Alkenes in [2+2+2] Cycloadditions

Reaction of [TpRh(C2 H4 )2 ] with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate: Identification of Intermediates of the [2+2+2] Alkyne and Alkyne-Ethylene Cyclo(co)trimerizations

The reaction between the bis(ethylene) complex [TpRh(C2 H4 )2 ], 1, (Tp=hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate), and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) has been studied under different experimental conditions. A mixture of products was formed, in which TpRh(I) species were prevalent, whereas the presence of trapping agents, like water or acetonitrile, allowed for the stabilization and isolation of octahedral TpRh(III) compounds. An excess of DMAD gave rise to a small amount of the [2+2+2] cyclotrimerization product hexamethyl mellitate (6). Although no catalytic application of 1 was achieved, mechanistic insights shed light on the formation of stable rhodium species representing the resting state of the catalytic cycle of rhodium-mediated [2+2+2] cyclo(co)trimerization reactions. Metallacyclopentene intermediate species, generated from the activation of one alkyne and one ethylene molecule from 1, and metallacyclopentadiene species, formed by oxidative coupling of two alkynes to the rhodium centre, are crucial steps in the pathways leading to the final organometallic and organic products.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition of α,ω-Diynes with Unsymmetrical 1,2-Disubstituted Alkenes

It has been established that a cationic rhodium(I)/axially chiral biaryl bisphosphine complex catalyzes the asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of α,ω-diynes with electron-rich and unstrained unsymmetrical 1,2-disubstituted alkenes to give chiral multicyclic compounds with good yields and ee values. Interestingly, enantioselectivity highly depends on the structures of α,ω-diynes used presumably due to the presence of two distinct reaction pathways.

Mechanistic understanding of alkyne cyclotrimerization on mononuclear and dinuclear scaffolds: [4 + 2] cycloaddition of the third alkyne onto metallacyclopentadienes and dimetallacyclopentadienes

We summarized mechanistic investigations for transition metal-catalyzed alkyne cyclotrimerization in terms of mononuclear and dinuclear complexes.