Angewandte
Chemie
formation of an allyl cation from the allyl acetate, which then
reacts with the allylstannane or allylsilane.[18]
In summary, we have found that cationic AuI complexes
are the most efficient catalysts for the intramolecular coupling
of allyl acetates with allylstannanes. This process is mecha-
nistically very different from that catalyzed by Pd0 or RhI.
Additional synthetic applications and mechanistic studies of
this new coupling reaction are underway.
Received: September 30, 2007
Revised: November 11, 2007
Published online: January 29, 2008
Keywords: cross-coupling · cyclization · gold · palladium ·
.
rhodium
Scheme 3.
[1]a) M. MØndez, J. M. Cuerva, E. Gómez-Bengoa, D. J. Cµrdenas,
A. M. Echavarren, Chem. Eur. J. 2002, 8, 3620 – 3628; b) M.
MØndez, A. M. Echavarren, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2002, 15 – 28.
Echavarren, Chem. Commun. 2006, 333 – 346.
2656, and references therein. For a discussion of the role of AuI
in the activation of alkenes, see: b) Z. Li, J. Zhang, C. Brouwer,
c) D. C. Rosenfeld, S. Shekhar, A. Takemiya, M. Utsunomiya,
[4]For the reaction of allylsilanes or allylstannanes with alkynes in
the presence of electrophilic metal catalysts to form hetero- or
carbocycles, see: a) C. Fernµndez-Rivas, M. MØndez, A. M.
Echavarren, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 1221 – 1222; b) C.
Fernµndez-Rivas, M. MØndez, C. Nieto-Oberhuber, A. M.
Echavarren, J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 5197 – 5201; c) S. Porcel,
other hand, gave 14 (48%) and destannylation products (1:1
mixture, 46%), whereas 13b gave only a 1:1 mixture of
destannylated products (92%).[11] These results show that the
processes catalyzed by AuI, Pd0, and RhI are mechanistically
distinct.
Additional reactions were performed to determine the
role played by the cationic AuI complex in this cyclization.
Thus, the reaction of 13b in the presence of AuCl3 (5 mol%,
DCE, 808C, 15 h) gave a 2:1 mixture of destannylated
products quantitatively.[12] Similarly, the reaction of this
substrate in the presence of Yb(OTf)3 (5 mol%, DCE,
808C, 15 h) gave a 67% yield of destannylated product.
None of the cyclized product 14 was detected in these
experiments.
We also considered the possible formation of an allyl-
gold(I) species by a transmetalation-type process.[13,14] 1H and
31P NMR spectroscopic monitoring of the reaction between
complex 3 and allyltriphenylstannane or allyltributylstannane
in CD2Cl2 shows that complexation of AuI to the alkene
occurs at low temperature (À78 to À208C)[15] and that
propene is formed at about 08C. Similar results were obtained
with crotyl- and cinnamyltributylstannane, which gave 1-
butene and allylbenzene, respectively. The reaction between 3
and allyltrimethylsilane also led to the formation of propene
at around À408C. Complex 3 gave the aquo complex [Au{(o-
PhC6H4)PtBu2}H2O]SbF6 in the presence of a stoichiometric
amount of water,[16] and formation of propene from allyltri-
butylstannane or allyltrimethylsilane was observed at the
same temperatures.
Although cleavage of the allylsilane and allylstannanes
was observed in these experiments, direct evidence for the
formation of allylgold(I) species could not be obtained. In
addition, we were unable to observe oxidative addition of the
allyl acetate to AuI in a series of experiments carried out with
17a and complex 3 in CD2Cl2.[17] The fact that, in contrast to
Pd0 and RhI, the cationic catalyst 3 leads to similar high yields
of 14 from 13a and 13b (Table 2, entries 10 and 11) suggests
that AuI acts as a mild and selective Lewis acid that promotes
[5]Allylstannanes also react with alkynes in the presence of Pd 0 in a
process that involves an oxidative addition of the allylstannane
to Pd0: a) B. Martín-Matute, E. Buæuel, D. J. Cµrdenas, M.
MØndez, C. Nieto-Oberhuber, A. M. Echavarren, J. Organomet.
Chem. 2003, 687, 410 – 419; b) S. Shin, T. V. RajanBabu, J. Am.
[6]a) C. Gonzµlez-Arellano, A. Corma, M. Iglesias, F. Sµnchez, J.
Catal. 2006, 238, 497 – 501; b) C. Gonzµlez-Arellano, A. Abad,
A. Corma, H. García, M. Iglesias, F. Sµnchez, Angew. Chem.
2007, 119, 1558 – 1560; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 1536 –
1538.
[7]See the Supporting Information for additional results.
[8]C. Nieto-Oberhuber, S. López, A. M. Echavarren, J. Am. Chem.
selective activation of the alkyne moiety of 1-phenylprop-2-ynyl
acetate with gold(I) and Lewis acids, such as Sc(OTf)3, see:
C. H. M. Amijs, V. López-Carrillo, A. M. Echavarren, Org. Lett.
[10]However, alcohols are more reactive than acetates with allylsi-
lanes in the presence of InCl3/Me3SiBr: T. Saito, Y. Nishimoto,
[11]The rhodium(I)-catalyzed reaction probably starts with a trans-
metalation of the allylstannane by RhI: a) E. W. Abel, S.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 1883 –1886
ꢀ 2008 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
1885