Gold-Catalyzed Intermolecular Addition of Carbonyl Compounds to 1,6-Enynes

Nanocatalysts for High Selectivity Enyne Cyclization: Oxidative Surface Reorganization of Gold Sub-2-nm Nanoparticle Networks

Ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized in networks by polymantane ligands (diamondoids) were successfully used as precatalysts for highly selective heterogeneous gold-catalyzed dimethyl allyl(propargyl)malonate cyclization to 5-membered conjugated diene. Such reaction usually suffers from selectivity issues with homogeneous catalysts. This control over selectivity further opened the way to one-pot cascade reaction, as illustrated by the 1,6-enyne cycloisomerization-Diels-Alder reaction of dimethyl allyl propargyl malonate with maleic anhydride. The ability to assemble nanoparticles with controllable sizes and shapes within networks concerns research in sensors, medical diagnostics, information storage, and catalysis applications. Herein, the control of the synthesis of sub-2-nm gold NPs is achieved by the formation of dense networks, which are assembled in a single step reaction by employing ditopic polymantanethiols. By using 1,1'-bisadamantane-3,3'-dithiol (BAd-SH) and diamantane-4,9-dithiol (DAd-SH), serving both as bulky surface stabilizers and short-sized linkers, we provide a simple method to form uniformly small gold NPs (1.3 ± 0.2 nm to 1.6 ± 0.3 nm) embedded in rigid frameworks. These NP arrays are organized alongside short interparticular distances ranging from 1.9 to 2.7 nm. The analysis of gold NP surfaces and their modification were achieved in joint experimental and theoretical studies, using notably XPS, NMR, and DFT modeling. Our experimental studies and DFT analyses highlighted the necessary oxidative surface reorganization of individual nanoparticles for an effective enyne cycloisomerization. The modifications at bulky stabilizing ligands allow surface steric decongestion for the alkyne moiety activation but also result in network alteration by overoxidation of sulfurs. Thus, sub-2-nm nanoparticles originating from networks building create convenient conditions for generating reactive Au(I) surface single-sites-in the absence of silver additives-useful for heterogeneous gold-catalyzed enyne cyclization. These nanocatalysts, which as such ease organic products separation, also provide a convenient access for building further polycyclic complexity, owing to their high reactivity and selectivity.

Gold-Catalyzed Synthesis of Small Rings

Three- and four-membered rings, widespread motifs in nature and medicinal chemistry, have fascinated chemists ever since their discovery. However, due to energetic considerations, small rings are often difficult to assemble. In this regard, homogeneous gold catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool to construct these highly strained carbocycles. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of all the major advances and discoveries made in the gold-catalyzed synthesis of cyclopropanes, cyclopropenes, cyclobutanes, cyclobutenes, and their corresponding heterocyclic or heterosubstituted analogs.

Regioselective Crossed Aldol Reactions under Mild Conditions via Synergistic Gold-Iron Catalysis

A synergistic gold/iron catalytic system was developed for sequential alkyne hydration and vinyl gold addition to aldehydes or ketones. Fe(acac)3 was identified as an essential co-catalyst in preventing vinyl gold protodeauration and facilitating nucleophilic additions. Effective C-C bond formation was achieved under mild conditions (r.t.) with excellent regioselectivity and high efficiency (1% [Au], up to 95% yields). Extending reaction scope to intramolecular fashion achieved successful macrocyclization (16-31 ring sizes) with excellent yields (up to 90%, gram-scale) without extended dilution (0.2 M), which highlighted the great potential of this new crossed-aldol strategy in challenging target molecule synthesis.

Gold-catalyzed (4+3)-annulations of 2-alkenyl-1-alkynylbenzenes with anthranils with alkyne-dependent chemoselectivity: skeletal rearrangement versus non-rearrangement

Two distinct (4+3)-nitroxy annulations between 1,5-enynes and anthranils have been developed to access tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepine derivatives.

Two distinct (4+3)-nitroxy annulations between 1,5-enynes and anthranils have been developed to access tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepine derivatives; the chemoselectivity varies with the types of alkynes. Terminal alkyne substrates deliver benzo[b]azepine derivatives via a novel skeletal rearrangement while internal 1,5-enynes afford products without a rearrangement process. To elucidate the mechanism of rearrangement, we performed ¹³C- and ²H-labeling experiments to identify the gold-containing isobenzofulvene intermediates, but their formation relies on the presence of anthranils.

