Reductive coupling Samarium iodide

The reductive coupling of aldehydes or ketones with 01, -unsaturated carboxylic esters by > 2 mol samarium(II) iodide (J.A. Soderquist, 1991) provides a convenient route to y-lactones (K. Otsubo, 1986). Intramolecular coupling of this type may produce trans-2-hy-droxycycloalkaneacetic esters with high stereoselectivity, if the educt is an ( )-isomer (E.J. Enholm, 1989 A, B). 

Samarium(II) iodide also allows the reductive coupling of sulfur-substituted aromatic lactams such as 7-166 with carbonyl compounds to afford a-hydroxyalkylated lactams 7-167 with a high anti-selectivity [74]. The substituted lactams can easily be prepared from imides 7-165. The reaction is initiated by a reductive desulfuration with samarium(ll) iodide to give a radical, which can be intercepted by the added aldehyde to give the desired products 7-167. Ketones can be used as the carbonyl moiety instead of aldehydes, with good - albeit slightly lower - yields. 

It has been shown recently that the selective reductive homo-coupling polymerization of aromatic diisocyanates via one electron transfer promoted by samarium iodide in the presence of hexamethylphosphoramide [PO(NMe2)3] (HMPA) can produce poly(oxamide)s in nearly quantitative yield (Scheme 9). 

Another well-known transformation of carbonyl derivatives is their conversion to pinacols (1,2-diols) via an initial one-electron reduction with highly active metals (such as sodium, magnesium, aluminum, samarium iodide, cerium(III)/ I2, yttrium, low-valent titanium reagents (McMurry coupling), etc.), amines, and electron-rich olefins and aromatics as one-electron donors (D).43 Ketyl formation is rapidly followed by dimerization44 (equation 22). 

Reductive coupling of carbonyls to alkenes Titanium(IV) chloride-Zinc, 310 of carbonyls to pinacols Titanium(III) chloride, 302 Titanium(IV) chloride-Zinc, 310 of other substrates Samarium(II) iodide, 270 Reductive cyclization 2-(Phenylseleno)acrylonitrile, 244 Tributylgermane, 313 Tributyltin hydride, 316 Triphenyltin hydride, 335 Trityl perchlorate, 339 Reductive hydrolysis (see Hydrolysis) Reductive silylation Chlorotrimethylsilane-Zinc, 82... 

Reductive coupling of dialdehydes may also be accomplished by use of samarium(II) iodide514. The reactions is stereoselective and has been used to prepare myo-inositol derivatives (equation 132)515. The equivalent reaction, using low-valent titanium species as catalysts, results in a mixture of products516. The production of cyclic /1-amino alcohols may be accomplished in good yields, and with a high degree of cis selectivity by the treatment of carbonyl hydrazones with samarium(II) iodide (equation 133)517. This reaction is effectively equivalent to an aza-Barbier reaction. 

The retrosynthetic approach to welwitindolinone A isonitrile (6) used by the Wood group is shown in Scheme 33. After recognition of the possibility of deriving the vinyl isonitrile fragment from a ketone, the disconnection of 6 to 140 was proposed. A literature report of a samarium (II) iodide-mediated reductive coupling of acrylates with isocyanates to give amides, which could be expected to lead to a new spirooxindole synthesis, prompted the disconnection of 140 to 141. This compound was to be obtained from the readily available cyclohexadiene derivative 143, by way of bicyclic ketone 142. 

Fluoro- and chloro-substituted tricarbonyl chromium arene complexes can be reductively coupled with ketones, in the presence of samarium iodide, to give tertiary alcohols (Scheme 109). A related reaction of a tethered alkoxyimine furnished a tricyclic compound (Scheme 110). Samarium also promotes the formation of a benzyhc ketyl... 

The chromium-complexed benzylic radicals are also known and were employed in a variety of useful organic reactions. One electron reductive coupling of the tricarbonylchromium complexes of o-substituted benzaldehydes and benzaldi-mines with samarium iodide gave 1,2-diols and diamines, respectively, in good yields with extremely high threo diastereoselectivity (Eq. 7) [7]. Therefore, enantiomerically pure 1,2-diols and diamines were easily obtained by using the planar chiral chromium complexes of benzaldehyde and benzaldimine. 

Samarium(n) iodide-promoted intramolecular Barbier-type reactions have also been employed to produce a multitude of cyclic and bicyclic systems. Molander and McKie have enployed an intramolecular Barbier-type reductive coupling reaction to promote the formation of bicyclo[/n.n. l]alkan-l-ols from the corresponding iodo ketone substrates in good yield (eq 15). ... 

Samarium diiodide when coupled with irradiation is a very reactive reducing reagent with respect to alkyl chlorides, whose oxidation potential is higher than those of the corresponding bromides and iodides. When such a reduction of an alkyl chloride was attempted under CO pressure [60], an unsymmetrical ketone was obtained, comprised of two molecules of alkyl chloride and two molecules of carbon monoxide. An a-hydroxy ketone, obtained via the dimerization of acylsa-marium, is a likely precursor of the final product. 

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