Reactions of organocopper intermediates

The involvement of organocopper intermediates in various cross-coupling reactions carried out in the presence of Cu1 is often suggested, although in the majority of cases no experimental proof is provided, and the actual role of Cu1 may be different (Section 9.6.3.2.1). The potential of copper-mediated cross-coupling can be shown by the stereospecific reaction of 3-trimethylsilylallylic alcohols, which takes place via a prior transmetalation of Si to Cu (37).157... 

The formation of organocopper intermediate in the Ullmann reaction is thought to result from the following [2,61] ... 

The mechanism of the reaction involves initial formation of a tri-organocopper intermediate, followed by coupling and loss of RCu. The coupling is not a typical polar nucleophilic substitution reaction of the sort considered in the next chapter. 

Alkynylcoppers constitute a class of compounds relevant to several synthetic organic reactions,47 where they have been proposed as key intermediates. The interest in this area has supposed that the number of structurally characterized alkynylcopper complexes has considerably expanded in the last few years. The most common route toward alkynylcoppers is based on the reaction of a terminal alkyne with a copper source, either a salt or an organocopper compound (Equations (8) and (9)). 

Arylation of activated double bonds with diazonium salts in the presence of copper catalysts is known as the Meerwin reaction. The reaction is postulated to either proceed through an organocopper intermediate or through a chlorine atom transfer from chiral CuCl complex to the a-acyl radical intermediate. Brunner and Doyle carried out the addition of mesityldiazonium tetrafluoroborate with methyl acrylate using catalytic amounts of a Cu(I)-bisoxazoline ligand complex and were able to obtain 19.5% ee for the product (data not shown) [79]. Since the mechanism of the Meerwin reaction is unclear, it is difficult to rationalize the low ee s obtained and to plan for further modifications. 

Another very important method for adding a carbon chain at the -carbon of a,jS-unsaturated carbonyl system involves organometallic reagents, particularly organocopper intermediates. This reaction will be discussed in Chapter 8. 

The basic mechanism of the Stille reaction involves transmetallation, either directly or via an organocopper intermediate, with a Pd(H) intermediate generated by oxidative addition from the aryl halide or triflate. 

When alkynic esters are used as substrates in the reaction sequence, activated alkenes of good isomeric purity can be prepared. Initiation of the difunctionalization usually is by means of organocopper-medi-ated 1,4-addition, which proceeds via carbometallation of the alkynyl moiety of the ester to give a vi-nylcopper intermediate, (14). Trapping by an electrophile affords cis-difunctionalized alkenoates... 

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