Diastereospecific Gold(I)-Catalyzed Cyclization Cascade for the Controlled Preparation of N- and N,O-Heterocycles

The reaction of oxime-tethered 1,6-enynes with a cationic gold(I) catalyst demonstrates a great potential for the synthesis of a range of heterocycles in a diastereospecific fashion. The control of the configuration of the oxime and the alkene of the enyne moiety is the key to selectively obtain dihydro-1,2-oxazines, isoxazolines or dihydropyrrole-N-oxides as single diastereoisomers. As supported by DFT calculations, these cascade reactions proceed stepwise, by the intramolecular addition of the O or N atom of the oxime onto cyclopropyl gold(I) carbene intermediates. In this study, a rare [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of nitrones is also observed.

Gold(I)-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization-Dimerization Cascade of Benzene-Tethered 1,6-Enynes

An unprecedented stereoselective domino reaction of 1,6-enynes with an aryl ring at C3-C4 in the presence of gold(I) catalysts at low temperature is described. This process involves a novel 5-exo-dig cycloisomerization-dimerization sequence to afford formal Diels-Alder adducts that undergo a smooth gold-catalyzed double bond migration at room temperature. In addition, the first examples of the gold mesoionic carbene mediated [2+2+2] cycloaddition of these enynes with benzaldehyde are reported.

Palladium(0)-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 1] cyclization of 1,6-enynes with vinyl bromides: a highly diastereoselective synthesis of tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[c]furans bearing two quaternary carbon centers

A new cascade process has been accomplished for the synthesis of tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[c]furans through palladium-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 1] cyclization of 1,6-enynes with vinyl bromides. Notably, the key feature of this transformation is the use of vinyl bromides as the C1 building block. Various functionalized tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[c]furans bearing two quaternary carbon centers could be obtained in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities.

Gold(i)-catalyzed addition of aldehydes to cyclopropylidene bearing 6-aryl-1,5-enynes

A diastereoselective, gold-catalyzed cascading cycloisomerization of alkylidene cyclopropane bearing 1,5-enynes that terminates in a cyclo-addition of aldehydes has been developed. This diastereoselective reaction provides convergent access to novel polycyclic molecular structures (18 examples), and tolerates a diverse scope of aldehydes. Mechanistic studies reveal that the catalytic cycle rests at a digold off-cycle intermediate, one of which was isolated.

Platinum-catalysed intermolecular addition of carbonyl compounds to 1,6-enynes: investigation of a new reaction pathway

A novel intermolecular addition of aldehydes to 1,6-enynes via a Pt-carbene intermediate provides the diastereoselective formation of valuable tricyclic compounds.

Gold-Catalyzed Reactions via Cyclopropyl Gold Carbene-like Intermediates

Cycloisomerizations of 1,n-enynes catalyzed by gold(I) proceed via electrophilic species with a highly distorted cyclopropyl gold(I) carbene-like structure, which can react with different nucleophiles to form a wide variety of products by attack at the cyclopropane or the carbene carbons. Particularly important are reactions in which the gold(I) carbene reacts with alkenes to form cyclopropanes either intra- or intermolecularly. In the absence of nucleophiles, 1,n-enynes lead to a variety of cycloisomerized products including those resulting from skeletal rearrangements. Reactions proceeding through cyclopropyl gold(I) carbene-like intermediates are ideally suited for the bioinspired synthesis of terpenoid natural products by the selective activation of the alkyne in highly functionalized enynes or polyenynes.

Anatomy of gold catalysts: facts and myths

This review article covers the main types of gold(i) complexes used as precatalysts under homogeneous conditions in organic synthesis and discusses the different ways of catalyst activation as well as ligand, silver, and anion effects.

