Synthesis of chromium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes using chromium Fischer carbenes as a source of chromium carbonyls

Chromium Fischer carbene complexes, [Cr{OMe(R)}(CO)₅] have been utilized as a source of chromium carbonyls in the synthesis of chromium NHC complexes. Using the synthetic method, chromium complexes of various NHC ligands were isolated in reasonable yields. Moreover, the method can be employed for the synthesis of molybdenum and tungsten NHC compounds.     

Electrochemical approach to Fischer carbene complexes

Although the chemistry of Fischer carbene complexes is recently a growing direction of research, a review summarizing their electrochemical investigations is still missing. In the present, text evaluation and comparison of experimental data allow insight on how the structural changes of Fischer carbene complexes influence their redox properties. It is evident that the respective reduction and oxidation potentials depend on multiple parameters. To shed light on this problem, the available data were systematized in several series, where effects of individual structural changes were evaluated as shifts of oxidation and reduction potentials with respect to a reference compound. The changes in electron delocalization caused by different substitutions were rationalized using quantum chemical calculations.     

RuCl3-TBHP mediated allylic oxidation of Δ lanosterol derivatives

A variety of Δ⁸⁽⁹⁾-lanosterol derivatives were converted into 7,11-dienones using t-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of ruthenium chloride (RuCl₃) in good yields.     

Bismuth-catalyzed allylic oxidation using t-butyl hydroperoxide

Bismuth(III) salts are efficient catalysts for the selective allylic oxidation using tert-butyl hydroperoxide. BiCl₃ is especially effective and can be easily recovered and reused as BiOCl. Using BiCl₃/K-10 as catalyst, an increase in the reaction rate was observed.     

Chromium(0)-rhodium(I) metal exchange: Synthesis and X-ray structure of new Fischer (NHC)carbene complexes of rhodium(I)

An easy approach to Fischer (NHC)carbene complexes of rhodium(I) 3 from methoxy- and aminocarbene complexes of chromium 1 and (NHC)(cod)RhCl (2) is described. The process involves the transfer of the carbene unit and a CO ligand from chromium to rhodium. The X-ray analysis is provided for 3d and the preliminary results on their thermal stability and reactivity toward alkynes and allenes are also reported.     

Oxidative demetalation of Fischer alkoxy carbene complexes with stoichiometric pyridine N-oxide and NaBH4-promoted demetalation of Fischer iminocarbene complexes with sulfur and selenium

Oxidation of Fischer alkoxy carbene complexes were systematically investigated with stoichiometric pyridine N-oxide (PNO) under mild conditions, forming ester products in good to excellent yields from the corresponding monocarbene complexes. Fischer alkoxy biscarbene complexes efficiently underwent stepwise oxidative demetalation under controlled conditions, resulting in ester-monocarbene and diester products, respectively. This oxidation protocol has demonstrated a generally efficient method to oxidize Fischer alkoxy carbene complexes under mild conditions, providing a new route to novel monocarbene complexes from Fischer biscarbene complexes. In the presence of NaBH₄, reactions of Fischer iminocarbene complexes with elemental sulfur or selenium in ethanol at ambient temperature regioselectively afforded thione or selone complexes by insertion of a sulfur or selenium atom into the MC bonds in Fischer carbene complexes, and metal-free selone was also obtained. The molecular structures of the iminocarbene complexes and selone derivatives were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic study. The NaBH₄-promoted demetalation protocol suggests a potential new route to demetalate Fischer aminocarbene complexes.     

Reaction of α,β-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes with allyl alkoxide

Optically enriched homo-binuclear Fischer chromium carbene complexes with planar chiral arene chromium complexes gave α-allyl β-arylpropionates up to 97% ee by reaction with allyl alkoxide and subsequent photo-oxidative demetalation. The chiral hetero-binuclear tungsten carbene complexes afforded anti α-allyl β-hydroxy β-arylpropionates as a major product up to 92/8 dr by the same reaction sequence. High diastereoselectivity in these reactions is contributed to the planar chirality of the arene chromium complex, even though the reaction was carried out under vigorous basic media. The reaction products, α-allyl β-arylpropionates were derived by 1,3-M(CO)₅ shift and subsequent [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. Also, the corresponding chromium-uncomplexed α,β-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes afforded α-allyl β-arylpropionates under the same conditions. Formation of β-allyl β-arylpropionates via 1,2-M(CO)₅ shift followed by [3,4]-sigmatropic rearrangement was not observed in both reactions of chromium-coordinated and the corresponding chromium-uncoordinated α,β-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes with allyl alkoxide in the presence of base.     

An efficient and reusable vanadium based catalytic system for room temperature oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones

A simple and efficient vanadium based catalyst system for the oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes or ketones is reported using tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidizing agent and vanadyl sulfate as catalyst at room temperature. The versatility of the catalytic protocol is studied with wide variety of substrates.     

