Substitution reactions nickel-catalyzed alkylation

Stable enolates such as diethyl malonate anions react with allyl sulfones (or acetates) in the presence of nickel complexes to give a mixture of the a- and /-product83. The regioselectivity is generally poor in the nickel-catalyzed reaction, but the molybdenum-catalyzed reaction is selective for alkylation at the more substituted allylic site, thereby creating a quaternary carbon center84. 

An interesting use of the nickel-catalyzed allylic alkylation has prochiral allylic ketals as substrate (Scheme 8E.47) [206]. In contrast to the previous kinetic-resolution process, the enantioselectivity achieved in the ionization step is directly reflected in the stereochemical outcome of the reaction. Thus, the commonly observed variation of the enantioselectivity with respect to the structure of the nucleophile is avoided in this type of reaction. Depending on the method of isolation, the regio- and enantioselective substitution gives an asymmetric Michael adduct or an enol ether in quite good enantioselectivity to provide further synthetic flexibility. 

Insertion of dienes into M-H bond or M-alkyl bond affords r -allylic complexes or its )7 -alken-J7 -yl resonance form. The allylic complex may further undergo insertion of other unsaturated compounds such as alkene or diene into the unsubstituted or substituted terminal of the allyhc ligand. If successive butadiene insertion takes place, polymers with internal unsaturated bonds are produced as will be described later. A nickel-catalyzed reaction of butadiene with 2 mol of HCN affords adiponitrile, an important feedstock in polymer synthesis (Eq. 1.15). 

A wide range of alkyl/aryl 4H-thiochromen-4-ones are readily available from the nickel-catalyzed decarbonylative cycloaddition of thioisatins with alkynes in toluene at 50 °C (14OL5660).The reaction of 3-aryl-1-substituted prop-2-en-l-ones with NaSH in DMF at low temperature (—20°C) gave access to 2-aryl-4H-thiochromen-4-one-type compounds (14H(89)495). A palladium(II)-catalyzed dehydrogenative cyclization of aryl benzyl sulfoxides and iodobenzene-produced dibenzothiopyran S-oxides in moderate-to-good yields (140L4574). 

Recently, Ni-catalyzed allylic substitutions of simple alkenes for the formation of 1,4-dienes 174 have been described by Jamison and Matsubara. Allylic alcohol derivatives 172, bearing a variety of leaving groups, can be coupled with a wide range of simple alkenes 173 including gaseous ethylene and propylene. The key for the reaction was the use of the appropriate nickel-phosphine complex and a stoichiometric amount of a silyl triflate. Reactions of 1-alkyl-substituted alkenes... 

A diorganonickel complex generally undergoes reductive elimination more rapidly than the corresponding palladium complex. Nickel can mediate retro-allylation, which is involved in allylation of allylic carbonate with homoallylic alcohols for efficient synthesis of 1,5-hexadienes [25]. A combination of Ni(cod)2 (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) and triethyl phosphite catalyzes the allylation reaction of Boc-protected cinnamyl alcohol (Boc = f-butoxycarbonyl) with homoallylic alcohols (Scheme 5.34). The reactions with alkyl-substituted homoallylic alcohols (R = alkyl) are not regiospecific but are sterically controlled. The highest linear... 

As indicated in Scheme 27, indoles may be alkylated by their acid-catalyzed reaction with alcohols. Similarly, r-butylation of pyrroles has been effected by the acid-catalyzed reaction with t- butyl acetate (B-77MI30502), and the diarylmethylation of 1-methylpyrrole from the acid-catalyzed reaction with the chromium trichloride complex of the diarylcarbinol has been described (78JA4124). The alkylation of indoles by alcohols in the presence of the aluminum alkoxide and Raney nickel appears to be efficient for the synthesis of 3-substituted indoles, but is less successful in the alkylation of 2-methylindole (79JHC501). The corresponding isopropylation of pyrrole produces 2,5-diisopropylpyrrole and 1-isopropylpyrrolidine, as the major products (79JHC501). 

---