Reactions of Acceptor-Substituted Allenes

The reactions of acceptor-substituted allenes are as manifold as their syntheses. The electron deficiency of the inner C=C double bond prove to be the predominating property of these allenes. Therefore, nucleophilic addition at the central carbon atom is an important first step inducing many reactions of the electron-deficient allenes. 

It was recognized in early examples of nucleophilic addition to acceptor-substituted allenes that formation of the non-conjugated product 158 is a kinetically controlled reaction. On the other hand, the conjugated product 159 is the result of a thermodynamically controlled reaction [205, 215]. Apparently, after the attack of the nucleophile on the central carbon atom of the allene 155, the intermediate 156 is formed first. This has to execute a torsion of 90° to merge into the allylic carbanion 157. Whereas 156 can only yield the product 158 by proton transfer, the protonation of 157 leads to both 158 and 159. 

Whereas the reactions of allenephosphonates 171 (R2 = OEt) with primary aliphatic and aromatic amines 172 and the reactions of the phosphane oxides 171 (R2 = Ph) with aliphatic amines 172 afford the conjugated addition products 173 always in good yields, the addition of anilines to 171 (R2 = Ph) leads to an equilibrium of the products 173 and 174 [231]. However, treatment of both phosphane oxides and phos-phonates of type 171 with hydroxylamines 172 (R3 = OR4) yields only the oximes 174 [232, 233]. The analogous reaction of the allenes 171 with diphenylphosphinoylhy-drazine furnishes hydrazones of type 174 [R3 = NHP(0)Ph2] [234], 

The attack of carbon nucleophiles such as Grignard reagents [116, 235, 236], cuprates [183, 237-242] and C-H acidic compounds [212] on allenes 155 leads generally to the non-conjugated products 158. However, it was observed early that 158 is the product of a kinetically controlled reaction also in these cases, whereas the thermodynamically more stable product 159 is formed at longer reaction times or subse- 

Finally, the attack of a nucleophile can fail to occur both on the electron-deficient allene and on the acceptor, and instead of this it can take place at another part of the substrate. For example, the allenic esters 195 yield products of type 196 by addition of different nucleophiles at the more reactive isocyanato group [120]. 

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Although this review is by no means comprehensive, it should give an impression of the great number of feasible syntheses of acceptor-substituted allenes and their possibilities of reactions. The unique combination of the C=C=C unit and the acceptor group often allows not only the common reactions of these parts but also specific transformations into a variety of very different products. Much attention was paid to the results of the last 20 years, but we have tried to mention all important facts about the chemistry of the title compounds. At the latest during the last two decades, it turned out that acceptor-substituted allenes are not only compounds for experts in organic chemistry but also very useful and general tools in synthetic chemistry. 

Similar to the addition reactions of acceptor-substituted dienes (Scheme 16), the outcome of the transformation depends on the regioselectivity of the nucleophilic attack of the organocopper reagent (1,4- vs. 1,6-addition) and of the electrophilic capture of the enolate formed. The allenyl enolate obtained by 1,6-addition can afford either a conjugated diene or an allene upon reaction with a soft electrophile, and thus opens up the possibility to create axial chirality. The first copper-mediated addition reactions to Michael acceptors of this type, for example, 3-alkynyl-2-cyclopentenone 75,... 

The equilibrium 19 20 is not only a succeeding reaction of the acceptor-substituted allenes 19, but can also be used to synthesize the title compounds starting from 20. Whereas the isomerization of the chloro compounds 34a and 34b furnishes the allenes in good yields, the conversion of 34c leads to the unstable azide 35c with low yield [59]. 

The elimination reactions of /l-acetoxy sulfones 114 to give the donor-acceptor-substituted allenes 115 by a Julia-Lythgoe process are less conventional (Scheme 7.18) [157]. A new one-step synthesis of allene-l,3-dicarboxylates 118 from acetone derivatives 116 was developed by the use of 2-chloro-l,3-dimethylimidazolinium chloride 117 [158, 159]. This elimination of water follows also the general Scheme 7.17 if a derivative of the enol, resulting from 116, is assumed as an intermediate for an elimination step. More complex processes of starting materials 119 furnished allenyl ketones 120 in high yields [160-162]. 

Several trivial but highly useful reactions are known to convert one acceptor-substituted allene into another. For example, the transformation of allenic carboxylic acids is possible both via the corresponding 2,3-allenoyl chlorides or directly to 2,3-allen-amides [182,185], Allenylimines were prepared by condensation of allenyl aldehydes with primary amines [199]. However, the analogous reaction of allenyl ketones fails because in this case the nucleophilic addition to the central carbon atom of the allenic unit predominates (cf. Section 7.3.1). Allenyl sulfoxides can be oxidized by m-CPBA to give nearly quantitatively the corresponding allenyl sulfones [200]. The reaction of the ketone 144 with bromine yields first a 2 1 mixture of the addition product 145 and the allene 146, respectively (Scheme 7.24). By use of triethylamine, the unitary product 146 is obtained [59]. The allenylphosphane oxides and allene-... 