Synthesis of isoquinolines through the coupling of Fischer carbene complexes with o-alkynylpyridine carbonyl derivatives

The reaction of Fischer carbene complex with o-alkynylpyridine carbonyl derivatives has been investigated. This involves the generation of furo[3,4-c]pyridine as transient intermediates through the coupling of o-alkynylpyridine carbonyl derivatives with carbene complex and subsequent Diels–Alder trapping with suitable dienophiles resulted in the formation of isoquinoline derivatives and the entire sequence can be run in one pot. When an olefinic tether was present, intramolecular Diels–Alder cycloaddition occurred followed by ring opening to yield tricyclic alcohols.     

Thermal and photochemical reactions of Fischer carbene complexes with trialkylsilyl-substituted alkynes

Thermal reaction of Fischer carbene complexes with triisopropylsilyl (TIPS) substituted alkynes in benzene afforded TIPS-substituted vinylketenes or 2-TIPS-substituted cyclobutenones as major products while photochemical reaction of Fischer carbene complexes with trimethylsilyl (TMS) substituted alkynes in acetonitrile afforded 3-TMS-substituted cyclobutenones.     

A new and highly efficient water-soluble copper complex for the oxidation of secondary 1-heteroaryl alcohols by tert-butyl hydroperoxide

The water-soluble copper complex generated in situ from CuCl₂ and 2,2′-biquinoline-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid dipotassium salt (BQC), has been revealed as a highly efficient and selective catalyst for the oxidation of secondary 1-heteroaryl alcohols to the corresponding heteroaromatic ketones with aqueous tert-butyl hydroperoxide, under mild conditions. The catalytic system is compatible with different heterocycles such as pyridines, pyrroles, indoles, thiophens, furans, thiazoles, and imidazoles.     

An unprecedented highly efficient solvent-free oxidation of alkynes to α,β-acetylenic ketones with tert-butyl hydroperoxide catalyzed by water-soluble copper complex

The catalytic system composed of CuCl₂ and 2,2′-biquinoline-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid dipotassium salt (BQC) was found to be highly efficient for the selective α-oxidation of internal alkynes to the corresponding α,β-acetylenic ketones, with aqueous tert-butyl hydroperoxide under mild conditions. For the first time, full conversions of alkynes were reached with excellent selectivities, and propargylic tert-butylperoxy ethers were observed and suggested as the reaction intermediates. In the case of terminal alkynes, the oxidations are sluggish and low yields ranging from 32% to 40% were obtained.     

Synthesis of [m.n]Cyclophanes: Regiochemistry Transfer from Vinyl Halides to Cyclophanes via Fischer Carbene Complexes

The double benzannulation of bis‐carbene complexes of chromium with α,ω‐diynes generates [m.n]cyclophanes in which all three rings are generated in a single reaction. This triple annulation process is very flexible allowing for the construction of symmetrical [n.n]cyclophanes and unsymmetrical [m.n]cyclophanes as well as isomers in which the two benzene rings are both meta bridged or both para bridged, and isomers that contain both meta and para bridges. The connectivity patterns of the bridges in the cyclophanes can be controlled by regioselectivity transfer from the bis‐vinyl carbene complexes in which the substitution pattern of the vinyl groups in the carbene complexes dictate the connectivity pattern in the [m.n]cyclophanes. This synthesis of [n.n]cyclophanes is quite flexible with regard to ring size and can be used with tether lengths ranging from n=2 to n=16 and thus to ring sizes with up to 40 member rings. The only limitation to regioselectivity transfer from the carbene complexes to the [m.n]cyclophanes was found in the synthesis of para,para‐cyclophanes with four carbon tethers for which the loss of fidelity occurred with the unexpected formation of meta,para‐cyclophanes.     

Synthesis of bis-2H and 4H-chalcogenapyrans and benzochalcogenapyrans via Pd catalyzed dimerization of Fischer type carbene complexes: redox properties and electronic structure of these new extended electron rich molecules

Extended electron rich bis-chalcogenapyrans and bis-benzochalcogenapyrans have been synthesized by Pd⁰ catalyzed dimerization of α- and γ-methylene chalcogenapyran and benzochalcogenapyran Fischer type carbene complexes. Voltammetric studies performed on these molecules show a single two-electron wave around 0 V versus SCE, which is ascribed to the oxidation of the neutral form in radical and dipyrylium cations. DFT calculations show that the oxidation leads to a rotating movement around the central C-C bond and suggest that the solvent plays a major role in the observation of the two one-electron systems. Furthermore, according to the structure, these molecules are likely to be reduced at very low potential (E=−1.5 V vs SCE) via a two-electron transfer reaction.     

