Sulfur, nucleophiles ylides

Sulfur-stabilized ylides underwent photodriven reaction with chromium alkoxy-carbenes to produce 2-acyl vinyl ethers as E/Z mixtures with the E isomer predominating (Table 22) [ 121-123]. The reaction is thought to proceed by nucleophilic attack of the ylide carbon at the chromium carbene carbon followed by elimination of (CO)5CrSMe2. The same reaction occurred thermally, but at a reduced rate. Sulfilimines underwent a similar addition/elimination process to produce imidates or their hydrolysis products (Table 23) [ 124,125]. Again the reaction also proceeded thermally but much more slowly. Less basic sulfilimines having acyl or sulfonyl groups on nitrogen failed to react. 

In contrast reaction with aprotic nucleophiles, e.g. alkoxides, LiAlILt and sulfur ylides (Z ), yields amino acid derivatives (341), resulting from sp C—N bond scission. The third possible way of ring opening, namely at the C—C bond, has also been observed in certain cases, i.e. (342) -> (343) (67TL5033). 

Similar to phosphur ylides, sulfur ylides 1 and 2 possess the nucleophilic site at the carbon atom and the pendant leaving group at the heteroatom (sulfur). Different from the Wittig reaction, the Corey-Chaykovsky reaction does not lead to olefins. 

Stereoselective epoxidation can be realized through either substrate-controlled (e.g. 35 —> 36) or reagent-controlled approaches. A classic example is the epoxidation of 4-t-butylcyclohexanone. When sulfonium ylide 2 was utilized, the more reactive ylide irreversibly attacked the carbonyl from the axial direction to offer predominantly epoxide 37. When the less reactive sulfoxonium ylide 1 was used, the nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl was reversible, giving rise to the thermodynamically more stable, equatorially coupled betaine, which subsequently eliminated to deliver epoxide 38. Thus, stereoselective epoxidation was achieved from different mechanistic pathways taken by different sulfur ylides. In another case, reaction of aldehyde 38 with sulfonium ylide 2 only gave moderate stereoselectivity (41 40 = 1.5/1), whereas employment of sulfoxonium ylide 1 led to a ratio of 41 40 = 13/1. The best stereoselectivity was accomplished using aminosulfoxonium ylide 25, leading to a ratio of 41 40 = 30/1. For ketone 42, a complete reversal of stereochemistry was observed when it was treated with sulfoxonium ylide 1 and sulfonium ylide 2, respectively. ... 

The mechanism of the indolization of aniline 5 with methylthio-2-propanone 6 is illustrated below. Aniline 5 reacts with f-BuOCl to provide A-chloroaniline 9. This chloroaniline 9 reacts with sulfide 6 to yield azasulfonium salt 10. Deprotonation of the carbon atom adjacent to the sulfur provides the ylide 11. Intramolecular attack of the nucleophilic portion of the ylide 11 in a Sommelet-Hauser type rearrangement produces 12. Proton transfer and re-aromatization leads to 13 after which intramolecular addition of the amine to the carbonyl function generates the carbinolamine 14. Dehydration of 14 by prototropic rearrangement eventually furnishes the indole 8. 

In addition there are certain other methods for the preparation such compounds. Upon heating of the thionocarbonate 2 with a trivalent phosphorus compound e.g. trimethyl phosphite, a -elimination reaction takes place to yield the olefin 3. A nucleophilic addition of the phosphorus to sulfur leads to the zwitterionic species 6, which is likely to react to the phosphorus ylide 7 via cyclization and subsequent desulfurization. An alternative pathway for the formation of 7 via a 2-carbena-l,3-dioxolane 8 has been formulated. From the ylide 7 the olefin 3 is formed stereospecifically by a concerted 1,3-dipolar cycloreversion (see 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition), together with the unstable phosphorus compound 9, which decomposes into carbon dioxide and R3P. The latter is finally obtained as R3PS ... 

The reaction between an aldehyde and a carbon nucleophile, such as a sulfur ylide, constitutes an alternative approach to the synthesis of epoxides. Since alkenes, which are the normal epoxidation substrates, are often formed from aldehydes, this approach can be highly efficient. On the other hand, the synthesis of appropriate carbon nucleophiles usually requires additional steps. 

Abstract The photoinduced reactions of metal carbene complexes, particularly Group 6 Fischer carbenes, are comprehensively presented in this chapter with a complete listing of published examples. A majority of these processes involve CO insertion to produce species that have ketene-like reactivity. Cyclo addition reactions presented include reaction with imines to form /1-lactams, with alkenes to form cyclobutanones, with aldehydes to form /1-lactones, and with azoarenes to form diazetidinones. Photoinduced benzannulation processes are included. Reactions involving nucleophilic attack to form esters, amino acids, peptides, allenes, acylated arenes, and aza-Cope rearrangement products are detailed. A number of photoinduced reactions of carbenes do not involve CO insertion. These include reactions with sulfur ylides and sulfilimines, cyclopropanation, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, and acyl migrations. 

