Ring systems alkene termination

Grubbs and coworkers [238] used the ROM/RCM to prepare novel oxa- and aza-heterocyclic compounds, using their catalyst 6/3-15 (Scheme 6/3.9 see also Table 6/3.1). As an example, 6/3-35 gave 6/3-36, by which the more reactive terminal alkene moiety reacts first and the resulting alkylidene opens the five-membered ring. In a similar reaction, namely a domino enyne process, fused bicyclic ring systems were formed. In this case the catalyst also reacts preferentially with the terminal alkene moiety. 

Useful bicyclic ring systems are obtained by (TMS)3Si radical-mediated fragmentation of strained ketoalkene precursors. For example, the ketoalkene 64 reacted with 1.5equiv of silane to give 95% of hydrindanone 65 (Reaction 7.67) [78]. (TMS)3Si radical adds first to the terminal alkene and the carbon-centred radical can relieve the strain by cleaving the adjacent C—C bond. 

This is easily rationalized by protonation of the terminal alkene, yielding the preferred tertiary carbocation. The carbocation is then attacked by rt electrons from the neighboring double bond, creating a new a bond and a ring system. Note that this results in a favourable tertiary carbocation and a favourable strain-free six-membered ring (see Section 3.3.2). 

Transition metal complexes have proved very useful in both the catalytic and stoichiometric production of cyclic lactones. A series of palladium(O)-phosphine complexes have been shown to be effective for the conversion of three-membered ring systems to cyclic lactones [Eq. (45)] (114). When isopropylidenecyclopropane and [Pd(dba)2]-PPh3 (dba = dibenzylidenea-cetone)(4 1) in benzene were treated with 40 atm carbon dioxide at 126°C for 20 hr, 69% of the lactone (34) was formed. In contrast, when [Pd(diphos)2] was used as the substrate under similar conditions 48% of 35 was produced with only trace amounts of 34. None of the complexes appeared to be active for terminal alkenes such as 36 or 37. 

The reductive cyclization of epoxides with alkenes and alkynes provides a very useful method for the synthesis of complex carbocyclic ring systems. Several interesting applications of this methodology have been reported in the past year. Two examples report the cyclization of an epoxide with an acrylate as the terminating group <07T 11341 ... 

An iminium ion-alkene cyclization has been employed to assemble the phenylmorphan ring system (Scheme 26). The conversion of enamine (64) to (66) was suggested to arise by 1,5-hydride migration of an initially formed bicyclic cation (65). Direct intramolecular ene cyclization of the iminium ion (67) produced by protonation of (64) provides an alternative rationale for the net cis addition to the terminal alkene that occurs in this transformation, and avoids postulating the intervention of a relatively unstable fully formed secondary carbocation. 

D.i.a. Formation of Cyclopropane Derivatives by Two Successive Intramolecular Carbopalladations. Intramolecular carbopalladation starting from 1,( —l)-dienes with a suitable leaving group at the 2-position and a substituent at the (n-l)-position of the alkene terminator leads to a neopentylpalladium intermediate, which can only continue the cascade by a 3-eJto-tng-carbopalladation to eventually form bicyclo[(n—2). 1.0]alkenes. This sequence works equally well for ring sizes five, six, and seven in the first formed ring (Scheme 22) and even heterocyclic systems can be constructed by this mode (Scheme 22). 

In summary, for the last decade, selective alkene RCM has become a powerful tool for the synthesis of complex natural products. This method has been broadly applied to the construction of different ring systems including both medium-size (five- to ten-membered) and large rings. For the polyene substrate, terminal and less substituted alkenes are generally more reactive. In addition, steric effects, conformational effects as well as choice of catalysts are also key factors to achieve the selectivity. 

Depending on the substituents of l,6-enynes, their cyclization leads to 1.2-dialkylidene derivatives (or a 1.3-diene system). For example, cyclization of the 1,6-enyne 50 affords the 1.3-diene system 51[33-35]. Furthermore, the 1.6-enyne 53, which has a terminal alkene, undergoes cyclization with a shift of vinylic hydrogen to generate the 1,3-diene system 54. The carbapenem skeleton 56 has been synthesized based on the cyclization of the functionalized 1,6-enyne 55[36], Similarly, the cyclization of the 1,7-enyne 57 gives a si -mem-bered ring 58 with the 1,3-diene system. 

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