Synthesis of Allenes by Isomerization Reactions

This is, as the numerous references will show, probably the most important method for the synthesis of allenes by isomerizations (Reaction A in Scheme 1.1). Examples following a different mechanism but overall delivering analogous products will also be covered in this section. 

As we shall see, in most of the examples smaller building blocks are synthesized by such isomerizations. The high reactivity of the allene is then utilized in further synthetic steps. However, there are also numerous reactions where complex molecules in later stages of a synthesis are synthesized by isomerizations. 

A different approach towards titanium-mediated allene synthesis was used by Hayashi et al. [55], who recently reported rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective 1,6-addition reactions of aryltitanate reagents to 3-alkynyl-2-cycloalkenones 180 (Scheme 2.57). In the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane and (R)-segphos as chiral ligand, alle-nic silyl enol ethers 181 were obtained with good to excellent enantioselectivities and these can be converted further into allenic enol esters or triflates. In contrast to the corresponding copper-mediated 1,6-addition reactions (Section 2.2.2), these transformations probably proceed via alkenylrhodium species (formed by insertion of the C-C triple bond into a rhodium-aryl bond) and subsequent isomerization towards the thermodynamically more stable oxa-jt-allylrhodium intermediates [55],... 

Alkoxyallenes turned out to be excellent starting materials also for the synthesis of highly functionalized 1,3-dienes, two examples being depicted in Schemes 8.61 and 8.62. As described by Kantlehner et al., 1,3-dienes such as 238 were obtained from methoxyallene derivative 50 by condensation with CH-acidic compounds 237 [135]. Hoppe and co-workers explored the stereochemical course of the allene Claisen rearrangement under Johnson s conditions, e.g. the reaction of 239 with trimethyl orthoacetate, which furnished intermediate 240 followed by rearrangement to the isomeric dienes 241a,b [136],... 

In general, sulfur-substituted allenes are accessible starting from alkyne precursors by a variety of transformations such as isomerization, rearrangement or addition reactions. The standard method for the synthesis of donor-substituted allenes is again the base-induced isomerization of alkynes. This very first method was applied for the preparation of achiral [11, 162, 163] and chiral [164] S-functionalized 1,2-dienes (Scheme 8.78). 

Besides simple enones and enals, less reactive Michael acceptors like /3,/3-disubstituted enones, as well as a,/3-unsaturated esters, thioesters, and nitriles, can also be transformed into the 1,4-addition products by this procedure.44,44a,46,46a The conjugate addition of a-aminoalkylcuprates to allenic or acetylenic Michael acceptors has been utilized extensively in the synthesis of heterocyclic products.46-49 For instance, addition of the cuprate, formed from cyclic carbamate 53 by deprotonation and transmetallation, to alkyl-substituted allenic esters proceeded with high stereoselectivity to afford the adducts 54 with good yield (Scheme 12).46,46a 47 Treatment with phenol and chlorotrimethylsilane effected a smooth Boc deprotection and lactam formation. In contrast, the corresponding reaction with acetylenic esters46,46a or ketones48 invariably produced an E Z-mixture of addition products 56. This poor stereoselectivity could be circumvented by the use of (E)- or (Z)-3-iodo-2-enoates instead of acetylenic esters,49 but turned out to be irrelevant for the subsequent deprotection/cyclization to the pyrroles 57 since this step took place with concomitant E/Z-isomerization. 

The base-induced dehydrohalogenation of vinyl halides and allyl halides often gives low yields of allenes because of the competing reaction to alkynes alkynes can either be formed by direct elimination from vinyl halides or by isomerization of the allene first formed to the isomeric alkyne. Since it has been established that anti elimination of hydrogen halide from vinyl halides to yield alkynes is much faster than syn elimination, the proper choice of the starting material is often important for a successful allene synthesis. When ( )-4-bromo-4-octene was treated with NaOMe, the sole product was 3,4-octadiene, whereas the conesponding Z-educt yielded 4-octyne (Scheme 66). ... 

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