Sn2 Allylation Reactions

Zinc homoenolate reacts with allylic halides and diene monoepoxides under copper catalysis [29]. Treatment of the zinc nomoenolate with a catalytic amount of Cu(II) in a polar solvent (e.g. hexamethylphosphoramide, HMPA, N,N-dimethylacetamide, DMA) generates a copper species which undergoes clean Sn2 allylation reactions Eq. (40). Polar solvents not only accelerate the reaction but greatly improve the SN2 selectivity. A variety of allylating reagents can be employed in this reaction (Table 9). The SN2 /SN2 ratio is particularly high (close to 100%) when the alkylated carbon bears no substituents. The reaction of... 

Homoenolate Reactivity. Since the previous e-EROS report, a number of examples have been described using the cyclopropanone acetals. Thus, the zinc homoenolate, known to undergo a highly regioselective and stereoselective Sn2 allylation reaction (eq 6), is used in the synthesis of moenomycin analogues. The activated titanium homoenolate reacts with aldehydes or ketones to give y-hydroxy esters that serve as precursors to y-lactones. ... 

Palladium remains the most widely recognized transition metal to effect stereoselective allylic alkylation reactions. Consequently, diastereoselective and enantioselective Pd-catalyzed processes are extensively discussed in Sections 14.2 and 14.3. More recent advances in the field of metal-catalyzed al-lylation reactions include the use of chiral iridium complexes, dealt with in Section 14.4 [33, 34]. Section 14.5 describes selected stereoselective copper-catalyzed SN2 -allylation reactions [33, 35-37], while a brief presentation of allylation reactions with other transition metals including Mo and Rh is given in Section 14.6 [8, 13, 33, 38, 39]. The closing Section 14.7 deals with selected methods for asymmetric ring-opening reactions of unsaturated heterocycles [38, 40, 41]. 

Protonation of the epoxide by AcOH is followed by nucleophilic ring-opening with Pd(0) (SN2-type reaction) to give an allylpalladium(II) complex. The AcO- then attacks the allyl ligand, regenerating Pd(0) and affording the product. 

In most allylation reactions, only a catalytic amount of CuCN-2LiCl is required [41]. Use of the chiral ferrocenylamine 104 as a catalyst makes enables asymmetric allylation of diorganozinc reagents to be effected with allylic chlorides (Scheme 2.36) [78]. Related electrophiles such as propargylic bromides [79] and unsaturated epoxides [80] also undergo SN2 -substitution reactions (Scheme 2.37). 

SN2 -selective reactions between primary allylic substrates and organocopper reagents result in the creation of new chirality in previously achiral molecules, and it is tempting to try to take advantage of this for the development of enantioselective allylic substitution reactions. 

Although acetylene carbocupration and conjugate addition have previously been considered to be two separate reactions, they have been shown to share essentially the same reaction mechanism. The kinship of carbocupration, conjugate addition, Sn2 allylation, and Sn2 alkylation has now been established, through the theoretical studies of Nakamura, Mori, and Morokuma. 

When the metallic additive to the intermediate 374 was zinc dihalide (or another Lewis acid, such as aluminum trichloride, iron trichloride or boron trifluoride), a conjugate addition to electrophilic olefins affords 381 . In the case of the lithium-zinc transmetallation, a palladium-catalyzed Negishi cross-coupling reaction with aryl bromides or iodides allowed the preparation of arylated componnds 384 ° in 26-77% yield. In addition, a Sn2 allylation of the mentioned zinc intermediates with reagents of type R CH=CHCH(R )X (X = chlorine, bromine) gave the corresponding compounds 385 in 52-68% yield. ... 

Scheme 7.15] or S -type mechanism [Equation (7.9)]. Depending on the nature of the nucleophile and catalyst employed, the subsequent nucleophilic substitution of the metal can follow either via a-elimination [path A, Equations (7.8) and (7.9), Scheme 7.15], via an SN2 reaction (path B) or via an SN2 -type reaction (path C). For reasons of clarity, only strictly concerted and stereospecific SN2- or SN2 -anti-type mechanistic scenarios are shown in Scheme 7.15. The situation might, however, be complicated if, e.g., the initial S l -anti ionization event is competing with an Sn2 -syn reaction. Erosion in stereo- and regioselectivity can be the result of these competing reactions. Furthermore, fluxional intermediates such as 7t-allyl Fe complexes are not shown in Scheme 7.15 for reasons of clarity. These intermediates are known for a variety of late transition metal allyl complexes and will be referred to later. Moreover, apart from these ionic mechanisms, radicals might also be involved in the reaction. So far no distinct mechanistic study on allylic substitutions has been published.

Like their carbon counterparts, silylcuprates and stannylcuprates readily participate in SN2 -substitution reaction with allylic electrophiles.43,51 For example, <37z//-diastereoselective allylic substitution of the vinyl oxiranes 147 with the lower-order cyanocuprate (PhMe2Si)Cu(CN)Li cleanly affords the allylsilanes 148 (Scheme 38).106 Products of this type can be converted into the corresponding diols with retention of configuration by Tamao-Fleming oxidation 53,53a,53b,107... 

Second-Order Reactions Like allylic halides, benzylic halides are about 100 times more reactive than primary alkyl halides in SN2 displacement reactions. The explanation for this enhanced reactivity is similar to that for the reactivity of allylic halides. 

In the precatalytic process the rhodium hydride precursor undergoes insertion into the butenyl carbonate to form an alkylrhodium complex. (3-Elimina-tion yields 1-butene and phenylcarbonatorhodium complex. Upon decarboxylation a phenoxorhodium complex is produced that undergoes the SN2 type reaction with 2-butenyl phenyl carbonate to liberate the branched allylic ether, 1-... 

Unsymmetrical ir-allyl-Pd complexes usually suffer attack of the hydride nucleophile at the less substituted position in an SN2-type reaction. However, the site selectivity of the process is controlled by steric and/or electronic effects. The reaction is strongly dependent on the structural features of the substrate and the reaction conditions. Opposite site selectivity is observed when the reduction occurs at the sterically more hindered position via a cationic intermediate (SN1-type). Very potent nucleophilic hydride sources, such as LiBHEt3 or LiAlH4, may rapidly attack intermediate it-ally 1 complexes at the less hindered terminal position to give the more substituted alkene, while less effective hydride-transfer reagents (NaBH3CN, NaBH4) attack the it-allyl systems at the site best able... 

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