X-H insertion

Transition metal-catalyzed carbenoid transfer reactions, such as alkene cyclopro-panation, C-H insertion, X-H insertion (X = heteroatom), ylide formation, and cycloaddition, are powerful methods for the construction of C-C and C-heteroatom bonds [1-6]. In contrast to a free carbene, metallocarbene-mediated reactions often proceed stereo- and regioselectively under mild conditions with tolerance to a wide range of functionalities. The reactivity and selectivity of metallocarbenes can be... 

Proton transfer to carbenes is indicated by the following kinetic data (i) the rates of X-H insertion reactions increase with increasing acidity of the proton donor HX (ii) normal deuterium kinetic isotope effects are observed, kHx > DX (hi) alcohols react faster than ethers. However, mechanistic conclusions cannot be drawn from rates that are close to the diffusion limit. Thus,... 

By far the best source for 3a is (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane (19). It has already been mentioned that gas-phase pyrolysis of 19 alone yields products which are derived from intramolecular carbene reactions such as 1,3-C,H insertion and silylcarbene-to-silene rearrangement (see equation 20). Also, copyrolysis of 19 with alcohols or benzaldehyde allowed one to trap the silene but not the carbene 33 (see equation 5). Furthermore, solution photolysis of 19 in the presence of alcohols or amines did not give the X,H insertion products of the carbene but rather trapping products of the silene . On the other hand, photochemically generated carbene 3a did undergo some typical intermolec-ular carbene reactions such as cyclopropanation of alkenes (ethylene, frani-but-2-ene, but not 2,3-dimethylbut-2-ene, tetrafluoroethene and hexafluoropropene), and insertion into Si—H and methyl-C—H bonds (equation 39). The formal carbene dimer, trans-1,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)ethene, was a by-product in all photolyses in the presence of alkenes it is generally assumed that such carbene dimers result from reaction of the carbene with excess diazo compound. 

Alkene insertions into M-X bonds to give alkyls (Eq. 3.20 and Eq. 3.21) go very readily for X=H insertion into other M-X bonds is harder. Strained alkenes, fluoroalkenes, and alkynes insert most readily—relief of strain is again responsible. 

The chemistry of copper carbenoids involved in the catalytic decomposition of diazo compounds and related tosylhydrazones has been reviewed. Many aspects of these catalytic transformations are covered including not only the classical cyclopropanation and X-H insertion processes but also a range of formal cycloaddition reactions, the reactions involving ylide formation, and the various coupling reactions of diazo derivatives. An account more focused on asymmetric metal-catalysed X-H insertion has been published. Through this review, the dependence on the nature of the metal and its i ligands can be evaluated for these 0-H, N-H, S-H, and Si-H insertions of carbenoids. 

Cyclic a-diazocarbonyl compounds (59) and enynones (61) have been used as Rh-and Zn-carbenoid precursors, respectively. Cyclic derivatives (59) have been found to favour intermolecular Rh-catalysed cyclopropanation reactions, relative to the formation of conjugated alkene (60) by intramolecular -hydride elimination as is usually observed in the case of a-alkyl-a-diazocarbonyl compounds this high level of chemoselectivity is reported for the first time. Rh-carbenoids derived from (59) have also promoted cyclo-propenation reactions as well as diverse X-H insertion reactions (i.e., X = C, N, O, S). In parallel, highly functionalized cyclopropylfiirans (62) have been successfiilly prepared from an alkene and an enynone (61) by a cyclization/cyclopropanation sequence conducted in the presence of catalytic amounts of ZnCl2, which is cheap and of low toxicity computations support the probable participation of intermediate Fisher-type Zn(II) carbene complexes (63). 

Complexes of the type RMn(CO)5, where R is a primary alkyl group, undergo facile CO insertion at room temperature. Carbonylated to the corresponding acyls have been the pentacarbonyls with R = Me 50, 69), Et 51, 70), n-Pr 51), and CHjSiMe, 243). The phenyl compound, PhMn(CO)j, also inserts CO, but the benzyl analog does not 51). The claim 194) that CX3Mn(CO)5 (X = H, D, or F) converts to CX3COMn-(CO) ( < 5) upon irradiation in an Ar matrix at 17°K has been disputed 209). Carbon monoxide dissociation and recombination have been proposed instead for MeMn(CO)5. 

Muller et al. have also examined the enantioselectivity and the stereochemical course of copper-catalyzed intramolecular CH insertions of phenyl-iodonium ylides [34]. The decomposition of diazo compounds in the presence of transition metals leads to typical reactions for metal-carbenoid intermediates, such as cyclopropanations, insertions into X - H bonds, and formation of ylides with heteroatoms that have available lone pairs. Since diazo compounds are potentially explosive, toxic, and carcinogenic, the number of industrial applications is limited. Phenyliodonium ylides are potential substitutes for diazo compounds in metal-carbenoid reactions. Their photochemical, thermal, and transition-metal-catalyzed decompositions exhibit some similarities to those of diazo compounds. 

The behavior of the Si—P 7r-bond toward a G=C triple bond was examined in the case of 15a by employing differently substituted alkynes.14 It appeared that 15a does not react with dialkyl, diaryl-, or disilyl-substi-tuted alkynes at 110°C even cyclooctyne, usually a very reactive alkyne, does not react. However, when 15a was stirred with phenylacetylene at 80°C in toluene, the C—H insertion product 24 was isolated as colorless crystals (Eq. 9).14 Its molecular structure has been elucidated by singlecrystal X-ray diffraction (Fig. 9). 