Gold-catalyzed rearrangements and beyond

Cycloisomerizations of enynes are probably the most representative carbon-carbon bond forming reactions catalyzed by electrophilic metal complexes. These transformations are synthetically useful because chemists can use them to build complex architectures under mild conditions from readily assembled starting materials. However, these transformations can have complex mechanisms. In general, gold(I) activates alkynes in the presence of any other unsaturated functional group by forming an (η(2)-alkyne)-gold complex. This species reacts readily with nucleophiles, including electron-rich alkenes. In this case, the reaction forms cyclopropyl gold(I) carbene-like intermediates. These can come from different pathways depending on the substitution pattern of the alkyne and the alkene. In the absence of external nucleophiles, 1,n-enynes can form products of skeletal rearrangement in fully intramolecular reactions, which are mechanistically very different from metathesis reactions initiated by the [2 + 2] cycloaddition of a Grubbs-type carbene or other related metal carbenes. In this Account, we discuss how cycloisomerization and addition reactions of substituted enynes, as well as intermolecular reactions between alkynes and alkenes, are best interpreted as proceeding through discrete cationic intermediates in which gold(I) plays a significant role in the stabilization of the positive charge. The most important intermediates are highly delocalized cationic species that some chemists describe as cyclopropyl gold(I) carbenes or gold(I)-stabilized cyclopropylmethyl/cyclobutyl/homoallyl carbocations. However, we prefer the cyclopropyl gold(I) carbene formulation for its simplicity and mnemonic value, highlighting the tendency of these intermediates to undergo cyclopropanation reactions with alkenes. We can add a variety of hetero- and carbonucleophiles to the enynes in the presence of gold(I) in intra- or intermolecular reactions, leading to the corresponding adducts with high stereoselectivity through stereospecific anti-additions. We have also developed stereospecific syn-additions, which probably occur through similar intermediates. The attack of carbonyl groups at the cyclopropyl carbons of the intermediate cyclopropyl gold(I) carbenes initiates a particularly interesting group of reactions. These trigger a cascade transformation that can lead to the formation of two C-C and one C-O bonds. In the fully intramolecular process, this stereospecific transformation has been applied for the synthesis of natural sesquiterpenoids such as (+)-orientalol F and (-)-englerin A. Intra- and intermolecular trapping of cyclopropyl gold(I) carbenes with alkenes leads to the formation of cyclopropanes with significant increase in the molecular complexity, particularly in cases in which this process combines with the migration of propargylic alkoxy and related OR groups. We have recently shown this in the stereoselective total synthesis of the antiviral sesquiterpene (+)-schisanwilsonene by a cyclization/1,5-acetoxy migration/intermolecular cyclopropanation. In this synthesis, the cyclization/1,5-acetoxy migration is faster than the alternative 1,2-acyloxy migration that would result in racemization.

Intriguing mechanistic labyrinths in gold(I) catalysis

Many mechanistically intriguing reactions have been developed in the last decade using gold(I) as catalyst. Here we review the main mechanistic proposals in gold-catalysed activation of alkynes and allenes, in which this metal plays a central role by stabilising a variety of complex cationic intermediates.

Gold-catalyzed [2+2+1] cycloaddition of 1,6-diyne carbonates and esters with aldehydes to 4-(cyclohexa-1,3-dienyl)-1,3-dioxolanes

A synthetic method to stereoselectively prepare 4-(cyclohexa-1,3-dienyl)-1,3-dioxolanes in good to excellent yields by gold(I)-catalyzed [2+2+1] cycloaddition of 1,6-diyne carbonates and esters with aldehydes is described. The cascade process involves 1,2-acyloxy migration followed by cyclopropenation and cycloreversion. This leads to an unprecedented [2+2+1] cycloaddition of the resulting alkenylgold carbenoid species, examples of which are extremely rare, with two aldehyde molecules at catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol %. The usefulness of this cycloisomerization chemistry was further demonstrated by the transformation of one example to the corresponding phenol.

A cationic gold complex cleaves BArF24

A sterically shielded cationic NHC gold complex IPr**Au-BArF(24) without solvent coordination has been prepared in situ in CH(2)Cl(2). The monovalent transition metal electrophile, a "soft proton", heterolytically activates the C-B bond of the weakly coordinating counterion tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate at room temperature.

Intermolecular gold-catalyzed diastereo- and enantioselective [2+2+3] cycloadditions of 1,6-enynes with nitrones

Going for gold: The title reaction has been developed and demonstrates a wide substrate scope with respect to the 1,6-enynes and nitrones (see scheme; DCE = 1,2-dichloroethane, Tf = trifluoromethanesulfonyl). The results for the enantioselective versions are also presented.

The role of cyclobutenes in gold(I)-catalysed skeletal rearrangement of 1,6-enynes

1,6-Enynes with electron-donating substituents at the alkyne undergo gold(I)-catalysed single cleavage skeletal rearrangement, whereas substrates with electron-withdrawing substituents evolve selectively to double cleavage rearrangement. Theoretical calculations provide a qualitative rationale for these effects, and suggest that bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-5-enes are involved as intermediates. We provide the first X-ray structural evidence for the formation of a product of this class in a cycloisomerisation of a 1,6-enyne.

Zinc(II)-catalyzed redox cross-dehydrogenative coupling of propargylic amines and terminal alkynes for synthesis of N-tethered 1,6-enynes

The zinc(II)-catalyzed redox cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of propargylic amines and terminal alkynes proceeds to afford N-tethered 1,6-enynes. In the current CDC reaction, a C(sp)-C(sp(3)) bond is formed between the carbon adjacent to the nitrogen atom in the propargylic amine and the terminal carbon of the alkyne with reduction of the C-C triple bond of the propargylic amine, which acts as an internal oxidant.