Substitution reactions propargylic substrates

The beneficial effect of added phosphine on the chemo- and stereoselectivity of the Sn2 substitution of propargyl oxiranes is demonstrated in the reaction of substrate 27 with lithium dimethylcyanocuprate in diethyl ether (Scheme 2.9). In the absence of the phosphine ligand, reduction of the substrate prevailed and attempts to shift the product ratio in favor of 29 by addition of methyl iodide (which should alkylate the presumable intermediate 24 [8k]) had almost no effect. In contrast, the desired substitution product 29 was formed with good chemo- and anti-stereoselectivity when tri-n-butylphosphine was present in the reaction mixture [25, 31]. Interestingly, this effect is strongly solvent dependent, since a complex product mixture was formed when THF was used instead of diethyl ether. With sulfur-containing copper sources such as copper bromide-dimethyl sulfide complex or copper 2-thiophenecarboxylate, however, addition of the phosphine caused the opposite effect, i.e. exclusive formation of the reduced allene 28. Hence the course and outcome of the SN2 substitution show a rather complex dependence on the reaction partners and conditions, which needs to be further elucidated. 

The related zinc cuprates formed from diorganozinc reagents and copper(I) cyanide also undergo smooth SN2 substitution reactions with propargyl oxiranes in the presence of phosphines or phosphites (Scheme 2.12). These transformations can also be performed with catalytic amounts of the copper salt since no direct reaction between the organozinc reagent and the substrate interferes [31, 34], and therefore should also be applicable to functionalized organozinc compounds. 

A propargyl substrate having a substituent at the propargyl position is centrally chiral and an allenic product from the SN2 substitution reaction will be axially chiral. Chirality transfer in the SN2 reaction, accordingly, may be achieved starting from an enantiomerically enriched propargyl electrophile [29]. The reactions in Scheme 3.11 are some recent examples of the center to axis chirality transfer by Pd-catalyzed SN2 reactions [41, 42]. 

Although the preparation of the substituted allene ether substrates for the Nazarov reaction is not the topic of this chapter, it is necessary to mention a few aspects of their synthesis. Lithioallene 1 (Eq. 13.13) can be trapped with chlorotri-methylsilane to give 35 [6]. Exposure of 35 to sec- or tert-butyllithium leads to allenyl-lithium 36, which can be trapped with alkyl halides or other electrophiles to give 37. Desilylation of 37 leads to 38. This is somewhat laborious, but it leads to allene 38 uncontaminated by propargyl ether 39. Exposure of 39 to n-butyllithium, followed by quenching with acid, typically produces mixtures of 38 and 39 that are difficult to separate. Fortunately, one need not prepare allenes 38 in order to access the C6-sub-... 

Unfortunately, attempts to perform this substitution reaction on cyclohexenol and geraniol led to the exclusive formation of the corresponding silyl ethers. It thus would seem that one requirement for effective carbon-carbon bond formation is that allylic alcohols be secondary and have possess y,y-disubstitution. Pearson, however, discovered a method with less restriction on the natiue of the substrate he used allylic acetates with y-mono-substitution or primary alcohols [96]. Not only ketene silyl acetals but also a diverse set of nucleophiles including aUyl silane, indoles, MOM vinyl ether, trimethylsilyl azide, trimethylsilyl cyanide, and propargyl silane participate in the substitution of y-aryl allylic alcohol 90 to give allylated 91 (Sch. 45). Further experimental evidence suggests that these reactions proceed via ionization to allylic carboca-tions—alcohols 90 and 92 both afforded the identical product 93. 

In contrast to reactions of all other organocopper reagents, reactions of copper(I) acetylides with propargylic substrates result in regiospecific a-substitution. This procedure for the preparation of 1,4-diynes has proven useful in pheromone synthesis. ... 

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