Triflates cyanide reactions

Aryl, heteroaryl, and alkenyl cyanides are prepared by the reaction of halides[656-658] or triflates[659,660] with KCN or LiCN in DMF, HMPA, and THF. Addition of crown ethers[661] and alumina[662] promotes efficient aryl and alkenyl cyanation. lodobenzene is converted into benzonitrile (794) by the reaction of trimethylsiiyl cyanide in EtiN as a solvent. No reaction takes place with aryl bromides and chlorides[663]. The reaction was employed in an estradiol synthesis. The 3-hydroxy group in 796 was derived from the iodide 795 by converting it into a cyano group[664]. 

Palladium complexes also catalyze the carbonylation of halides. Aryl (see 13-13), vinylic, benzylic, and allylic halides (especially iodides) can be converted to carboxylic esters with CO, an alcohol or alkoxide, and a palladium complex. Similar reactivity was reported with vinyl triflates. Use of an amine instead of the alcohol or alkoxide leads to an amide. Reaction with an amine, AJBN, CO, and a tetraalkyltin catalyst also leads to an amide. Similar reaction with an alcohol, under Xe irradiation, leads to the ester. Benzylic and allylic halides were converted to carboxylic acids electrocatalytically, with CO and a cobalt imine complex. Vinylic halides were similarly converted with CO and nickel cyanide, under phase-transfer conditions. ... 

Vinylic copper reagents react with CICN to give vinyl cyanides, though BrCN and ICN give the vinylic halide instead." Vinylic cyanides have also been prepared by the reaction between vinylic lithium compounds and phenyl cyanate PhOCN." Alkyl cyanides (RCN) have been prepared, in varying yields, by treatment of sodium trialkylcyanoborates with NaCN and lead tetraacetate." Vinyl bromides reacted with KCN, in the presence of a nickel complex and zinc metal to give the vinyl nitrile. Vinyl triflates react with LiCN, in the presence of a palladium catalyst, to give the vinyl nitrile." ... 

The reaction between aryl halides and cuprous cyanide is called the Rosenmund-von Braun reactionP Reactivity is in the order I > Br > Cl > F, indicating that the SnAt mechanism does not apply.Other cyanides (e.g., KCN and NaCN), do not react with aryl halides, even activated ones. However, alkali cyanides do convert aryl halides to nitrilesin dipolar aprotic solvents in the presence of Pd(II) salts or copper or nickel complexes. A nickel complex also catalyzes the reaction between aryl triflates and KCN to give aryl nitriles. Aromatic ethers ArOR have been photochemically converted to ArCN. 

For Negishi reactions in which the pyridines are nucleophiles, the pyridylzinc reagents are usually prepared from the corresponding halopyridines [6, 20, 21]. An excess of 2-chlorozincpyridine /V-oxide (26), arising from 2-bromopyridine N-oxide hydrochloride (25), was coupled with vinyl triflate 27 in the presence of Pd(Ph3p)4 to furnish adduct 28 [20]. Recently, an efficient Pd-catalyzed cyanation of 2-amino-5-bromo-6-methylpyridine (29) using zinc cyanide has been reported to afford pyridyl nitrile 30 [22]. 

Figure 5.9 Reaction coordinate diagram for the reaction of methyl triflate with cyanide ion.

Vinylic triflates such as 244 also allow the introduction of C-bonded substituents reaction with dilithium diallylcopper cyanide gives the 1,4-diene 245 in 76% yield,232 and Stille coupling with tributylvinyltin and carbon monoxide in the presence of palladium(O) produces the dienone 246 in 71% yield.233 234... 

The palladium-catalyzed reaction of aryl halides with cyanides to give cyanobenzenes takes place under relatively mild conditions compared to the conventional method using a stoichiometric amount of CuCN [74]. Thus, palladium catalysis has been often employed. Recently, a number of effective methods for the cyanation have been reported. The reaction of aryl iodides with NaCN under two-phase conditions [75] and those of aryl triflates [76, 77] and aryl chlorides [78] with Zn(CN)2 occur with good efficiency, while these are considered to proceed via mechanism B. 

The enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-hemiasterlin, a marine tripeptide with cytotoxic and antimitotic activity, was achieved by E. Vedejs and co-workers. The asymmetric Strecker reaction was used to construct the key tetramethyltryptophan subunit. The aldehyde substrate was first converted to the corresponding chiral imine with (R)-2-phenylglycinol under scandium triflate catalysis. The addition of tributyltin cyanide resulted in the formation of a-amino nitriles as an 8 1 mixture of diastereomers. Subsequently the cyano group was converted to a primary amide, and the chiral auxiliary was removed under catalytic hydrogenation conditions. 

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