Rhodium catalyzed elimination

Historically, the rhodium catalyzed carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid required large quantities of methyl iodide co-catalyst (1) and the related hydrocarboxylation of olefins required the presence of an alkyl iodide or hydrogen iodide (2). Unfortunately, the alkyl halides pose several significant difficulties since they are highly toxic, lead to iodine contamination of the final product, are highly corrosive, and are expensive to purchase and handle. Attempts to eliminate alkyl halides or their precursors have proven futile to date (1). 

When the rhodium-catalyzed reaction is performed under a high pressure of CO in the presence of phosphite ligands, aldehyde products (159) are formed by insertion of CO into the rhodium-alkyl bond followed by reductive elimination (Eq. 31) [90]. The bimetallic catalysts were immobilized as nanoparticles, giving the same products and functional group tolerance, with the advantage that the catalyst could be recovered and reused without loss of... 

Very recently, Ma has reported a rhodium-catalyzed route to 18,19-norsteroid skeletons from bis-allenes, involving a cyclometallation-carbometallation-reductive elimination-Diels-Alder reaction cascade process.410... 

In order to account for the high regioselectivities observed in the rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration of styrenes, Hayashi proposed a modified mechanism which proceeds through 73-benzyl-rhodium complex 22 as a key intermediate (Scheme 7). Reductive elimination from this 73-benzyl-rhodium complex 22 produces the secondary alkylborane regioselectively.12 A related 73-benzyl-palladium complex was recently isolated by Hartwig in studies of hydroamination.75... 

Rhodium species in oxidation states I and III are involved in the process. Rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenations generally involve oxidative addition reactions, followed by the reverse process of reductive elimination in the final step. Another common elimination process is the so-called (l-elimination, which accounts for the frequent side reaction of isomerization of alkenes, according to Eq. (1) ... 

The rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration has opened the way to cyclization reactions starting from dienes [92], For instance, rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration of the terminal alkenyl group of an os/Tunsaturated lactone followed by reaction with the PTOC-OMe chain transfer reagent afforded the bicyclic a-S-pyridyl lactone in 63% yield (Scheme 39). After oxidation of the sulfide with m-CPBA, thermal elimination of the sulfoxide afforded the corresponding a-methylene lactone in 65% yield. Interestingly, such bicyclic a-methylenelactones are substructures that can be found in many natural products such as mirabolide [93]. 

A rhodium-catalyzed allenic Alder ene reaction effectively provides cross-conjugated trienes in very good yields (Scheme 16.70) [77]. The reaction most likely involves ft -hydride elimination of an intermediate rhodium metallacycle to afford an appending olefin and ensuing reductive elimination of a metallohydride species to give the exocyclic olefin. 

The syn addition of the adducts suggests a mechanism different from that observed in rhodium-catalyzed alcoholysis and aminolysis reactions. Mechanistic investigations from the Tautens laboratory have revealed that the most likely mechanism involves an enantioselective carbopalladation followed by a (3-alkoxide elimination to afford the ring-opened product." ... 

Fig. 2.2 Key features of the computational pathway for rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration, with energies in kcal/mol. Similar results were obtained for the related dioxaborolidine pathway. The isomeric intermediate C does not have access to a low energy H-migration pathway but rather eliminates B-H.

Fig. 2.8 A d irect route to vinylboranes in rhodium-catalyzed hydroborations with phos-phine-free catalysts (including oxidative degradation of a rhodium phosphine). The key intermediate is a rhodium hydride, capable of reversible insertion into the alkene (step A), followed by addition of borane in step B. This leads to reductive elimination of RH in step C followed by boryl migration in step D. A further...

In sharp contrast to the unique pattern for the incorporation of carbon monoxide into the 1,6-diyne 63, aldehyde 77 was obtained as the sole product in the rhodium-catalyzed reaction of 1,6-enyne 76 with a molar equivalent of Me2PhSiH under CO (Scheme 6.15, mode 1) [22]. This result can be explained by the stepwise insertion of the acetylenic and vinylic moieties into the Rh-Si bond, the formyl group being generated by the reductive elimination to afford 77. The fact that a formyl group can be introduced to the ole-finic moiety of 76 under mild conditions should be stressed, since enoxysilanes are isolated in the rhodium-catalyzed silylformylation of simple alkenes under forcing conditions. The 1,6-enyne 76 is used as a typical model for Pauson-Khand reactions (Scheme 6.15, mode 2) [23], whereas formation of the corresponding product was completely suppressed in the presence of a hydrosilane. The selective formation of 79 in the absence of CO (Scheme 6.15, mode 3) supports the stepwise insertion of the acetylenic and olefmic moieties in the same molecules into the Rh-Si bond. 

