Ruthenium nucleophilic addition

This aldol condensation is assumed to proceed via nucleophilic addition of a ruthenium enolate intermediate to the corresponding carbonyl compound, followed by protonation of the resultant alkoxide with the G-H acidic starting nitrile, hence regenerating the catalyst and releasing the aldol adduct, which can easily dehydrate to afford the desired a,/3-unsaturated nitriles 157 in almost quantitative yields. Another example of this reaction type was reported by Lin and co-workers,352 whereas an application to solid-phase synthesis with polymer-supported nitriles has been published only recently.353... 

The vinyl metal intermediate arising from intermolecular nucleophilic addition of an oxygen nucleophile to a metal-alkyne complex has been harnessed for further transformations prior to protonation. An example is the ruthenium-catalyzed benzannulation of 1,5-enedyines that occurs through a tandem sequence involving hydroalk-oxylation, carbometallation, and protonation (Equation (82)).293... 

Concerning the M=Co, bond, most of the reported examples result from inter- or intramolecular additions of anionic nucleophiles containing at least two reactive heteroatoms. Thus, sodium dimethyldithiocarbamate was found to react with the cationic allenylidene [RuTp(=C=C=CPh2)(PPh3)2] [PFg] (76) to generate the alle-nyl-metallacycle 77 (Scheme 26) as the result of the nucleophilic addition of one of the sulfur atoms at the Cq, carbon and subsequent coordination of the second sulfur to the ruthenium center, with concomitant release of a triphenylphosphine ligand [282]. Complex 77 could also be synthesized by treatment of the neutral derivative... 

Otherwise, the reactions of indenyl-ruthenium(II) allenylidenes [RuCty -CgHy) =C=C=C(R )Ph (PPh3)2][PF6] (R = H, Ph) with ynamines R C CNEtj (R = Me, SiMea) have been reported to yield the alkenyl(amino)allenylidene complexes 41 via insertion of the ynamine into the Cp=Cy allenylidene bond (Scheme 10) [52, 53], This insertion process involves an initial nucleophilic addition of the ynamine at Cy atom of the cumulene, which leads to the cationic alkynyl intermediate complexes 39. Further ring closing, involving the Cp atom, generates the [2+2]... 

Scheme 3.24 Ferrocenylethyl(dimethylamino)allenylidene ruthenium by nucleophilic addition of ferrocenylmethylamine to C3 of 10 and subsequent rearrangement.

Highly reactive organic vinylidene and allenylidene species can be stabilized upon coordination to a metal center [1]. In 1979, Bruce et al. [2] reported the first ruthenium vinylidene complex from phenylacetylene and [RuCpCl(PPh3)2] in the presence of NH4PF6. Following this report, various mthenium vinylidene complexes have been isolated and their physical and chemical properties have been extensively elucidated [3]. As the a-carbon of ruthenium vinylidenes and the a and y-carbon of ruthenium allenylidenes are electrophilic in nature [4], the direct formation of ruthenium vinylidene and ruthenium allenylidene species, respectively, from terminal alkynes and propargylic alcohols provides easy access to numerous catalytic reactions since nucleophilic addition at these carbons is a viable route for new catalysis (Scheme 6.1). 

This qfdization represents a rare example in which ruthenium vinylidene is capable of activating a tethered it-alkyne toward nucleophilic addition, as shown in species lOS this species ultimately formed the observed products via intermediate 106 (Scheme 6.36). 

As terminal alkynes and ethynyl alcohols are the convenient sources to generate ruthenium vinylidene and allenylidene intermediates, many carbocyclizations have been achieved via nucleophilic addition and other activations at the two intermediates. Most reported carbocyclizations appear to be synthetically useful, not only because of their chemoselectivities but also because of their tolerance toward organic functional groups. Additional examples of catalytic carbocyclization based on ruthenium vinylidenes are still growing, and on the basis of the concepts developed here one can expect to see many new applications in the near future. 

The isomerization of terminal epoxyalkynes into furans catalyzed by RuCl(Tp)(PPh3) (MeCN) inthe presence of Et3N as abase at 80 °C in 1,2-dichloroethaneis explained by a related intramolecular nucleophilic addition of the oxygen atom of the epoxide to the a-carbon atom of a ruthenium vinylidene intermediate, as shovm by deuteration in the 3-position of the furan (Scheme 10.10) [45]. This reaction is specific for terminal alkynes and tolerates a variety of functional groups (ether, ester, acetal, tosylamide, nitrile). 

The synthesis and chemistry of metal complexes of thiophenes have been reported including the electrophilic additions to osmium-thiophene complexes <9902988> and nucleophilic additions to ruthenium-thiophene complexes <99JOMC242>. The selectivity for the insertion of ruthenium into 3-substituted thiophenes was studied <99CC1793>. For example, treatment of 3-acetylthiophene (84) with Ru(cod)(cot) led to a regioselective 1,2-insertion of ruthenium giving thiaruthenacycle 85. 

In addition to allylsilanes, CM can also be applied to allylstannanes, which serve as valuable reagents for nucleophilic additions and radical reactions.To date, only eatalyst 1 has been shown to demonstrate CM reactivity in the preparation of 1,2-disubstituted allylstannanes, as ruthenium catalysts were found to be inactive in the presence of this substrate class.Poor stereoselectivities were generally observed, with the exeeption of one instance of >20 1 Z-selectivity in the reaction of allyltributylstannane with an acetyl-protected allyl gluco-side. 