C. Insertion into Non-polar and into Polar Bonds (X-X, H-X,... 

The use of copper as a catalyst in carbenoid transfer has its roots in the Amdt-Eistert reaction, Eq. 1 (3). Although the original 1935 paper describes the Wolff rearrangement of a-diazo ketones to homologous carboxylic acids using silver, the authors mention that copper may be substituted in this reaction. In 1952, Yates (4) demonstrated that copper bronze induces insertion of diazo compounds into the X-H bond of alcohols, amines, and phenols without rearrangement, Eq. 2. Yates proposal of a distinct metal carbenoid intermediate formed the basis of the currently accepted mechanistic construct for the cyclopropanation reaction using diazo compounds. 

The overall enthalpy change of the insertion process contains contributions from four bonds (M-CO, M-COR, M-R and CO-R). As there is no significant difference between (Mn-R) and Zs(Mn-COR) then, at least in the case of manganese and hydrocarbon groups, R, the dominant factor will be the difference between T (Mn-CO) and E R-COX) [for R = CH3, E = 339 kJ mop1 (X = H), 370 kJ mol"1 (X = Cl) (Ref.23 )] which suggests that the insertion reaction is thermodynamically favoured with respect to decarbonylation. Kinetic studies of the carbonyl insertion reaction in solution have shown87) that the enthalpy of activation is 62 kj mol-1 for inser-... 

Electrophilic carbene complexes can react with amines, alcohols or thiols to yield the products of a formal X-H bond insertion (X N, O, S). Unlike the insertion of carbene complexes into aliphatic C-H bonds, insertion into X-H bonds can proceed via intermediate formation of ylides (Figure 4.7). 

Fig. 4.7. Possible mechanism of the X-H bond insertion of electrophilic carbene complexes.

Ylide formation, and hence X-H bond insertion, generally proceeds faster than C-H bond insertion or cyclopropanation [1176], 1,2-C-H insertion can, however, compete efficiently with X-H bond insertion [1177]. One problem occasionally encountered in transition metal-catalyzed X-H bond insertion is the deactivation of the (electrophilic) catalyst L M by the substrate RXH. The formation of the intermediate carbene complex requires nucleophilic addition of a carbene precursor (e.g. a diazocarbonyl compound) to the complex Lj,M. Other nucleophiles present in the reaction mixture can compete efficiently with the carbene precursor, or even lead to stable, catalytically inactive adducts L M-XR. For this reason carbene X-H bond insertion with substrates which might form a stable complex with the catalyst (e.g. amines, imidazole derivatives, thiols) often require larger amounts of catalyst and high reaction temperatures. 

In addition to insertions into polar X-H bonds by means of ylide intermediates, carbe-noids are capable of inserting into nonpolar bonds such as Si-H and C-H. The Si-H insertion by vinylcarbenoids has been developed as a novel method for the synthesis of allylsilanes 166 and 167 of defined geometry as illustrated in Eqs. (17) and (18) [28]. The alkene geometry of the vinyldiazoacetate is not altered during carbenoid formation or the subsequent Si-H insertion. 

Direct insertion into an X—H a bond constitutes the highlight of dioxirane chemistry . Besides the insertion of a dioxirane oxygen atom into an alkane acH bond, for practical purposes a most valuable oxyfunctionalization, also the more facile insertion into the asiH bond is known, a convenient and chemoselective method of preparing silanols. 

Intermolecular Insertions. Singlet carbenes undergo insertion reactions with X H bonds such as O—H (alcohols), N—H (amines), Si H (silanes), and so on. The reactions with alcohols can be extremely fast. Here, however, we focus on the C H insertion reactions of singlet carbenes, in which carbon-carbon bonds are created. ... 

Rate constants were determined for CeHsCCl insertions into Si—H, N—H, and C—H bonds.The C—H substrates included cumene (31, X = H, k = 1.7 X lO M s ), ethylbenzene (8.2 x lO M s ), and toluene (7.5 x 10 s ). These C—H insertions are several orders of magnitude slower than the alkene additions of CgHsCCl summarized in Table 7.5. Other interesting substrates include c/5,c/i-l,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane (44), adamantane (37), and cyclohexane (45). On a per-H basis, the rate constants for CeHsCCl insertion were 1.0 x 10, 1.3 x 10, and 0.06 x lO M s, respectively (Fig. 7.17). The tertiary C—H bonds of 44 and 37 are slightly less reactive than the tertiary and benzylic C—H of cumene, but they are 15-20 times more reactive than the secondary C—H bonds of cyclohexane. These observations agree with the charge distributions depicted in transition states 30 and 33. 

The LFP of diphenyldiazomethane ( DDM ) in a variety of solvents produces triplet diphenylcarbene ( DPC, 14a), whose transient absorption is readily monitored. The optical absorption spectrum of DPC is quenched by methanol and yields the product of O—H insertion, suggesting that DPC is quenched by the O—H bond of methanol. The quenching rate constant (fex) is determined to be 6.8 X 10 M s in benzene. ... 

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