Ruthenium reactions with other substrate complexes

Reactions with Other Substrate Complexes. The ruthenium analog of 45, coordinatively unsaturated RuCl(NO)(PPh3)2, also yields methylene and ethylidene complexes on treatment with diazomethane and diazoethane (39,85). 

Introduction of mesityl groups at the porphyrin ring can prevent the formation of the dimeric products and the reaction with dioxygen now leads to ruthenium(VI)-dioxo complexes of TMP (tetramesitylporphyrin) [35], The tram-Ru(VI)02-TM P species can catalyse the epoxidation of alkenes as well as whole range of other oxidation reactions. After transfer of one oxygen atom to an organic substrate Ru(IV)0-TMP is formed, which disproportionates to an equilibrium of Ru02 and llu ). 

The corresponding hydrido/alkyl (and aryl) complexes v-[RuHR(L-L), ] (L-L = dppe, dppm, dmpe R = Me, Et, Ph) are readily prepared from m-[RuClR(L-L)2] and Li[AlH4]1659 whereas treatment of cis- or tvans-[RuCl2 (dmpe)2 ] with arene radical anions affords d.v-[RuH(f 1-aryl)(dmpe)2] (aryl = phenyl, 2-naphthyl, anthryl, phenanthryl).1389 In solution, these compounds are in tautomeric equilibria with significant concentrations of Ru° complexes (e.g. equation 148) although X-ray analysis for aryl = 2-naphthyl confirms the presence of the six-coordinate Ru" species (373) in the solid state.2459 Some reactions of (373) with various substrates to produce other hydrido complexes are shown in Scheme 74.44>24m Note that the compound of empirical formula [ Ru(dmpe)2 ] obtained by pyrolysis of [RuH(2-np)(dmpe)2] (reaction (iv) Scheme 74) is a binuclear Ru" hydrido complex, resulting from intermolecular oxidative addition of methyl groups to ruthenium.1390... 

Haloform reactions are generally performed with halogens in the presence of hydroxide [251] or directly with hypohalites [252]. Alternative methods affording carboxylic acids from methyl ketones (or other enolizable substrates) include the aerobic oxidation in the presence of a catalytic amount of dinitrobenzene [253] with a base in a dipolar aprotic solvent such as DMF [254] or HMPT (hexamethylphospho-ric triamide) [255, 256] and the use of stoichiometric quantities of hypervalent iodide derivatives [95, 257] or nitrosylpentacyanoferrate [258]. Furthermore, metal catalysts can be used, and systems such as tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of rhenium oxide [259], oxygen in combination with a copper complex [260], heteropolyacids [261] and Mn"/Co" systems [262] were found to be applicable. Finally, aryl ketones are selectively oxidized to aliphatic carboxylic acids by treatment with periodate [81] in the presence of ruthenium trichloride [263]. 

Besides ruthenium porphyrins (vide supra), several other ruthenium complexes were used as catalysts for asymmetric epoxidation and showed unique features 114,115 though enantioselectivity is moderate, some reactions are stereospecific and treats-olefins are better substrates for the epoxidation than are m-olcfins (Scheme 20).115 Epoxidation of conjugated olefins with the Ru (salen) (37) as catalyst was also found to proceed stereospecifically, with high enantioselectivity under photo-irradiation, irrespective of the olefmic substitution pattern (Scheme 21).116-118 Complex (37) itself is coordinatively saturated and catalytically inactive, but photo-irradiation promotes the dissociation of the apical nitrosyl ligand and makes the complex catalytically active. The wide scope of this epoxidation has been attributed to the unique structure of (37). Its salen ligand adopts a deeply folded and distorted conformation that allows the approach of an olefin of any substitution pattern to the intermediary oxo-Ru species.118 2,6-Dichloropyridine IV-oxide (DCPO) and tetramethylpyrazine /V. V -dioxide68 (TMPO) are oxidants of choice for this epoxidation. 

Trost et al 2 briefly explored using non-enone enophiles. Simple alkenes led to the formation of complex mixtures of isomers due to the presence of an additional set of /3-hydrogens. Many other types of substrates were incompatible with reaction conditions. Vinyl ketones were, therefore, the only coupling partners shown to be effective in the ruthenium-catalyzed Alder-ene couplings of allenes and alkenes. 

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