Transition metal carbene chemistry: Nucleophilic substitution reactions of imidazolide and benzimidazolide ions with Fischer carbene complexes in MeOH

Rate constants for the nucleophilic substitution reactions of imidazolide (IZ⁻) and benzimidazolide (BIZ⁻) ions with 4-Cr-Z and 5 in MeOH at 25 °C are reported and Hammett ρ values are evaluated to be 1.50 ± 0.10 and 1.51 ± 0.08 for 4-Cr-Z-IZ⁻ and 4-Cr-Z-BIZ⁻ reactions, respectively. The comparable reactivity and also almost identical ρ values for these reactions indicate that there is no difference in sensitivity towards electronic effects due to slightly bigger size of BIZ⁻ over IZ⁻ and bond formation at the transition states are equally progressed. The higher ρ values for these reactions compared to those with a wide range of nucleophiles may arise mainly due to lower polarity of the solvent MeOH which enhances the requirement for stabilization of the negative charge in the transition state by the Z-substituents.     

Solvent-free oxidation of alcohols by t-butyl hydroperoxide catalyzed by water-soluble copper complex

The catalytic system composed of CuCl₂ and 2,2′-biquinoline-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid dipotassium salt (BQC), was found to be highly efficient for the selective oxidation of secondary benzylic, allylic and propargylic alcohols to the corresponding ketones, with aqueous t-butyl hydroperoxide under phase-transfer catalysis conditions. The catalytic system is stable and can be recycled and reused several times without loss of activity.     

Coupling of butyl vinyl tellurides with metal acetylides catalyzed by nickel complexes

Z-Vinylic tellurides react with metal acetylides under nickel complexes catalysis to give Z-enynes and Z-enediynes in good yields.     

Synthesis and structural chemistry of arene-ruthenium half-sandwich complexes bearing an oxazolinyl-carbene ligand

Reaction of a series of directly connected oxazoline-imidazolium salts with silver(I) oxide and subsequent transmetallation with [Ru(p-cymene)Cl₂]₂ and anion exchange with KPF₆ cleanly gave the corresponding 2-oxazolinyl-(N-mesityl)imidazolidene(chloro)ruthenium(II) half-sandwich complexes [RuCl(oxcarb)(p-cymene)]PF₆, two derivatives of which were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Abstraction of the chloro ligand furnished the dicationic aqua complexes [Ru(H₂O)(oxcarb)(p-cymene)](PF₆)₂ which possess a similar coordination geometry. The syntheses were found to be highly diastereoselective, since only one diastereoisomer could be observed in all ruthenium complexes upon reaction of the chiral enantiopure oxazoline-imidazolium salts. Their potential as transfer hydrogenation and Lewis acid catalysts has been probed.     

Biscarbene complexes from the reactions of O-ethyl lactim and 1-alkynyl Fischer carbene complexes of chromium and tungsten

Reactions of O-ethyl lactim ∼(CH₂)₃-NC(OEt)∼ with 1-alkynyl Fischer carbene complexes (OC)₅MC(OEt)CCPh (M = Cr, W) afforded biscarbene complexes with an azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptene core. Under a nitrogen atmosphere, the resultant chromium biscarbene complex gave a SiO₂-promoted rearrangement complex in 86% yield. Thermal annelation of the rearrangement product followed by hydrolysis over SiO₂ formed a cyclopentenone derivative. A cyclopentadiene derivative was obtained as a rare example of intermediate Fischer carbene species, suggesting a possible reaction pathway for the thermal annelation of the rearrangement complex. Stepwise oxidation of the chromium biscarbene complexes with an azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptene core with pyridine-N-oxide (PNO) under mild controlled conditions generated partially and completely demetalated carbonyl products, respectively. The key carbene complexes and demetalated compounds were structurally characterized by X-ray crystallographic studies.     

The Preparation and Evaluation of Electron Poor Benzylidene Fischer Carbene Complexes: Studies Toward the Total Synthesis of (+)-Olivin

The continued exploration into the fate of the benzannulation reaction is put forth using the electronic nature of substituents on the aryl ring of benzylidene Fischer carbene complexes as a handle to predict, using σ-para values as a guide, the outcome of the reaction based on the accepted mechanism. The design of this work focuses on evaluation of the synthetic utility of the benzannulation reaction and the means by which this reaction may be improved to be a better synthetic tool in the preparation of complex natural products as this is illustrated in our ongoing total synthesis of (+)-olivin which uses the benzannulation reaction as the key convergent synthetic step. To accomplish these tasks, the preparation of several electron poor benzylidene Fischer carbene complexes was carried out and their reaction with simple alkyne substrates studied. While much is known about the preparation of electron rich benzylidene Fischer carbene complexes, little is known about the preparation of their electron poor counterparts. Thus efforts toward developing useful preparative methods of these elusive targets has also been studied. While the use of both carbon and oxygen based aryl substituents has been explored, to date the preparation of benzylidene carbene complexes containing oxygen based aryl substituents has been exploited to a greater degree since these systems carry more immediate synthetic importance. This is so because the skeletal core of many of the natural products that have been targeted with the benzannulation reaction including (+)-olivin contain a highly oxygenated polycyclic aromatic core. The enhancement in efficiency of the benzannulation reaction using this synthetic methodology is demonstrated by the successful completion of the convergent synthetic step in the total synthesis of (+)-olivin.