Vinylcarbenes

The facile route for introduction of the phosphole ring into the coordination sphere of the chromium vinylcarbene complex is via [4 - - 2] intramolecular... 

Non-heteroatom-stabilised Fischer carbene complexes also react with alkenes to give mixtures of olefin metathesis products and cyclopropane derivatives which are frequently the minor reaction products [19]. Furthermore, non-heteroatom-stabilised vinylcarbene complexes, generated in situ by reaction of an alkoxy- or aminocarbene complex with an alkyne, are able to react with different types of alkenes in an intramolecular or intermolecular process to produce bicyclic compounds containing a cyclopropane ring [20]. 

However, exo-selective Diels-Alder reactions are found when a,/J-unsatu-rated exocyclic carbene complexes are used as dienophiles. The fixed s-cis conformation of the vinylcarbene moiety of the complex seems to be responsible for the exo selectivity observed in this reaction. Moreover, the reaction of optically active carbene complexes with 2-morpholino- 1,3-butadienes allows the asymmetric synthesis of spiro compounds [99] (Scheme 53). 

Barluenga et al. have described novel vinylcarbene complexes containing a cyclic BF2 chelated structure which temporarily fixes the s-cis conformation of the exocyclic C=C and Cr=C double bonds. These boroxycarbene complexes behave as dienophiles with 2-amino-l,3-butadienes in a remarkably regio- and exo-selective way. Moreover, high degrees of enantioselectivity are reached by the use of chiral 2-aminodienes derived from (S)-methoxymethylpyrrolidine [101] (Scheme 54). 

The subsequent insertion of the alkyne into the metal-carbene bond affords the (r]1 r]3)-vinylcarbene complex D, which may exist either as a (Z)- or an ( )-metallatriene. This intermediate maybe considered as a branching point in the benzannulation reaction as three diverging routes starting from this point have been explored. 

The benzannulation reaction with small alkynes such as 1-pentyne may generate a two-alkyne annulation product. In this case the original [3+2+l]-benz-annulation is changed to a [2+2+1+1]-benzannulation. After CO dissociation and insertion of the first alkyne, the coordinated a,/J-unsaturated moiety in the vinylcarbene complex is supposed to be replaced by the second alkyne. The subsequent reaction steps give the phenol 112 (Scheme 50). 

The photochemical study of 3H-pyrazoles was carried out in the search for a route to cyclopropenyl tertiary alcohols. Irradiation of 63a in dry dichloromethane at 300 nm and at room temperature for 0.5 h led to the exclusive formation of the gem-dimethylcyclopropene 65 (Scheme 17). The formation of cyclopropene 65 arises from the loss of N2 and cycUzation of the vinylcarbene intermediate (III). 

Alkinyloxy)diazoacetic esters 11 give rise to product mixtures that could be separated only partially. The isolated products result from a tandem intramolecular cyclopropenation/cyclopropene —> vinylcarbene isomerization (12, 14) and from a twofold intermolecular (3+2)-cycloaddition of the intact diazo compound (13). 

Vinylcarbenes. The use of diazoalkenes as vinylcarbene precursors is often precluded by rapid cyclization, with formation of pyrazoles. However, on photochemical generation of the diazoalkenes in situ, cyclization and nitrogen extrusion can proceed competitively. Photolysis of 1,3-diphenylpropenone to-sylhydrazone sodium salt (5) in MeOD afforded 3,5-diphenylpyrazole (9) and l,3-diphenyl-3-methoxypropene (10) in similar amounts.17 If 10 is formed by way of the 1,3-diphenylallyl cation (8), the deuterium should be distributed between C-l and C-3 of 10 (Scheme 6). The observed ratio of 10a to 10b was 66 34 the methoxy group is bound preferentially to the deuterated site, which originates from the divalent carbon of 7 (for a discussion of this effect, see below). 

The reactions of the vinylcarbenes 7 and 15 with methanol clearly involve delocalized intermediates. However, the product distributions deviate from those of free (solvated) allyl cations. Competition of the various reaction paths outlined in Scheme 5 could be invoked to explain the results. On the other hand, the effect of charge delocalization in allylic systems may be partially offset by ion pairing. Proton transfer from alcohols to carbenes will give rise to carbocation-alkoxide ion pairs that is, the counterion will be closer to the carbene-derived carbon than to any other site. Unless the paired ions are rapidly separated by solvent molecules, collapse of the ion pair will mimic a concerted O-H insertion reaction. 

The elusive diazoalkenes 6 and 14 are unlikely to react with methanol as their basicity should be comparable to that of diphenyldiazomethane. However, since the formation of diazonium ions cannot be rigorously excluded, the protonation of vinylcarbenes was to be confirmed with non-nitrogenous precursors. Vinyl-carbenes are presumedly involved in photorearrangements of cyclopropenes.21 In an attempt to trap the intermediate(s), 30 was irradiated in methanol. The ethers 32 and 35 (60 40) were obtained,22 pointing to the intervention of the al-lylic cation 34 (Scheme 10). Protonation of the vinylcarbene 31 is a likely route to 34. However, 34 could also arise from protonation of photoexcited 30, by way of the cyclopropyl cation 33. The photosolvolysis of alkenes is a well-known reaction which proceeds according to Markovnikov s rule and is, occasionally, associated with skeletal reorganizations.23 Therefore, cyclopropenes are not the substrates of choice for demonstrating the protonation of vinylcarbenes. 

