Rhodium catalysts insertions

Recently, Aumann et al. reported that rhodium catalysts enhance the reactivity of 3-dialkylamino-substituted Fischer carbene complexes 72 to undergo insertion with enynes 73 and subsequent formation of 4-alkenyl-substituted 5-dialkylamino-2-ethoxycyclopentadienes 75 via the transmetallated carbene intermediate 74 (Scheme 15, Table 2) [73]. It is not obvious whether this transformation is also applicable to complexes of type 72 with substituents other than phenyl in the 3-position. One alkyne 73, with a methoxymethyl group instead of the alkenyl or phenyl, i.e., propargyl methyl ether, was also successfully applied [73]. 

The insertion of a carbene into a Z-H bond, where Z=C, Si, is generally referred to as an insertion reaction, whereas those occurring from Z=0,N are based on ylide chemistry [75]. These processes are unique to carbene chemistry and are facilitated by dirhodium(II) catalysts in preference to all others [1, 3,4]. The mechanism of this reaction involves simultaneous Z-H bond breaking, Z-car-bene C and carbene C-H bond formation, and the dissociation of the rhodium catalyst from the original carbene center [1]. 

Rhodium carboxylates have been found to be effective catalysts for intramolecular C—H insertion reactions of a-diazo ketones and esters.215 In flexible systems, five-membered rings are formed in preference to six-membered ones. Insertion into methine hydrogen is preferred to a methylene hydrogen. Intramolecular insertion can be competitive with intramolecular addition. Product ratios can to some extent be controlled by the specific rhodium catalyst that is used.216 In the example shown, insertion is the exclusive reaction with Rh2(02CC4F9)4, whereas only addition occurs with Rh2(caprolactamate)4, which indicates that the more electrophilic carbenoids favor insertion. 

The view has been expressed that a primarily formed ylide may be responsible for both the insertion and the cyclopropanation products 230 246,249). In fact, ylide 263 rearranges intramolecularly to the 2-thienylmalonate at the temperature applied for the Cul P(OEt)3 catalyzed reaction between thiophene and the diazomalonic ester 250) this readily accounts for the different outcome of the latter reaction and the Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed reaction at room temperature. Alternatively, it was found that 2,5-dichlorothiophenium bis(methoxycarbonyl)methanide, in the presence of copper or rhodium catalysts, undergoes typical carben(oid) reactions intermole-cularly 251,252) whether this has any bearing on the formation of 262 or 265, is not known, however. 

Synthesis of a-alkoxyketones from a-diazocarbonyl compounds and alcohols under the influence of copper or rhodium catalysts is well established as an alternative to the Lewis or proton acid catalyzed variant of this synthetic transformation. The sole recent contribution to the aspect of general reactivity deals with the competition between O/H insertion and cyclopropanation of unsaturated alcohols 162). The results... 

Allylic carbamates have also been cyclized to carbamate-linked fused-ring aziridines. The cyclization of homoallylic carbamates to the corresponding aziridines has not been successful until a recent report <06CC4501>. The reaction of homoallylic carbamate 63 with a rhodium catalyst and iodosobenzene provides moderate yields of the fused-ring aziridine 64. The major byproduct of this reaction is the C-H insertion product 65. The relative amounts of the aziridine to the C-H insertion product could be modulated by the choice of rhodium catalyst. The use of Rh2(OAc)4 provides a 68 14 ratio of aziridine C-H insertion product, while Rh2(oct)4 provides a slightly better 71 6 ratio. 

The regioselectivity of the C-H insertion is very dependent on the nature of the catalysts. A good example of this is the reaction of 2-methylbutane (Equation (6)).56 As can be seen in the reactions with 2-methylbutane, the silver and copper catalysts TpBf3Cu and Tp(GFs)2Ag resulted in competitive C-H insertions at the tertiary and secondary C-H bonds. In contrast, the more electrophilic silver catalyst TpBf3Ag was less discriminating and all four possible products were formed, comparable to the earlier results with the rhodium catalysts. 

