Rhodium allylic oxidation

Allylic oxidation.2 t-Butyl hydroperoxide (0.5 equiv.) in acetic acid in the presence of catalytic amounts of this Rh30 complex (1) oxidizes cycloalkenes to a,/ -enones and the corresponding allylic acetates in the ratio of 6-7 1. Other rhodium complexes are less effective. Allylic alcohols (but not the acetates) are oxidized by this reaction to a,/ -enones. 

Rhodium catalysis for effecting allylic oxidation has been developed and has led to considerable controversy over the operative mechanistic pathway. ... 

The fust example of rhodium catalysis for this purpose utilized chlorotiis(triphenylphosphine)rho-diumG) to catalyze the allylic oxidation of a range of alkenes. 47oxidize cyclic allylsilanes " to afford -silyl-2-cycloalkoiones in very good yields and with exclusive fearrangemrat (equation 43). 

A combination of rtiodium(III) chloride with silver acetate, and treatment of rhodium(II) acetate in acetic acid solution with ozone, are two methods for generation of the (is-oxotrimetal-acetato complex of rhodium [Rhs0(0Ac)6 2O)3]0Ac. This RhsO complex was found to effect catalytic allylic oxidation of alkenes efficiently to give the corresponding a -unsaturated carbonyl compounds in the presence of a reoxidant such as r-butyl hydroperoxide, although in disappointing yield (equation 44). 

Exposure of anilide 151 and allyl carbonate 152 to a rhodium catalyst resulted in a tandem C-H allylation/oxidative cyclization to afford indole 153.The route is fairly economical the allyl group is incorporated into the indole core and only CO2 and methanol are generated as by-products. A variety of electron-donating and -withdrawing groups as well as halogens can be present as substituents (130L4576). 

Chiral Phenanthrolines in Asymmetric Catalysis. Synthetic modifications on the Phenanthroline core can provide access to highly valuable chiral phenanthroline derivatives with important applications in asymmetric catalysis (Scheme 1). For example, LI has been utilized in copper-catalyzed allylic oxidations, L2 in palladium-catalyzed allylation reactions, and L3-type ligands in rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydrosilylation reactions of acetophenone. ... 

At lower temperatures, highly selective epoxidation could be carried out even with cyclohexene, which is normally highly susceptible to allylic oxidation. Non-productive decomposition of hydrogen peroxide at low temperatures was minimal, but increased with temperature and was also dependent on the reactivity of the substrate. The rhodium compound was preferable in terms of rninimization of hydrogen peroxide decomposition, but of course it is more expensive. Up to tens of thousands of turnovers could be attained for reactive hydrocarbon substrates [56]. 

Wilkinson s catalyst has also been utilized for the hydroboration of other alkenes. Sulfone derivatives of allyl alcohol can be hydroborated with HBcat and subsequently oxidized to give the secondary rather than primary alcohol. This reactivity proves to be independent of substituents on the sulfur atom.36 Similarly, thioalkenes undergo anti-Markovnikoff addition to afford a-thioboronate esters.37 The benefits of metal-catalyzed reactions come to the fore in the hydroboration of bromoalkenes (higher yields, shorter reaction times), although the benefits were less clear for the corresponding chloroalkenes (Table 3).38,39 Dienes can be hydroborated using both rhodium and palladium catalysts [Pd(PPh3)4] reacts readily with 1,3-dienes, but cyclic dienes are more active towards [Rh4(CO)i2].40... 

The rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular hydrosilylation of allylic alcohol derived silyl ethers has been described. Oxidative cleavage of the resulting cyclized hydrosilylation products affords a route to optically active diols (Scheme 28).129,130... 

Another route to the diol monomer is provided by hydroformylation of allyl alcohol or allyl acetate. Allyl acetate can be produced easily by the palladium-catalyzed oxidation of propylene in the presence of acetic acid in a process similar to commercial vinyl acetate production. Both cobalt-and rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylations have received much attention in recent patent literature (83-86). Hydroformylation with cobalt carbonyl at 140°C and 180-200 atm H2/CO (83) gave a mixture of three aldehydes in 85-99% total yield. 

Rhodium catalysts have also been used with increasing frequency for the allylic etherification of aliphatic alcohols. The chiral 7r-allylrhodium complexes generated from asymmetric ring-opening (ARO) reactions have been shown to react with both aromatic and aliphatic alcohols (Equation (46)).185-188 Mechanistic studies have shown that the reaction proceeds by an oxidative addition of Rh(i) into the oxabicyclic alkene system with retention of configuration, as directed by coordination of the oxygen atom, and subsequent SN2 addition of the oxygen nucleophile. 

Asymmetric cyclization was also successful in the rhodium-catalyzed hydrosilylation of silyl ethers 81 derived from allyl alcohols. High enantioselectivity (up to 97% ee) was observed in the reaction of silyl ethers containing a bulky group on the silicon atom in the presence of a rhodium-BINAP catalyst (Scheme 23).78 The cyclization products 82 were readily converted into 1,3-diols 83 by the oxidation. During studies on this asymmetric hydrosilylation, silylrhodation pathway in the catalytic cycle was demonstrated by a deuterium-labeling experiment.79... 

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