Triethylborane-Mediated Reactions

Methylene chromans can be prepared by a palladium-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of 2-iodophenyl alkynyl ethers 455. Simple modifications to the reaction conditions lead to either (E)- or (Z)-4-methylene chromans (Scheme 103) <2001TL2657>. 2-Iodophenyl alkynyl acetals are also viable substrates for this reaction <2005JOG489>. Addition of tris(2,6-diphenylbenzyl)tin hydride (TDTH) to a triethylborane-mediated intramolecular cyclization of 2-iodophenyl alkynyl ethers ensures complete (A)-selectivity is observed in the resulting 4-methylene chroman <2001AGE411>. 

Miyabe et al. developed a tandem addition/cycUzation reaction featuring an unprecedented addition of alkoxycarbonyl-stabihzed radicals on oxime ethers [117], and leading to the diastereoselective formation of /1-amino-y-lactone derivatives [118,119]. The reaction proceeds smoothly in the absence of toxic tin hydride and heavy metals via a route involving a triethylborane-mediated iodine atom-transfer process (Scheme 37). Decisive points for the success of this reaction are (1) the differentiation of the two electrophilic radical acceptors (the acrylate and the aldoxime ether moieties) towards the nucleophilic alkyl radical and (2) the high reactivity of triethylborane as a trapping reagent toward a key intermediate aminyl radical 125. The presence of the bulky substituent R proved to be important not only for the... 

Triethylborane-mediated Chain Transfer Reaction via Iodine Atom Transfer... 

Furthermore, the isopropylated product has been converted into a-amino acid (Scheme 7.19) through cleavage of the N-N bond of the diaster-eochemically pure product by hydrogenolysis in the presence of Pearlman s catalyst. In earlier work on triethylborane-induced radical reactions in organic solvents, oxime ether showed excellent reactivity. Thus we expect that the direct comparison of indium-mediated reactions with triethylborane-induced reactions would lead to informative and instructive suggestions regarding the reactivity and stereochemical course of the transformation in question. 

Although significant solvent effects have been observed for radical reactions in water, the use of aqueous medium for this type of chemistry remains, nowadays, rare. Some published work has been recently rewieved [105], Oshima s group has reported a remarkable improvement for the triethylborane-mediated radical cycli-sations reactions of allyliodoacetates to butyrolactones (Eq. 9) [106, 107]. 

Clerici and Porta reported that phenyl, acetyl and methyl radicals add to the Ca atom of the iminium ion, PhN+Me=CHMe, formed in situ by the titanium-catalyzed condensation of /V-methylanilinc with acetaldehyde to give PhNMeCHMePh, PhNMeCHMeAc, and PhNMeCHMe2 in 80% overall yield.83 Recently, Miyabe and co-workers studied the addition of various alkyl radicals to imine derivatives. Alkyl radicals generated from alkyl iodide and triethylborane were added to imine derivatives such as oxime ethers, hydrazones, and nitrones in an aqueous medium.84 The reaction also proceeds on solid support.85 A-sulfonylimines are also effective under such reaction conditions.86 Indium is also effective as the mediator (Eq. 11.49).87 A tandem radical addition-cyclization reaction of oxime ether and hydrazone was also developed (Eq. 11.50).88 Li and co-workers reported the synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives and amines via the addition of simple alkyl halides to imines and enamides mediated by zinc in water (Eq. 11.51).89 The zinc-mediated radical reaction of the hydrazone bearing a chiral camphorsultam provided the corresponding alkylated products with good diastereoselectivities that can be converted into enantiomerically pure a-amino acids (Eq. 11.52).90... 

Tandem processes mediated by triethylborane involving conjugate addition to enones followed by aldol reaction are reported (Scheme 52, Eq. 52a). More recently, a tandem process involving addition of an isopropyl radical to an o ,/3-unsaturated oxime ether afforded an azaenolate intermediate that reacts with benzaldehyde in the presence of trimethylaluminum. The aldol product cyclizes to afford an isopropyl substituted y-bulyroloaclonc in 61% overall yield (Scheme 52) [116]. In these reactions, triethylborane is acting as a chain transfer reagent that delivers a boron enolate or azaenolate necessary for the aldolization process. 

Sibi and Ji reported that acyl radicals, generated from acyl bromides, can participate in Lewis acid-mediated diastereoselective radical addition reactions (Scheme 4-26) [49]. Using triethylborane/02 as a radical initiator, the reaction was conducted at -78 °C. 

The first catalytic asymmetric radical-mediated allylation was reported in late 1997 by Hoshino and coworkers, who studied the allylation of an a-iodolac-tone substrate, Eq. (19) using trimethylaluminum as Lewis acid and a silylated binaphthol as the chiral catalyst, with triethylborane as radical initiator [62]. Use of one equiv. of diethyl ether was crucial for high enantioselectivity, providing an ee up to 91% in the presence of one equiv. of catalyst, with only a 27% ee in the absence of ether, and poorer ee s when other ethers were employed. In the catalytic version, the ee s dropped off vs. the stoichiometric reaction, with an ee of 81% with 0.5 equiv., and 80% with 0.2 equiv., and 72% with 0.1% catalyst. As in the above example, the presumed chiral intermediate involves complexation of the lactone radical with the Lewis acid-binaphthol complex, with the diethyl ether perhaps as a ligand on the aluminum. 

Later the same group reported that a-bromo carbonyl compounds could be added to terminal alkenes [108] or coupled with allylgallium [109] through intermolec-ular radical reactions still initiated with triethylborane. Another remarkable example was reported by Miyabe et al. They described the indium [110] or triethylborane [111]-mediated radical addition of alkyl iodide to electron deficient C=N bond and C=C bond in water (Eq. 10). 

Analogous trans-a,dditions of perfluoroalkyl iodides to terminal or internal alkynes in the presence of sodium dithionite and mediated by ultrasonic irradiation or catalysed by triethylborane have been reported. 1,2-Dibromotetrafluoroethane reacts with terminal acetylenes in DMF in the presence of the redox system (NH4)2S208/HC02Na.2H20 to yield a mixture of mainly (E)- and some (Z)-olefins 237, the initial adducts having undergone reductive debromination under the reaction conditions... 

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