Palladium- and Platinum-Catalyzed Silaboration of Methylenecyclopropanes through Selective Proximal or Distal C−C Bond Cleavage

A new context for palladium mediated B-addition reaction: an open door to consecutive functionalization

Palladium metal-catalyzed boron addition to unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds provides an efficient and convenient route for the preparation of organoboranes, which are versatile intermediates for organic synthesis. Palladium complexes are responsible for the exclusive catalytic performance and eventually allow access to selectively functionalized molecules by catalytic consecutive tandem sequences. The final objective is to find suitable palladium complexes that make it possible to perform a one-pot sequential reaction (B-addition/functionalization) by means of a multifaceted palladium catalyst. Mechanistic insights into the concatenated reactions through B chemistry are required if one wants to understand the experimental results.

Nickel-catalyzed, regio- and stereoselective hydroalkynylation of methylenecyclopropanes with retention of the cyclopropane ring, leading to the synthesis of 1-methyl-1-alkynylcyclopropanes

The C-H bond of triisopropylsilylacetylene adds to the C=C bond of substituted methylenecyclopropanes in a regio- and stereoselective manner at room temperature in the presence of nickel catalysts bearing PMePh(2). The C-C bond formation takes place at the internal sp(2) carbon atom with high regioselectivity from the pi face opposite the substituents located in the three-membered rings.

Design and synthesis of isocyanide ligands for catalysis: application to Rh-catalyzed hydrosilylation of ketones

New isocyanide ligands with meta-terphenyl backbones were synthesized. 2,6-Bis[3,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]-4-methylphenyl isocyanide exhibited the highest rate acceleration in rhodium-catalyzed hydrosilylation among other isocyanide and phosphine ligands tested in this study. 1H NMR spectroscopic studies on the coordination behavior of the new ligands to [Rh(cod)2]BF4 indicated that 2,6-bis[3,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]-4-methylphenyl isocyanide exclusively forms the biscoordinated rhodium-isocyanide complex, whereas less sterically demanding isocyanide ligands predominantly form tetracoordinated rhodium-isocyanide complexes. FTIR and 13C NMR spectroscopic studies on the hydrosilylation reaction mixture with the rhodium-isocyanide catalyst showed that the major catalytic species responsible for the hydrosilylation activity is the Rh complex coordinated with the isocyanide ligand. DFT calculations of model compounds revealed the higher affinity of isocyanides for rhodium relative to phosphines. The combined effect of high ligand affinity for the rhodium atom and the bulkiness of the ligand, which facilitates the formation of a catalytically active, monoisocyanide-rhodium species, is proposed to account for the catalytic efficiency of the rhodium-bulky isocyanide system in hydrosilylation.

Palladium-NHC complexes do catalyse the diboration of alkenes: mechanistic insights

Novel catalytic activation of the B-B bond by palladium(II)-NHC complexes in presence of a mild base (NaOAc) and an excess of diboron reagent enables chemoselective 1,2-diboration of alkenes, suggesting the heterolytic cleavage of diboron rather than oxidative addition of a B-B bond to the metal.

Heterocycles based on the chemistry of alkylidenecyclopropanes and (aza)-cyclopropenes

Alkylidenecyclopropyl, cyclopropenyl, or azacyclocyclopropenyl ketones or carboxylates have been demonstrated to be versatile starting materials for the synthesis of oxygen- and/or nitrogen-containing heterocycles. The reactivities and regioselectivities may be nicely controlled by subtle choice of the catalysts and reaction condition parameters.

Acylation of Alkylidenecyclopropanes for the Facile Synthesis of α,β-Unsaturated Ketone and Benzofulvene Derivatives with High Stereoselectivity

[reaction: see text] A variety of substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone and benzofulvene derivatives were readily prepared in good to excellent yields via the reaction of alkylidenecyclopropanes with various acyl chlorides in the presence of aluminum chloride. The stereochemistry of the acylation and cyclization is discussed.