Zhang has proposed a mechanism for the rhodium-catalyzed Alder-ene reaction based on rhodium-catalyzed [4-1-2], [5-i-2], and Pauson-Khand reactions, which invoke the initial formation of a metallacyclopentene as the key intermediate (Scheme 8.1) [21]. Initially, the rhodium(I) species coordinates to the alkyne and olefin moieties forming intermediate I. This intermediate then undergoes an oxidative cycHzation forming the metallacyclopentene II, followed by a y9-hydride elimination to give the appending olefin shown in intermediate III. Finally, intermediate III undergoes reductive elimination to afford the 1,4-diene IV. 

Tab. 10.8 summarizes the application of rhodium-catalyzed allylic etherification to a variety of racemic secondary allylic carbonates, using the copper(I) alkoxide derived from 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanol vide intro). Although the allyhc etherification is tolerant of linear alkyl substituents (entries 1-4), branched derivatives proved more challenging in terms of selectivity and turnover, the y-position being the first point at which branching does not appear to interfere with the substitution (entry 5). The allylic etherification also proved feasible for hydroxymethyl, alkene, and aryl substituents, albeit with lower selectivity (entries 6-9). This transformation is remarkably tolerant, given that the classical alkylation of a hindered metal alkoxide with a secondary alkyl halide would undoubtedly lead to elimination. Hence, regioselective rhodium-catalyzed allylic etherification with a secondary copper(l) alkoxide provides an important method for the synthesis of allylic ethers. 

The spectroscopic and kinetic data from this reaction indicated the existence of a long sought catalytic reaction topology, bimetallic catalytic binuclear elimination. The kinetic data provided a linear-bilinear form in organometallics [95]. One term represented the classic unicyclic rhodium catalyzed hydroformylation and the other represented the attack of manganese hydride carbonyl on an acyl rhodium tetracarbonyl species. A representation of the interconnected topology is shown in Figure 4.12. 

The synthesis of thiiranes with subsequent elimination of sulfur is an important procedure for the creation of C=C bonds, especially for sterically crowded systems (47,48), in analogy to the Eschenmoser-sulfide-contraction reaction (116). The spontaneous elimination of sulfur was observed in the rhodium-catalyzed reaction of diazo compound 62, which gave rise to the formation of cyclopentenone derivative 63 (117) (Scheme 5.24). A synthesis of indolizomycin was published by Danishefsky and co-workers (118) and involved a similar annulation step. In this case, however, the desulfurization reaction was achieved by treatment with Raney Ni. 

The mechanism operating in rhodium-catalyzed and iridium-catalyzed hydrogen transfer reactions involves metal hydrides as key intermediates. Complexes such as [ M(p.-C1)(L2) 2], [M(cod)L2](Bp4) (M = Rh, Ir L2 = dppp, bipy), and [RhCl(PPh3)3] are most likely to follow the well-established mechanism [44] via a metal alkoxide intermediate and elimination to generate the active hydride species, as shown in Scheme 2. 

In recent work67, it has been demonstrated that simple a-diazo ketones and esters can, in fact, be induced to undergo 1,5-insertion in preparatively useful yields. It was already known51 that in the rhodium-catalyzed insertion process, methyl C-H is electronically less reactive than methylene C-H or methine C-H. It therefore seemed likely that competing -hydride elimination would be least likely with a diazoethyl ketone. Indeed, on cyclization of 2-diazo-3-tetrade-canone, only a trace of the enone product from /J-hydride elimination is observed. The predominant side reaction competing with 1,5-insertion is dimer formation. 

Ojima has proposed a mechanism for the rhodium-catalyzed cyclization/silylformylation of enynes that invokes several of the same intermediates proposed for the rhodium-catalyzed cyclization/hydrosilylation of enynes (Scheme 7). Silylmetallation of the G=G bond of the enyne followed by / -migratory insertion of the pendant G=G bond into the resulting Rh-G bond could form rhodium cyclopentyl complex Illf. a-Migratory insertion of GO into the Rh-G bond of Illf followed by silane-promoted reductive elimination from the resulting rhodium formyl complex rVf could release the silylated cyclopentane carboxaldehyde with regeneration of silylrhodium hydride complex If (Scheme 7). 

Rhodium-catalyzed, silane-initiated cascade cyclization of 1,6,11-triynes 83 was proposed to occur via a silane-initiated cascade carbocyclization to form the silylated bicyclic triene (Z,Z)-In. / -Migratory insertion of the silylated G=G bond into the Rh-G bond of (Z,Z)-In followed by / -hydride elimination from frans-lln could then form 84a. Alternatively, cisitrans isomerization of (Z,Z)-In followed by / -migratory insertion of the silylated G=G bond into the Rh-G bond of resulting isomer ( ,Z)-In could form cis-Wn. Subsequent / -silyl elimination from m-IIn would form unsilylated tricycle 84b (Scheme 21). 

