Communications
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200702528
Homogeneous Catalysis
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3
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Ni-Catalyzed Cascade Formation of C(sp ) C(sp ) Bonds by
Cyclization and Cross-Coupling Reactions of Iodoalkanes withAlkyl
Zinc Halides**
Vilas B. Phapale, Elena Buæuel, Miguel García-Iglesias, and Diego J. Cµrdenas*
3
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The development of methods for the formation of C(sp )
C(sp3) bonds has become a topic of major interest.[1] In the
last few years, advances in metal-catalyzed cross-coupling
reactions of alkyl electrophiles (halides and tosylates) with
alkyl metal derivatives have been reported.[2,3] The first report
on a general and functional-group-tolerant alkyl–alkyl cou-
pling reaction was published by Knochel and co-workers, who
used di(alkyl)zinc reagents and alkyl iodides in a nickel-
catalyzed process. This achievement constituted a milestone
in this type of transformation.[4,5] Di(alkyl) zinc derivatives
have been used extensively as nucleophiles in many reactions,
including cross-coupling reactions for the formation of other
iodides catalyzed by nickel complexes could give rise to
transformations involving the formation of several alkyl–alkyl
bonds in a single operation, in which 5-hexenyl radicals would
undergo cyclization.[22] Herein we report our results on the
nickel-catalyzed cyclization of alkyl halides containing an
alkene group which takes place with a subsequent cross-
coupling reaction with alkyl zinc bromides.
We first studied the nickel-catalyzed reaction of iodoace-
tal 1a with commercially available organozinc derivative 2a
(4 equiv; Scheme 1). Under the conditions described by Vicic
types of C C bonds.[6] In subsequent studies the reaction was
À
extended to the more stable and convenient alkyl zinc
halides.[7] More recently, Fu and co-workers reported nickel-
catalyzed alkyl–alkyl coupling reactions of alkyl zinc halides
with secondary iodides and bromides,[8] as well as the first
catalytic asymmetric cross-coupling reaction of alkyl electro-
philes.[9] Three-component coupling reactions of alkyl halides,
dienes, and organomagnesium or organozinc reagents have
also been reported.[10] Alkyl–alkyl Negishi cross-coupling
reactions can also be catalyzed by palladium complexes with
heterocyclic carbene ligands.[11]
Certain cross-coupling reactions of alkyl electrophiles
with alkyl zinc halides seem to follow a radical pathway.[12–16]
Vicic and co-workers reported the synthesis and catalytic
activity of radical nickel(I) complexes containing terdentate
nitrogen-based ligands in Negishi coupling reactions.[17]
Although the precise mechanism is not fully understood,
square-planar alkyl–nickel(I) complexes have been proposed
as the active species.[18] Cobalt-catalyzed radical cyclizations
of olefin-containing halo ketals followed by coupling with
Grignard reagents have been developed by Oshima and co-
workers.[19–21] We reasoned that radical reactions of alkyl
Scheme 1. Ni-catalyzed cyclization/cross-coupling reaction.
and co-workers (terpyridine and [Ni(cod)2] (cod = cycloocta-
1,5-diene) as the catalytic system) the cyclization and coupled
derivative 3a was isolated in 24% yield as a racemic single
diasteroeomer. The yield was lower (19%) when bipyridine
was used. Other Ni precursors (NiBr2, [Ni(acac)2 (acac =
acetylacetone), NiCl2) gave poorer results. A higher yield
was observed (57%) when the air and moisture-stable blue
complex [Ni(py)4Cl2][23] (py = pyridine) was used as the
catalyst together with terpyridine. We tried some other
nitrogen-based terdentate ligands based on the pybox skel-
eton. The di-sec-butyl derivative gave the best results (79%),
which is in accord with the results previously observed by
Fischer and Fu in simple cross-coupling reactionss.[9] The
homocoupled compound derived from the alkyl zinc bromide
was isolated in approximately 10% yield (relative to the
starting nucleophile) in most cases. The use of lower amounts
of the nucleophile led to lower yields.
[*] V. B. Phapale, Dr. E. Buæuel, M. García-Iglesias, Dr. D. J. Cµrdenas
Departamento de Química Orgµnica
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain)
Fax: (+34)91-497-3966
E-mail: diego.cardenas@uam.es
[**] We thank the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia for financial support
under project CTQ2004-02040/BQU and the MAE-AECI for a
fellowship to V.B.P. We also thank the Centro de Computación
Científica-UAM for computation time.
Supporting information for this article (including experimental data
for new compounds, as well as atomic coordinates and energies for
the calculated stationary points) is available on the WWW under
In the absence of added ligands or in presence of o-
phenanthroline, 4 was obtained in variable yields along with
its reduction product 5, in which iodine had been replaced by
8790
ꢀ 2007 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 8790 –8795
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