Nickel-Catalyzed [3+1+1] Cycloaddition Reactions of Alkenyl Fischer Carbene Complexes with Methylenecyclopropanes

Methylenecyclopentanones were synthesized by the nickel-catalyzed [3+1+1] cycloaddition reactions of alkenyl Fischer carbene complexes with methylenecyclopropanes. The methylenecyclopropane was transformed into the C(2)-symmetric bis-cyclopentapyridazine derivative by reacting with p-toluenesulfonyl hydrazine.

Ring-Opening Cyclization of Alkylidenecyclopropyl Ketones with Amines. An Efficient Synthesis of 2,3,4-Trisubstituted Pyrroles

An efficient synthesis of 2,3,4-trisubstituted pyrroles via intermolecular cyclization of alkylidenecyclopropyl ketones with amines was observed. The addition of anhydrous MgSO4 improved the yields of the products 3. A possible mechanism involving the distal cleavage of the C-C bond of cyclopropane ring was proposed.

Solvent and ligand partition reaction pathways in nickel-mediated carboxylation of methylenecyclopropanes

Methylenecyclopropanes are carboxylated with gaseous carbon dioxide in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of a nickel complex; the reaction pathways are significantly influenced by the reaction solvent and the amine ligand.

An Efficient Stereoselective Synthesis of 4,5-trans-1,5-cis-3-Oxabicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-ones via the Iodolactonization of Alkylidenecyclopropyl Esters

[reaction: see text] A highly stereoselective iodolactonization of alkylidenecyclopropyl esters with iodine or N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) in aqueous CH3CN to afford 4,5-trans-1,5-cis-3-oxabicyclo-[3.1.0]hexane-2-ones is described. The reaction is very general, accommodating a wide range of substituents. A plausible mechanism that explains the essential role of water in this reaction is proposed.

Palladium-Catalyzed Addition of Nitrogen Pronucleophiles to Alkylidenecyclopropanes

The inter- and intramolecular additions of cyclic amides (nitrogen pronucleophiles) to methylenecyclopropanes proceeded smoothly in the presence of catalytic amounts of Pd(PPh(3))(4), affording the corresponding hydroamination products in good to high yields with high regioselectivities. The ring opening of methylenecyclopropanes occurred at the distal position of the cyclopropane ring.

Organolanthanide-Mediated Ring-Opening Ziegler Polymerization (ROZP) of Methylenecycloalkanes: A Theoretical Mechanistic Investigation of Alternative Mechanisms for Chain Initiation of the Samarocene-Promoted ROZP of 2-Phenyl-1-methylenecyclopropane

A detailed theoretical investigation of alternative mechanisms for chain initiation of the organolanthanide-promoted ring-opening polymerization of 2-phenyl-1-methylenecyclopropane (PhMCP) with an archetypical [Cp2SmH] model catalyst is presented. Several conceivable pathways for important elementary steps, which also included ring-opening isomerization of PhMCP to phenylbutadienes, were critically scrutinized for a tentative course of the catalytic reaction. The operative mechanism starts with the first exo-methylene C=C insertion into the Sm-H bond in a 1,2 fashion and is followed by shift-based beta-alkyl eliminative cyclopropyl ring opening by cleavage of a proximal bond, while the alternative mechanism that commences with 2,1-insertion and subsequent ring opening by distal bond scission is revealed to be almost entirely precluded. The facile and irreversible insertion process is not found to occur in a regioselective fashion. The ring-opening process is analyzed as the critical step that discriminates between the two conceivable mechanisms. Opening of the cyclopropyl ring is kinetically easy and proceeds readily for the 1,2-insertion species, while a prohibitively large barrier must be overcome for ring opening of 2,1-insertion species. The isomerization of PhMCP in a ring-opened fashion, which would afford phenylbutadienes as possible products, is predicted to be a less likely process, owing to both kinetic and thermodynamic factors. The phenyl functionality has been demonstrated to distinguish between the regioisomeric ring-opening pathways, both kinetically and thermodynamically, thereby rendering this process selective with regard to the regiochemistry. Overall, chain initiation of the samarocene-mediated ring-opening polymerization of PhMCP is predicted to be a smooth, kinetically facile process.