S-H insertions

Numerous studies have been directed toward expanding the chemistry of the donor/ac-ceptor-substituted carbenoids to reactions that form new carbon-heteroatom bonds. It is well established that traditional carbenoids will react with heteroatoms to form ylide intermediates [5]. Similar reactions are possible in the rhodium-catalyzed reactions of methyl phenyldiazoacetate (Scheme 14.20). Several examples of O-H insertions to form ethers 158 [109, 110] and S-H insertions to form thioethers 159 [111] have been reported, while reactions with aldehydes and imines lead to the stereoselective formation of epoxides 160 [112, 113] and aziridines 161 [113]. The use of chiral catalysts and pantolactone as a chiral auxiliary has been explored in many of these reactions but overall the results have been rather moderate. Presumably after ylide formation, the rhodium complex disengages before product formation, causing degradation of any initial asymmetric induction. 

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. 

The ruthenium porphyrins, (TPP)RuCO and (TMP)RuCO catalyze carbene insertion into S - H bonds, leading to dialkyl and alkyl aryl sulfides using ethyl diazo acetate under mild conditions. The insertion process is regiospe-cific since dithiothreitol reacts to give the S - H insertion product without any trace of the ether compound (Scheme 18) [172]. With a homochiral porphyrin ruthenium complex, asymmetric insertions were obtained but with low enantioselectivities [191]. 

Rapoport and co-workers have reported a general synthesis of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulphur heterocycles (218) by rhodium-catalysed intramolecular N-H, 0-H, or S-H insertion reactions.of keto-ester precursors (217)- This reaction is well documented as an efficient route to B-lactams but this group has now shown that the reaction works well for the synthesis of five-and six-membered nitrogen heterocycles (Scheme 22). The reaction fails for seven-membered nitrogen heterocycles in this case C-H insertion to give a eyelopentanone is the preferred reaction mode. 

Nakamura reported a single example of the fairly efficient Rh(II)-catalyzed 4 + 1 benzothiophene synthesis, utilizing a one-pot reaction initiated by the S-H insertion of thiophenol 83 into the metallocarbenoid center derived from a-diazophosphonate 84. A subsequent base-mediated intramolecular Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons... 

In the presence of a stoichiometric amount of diazo compound N2CHTMS and a catalytic amount of complex [CpRu(cod)Cl], various linear alkynyl acetals, ethers, and amines (101) have been transformed into valuable spiro- or fused bicyclic products (102) (Scheme 9). °° The mechanistic proposal of this Ru(II)-catalysed intramolecular process relies on the initial formation of Ru-vinyl carbenoid (103) that subsequently forms the expected products via a 1,5- (or 1,6-) Q s-H insertion process. 

A significant effect of Lewis acids on such transamiular C-H insertion reactions has been demonstrated. Treatment of 5,6-epoxycydooctene (31) with s-BuLi/ (-)-sparteine gave allylic alcohol 32, formally the product of P-elimination, in good yield (and ee) (Scheme 5.9). In the presence of BF3-Et20, however, alcohol 33 was produced as a result of a-lithiation, in 75% yield and 71 % ee [16]. 

Interestingly, the use of (S,S)-bis(l-phenyl)ethylamide as base with epoxide 70 predominantly yields ketone 71. Where the possibility for competing C-H insertion is removed (e. g., with epoxide 73), isomerization to ketone 74 occurs in excellent yield. 

The (3-elimination of epoxides to allylic alcohols on treatment with strong base is a well studied reaction [la]. Metalated epoxides can also rearrange to allylic alcohols via (3-C-H insertion, but this is not a synthetically useful process since it is usually accompanied by competing a-C-H insertion, resulting in ketone enolates. In contrast, aziridine 277 gave allylic amine 279 on treatment with s-BuLi/(-)-spar-teine (Scheme 5.71) [97]. By analogy with what is known about reactions of epoxides with organolithiums, this presumably proceeds via the a-metalated aziridine 278 [101]. 

A possible reaction mechanism shown in Scheme 7-10 includes (a) oxidative addition of the S-H bond to Pd(0), (b) insertion of the allene into the Pd-H bond to form the tt-allyl palladium 38, (c) reductive elimination of allyl sulfide, (d) oxidative addition of the I-aryl bond into the Pd(0), (e) insertion of CO into the Pd-C bond, (f) insertion of the tethered C=C into the Pd-C(O) bond, and (g) P-elimination to form 37 followed by the formation of [baseHjI and Pd(0). 

