The Dotz Reaction

One important group of antibiotics are the anthracyclinones, such as daunomycinone 8.63. Clearly, various routes to this compound are possible using Dotz chemistry.  

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The coupling reaction of an a ,/3-unsaturated chromium carbene complex, e.g. 1, and an alkyne 2, through coordination to the chromium center, is called the Dotz reaction. The initial product is the chromium tricarbonyl complex of a hydroquinone derivative 3, which can easily be converted to a free hydroquinone or quinone. 

The synthetic value of the Dotz reaction has for example been demonstrated by the synthesis of vitamin Ki(20) 10 (simplified structure). This natural product has been prepared synthetically from the chromium carbene complex 8 and the alkyne 9 in two steps the second step being the oxidative decomplexation to yield the free product 10 ... 

In 1986 Yamashida et al. found that the reaction of the (morpholino)phenyl-carbene complex 46 with symmetric alkynes 47 gave the morpholinylindene derivatives 48 and 49, as well as the indanones 50 derived from the latter by hydrolysis, in excellent yields (Scheme 9) [54]. This contrasts with the behavior of the corresponding (methoxy)phenylcarbene complex, which solely undergoes the Dotz reaction [55]. This transformation of the amino-substituted complex 46 apparently does not involve a CO insertion, which is an important feature of the Dotz benzannelation. 

The formation of the tricarbonylchromium-complexed fulvene 81 from the 3-dimethylamino-3-(2 -trimethylsilyloxy-2 -propyl)propenylidene complex 80 and 1-pentyne also constitutes a formal [3+2] cycloaddition, although the mechanism is still obscure (Scheme 17) [76]. The rf-complex 81 must arise after an initial alkyne insertion, followed by cyclization, 1,2-shift of the dimethylamino group, and subsequent elimination of the trimethylsilyloxy moiety. Particularly conspicuous here are the alkyne insertion with opposite regioselectivity as compared to that in the Dotz reaction, and the migration of the dimethylamino functionality, which must occur by an intra- or intermo-lecular process. The mode of formation of the cyclopenta[Z ]pyran by-product 82 will be discussed in the next section. 

Aryl- and alkenylcarbene complexes are known to react with alkynes through a [3C+2S+1C0] cycloaddition reaction to produce benzannulated compounds. This reaction, known as the Dotz reaction , is widely reviewed in Chap. Chromium-Templated Benzannulation Reactions , p. 123 of this book. However, simple alkyl-substituted carbene complexes react with excess of an alkyne (or with diynes) to produce a different benzannulated product which incorporates in its structure two molecules of the alkyne, a carbon monoxide ligand and the carbene carbon [128]. As referred to before, this [2S+2SH-1C+1C0] cycloaddition reaction can be carried out with diyne derivatives, showing these reactions give better yields than the corresponding intermolecular version (Scheme 80). 

The thermal benzannulation of Group 6 carbene complexes with alkynes (the Dotz reaction) is highly developed and has been used extensively in synthesis [90,91]. It is thought to proceed through a chromium vinylketene intermediate generated by sequential insertion of the alkyne followed by carbon monoxide into the chromium-carbene-carbon double bond [92]. The realization that photodriven CO insertion into Z-dienylcarbene complexes should generate the same vinylketene intermediate led to the development of a photochemical variant of the Dotz reaction (Table 14). 

The currently known carbometallation chemistry of the group 6 metals is dominated by the reactions of metal-carbene and metal-carbyne complexes with alkenes and alkynes leading to the formation of four-membered metallacycles, shown in Scheme 1. Many different fates of such species have been reported, and the readers are referred to reviews discussing these reactions.253 An especially noteworthy reaction of this class is the Dotz reaction,254 which is stoichiometric in Cr in essentially all cases. Beyond the formation of the four-membered metallacycles via carbometallation, metathesis and other processes that may not involve carbometallation appear to dominate. It is, however, of interest to note that metallacyclobutadienes containing group 6 metals can undergo the second carbometallation with alkynes to produce metallabenzenes, as shown in Scheme 53.255 As the observed conversion of metallacyclobutadienes to metallabenzenes can also proceed via a Diels-Alder-like... 

The Dotz Reaction A Chromium Fischer Carbene-Mediated Benzannulation Reaction... 

Despite the undeniable synthetic value of the benzannulation reaction of aryl and alkenyl Fischer carbene complexes, the details of its mechanism at the molecular level remain to be ascertained. Indeed, although a relatively large number of theoretical studies have been directed to the study of the molecular and electronic structure of Fischer carbene complexes [22], few studies have been devoted to the analysis of the reaction mechanisms of processes involving this kind of complexes [23-30]. The aim of this work is to present a summary of our theoretical research on the reaction mechanism of the Dotz reaction between ethyne and vinyl-substituted hydroxycarbene species to yield p-hydroxyphenol. 

Before we turn to the results of our work, let us briefly summarize the relevant mechanistic information available from experimental studies and describe the mechanistic proposals presented in the literature. Figure 3 reflects the mechanistic pathways postulated for the Dotz reaction. 

The Dotz reaction mechanism has received further support from kinetic and theoretical studies. An early kinetic investigation [37] and the observation that the reaction of the metal carbene with the alkyne is supressed in the presence of external carbon monoxide [38] indicated that the rate-determining step is a reversible decarbonylation of the original carbene complex. Additional evidence for the Dotz mechanistic hyphotesis has been provided by extended Hiickel molecular orbital [23, 24] and quantum chemical calculations [25],... 