As shown in the previous two sections, rhodium(n) dimers are superior catalysts for metal carbene C-H insertion reactions. For nitrene C-H insertion reactions, many catalysts found to be effective for carbene transfer are also effective for these reactions. Particularly, Rh2(OAc)4 has demonstrated great effectiveness in the inter- and intramolecular nitrene C-H insertions. The exploration of enantioselective C-H amination using chiral rhodium catalysts has been reported by several groups.225,244,253-255 Hashimoto s dirhodium tetrakis[A-tetrachlorophthaloyl-(A)-/ r/-leuci-nate], Rh2(derived rhodium complex, Rh2(i -BNP)4 48,244 afforded moderate enantiomeric excess for amidation of benzylic C-H bonds with NsN=IPh. 

Asymmetric cyclization-hydrosilylation of 1,6-enyne 91 has been reported with a cationic rhodium catalyst of chiral bisphosphine ligand, biphemp (Scheme 30).85 The reaction gave silylated alkylidenecyclopentanes with up to 92% ee. A mechanism involving silylrhodation of alkyne followed by insertion of alkene into the resulting alkenyl-rhodium bond was proposed for this cyclization. 

Intermolecular [4+2]-cycloaddition of vinylallenes with alkynes is efficiently mediated by means of an electronically tuned rhodium catalyst (Scheme 16.81) [91]. A five-membered rhodacycle is formed from the vinylallene. Coordination followed by insertion of an alkyne to the rhodacycle generates a seven-membered rhodacycle, from which rhodium(I) is eliminated reductively to produce a cyclohexatriene, leading to the aromatic compound. 

Muller has explored enantioselective C-H insertion using optically active rhodium complexes, NsN=IPh as the oxidant, and indane 7 as a test substrate (Scheme 17.8) [35]. Chiral rhodium catalysts have been described by several groups and enjoy extensive application for asymmetric reactions with diazoalkanes ]46—48]. In C-H amination experiments, Pirrung s binaphthyl phosphate-derived rhodium system was found to afford the highest enantiomeric excess (31%) of the product sulfonamide 8 (20equiv indane 7, 71% yield). 

Scheme 17.8 Intermolecular C—H insertion by chiral rhodium catalysts.

Intramolecular C-H Amination with Rhodium(II) Catalysts 391 Tab. 17.2 Rhodium-catalyzed insertion of sulfamates. 

Asymmetric C-H insertion using chiral rhodium catalysts has proven rather elusive (Scheme 17.30). Dimeric complexes derived from functionalized amino acids 90 and 91 efficiently promote oxidative cychzation of suifamate 88, but the resulting asymmetric induction is modest at best ( 50% ee with 90). Reactions conducted using Doyle s asymmetric carboxamide systems 92 and 93 give disappointing product yields ( 5-10%) and negligible enantiomeric excesses. In general, the electron-rich carboxamide rhodium dimers are poor catalysts for C-H amination. Low turnover numbers with these systems are ascribed to catalyst oxidation under the reaction conditions. 

In all of the examples cited in Section 1.2.2.3.2.3.1, the diazo compounds are arranged such that none has a 3-hydride available. It could be expected that if a simple a-diazo ketone with fi-C — H bonds were exposed to the rhodium catalyst, metallocarbene formation would proceed as usual, but that /S-hydride elimination would compete with the desired 1,5-insertion. Such a /3-hydride elimination could, in fact, be viewed as a 1,2-insertion, i.e., 1 to 2. 

Rhodium(II) acetate catalyzes C—H insertion, olefin addition, heteroatom-H insertion, and ylide formation of a-diazocarbonyls via a rhodium carbenoid species (144—147). Intramolecular cyclopentane formation via C—H insertion occurs with retention of stereochemistry (143). Chiral rhodium (TT) carboxamides catalyze enantioselective cyclopropanation and intramolecular C—N insertions of CC-diazoketones (148). Other reactions catalyzed by rhodium complexes include double-bond migration (140), hydrogenation of aromatic aldehydes and ketones to hydrocarbons (150), homologation of esters (151), carbonylation of formaldehyde (152) and amines (140), reductive carbonylation of dimethyl ether or methyl acetate to 1,1-diacetoxy ethane (153), decarbonylation of aldehydes (140), water gas shift reaction (69,154), C—C skeletal rearrangements (132,140), oxidation of olefins to ketones (155) and aldehydes (156), and oxidation of substituted anthracenes to anthraquinones (157). Rhodium-catalyzed hydrosilation of olefins, alkynes, carbonyls, alcohols, and imines is facile and may also be accomplished enantioselectively (140). Rhodium complexes are moderately active alkene and alkyne polymerization catalysts (140). In some cases polymer-supported versions of homogeneous rhodium catalysts have improved activity, compared to their homogenous counterparts. This is the case for the conversion of alkenes direcdy to alcohols under oxo conditions by rhodium—amine polymer catalysts... 

