Selectivity in hydroboration

RCH—CHi - RCHiCHO. This reaction can be carried out by hydroboration followed by oxidation of the resulting organoborane with pyridinium chlorochro-mate (PCC). In first reports of the transformation BH3 S(CII3)2 was used, but this hydroboration is not regiospecific in the case of terminal alkenes. Use of disiamylborane is superior since this borane is highly selective in hydroboration of both alkenes and dienes.1... 

Stereoselective hydroboration of allylic alcohols. Acyclic secondary ally lie alcohols of the types 1 and (E)- and (Z)-2 undergo hydroboration stereoselectively to yield threo-, 3-dioh (3). Highest t/ireo-selectivity in hydroboration of 1 is obtained using 9-... 

Klein showed that axial reaction of the parent methylenecyclohexane 37 is preferred in hydroboration [106], The experimental data on the parent methylenecyclohexanone 37a accumulated by Senda et al. [107] and the more recent systematic studies by Cieplak et al. [108, 109] on jr-facial selectivities of 3-substituted methylene-cyclohexanes 37 have characterized the intrinsic features of the facial selection of methylenecyclohexanes. That is, axial preference of unsubstituted and 3-substituted methylenecyclohexanes was observed in oxymercuration [107] and epoxidation reactions [110], There is also an increase in the proportion of axial attack with increase in the electronegativity of the remote 3-equatorial... 

Scheme 27 Selected deuteration in hydroboration of myrcene catalyzed by FeCl2 with LI...

There was, however, no significant selectivity in the initial hydroboration of the terminal double bond. As a result, both configurations are formed at C(6). This problem was overcome using the epimerization process from Scheme 13.34. 

Facial selectivity in electrophilic additions (carbene addition, mercuration, epoxi-dation, and hydroboration) to 4-substituted 9-methylenenorsnoutanes (1) as model alkenes has been elucidated and the observed preference for yyn-attack (Table 1)... 

The investigation of factors affecting facial selectivity in the hydroboration of steroidal -alkenes revealed the facial (a vs /3) stereoselectivities of hydroboration of androst-5-enes (69) and B-norandrost-5-enes (70) do not parallel the difference between the calculated force-field energies for a- and jS-cyclobutane models (71)-(74). This finding appears to suggest that the facial selectivity is not determined by the four-centre transition state but by the relative ease of formation of the initial tt-complex. ... 

In an attempt to rationalize the factors that control selectivity in the Rh- and Ir-catalyzed hydroboration reactions, Fernandez and Bo [35] carried out experimental and theoretical studies on the H—B addition of catecholborane to vinylarenes with [M(C0D)(R-QUINAP)]BF4, (QUINAP = l-(2-diphenylphosphino-l-naphthyl) isoquinoHne). A considerable difference was found in the stability of the isomers when the substrate was coordinated to the iridium(I) or rhodium(I) complexes. In particular, the difference between pro-R B1 and pro-S B2 isomers was not so great when the metal center was iridium and not rhodium (Figure 7.1), which explains the low ee-values observed experimentally when asymmetric iridium-catalyzed hydroboration was performed. Structurally, the energy analysis of the n2 and Tti interactions [36] seems to be responsible for the extra stabilization of the B2 isomer in the iridium intermediates (Figure 7.1). The coordination and insertion of alkenes, then, could be considered key steps in the enantiodifferentiation pathway. 

For adoption by the synthetic-organic community, a new method must pass certain tests. If it is catalytic, then the turnover must be efficient so that the quantity of (presumably expensive) catalyst employed is small. The reaction needs to be selective in all the desirable ways, where appropriate including chemo-, regio-, and stereospecificity. Much of the work on hydroboration has been aimed at progress toward those goals. The rhodium-catalyzed reaction of catecholborane with a simple styrene frequently forms part of the standard catalytic screening procedures for a novel ligand. 

It is clear from these representative results that regioselectivity in hydroboration is controlled by steric effects. As a result, nonsymmetric internal olefins usually yield a mixture of regioisomeric alkylboranes when they react with borane. Several hindered mono- and diakylboranes with sterically demanding alkyl groups, however, have been developed for use in selective hydroboration. Disiamylborane [bis(3-methyl-2-butyl)borane, 34], thexylborane (2,3-dimethyl-2-butylborane, 35), and 9-BBN (9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane) are the most frequently used reagents. Improvements of regioselectivities in hydroboration of both... 

The order of reactivities of various functional groups determined under standard conditions (using externally generated diborane, and tetrahydrofuran as solvent) is acid > alkene > ketone > nitrile > epoxide > ester > acid chloride.33 Acids, aldehydes, ketones, epoxides, nitriles, lactones and azo compounds are reduced rapidly, esters more slowly and chloral, acid chlorides and nitro compounds are inert. Double bonds undergo the hydroboration reaction,25 nitriles and azo compounds are reduced to amines, and the remaining groups to alcohols. Ketones can be reduced selectively in the presence of epoxides. Contrary to the order of reactivities given above, it has been claimed that nitriles are reduced more rapidly than ketones.223... 

An example of the difference in selectivity in the hydroboration of cis-4-methyl-2-pentene with B2H8 and 1 follows ... 

The a,p-acetylenic ketones can be synthesized in good yields by the selective mono-hydroboration-oxidation process of conjugated diynes. The monohydroboration of conjugated diynes with disiamylborane places boron preferentially at the internal triple position of the diyne system. The resultant organoboranes on treatment with sodium hydroxide and 30% H202 afforded the a,P-acetylenic ketones (Eq. 33) 79). 

However, many mono-, dialkylboranes and heterosubstituted boranes (Chart 1) exhibit highly selective behavior in hydroboration of alkynes7). Thus, they appeared attractive for the controlled monohydroboration of alkynes for the synthesis of the desired vinylic boranes from terminal and internal alkynes (Eqs. 53 and 54). 

Without question, the most important developments in this field over the past 10 years have been in the area of enantioselective hydroborations. New chiral catalyst systems are typically tested in hydroborations of vinyl arenes, as reactions using HBcat and a cationic rhodium catalyst are well known to give selective formation of the unusual branched isomer. In related studies, enantiopure 2,2-disubstituted cyclopropyl boronates were easily prepared via the catalytic asymmetric hydroboration of 3,3-disubstituted cyclopropenes using a number of chiral neutral rhodium complexes (equation 13). Directing groups, such as esters and alkoxymethyl substituents, were necessary for achieving... 

In the case of unsymmetrical alkynes the regioselectivity is only modest. Use of excess borane-THF results in dihydroboration. Many of the problems encountered in hydroboration reactions of borane-THF can be overcome by the use of more selective reagents such as dialkylboranes or dihaloboranes. 

BBN-H tolerates many functional groups, and this, coupled with its high regioselectivity, allows the clean synthesis of a number of functionalized organoboranes e.g. equation 26), including many derived from unsaturated heterocyclic compounds. It also shows impressive stereofacial selectivity in the hydroboration of cyclic alkenes (e.g. equations 27-29), - and sometimes in the cases of acyclic alkenes. ... 

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