Reactions of Hard Carbon Nucleophiles via Transmetallation

1 Cross-Couplinf of Allylic Groups with Hard Carbon Nucleophiles 

4-Dienes and allylarcncs can be prepared by the Pd-catalyzcd coupling of allylic compounds with hard carbon nucleophiles derived from alkenyl and aryl compounds of main group metals. Allylic compounds with various leaving groups can be used. Some of them are unreactive with soft nucleophiles, but 

Perfluoroalkylzinc iodides, prepared in situ from iodides and ultrasonically dispersed Zn, are coupled with allylic halides via an allylic rearrangement[271]. The Pd-catalyzed homocoupling of allylic acetate in the presence of Zn to give a mixture of regioisomers 416 and 417 may proceed via in situ formation of allylzinc species[272,273]. 

Organoboranes are reactive compounds for cross-coupling[277]. The synthesis of humulene (83) by the intramolecular cross-coupling of allylic bromide with alkenylborane is an example[278]. The reaction of vinyiborane with vinyl-oxirane (425) affords the homoallylic alcohol 426 by 1,2-addition as main products and the allylic alcohol 427 by 1,4-addition as a minor product[279]. Two phenyl groups in sodium tetraphenylborate (428) are used for the coupling with allylic acetate[280] or allyl chloride[33,28l]. 

It was claimed that the Z-form of the allylic acetate 430 was retained in homoallylic ketone 431 obtained by reaction with the potassium enolate of 3-vinylcyclopentanone (429), after treatment with triethylborane[282]. Usually this is not possible. The reaction of a (Z)-allylic chloride with an alkenylaluminum reagent to give 1,4-dienes proceeds with retention of the stereochemistry to a considerable extent when it is carried out at -70 C[283]. 

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