The hydroformylation of conjugated dienes with unmodified cobalt catalysts is slow, since the insertion reaction of the diene generates an tj3-cobalt complex by hydride addition at a terminal carbon (equation 10).5 The stable -cobalt complex does not undergo facile CO insertion. Low yields of a mixture of n- and iso-valeraldehyde are obtained. The use of phosphine-modified rhodium catalysts gives a complex mixture of Cs monoaldehydes (58%) and C6 dialdehydes (42%). A mixture of mono- and di-aldehydes are also obtained from 1,3- and 1,4-cyclohexadienes with a modified rhodium catalyst (equation ll).29 The 3-cyclohexenecarbaldehyde, an intermediate in the hydrocarbonylation of both 1,3- and 1,4-cyclo-hexadiene, is converted in 73% yield, to the same mixture of dialdehydes (cis.trans = 35 65) as is produced from either diene. 

Although C—H insertion reactions rarely occur in intermolecular reactions with diazoacetates, these are common side reactions with diazomalonates3132 (equation 10) and diazo ketones (with a-allyl vinyl ethers).33 Several mechanistic pathways are available to generate the products of an apparent direct C—H insertion reaction and these include dipolar intermediates, ir-allyl complexes and ring opening of cyclopropanes.1 Oxidative problems due to the presence of oxygen are common with copper catalysts, but these are rarely encountered with rhodium catalysts except in systems where the carbenoid is ineffectively captured.34... 

The Rh(II)-catalysed intramolecular C-H insertion of diazoacetamide in water has been studied.49 This study assessed the factors governing the preferential intramolecular C-H insertion versus O-H insertion with the solvent. The hydrophobic/hydrophilic nature of the amide substituent appeared to be the most significant contribution driving the reaction towards C-H insertion. The nature of the rhodium catalyst precursor also modifies the reaction outcome [Rh2(OAc)4 enhancing the O-H insertion],... 

The insertion of carbon fragments is another common strategy for the synthesis of piperidines. Hydroformylation of an allyl-substituted aminoallylboronate in the presence of a rhodium catalyst produces a reasonable yield of piperidine (Equation 107) <2000H(52)121>. Aldehydes have also been used in the cyclization of imines in a one-pot multistep synthesis of piperidines that allowed further functionalization to take place (Scheme 51) <2003TL8249>. 

In the presence of a ruthenium catalyst, 3-diazochroman-2,4-dione 716 undergoes insertion into the O-H bond of alcohols to yield 3-alkyloxy-4-hydroxycoumarins 717 (Equation 285) <2002TL3637>. In the presence of a rhodium catalyst, 3-diazochroman-2,4-dione 716 can undergo insertion into the C-H bond of arenes to yield 3-aryl-4-hydroxy-coumarins (Equation 286) <2005SL927>. In the presence of [Rh(OAc)2]2, 3-diazochroman-2,4-dione 716 can react with acyl or benzyl halides to afford to 3-halo-4-substituted coumarins (Equation 287) <2003T9333> and also with terminal alkynes to give a mixture of 477-furo[3,2-f]chromen-4-ones and 4/7-furo[2,3-3]chromen-4-ones (Equation 288) <2001S735>. 

Hu and coworkers have examined N-H (and O-H and S-H) insertions in the presence of silver salts as well as with copper or rhodium catalysts with styryl diazoacetates (Schemes 8.18 and 8.19, Tables 8.9 and 8.10).47 Two possible products (114/117 and 115/118) were obtained that are derived from either direct insertion or insertion with net transposition (Schemes 8.18 and 8.19). Silver and copper salts tended to favor transposition (Table 8.9, entries 2-5 Table 8.10, entries 2-9), whereas rhodium favored direct insertion (Table 8.9, entry 1 Table 8.10, entry 1). The selectivity differences between the two products were again rationalized in terms of two mechanistic pathways. In the case of rhodium-based catalysts, it was proposed that the reaction occurs via a metallocarbene, whereas with copper and silver catalysts the reaction was interpreted as proceeding by Lewis acid activation. 

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