Rhodium carbonyl complexes also catalyze the cascade cyclization/hydrosilylation of 6-dodecene-l,l 1-diynes to form silylated tethered 2,2 -dimethylenebicyclopentanes. For example, reaction of ( )-85 with dimethylphenylsilane catalyzed by Rh(acac)(CO)2 in toluene at 50 °G under GO (1 atm) gave 86a in 55% yield as a single diastereomer (Equation (56)). Rhodium-catalyzed caseade cyclization/hydrosilylation of enediynes was stereospecific, and reaction of (Z)-85 under the conditions noted above gave 86b in 50% yield as a single diastereomer (Equation (57)). Rhodium(i)-catalyzed cascade cyclization/hydrosilylation of 6-dodecene-1,11-diynes was proposed to occur via silyl-metallation of one of the terminal G=G bonds of the enediyne with a silyl-Rh(iii) hydride complex, followed by two sequential intramolecular carbometallations and G-H reductive elimination. ... 

Rate-determining step, hydroformylation, 163 Reactivity, enantiomers, 286 Recognition, enantiomers, 278 Reduction and oxidation, 5 Reductive coupling, dissolving metal, 288 Reductive elimination, 5, 111 Resolution. See Kinetic resolution Rhenium-carbene complexes, 288 Rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation, 17, 352 amino acid synthesis, 18, 352 BINAP, 20... 

Elimination. Two kinds of elimination reaction are important in homogeneous catalysis. A catalytic cycle which has involved an oxidative addition generally ends with the reverse process of reductive elimination (equation 6). Rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenations end with this step. 

Dihydroazepines have been synthesized by the first rhodium-catalyzed hetero-[5+2] cycloaddition of cyclopropylimines and alkynes (Scheme 8.62) [138]. The reaction proceeds via formation of metallacycle 147 which undergoes migratory insertion of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) to form 148. Finally, dihydroa-zepine 149 is obtained via reductive elimination. 

The cobalt and rhodium catalysts have one important difference between their respective mechanisms. Unlike in the rhodium-catalyzed process, there is no oxidative addition or reductive elimination step in the cobalt-catalyzed hy-droformylation reaction. This is reminiscent of the mechanistic difference between rhodium- and cobalt-based carbonylation reactions (see Section 4.2.3). The basic mechanism is well established on the basis of in situ IR spectroscopy, kinetic and theoretical analysis of individual reaction steps, and structural characterization of model complexes. 

The C5 aldehyde intermediate is produced from butadiene via catalytic oxidative acetoxylation followed by rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation (see Fig. 2.30). Two variations on this theme have been described. In the Hoffmann-La-Roche process a mixture of butadiene, acetic acid and air is passed over a palladium/tellurium catalyst. The product is a mixture of cis- and frans-l,4-diacetoxy-2-butene. The latter is then subjected to hydroformylation with a conventional catalyst, RhH(CO)(Ph3P)3, that has been pretreated with sodium borohydride. When the aldehyde product is heated with a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulphonic acid, acetic acid is eliminated to form an unsaturated aldehyde. Treatment with a palladium-on-charcoal catalyst causes the double bond to isomerize, forming the desired Cs-aldehyde intermediate. 

Mankind has produced acetic acid for many thousand years but the traditional and green fermentation methods cannot provide the large amounts of acetic acid that are required by today s society. As early as 1960 a 100% atom efficient cobalt-catalyzed industrial synthesis of acetic acid was introduced by BASF, shortly afterwards followed by the Monsanto rhodium-catalyzed low-pressure acetic acid process (Scheme 5.36) the name explains one of the advantages of the rhodium-catalyzed process over the cobalt-catalyzed one [61, 67]. These processes are rather similar and consist of two catalytic cycles. An activation of methanol as methyl iodide, which is catalytic, since the HI is recaptured by hydrolysis of acetyl iodide to the final product after its release from the transition metal catalyst, starts the process. The transition metal catalyst reacts with methyl iodide in an oxidative addition, then catalyzes the carbonylation via a migration of the methyl group, the "insertion reaction". Subsequent reductive elimination releases the acetyl iodide. While both processes are, on paper, 100%... 

Although other transition metals have been found to catalyze hydroborations with HBcat, early studies have shown that rhodium complexes are the most effective for reactions of simple alkenes. The catalytic cycle proposed resembles one suggested previously for the rhodium-catalyzed addition of carborane B-H bonds to the C=C unit in acrylate esters. The reaction is believed to proceed via initial loss of phosphine and oxidative addition (see Oxidative Addition) of the B-H bond of HBcat to the coordinatively unsaturated (see Coordinative Saturation Unsaturation) rhodium center. Coordination ofthe alkene (seeAlkene Complexes) and subsequent insertion (see Insertion) into the Rh-H bond and reductive elimination (see Reductive Elimination) of the B-C bond then generates the organoboronate ester product(s) (Scheme 1). 

---