seven steps, and 26% overall yield, starting from the 2-chloro-3-formylindole (891) (636,637) (Scheme 5.114). 

Grigg and Xu have developed a variety of so-called queuing cascades involving allenes. The intra-intermolecular carbopalladation sequence of the <9-iodo-A-methyl-A -(methylallyl)aniline 142 and 1,1-dimethylallene 143 with subsequent / -dehydropalladation leads to the 1,3-dienyl-substituted indole derivative 144, which is immediately trapped by an added dienophile (e.g., A-methylmaleimide) in a Diels-Alder reaction to yield 145 (Scheme 37)7 ... 

The rearrangement occurs more readily when activating groups (aryl, carboxyl, etc.) are attached to the triple bond. Jacobs [38] reports that a reaction involving adsorption of an acetylenic compound on an active basic surface has led to the practical synthesis of arylallenes, allenyl ethers, allenyl halides, and other substituted allenes. 

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