As another extension of this process, Davies et al. have developed highly regio-, diastereo- and enantioselective C-H insertions of methyl aryldiazoace-tates into cyclic A-Boc-protected amines catalysed by rhodium(II) S)-N- p-dodecylphenyl)sulfonylprolinate. The best results were obtained in the case of the C-H insertion of methyl aryldiazoacetates into A-Boc-pyrrolidine, which gave, in all cases, a diastereoselectivity and an enantioselectivity greater than 90% de and 90% ee respectively (Scheme 10.77). The synthetic utility of this method was demonstrated by means of a two-step asymmetric synthesis of a novel class of C2-symmetric amines. 

Thermolysis of 58a in butanol affords, together with 17% of 60a (R = C4H9) which evidences the intermediacy of the thiophosphene 59 a, a variety of partly atypical products which seriously impede the desired rearrangement38. Photolysis of 58b in methanol is also found to give only 18 % 1,2-P/C shift to form the heterocumulene 59b, from which the thiophosphinic rater 60b (R = CH3) results 39). As already mentioned in connection with the photolysis of diazo compounds of type 36 (see Sect. 2.2), Wolff rearrangement (9%) and O/H insertion (6%) once again compete with thiophosphinic ester formation. Moreover, solvolysis of the P(S)/C(N2) bond 391 prevents a greater contribution of carbene products to the overall yield. 

In a manner similar to OsH(OH)(CO)(P Pr3)2, the hydride-metallothiol complex OsH(SH)(CO)(P Pr3)2 adds Lewis bases that are not bulky such as CO and P(OMe)3 to give the corresponding six-coordinate hydride-metallothiol derivatives OsH(SH)(CO)L(P Pr3)2 (L = CO, P(OMe)3). OsH(OH)(CO)(PiPr3)2 and OsH(SH)(CO)(P Pr3 also show a similar behavior toward dimethyl acetylenedi-carboxylate. Treatment of OsH(SH)(CO)(P Pr3)2 with this alkyne affords 6sH SC(C02Me)CHC(OMe)6 (CO)P Pr3)2, which is the result of the tram addition of the S—H bond to the carbon-carbon triple bond of the alkyne. Phenyl-acetylene, in contrast to dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, reacts with OsH(SH) (CO)(P Pr3)2 by insertion of the carbon-carbon triple bond into the Os—H bond to give the unsaturated alkenyl-metallothiol derivative Os ( )-CH=CHPh (SH) (CO)(P Pr3 )2, the inorganic counterpart of the organic a, (3-unsaturated mercaptans (Scheme 46).92... 

A corresponds roughly to the thiirane geometry, B corresponds to incipient insertion, since a pivoting of the S—H group in the xy plane is calculated to require no further activation energy. The two minima correspond to the two reaction mechanisms postulated from... 

Some functionalized thiophenes have been investigated in order to assess the scope of ylide-derived chemistry. As already mentioned, 2-(hydroxymethyl)thiophene still gives the S-ylide upon Rh2(OAe)4-catalyzed reaction with dimethyl diazomalonate 146 but O/H insertion instead of ylide formation seems to have been observed by other workers (Footnote 4 in Ref. 2S4)). From the room temperature reaction of 2-(aminomethyl)thiophene and dimethyl diazomalonate, however, salt 271 was isolated quite unexpectedly 254). Rh2(OAc)4, perhaps deactivated by the substrate, is useless in terms of the anticipated earbenoid reactions. Formation of a diazo-malonic ester amide and amine-catalyzed cyclization to a 5-hydroxytriazole seem to take place instead. 

Rh2(OAc)4 has become the catalyst of choice for insertion of carbene moieties into the N—H bond of (3-lactams. Two cases of intermolecular reaction have been reported. The carbene unit derived from alkyl aryldiazoacetates 322 seems to be inserted only into the ring N—H bond of 323 246). Similarly, N-malonyl- 3-lactams 327 are available from diazomalonic esters 325 and (3-lactams 326 297). If, however, the acetate function in 326 is replaced by an alkylthio or arylthio group, C/S insertion rather than N/H insertion takes place (see Sect. 7.2). Reaction of ethyl diazoacetoacetate 57b with 328 also yields an N/H insertion product (329) 298>, rather than ethyl l-aza-4-oxa-3-methyl-7-oxabicyclo[3.2.0]hex-2-ene-2-earboxylate, as had been claimed before 299). 

The known examples of carbenoid insertion into an S—H bond have been supplemented by the Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed synthesis of a-phenylthioketones from a-diazoketones and thiophenol 327). By this method, a number of primary and secondary acyclic a-diazoketones, ethyl diazoacetate and cyclic diazoketones such as 2-diazocyclopentanone, 2-diazo-6-methylcyclohexanone and 2-diazocyclohepta-none were converted at room temperature in good to high yield. 

Kavan, L. Attia, A. Lenzmann, F. Elder, S. H. Gratzel, M. 2000. Lithium insertion into zirconia-stabilized mesoscopic Ti02 (anatase). J. Electrochem. Soc. 147 2897-2902. 

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