Despite these important studies, most steps of the reaction mechanism are still only postulated. Therefore, we have decided to undertake a theoretical investigation of the Dotz reaction by discussing whether the reaction proceeds via a dissociative or an associative pathway in the initial steps of the process. We have also analyzed the central part of the reaction, the key issue being whether the reaction proceeds through a vinylketene intermediate (route A) or, instead, via a metallacycloheptadienone (route B). As will be seen, we came across a novel third pathway (route C) that turns out to be the best alternative from thermodynamic and kinetic points of view... 

This section describes the main results obtained in our studies of the Dotz reaction mechanism [26-29, 39]. The section is divided as follows First, the results for the initial part of the reaction (9—>13) are presented. The central discussion will be whether the alkyne binds the carbene complex after or before CO loss. Then, the results for routes A, B and C (Figure 3) are discussed. In particular, we will examine the suitability of the novel route C involving a chromahexatriene intermediate. 

Route C in Figure 3 is a novel mechanistic proposal [28] for the central part of the Dotz reaction that invokes formation of a chromahexatriene intermediate 19 through rearrangement of the branch point species 13, followed by insertion of a CO ligand to yield 15 in the subsequent step. 

The Dotz reaction was first reported2 for an aryl carbene of the type 8, and the resulting benzannulation may be summarized conveniently as shown in Scheme 3. The major product of the reaction is usually the naphthol 9, the result of a formal [3 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition.10 In cases where CO insertion does not take place, five-membered rings (10) may also be formed. 

Analysis of product distributions has often been used to evince the presence of 774-vinylketenes in the Dotz reaction. Wulff has studied the reactions of a wide variety of substituted aryl chromiumcarbenes and drawn conclusions from the data that point directly toward i74-vinylketene complexes as key intermediates.13 He has also isolated40 bicyclic lactone products (e.g., 23) characteristic of a van Halban-White cyclization41-44 from the reaction of vinylcarbenes and ketoalkynes. These bicyclic lactones are not generally... 

Density functional calculations on the Dotz reaction leading from chromium carbene (75) with acetylene to give the phenol (78) suggested a new mechanism involving the formation of a chromahexatriene complex (77) from the initially formed vinylallyl-idene complex (76). " Complex (77) then collapses to the phenol complex (78). 

Sola, M. Duran, M. Torrent, M. The Dotz reaction A chromium Eischer carbene-mediated benzannulation reaction. In Computational Modeling of Homogeneous Catalysis Maseras, E. Lledos, A. eds. Kluwer Academic Boston 2002, 269—287. (Review). 

Well-established is the formation of hydroquinone and phenol derivatives 273 from alkynes. This reaction is called the Dotz reaction [78,79]. The reaction of carbene complex 271 to give 273 can be expressed by the general scheme 272. 

The Dotz Reaction and the Use of Metal Carbenes for Organic Synthesis... 

Scheme 8.26 Preparation of naphthol chromium(O) complexes 94a,b via the Dotz reaction, and the displacement of the free naphthol molecule 95 by oxidative degradation...

M. Torrent, M. Duran, and M. Sola, Density Functional Study on the Preactivation Scenario of the Dotz Reaction Carbon Monoxide Dissociation versus Alkyne Addition as the First Reaction Step, Organometallics 17, 1492-1501 (1998). 

For example, photocyclization61,78 of compound 49, derived from the phenyl complex la by addition of cyclopentadiene, was shown to afford the 1,2-dioxy naphthalene 50 (Scheme 18).79 Thus, the regiochemistry of this type of ring annulation is complementary to that of the Dotz reaction, which yields 1,4-dioxy compounds. Photocyclization of aminocarbene complex 5180 involves insertion of carbon monoxide and leads to production of an 2-amino-l-oxy naphthalene derivative 52. Regio isomers, e.g., l-amino-2-oxy compounds 54, can be generated thermally by intermediate formation of a ketene imine 53 by addition of an isocyanide to compound 49 79,81,82 (Amino)alkynylcarbene complexes also give [4+2] cycloadducts, but they prove to be much less reactive than the corresponding alkoxycar-bene compounds (Scheme 18).42,83... 

In recent years the group of C. A. Merlic has reported photochemically induced cyclizations of dienyl carbene complexes of type 39 to produce phenol derivatives 40 [19]. In these very intelligently designed reactions, which are related to the Dotz reaction, the primary, photochemically generated intermediates of type 41 undergo a (formal) electrocyclic ring-closure to form linear, conjugated cyclohexadienones 42, which then tautomerize to the phenols (Scheme 12). 

The first carbene compound to be well characterized was prepared in 1966 and was one of many Fischer-Type Carbene Complexes to be reported (see equation 7). Fischer carbenes are characterized by heteroatom substituents at the carbene carbon, stabilization by a low-valent metal center, and a partial positive charge at the carbene carbon. In contrast, Schrock-Type Carbene Complexes, or alkylidenes," that have alkyl substituents, are found on metal centers in higher oxidation states, and are nucleophihc at carbon. Many Fischer carbenes are known for chromium, whereas chromium alkylidenes are much less common. Monohalocarbenes of chromium, for example, (OC)5Cr=C(F)NEt2, have also been extensively investigated." Two carbene reactions of note for their application to organic synthesis are the cycloaddition of alkenes with carbene complexes and the reaction of aromatic carbenes with aUcynes to yield complexed naphthols (the Dotz reaction ). ... 

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