Several other observations suggest that nucleophilic carbene complexes, similarly to, e.g., sulfur ylides, can cyclopropanate acceptor-substituted olefins by an addition-elimination mechanism. If, e.g., acceptor-substituted olefins are added to a mixture of a simple alkene and the metathesis catalyst PhWCl3/AlCl3, the metathesis reaction is quenched and small amounts of acceptor-substituted cyclopropanes can be isolated [34]. 

The chemical behavior of heteroatom-substituted vinylcarbene complexes is similar to that of a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (Figure 2.17) [206]. It is possible to perform Michael additions [217,230], 1,4-addition of cuprates [151], additions of nucleophilic radicals [231], 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions [232,233], inter-[234-241] or intramolecular [220,242] Diels-Alder reactions, as well as Simmons-Smith- [243], sulfur ylide- [244] or diazomethane-mediated [151] cyclopropanati-ons of the vinylcarbene C-C double bond. The treatment of arylcarbene complexes with organolithium reagents ean lead via conjugate addition to substituted 1,4-cyclohexadien-6-ylidene complexes [245]. 

The reaction of (trialkylsilyl)vinylketenes with nucleophilic carbenoid reagents, such as sulfur ylides and diazo compounds, has been used for synthesis of substituted cyclopentenones by stereoselective 4 + 1-annulation (Scheme 12). The strategy relies on the remarkable ability of silyl substituents to stabilize ketenes and suppress their tendency to undergo dimerization and 2 - - 2-cycloaddition. 

Closely related with the synthesis of ylides from carbenes is the use of ylides as carbene transfer reagents (CTR), that is processes in which the ylide is cleaved homolytically, liberating the nucleophile and the carbene, which could remain both coordinated to the metal or not (Scheme 10). Diphosphirane (34) can be obtained from the diphosphene by reaction with sulfur ylide Me2S(0)=CH2, which behave as a carrier of the CH2 unit [95]. Recent work of Milstein et al. shows that sulfur ylides decompose in the presence of Rh derivatives with vacant coordination sites affording Rh(l)-carbene complexes [96, 97]. Complexes (35-37) can be obtained from... 

In the reactions with phosphonio-a-methoxycarbonyl-alkanides, the products of type 261 derived from 1,3-cycloaddition can rearrange to the tautomeric lif-pyrazolo-triazole (87MI2). The reaction of 3-diazopyra-zoles and 3-diazoindazole with acyl-substituted phosphonium ylides led to pyrazolo-triazine and indazolo-triazine derivatives 266 instead of the expected triazole compounds (8IJHC675). In this case, the ylides, which can exist as phosphonium enolates, possess nucleophilic and electrophilic centers in a /8-relationship, giving [7 + 2] or [11 -I- 2]cycloaddition reactions. With dimethylsulfonio-a-aroyl-methanides, very complex, temperature-dependent mixtures were obtained, in some cases with sulfur retention (87MI3). 

As well as the Bingel reaction and its modifications some more reactions that involve the addition-elimination mechanism have been discovered. 1,2-Methano-[60]fullerenes are obtainable in good yields by reaction with phosphorus- [44] or sulfur-ylides [45,46] or by fluorine-ion-mediated reaction with silylated nucleophiles [47]. The reaction with ylides requires stabilized sulfur or phosphorus ylides (Scheme 3.9). As well as representing a new route to l,2-methano[60]fullerenes, the synthesis of methanofullerenes with a formyl group at the bridgehead-carbon is possible. This formyl-group can be easily transformed into imines with various aromatic amines. 

Bestmann established a useful method for the preparation of thietanes by cycloaddition of heteroallenes with phosphaallene ylides 88 or phosphacu-mulene ylides (89). °° Because of the strong nucleophilic character of the sulfur atom, 1,4-cyclization via the intermediate 90 takes place. The polarization of the C=S bond may exert a stabilizing effect on the positive charge... 

Benzothiazine ylides can be prepared by reaction of a sulfoxide with trifluoroacetic anhydride followed by an intramolecular nucleophilic attack of enamine and elimination of OAc from the sulfur (Equation 56) <1982J(P1)831, 1991J(P1)2249>. An interesting variation is the replacement of the enamine with an aniline (Equation 57) <1997JCM416>. 

Sulfur ylides are among the most interesting carbon nucleophiles and their synthetic importance has been recently reviewed.One especially interesting use of these ylides is their application to the synthesis of cyclopropane derivatives using unsaturated oxazolones. For example, stabilized sulfur yhdes react with unsaturated oxazolones 629 via a Michael reaction to give oxazolone spirocyclopropanes 630 as shown in Scheme 7.202 and Table 7.46 (Fig. 7.57), whereas the less stabilized sulfur ylides give ring-opened products 631 as the major compounds (Scheme 7.202). ... 

---