Allylic cations (180) were also generated by LFP of allenes (174) in TFE.86 Deuterium labels revealed that the cations 180 originate predominantly from vinylcarbenes (177), which are formed from 174 by way of a 1,2-H shift. Protonation at the central carbon of the photoexcited allenes87 is a minor reaction path with 174a,b,d. Vinylcarbenes are also known to arise in photolyses of cyclopropenes, 175 — 177.85bi88 However, LFP of 175 in protic media proved to be rather inefficient in generating allylic cations, presumably due to low quantum yields. 

Photolysis of vinyldiazomethane in an organic glass at 6 K leads to vinylcarbene in its triplet ground state,14,56,57 which — as is indicated by the ESR spectra — forms a pair of the s-cis and s-trans isomer. The delocalization of one unpaired electron in the rr-system is similar to that of the allyl radical, while the other unpaired electron is localized in a sp2-orbital at the carbenic C atom (see formula T-33 ).58... 

Vinylcarbene is known to close to cyclopropene.59 The reverse reaction is also possible Triplet-propene-l,3-diyl (frans-T-33 ) can be generated from cyclopropene 32 by irradiation in a bromine-doped xenon matrix at 10 K 1-methylcyclopropene (34) yields triplet-2-butene-l,3-diyl (Iruns-T-SS ).60-62 The concentration of 35 under these conditions is high enough to be able to detect this diradical IR spectroscopically. The experiments suggest that even the parent vinyl carbene 33 is detectable.61,62 Calculations ((U)B3LYP/6-31G )61,62 not only allow the comparison of theoretical and experimental IR spectra but also... 

Figure 1. Energetic ordering of vinylcarbene conformers and electronic states according to the MRCI/DZP//MCSCF/4-31G computations of Yoshimine et al.47...

Compared to the parent system 3a, the barrier for formation of 3d is the highest in this series whereas the formation of 3b should be the most facile according to our computations. Although the reactions of carbenes la-c are initiated photochemically, the observed reactivity seems to be in line with the computed ground state properties. Thus, while methyl substitution in 3-and 5-position inhibits the vinylcarbene-cyclopropene rearrangement, methyl substitution in 2- and 6-position has the opposite effect. 

The thermal reaction of matrix-isolated lh with acetylene leads to the formation of the intensely red-colored vinylcarbene 18 as the primary product.62 This carbene, which can also be formulated as a 1,3-diradical, has a triplet ground state and is thus formed in a spin-allowed reaction from triplet carbene lh (Scheme... 

Based on his previous work on the catalytic double addition of diazo compounds to alkynes173 using Cp RuCl(COD),174 Dixneuf has developed an efficient one-step synthesis of alkenyl bicyclo[3.1.0]-hexane derivatives of type 163 from enyne precursors 162 (Scheme 43). The catalytic cycle starts with the formation of an Ru=CHR species. It then adds to an alkyne to form ruthenacyclobutene 166, which evolves into vinylcarbene 167. [2 + 2]-Cycloaddition of 167 gives ruthenacyclobutane 168. The novelty in this transformation is the subsequent reductive elimination to give 170 without leading to the formation of diene 169. This can be attributed to the steric hindrance of the CsMes-Ru group. 

From the mechanistic point of view, the observed competitive reactions can be explained by considering two different pathways (Scheme 114). The intermediacy of ruthenacyclopentadiene 453 or biscarbenoid 452, formed from the reaction of a diyne and a ruthenium(ll) complex, is postulated in the proposed mechanism. Cyclopropanation of the alkene starts with the formation of ruthenacyclobutane 456, which leads to the generation of the vinylcarbene 457. Then, the second cyclopropanation occurs to afford the biscyclopropyl product 458. Insertion of the alkene 459 into the ruthenacyclopentadiene 453 affords the ruthenacycloheptadiene 454. The subsequent reductive elimination gives the cyclotrimerization product 455. The selectivity toward the bis-cyclopropyl product 458 is improved with an increasing order of haptotropic flexibility of the cyclopentadienyl-type ligand. 

Compound Id can be prepared either by reaction of RuCl2(PPh3)3 with phe-nyldiazomethane followed by an exchange of PPh3 for PCy3 [5], or by an oxidative addition of [Ru(COD)(COT)] into a,a-dichlorotoluene in the presence of PCy3 (Scheme 3) [ 10]. These procedures avoid the somewhat laborious synthesis of 3,3-diphenylcyclopropene necessary for the preparation of the vinylcarbenes la-c [4]. The fact that Id is now commercially available contributes greatly to the popularity of this particular metathesis catalyst [60]. 

Since the vinylcarbenes la-c and the aryl substituted carbene (pre)catalyst Id, in the first turn of the catalytic cycle, both afford methylidene complex 3 as the propagating species in solution, their application profiles are essentially identical. Differences in the rate of initiation are relevant in polymerization reactions, but are of minor importance for RCM to which this chapter is confined. Moreover, the close relationship between 1 and the ruthenium allenylidene complexes 2 mentioned above suggests that the scope and limitations of these latter catalysts will also be quite similar. Although this aspect merits further investigations, the data compiled in Table 1 clearly support this view. 

The starting point of the central part of the reaction is assumed to be the ri -vinylcarbene complex 13a... 

Figure 6. Optimized geometries of V-vinylcarbene complex 13a, T)3-vinylcarbene complexe 13b, and the transition state connecting them. Selected bond distances are given in A and energies are given with respect to 13a in kJ mol 1.

The last step of the reaction is the keto-enol tautomerization from T 4-cyclohexadienone intermediates (15) to aromatic products (16). Such a step is accompanied with a considerable gain in energy about 80 kJ mol 1 for vinylcarbenes [29], (where a phenol system is formed by the tautomerization step), and about 175 kJ mol 1 for phenylcarbenes [25] (where a naphtol system is produced). The energy barrier for such step should be lower than 40 kJ mol 1 according to previous calculations on similar systems [42],... 

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