Coordinated nitrogen donor atoms can be involved in chelate-forming template reactions by virtue of nucleophilic addition to carbonyl compounds. An early and rather specific example does not allow the possibility of elimination following the addition step (equation 46).171 More recent work on ruthenium(III) and osmium(III) results in the formation of a-diimine chelate rings... 

In Section 6.3.6, it was emphasized that C02 and secondary amines could add to terminal alkynes in the presence of ruthenium catalysts to afford carbamates. Under comparable conditions (393-413 K, 5 MPa Ru-catalysts), primary amines will afford symmetrical disubstituted ureas in moderate yield [131]. It is worth noting that although the final urea does not contain the starting alkyne, its catalytic formation requires, besides the Ru-catalyst, the presence of a stoichiometric amount of a 1-alkyne (e.g., a propargylic alcohol). A possible mechanism (Scheme 6.32) for this catalytic reaction may involve activation of the alkyne at the metal center, a nucleophilic addition of the carbamate to the activated alkyne to produce... 

Activation of the triple bond of enynes with electrophilic metal derivatives, especially cationic gold complexes, platinum salts such as PtCl2, and ruthenium derivatives, has been reviewed.117 These catalysts make possible nucleophilic addition of the double... 

The stereoselective synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted-l,3-dienes proceeds by head-to-head oxidative coupling of two alkynes with formation of an isolable metallacyclic biscarbene ruthenium complex [23], as shown in Scheme 6. Several key experiments involving labeled reagents and stoichiometric reactions and theoretical studies support the formation of a mixed Fischer-Schrock-type biscarbene complex which undergoes protonation at one carbene carbon atom whereas the other becomes accessible to nucleophilic addition of the carboxylate anion (Scheme 6) [23]. 

Scheme 1. General mechanism of nucleophilic addition to terminal alkynes via ruthenium vinylidene intermediates.

The aziridination of olefins, which forms a three-membered nitrogen heterocycle, is one important nitrene transfer reaction. Aziridination shows an advantage over the more classic olefin hydroamination reaction in some syntheses because the three-membered ring that is formed can be further modified. More recently, intramolecular amidation and intermolecular amination of C-H bonds into new C-N bonds has been developed with various metal catalysts. When compared with conventional substitution or nucleophilic addition routes, the direct formation of C-N bonds from C-H bonds reduces the number of synthetic steps and improves overall efficiency.2 After early work on iron, manganese, and copper,6 Muller, Dauban, Dodd, Du Bois, and others developed different dirhodium carboxylate catalyst systems that catalyze C-N bond formation starting from nitrene precursors,7 while Che studied a ruthenium porphyrin catalyst system extensively.8 The rhodium and ruthenium systems are... 

A ruthenacyclopentane 48 has been proposed as an intermediate in this reaction, after coordination of the allene and enone. Exocyclic /1-hydride elimination led to the 1,3-dienes. This ruthenacycle possessed a o-bound ruthenium allyl, allowing nucleophilic additions by alcohols or amines. Alkylative cycloetherification [29] (Eq. 20) and synthesis of pyrrolidine and piperidine [30] were thus achieved. 

The C-C bond formation can also be obtained via a first-step addition of a heteroatom to alkynes. Thus, the reaction of the three components terminal alkyne, water and enone led to 1,5-diketone with atom economy, using the system CpRuCl(COD)/NH4PF6 and In(0S02CF3)3 as a cocatalyst [58,59] (Eq. 43). The mechanism is postulated to proceed by the ruthenium-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of water to alkynes to generate a ruthenium enolate intermediate allowing further insertion of enone and formation of 1,5-diketones after protonation. 

Finally, ruthenium-catalyzed carbocyclization by intramolecular reaction of allylsilanes and allylstannanes with alkynes also led to the formation of vinyl-alkylidenecyclopentanes [81] (Eq. 60). This reaction is catalyzed by RuC13 or CpRuCl(PPh3)2/NH4PF6 in methanol. The postulated mechanism involves the coordination of the alkyne on the ruthenium center to form an electrophilic /f-alkyne complex. This complex can thus promote the nucleophilic addition of the allylsilane or stannane double bond. 

The precatalyst Cp RuCl(COD) allowed the head-to-head oxidative dimerization of terminal alkynes and the concomitant 1,4-addition of carboxylic acid to stereoselectively afford 1-acyloxy-l,3-dienes in one step under mild conditions [89] (Eqs. 67,68). The first step of the reaction consists in the oxidative head-to-head alkyne coupling via the formation of a ruthenacycle intermediate that behaves as a mixed Fischer-Schrock-type biscarbene ruthenium complex, allowing protonation and nucleophilic addition of the carboxylate. 

Several ruthenium catalysts have been tuned in order to perform catalytic al-lylation of nucleophiles, especially as an attempt to favor the nucleophilic addition on the substituted allylcarbon in order to create chiral molecules. 

From ruthenium allenylidene complexes, nucleophilic addition at the less hindered Cy represents the most classical initial step leading to catalytic transformations. 

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