The nucleophilic addition of alcohols [130, 204-207], phenols [130], carboxylates [208], ammonia [130, 209], primary and secondary amines [41, 130, 205, 210, 211] and thiols [211-213] was used very early to convert several acceptor-substituted allenes 155 to products of type 158 and 159 (Scheme 7.25, Nu = OR, OAr, 02CR, NH2, NHR, NRR and SR). While the addition of alcohols, phenols and thiols is generally carried out in the presence of an auxiliary base, the reaction of allenyl ketones to give vinyl ethers of type 159 (Nu = OMe) is successful also by irradiation in pure methanol [214], Using widely varying reaction conditions, the addition of hydrogen halides (Nu= Cl, Br, I) to the allenes 155 leads to reaction products of type 158 [130, 215-220], Therefore, this transformation was also classified as a nucleophilic addition. Finally, the nucleophiles hydride (such as lithium aluminum hydride-aluminum trichloride) [211] and azide [221] could also be added to allenic esters to yield products of type 159. 

Based on nucleophilic addition, racemic allenyl sulfones were partially resolved by reaction with a deficiency of optically active primary or secondary amines [243]. The reversible nucleophilic addition of tertiary amines or phosphanes to acceptor-substituted allenes can lead to the inversion of the configuration of chiral allenes. For example, an optically active diester 177 with achiral groups R can undergo a racemization (Scheme 7.29). A 4 5 mixture of (M)- and (P)-177 with R = (-)-l-menthyl, obtained through synthesis of the allene from dimenthyl 1,3-acetonedicar-boxylate (cf. Scheme 7.18) [159], furnishes (M)-177 in high diastereomeric purity in 90% yield after repeated crystallization from pentane in the presence of catalytic amounts of triethylamine [158], Another example of a highly elegant epimerization of an optically active allene based on reversible nucleophilic addition was published by Marshall and Liao, who were successful in the transformation 179 — 180 [35], Recently, Lu et al. published a very informative review on the reactions of electron-deficient allenes under phosphane catalysis [244]. 

The attack of the nucleophile on the acceptor-substituted allene usually happens at the central sp-hybridized carbon atom. This holds true also if no nucleophilic addition but a nucleophilic substitution in terms of an SN2 reaction such as 181 — 182 occurs (Scheme 7.30) [245]. The addition of ethanol to the allene 183 is an exception [157]. In this case, the allene not only bears an acceptor but shows also the substructure of a vinyl ether. A change in the regioselectivity of the addition of nucleophilic compounds NuH to allenic esters can be effected by temporary introduction of a triphenylphosphonium group [246]. For instance, the ester 185 yields the phos-phonium salt 186, which may be converted further to the ether 187. Evidently, the triphenylphosphonium group induces an electrophilic character at the terminal carbon atom of 186 and this is used to produce 187, which is formally an abnormal product of the addition of methanol to the allene 185. This method of umpolung is also applicable to nucleophilic addition reactions to allenyl ketones in a modified procedure [246, 247]. 

Allenes as versatile synthons including Diels-Alder reactions and especially intramolecular cycloadditions of this type were reviewed by Aso and Kanematsu [338], In some cases of intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions of open-chain starting materials such as 340 [339], 342 [339] and similar acceptor-substituted allenes [156], the formation of two new six-membered rings seems to be favorable if possible (Scheme 7.48). The non-activated cumulated C=C bond of 340 takes part in the [4+ 2]-cycloaddition and hence the necessary reaction temperature is high. On the other hand, the progressive truncation of the tether and the electron deficiency of the allenic C=C bond involved give rise to a remarkable Diels-Alder reactivity of the sulfone 346 generated in situ from sulfoxide 345 [339]. 

If epoxidation is accepted as [2 + l]-cydoaddition, then the rare transformation of an allenyl ketone to an isolable allene oxide should be mentioned [170]. The Pau-son-Khand reaction, probably the best known of the [2 + 2 + l]-cycloadditions, can also be performed using an alkyne and an allene, the latter replacing a simple alkene. These reactions were summerized recently by Brummond also induding acceptor-substituted allenes [361]. 

Numerous unsuccessful attempts to synthesize cyclopropanethione have been reported. Thermal or photochemical generation of the C3H4S species from different sources always leads to allene episulfide. Some representative experiments include (a) in vacuo pyrolysis of the sodium salt of 2,2,4,4-tetramethylthietanone tosylhydrazone (4) into the stable tetramethylallene episulfide (S), (b) pyrolytic extrusion of nitrogen from perfluorinated thiadiazoline 6, (c) in vacuo pyrolysis of spiro compound 8 into methylenethiirane (3), (d) the flash vacuum pyrolysis-microwave spectroscopic approach applied to spiro compounds 9 and 10, (e) pyrolysis of anthracene adduct 11 and tosylhydrazide salt 12, (f) thermolytic nitrogen extrusion from pyrazoline-4-thione 13, thermolysis of tetramethylallene episulfide (5) or pyrazoline 13 in dig-lyme solution, and photolytic nitrogen extrusion from pyrazoline 13, ° (g) thionation of methylenecyclopropanone 15, and (h) reaction of donor-acceptor substituted allenes 18 with elemental sulfur. ... 

Photochemical nucleophilic-substimtion reactions of cyanobenzene with allenes take place in a radical coupling process at the less heavily substituted radical site by donor-acceptor property. For example, 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene 67 reacts with 1,1-dimethyIallene 68 in the presence of diphenyl to give 69 as major product [60]. 

It should be noted, however, that although some heteronucleophiles such as amines and thiolates underwent clean nucleophilic substitution, treatment with sodium methylate produced enolether 248 as the major product [103]. Owing to electronic polarization, acceptor-substituted allenes should be ideal candidates for regioselective additions. Nevertheless, ketone 251 demonstrates that again the choice of the catalyst is crucial for a clean directed addition. Moreover, cycHzation reactions may make things quite complicated [104]. 

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