1276 Organometallics, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2009
Communications
Table 2. Scope of the Pd-Catalyzed Carboauration Reaction
participates in two sequential transmetalation reactions and the
Pd(II) oxidation state remains constant throughout the reaction.
A possible equilibrium between the gold/palladium transmeta-
lation partners would be driven toward product formation by
the carbon-carbon bond-forming step (formation of migratory-
insertion product 12),15 in analogy to the driving forces for the
Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi reaction.16,17 Migratory insertion of
DMAD into sp2-carbon-palladium bonds has been previously
reported.18,19 The transmetalation step to form product 10 could
be initiated by PPh3AuCl or PPh3AuR (i.e., X ) Cl, R).20 In
cycle B, the mechanism proceeds through an oxidative addition,
transmetalation, reductive elimination cycle that involves both
Pd(II) and Pd(0) in analogy to the mechanisms of palladium-
catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.15,17 In this case, the back-
bonding from the Pd(0) center is invoked to establish a formal
“oxidative addition” to the electron-deficient alkyne.7,21,22
1
Although intermediates could not be observed by H NMR
a Relative to mesitylene internal standard. b Conditions: 15 mol % Pd,
48 h. c Conditions: 2.0 equiv of DMAD, 30 min.10
spectroscopy in the above reaction, we identified an analogous
reaction, with carboauration across two alkynes rather than one,
in which an intermediate could be isolated (eq 1). Addition of
DMAD to stoichiometric Pd2(dba)3 resulted in formation of the
known metallacycle 15,23 by oxidative cyclization. Subsequent
addition of methyl-gold produced the carboauration product
17 (>98% NMR yield, 73% isolated). This reaction is consistent
with the intermediacy of 16, which demonstrates the viability
of a vinyl transmetalation reaction between Pd and Au which
is similar to that proposed in Scheme 1, cycles A and B (in
cycle A, when X ) R).24 This reaction is also consistent with
the accessibility of an oxidative addition, transmetalation, and
reductive elimination cycle for the mixed Pd/Au system, as
proposed in cycle B.
Figure 1. ORTEP structures of 8 (left) and 9 (right). Thermal
ellipsoids are shown at the 50% probability level. Hydrogen atoms
are omitted for clarity.
Since Pd(0) and Pd(II) precatalysts are known to access both
Pd(0) and Pd(II) catalyst states for cross-coupling reactions,
either oxidation state of palladium is possible, regardless of the
oxidation state of our precatalyst.15 To further probe the
oxidation state requirements of the palladium during the reaction,
we examined the reaction’s sensitivity to oxygen by performing
the carboauration reaction under an atmosphere of oxygen gas
in the presence of the PdCl2(PPh3)2 catalyst. No change in
conversion was observed under these oxidizing conditions
when compared to performing the reaction under rigorously air-
hypothesis that the Pd catalyst served as a Lewis acid to activate
DMAD toward Michael addition of vinyl(triphenylphosphine)-
gold. Replacement of Pd by either hard or soft Lewis acids (i.e.,
BF3, Sc(OTf)3, PPh3AuPF6), however, did not result in formation
of 1 (entries 5-7), suggesting an alternative catalytic role for
Pd that is more closely tied to its specific reactivity.
The utility of the Pd-catalyzed carboauration reaction is
illustrated by a range of gold starting materials (i.e., sp, sp2,
sp3, electron-poor and electron-rich aryl; Table 2).10 Each gold
starting material was synthesized in one step from commercially
available reagents.9 We identified two classes of reactivity: one
that proceeds in the highest conversion with PdCl2(PPh3)2 as
the precatalyst and the other with Pd2(dba)3.11 The carborau-
ration of methyl propiolate and methyl butynoate further
expanded the substrate scope (entries 2, 4, and 5). The reaction’s
insensitivity to water and oxygen permitted employment of
commercial solvents and open glassware. The carboaurated
products 1-9 were resistant to protodemetalation by mild acids,
permitting isolation by silica gel and alumina chromatography.
In all cases, a reaction selectivity for syn addition yielded
(13) A gold-hydride complex was recently shown to participate in anti-
hydroauration of DMAD: Tsui, E. Y.; Mu¨eller, P.; Sadighi, J. P. Angew.
Chem., Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 8937.
(14) The absence of reentry of products 1-9 into the catalytic cycle
could derive from changes in steric and electronic factors relative to the
starting vinyl-gold complex.
(15) Zeni, G.; Larock, R. C. Chem. ReV. 2006, 106, 4644.
(16) In the nickel- and chromium-cocatalyzed Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi
reaction, equilibrating transmetalation partners are driven toward product
formation by creation of a new carbon-carbon bond: Jin, H.; Uenishi, J.;
Christ, W. J.; Kishi, Y. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 108, 4644–5644.
(17) Hegedus, L. S., Transition Metals in the Synthesis of Complex
Organic Molecules, 2nd ed.; University Science Books: Sausalito, CA, 1999.
(18) Vicente, J.; Abad, J.-A.; Fortsch, W.; Lopez-Saez, M.-J.; Jones,
P. G. Organometallics 2004, 23, 4414.
(19) Yagyu, T.; Osakada, K.; Brookhart, M. Organometallics 2000, 19,
2125.
(20) Addition of DMAD to isolated (PPh3)2PdAr(I) in the absence of a
gold trapping agent results in rapid polymerization and oligomerization.
(21) Stahl, S. S.; Thorman, J. L.; de Silva, N.; Guzei, I. A.; Clark, R. W.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 12.
1
diastereomerically pure products, as confirmed by H NMR
spectroscopy and by X-ray crystallographic studies of 8 and 9
(Figure 1). Syn addition is opposite to the selectivity reported
by Toste for the uncatalyzed intramolecular carboauration of
alkynes.12-14
Two proposed mechanisms for the Pd-catalyzed carboauration
reaction are detailed in Scheme 1. In cycle A, the gold reagent
(22) For an example of a proposed oxidative addition of Pd(0) to an
electron-poor enone as part of a catalytic cycle, see: Sieber, J. D.; Liu, S.;
Morken, J. P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 2214.
(23) Kelley, E. A.; Maitlis, P. M. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1979,
167.
(10) Formation of 15 (vide infra) was competitive with formation of 9,
accounting for the lower yield of product 9.
(11) Experiments are underway to identify the cause of this reactivity
difference.
(12) Kennedy-Smith, J. J.; Staben, S. T.; Toste, F. D. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 2004, 126, 4526.
(24) Yoshida, H.; Shirakawa, E.; Nakao, Y.; Honda, Y.; Hiyama, T.
Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 2001, 74, 637.