Ylides Wittig reactivity

Schrock-type carbenes are nucleophilic alkylidene complexes formed by coordination of strong donor ligands such as alkyl or cyclopentadienyl with no 7T-acceptor ligand to metals in high oxidation states. The nucleophilic carbene complexes show Wittig s ylide-type reactivity and it has been discussed whether the structures may be considered as ylides. A tantalum Schrock-type carbene complex was synthesized by deprotonation of a metal alkyl group [38] (Scheme 7). 

The Wittig-type olefination of carbonyl compounds is one of the characteristic reactions of carbene complexes. High-valent carbene complexes of early transition metals show ylide-like reactivity to vards carbonyl compounds. In 1976, Schrock first demonstrated that niobium and tantalum neopentylidene complexes 1 and 2, the typical nucleophilic Schrock-type carbene complexes, olefinate various carbonyl compounds including carboxylic acid derivatives [4]. 

Such ylides are unstable and react with carbonyl compounds to give both the Wittig product (p. 545) as well as AsPh3 and an epoxide. However, this very reactivity is sometimes an advantage since As ylides often react with carbonyl compounds that are unresponsive to P ylides. Substituted quaternary arsonium compounds are also a useful source of heterocyclic organoarsanes, e.g. thermolysis of 4-(1,7-dibromoheptyl)trimethylarsonium bromide to l-arsabicyclo[3.3.0]octane ... 

Intermediates 18 and 19 are comparable in complexity and complementary in reactivity. Treatment of a solution of phosphonium iodide 19 in DMSO at 25 °C with several equivalents of sodium hydride produces a deep red phosphorous ylide which couples smoothly with aldehyde 18 to give cis alkene 17 accompanied by 20 % of the undesired trans olefin (see Scheme 6a). This reaction is an example of the familiar Wittig reaction,17 a most powerful carbon-carbon bond forming process in organic synthesis. 

Keywords. Phosphonium, Ylide, Diylide, Wittig, Coordination, Reactivity... 

Whittlesey, Williams and co-workers fnrther developed the catalytic indirect Wittig reaction and fonnd that the more electron-rich NHC present in complex 18 provided a more reactive catalyst [8]. Catalyst 18 was used to convert benzyl alcohol 8 and phosphoninm ylide 19 into the product 20 under slightly milder reaction conditions and in a shorter time than in previous work (Scheme 11.4). Other C-C bond-forming reactions from alcohols using a borrowing hydrogen approach have been reported, with Peris and co-workers using Ir-NHC complexes for the C-3 alkylation of indoles with alcohols [9]. 

Vinylphosphonium salts are reactive as dienophiles as a result of the EWG character of the phosphonium substituent. The D-A adducts can be deprotonated to give ylides that undergo the Wittig reaction to introduce an exocyclic double bond. This sequence of reactions corresponds to a D-A reaction employing allene as the dienophile.71... 

The alkyl halide must be one that is reactive toward SN2 displacement. Alkyltriphenylphosphonium halides are only weakly acidic, and strong bases must be used for deprotonation. These include organolithium reagents, the sodium salt of dimethyl sulfoxide, amide ion, or substituted amide anions such as hexamethyldisilylamide (HMDS). The ylides are not normally isolated so the reaction is carried out either with the carbonyl compound present or it may be added immediately after ylide formation. Ylides with nonpolar substituents, for example, H, alkyl, or aryl, are quite reactive toward both ketones and aldehydes. Scheme 2.16 gives some examples of Wittig reactions. 

This method, sometimes called the Horner-Emmons, Wadsworth-Emmons, or Wittig-Hor-ner reaction,658 has several advantages over the use of phosphoranes.659 These ylides are more reactive than the corresponding phosphoranes, and when R is an electron-withdrawing group, these compounds often react with ketones that are inert to phosphoranes. In addition, the phosphorus product is a phosphate ester and hence soluble in water, unlike PhjPO, which makes it easy to separate it from the olefin product. Phosphonates are also cheaper than phosphonium salts and can easily be prepared by the Arbuzov reaction ... 

Following Schlosser (ref. 9), we divided the alkylidene phosphoranes (phosphorus ylides) 1. used in Wittig reactions into three groups according to their reactivity. 

The Wittig Reaction allows the preparation of an alkene by the reaction of an aldehyde or ketone with the ylide generated from a phosphonium salt. The geometry of the resulting alkene depends on the reactivity of the ylide. If R is Ph, then ihe ylide is stabilized and is not as reactive as when R=alkyl. Stabilized ylides give ( )-alkenes whereas non-stabilized ylides lead to (Z)-alkenes. 

With non-stabilized ylides ( R = H or Me) and numerous saturated or unsaturated aldehydes and ketones the Wittig reaction ( i ix) gives the corresponding dithianes 7 in good yields (70-93 %) The autoxidation of these ylides gives the expected products 8 and 9. The semi-stabilized ylides (R1= 0) react only with a reactive aldehyde. 

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