Angewandte
Chemie
Table 1: Optimization of the enone–allene reductive couplings.
primary focus for gaining access to the 1,1-disubstituted
alkene products, 1,3-disubstituted cyclic and acyclic allenes
were also effective participants in preparing mixtures of
stereoisomeric trisubstituted alkene products in which the Z
alkene stereochemistry is favored (Table 2, entries 13 and 14).
The high levels of regioselectivity and stereoselectivity
observed in this report are noteworthy, given the complexities
with these issues that are often seen with allene addition
processes. Presuming that the processes involve an initial
oxidative cyclization to a metallacyclic intermediate,[15] six
different metallacycles (7—12) could potentially be formed
with different regiochemical arrangements or with different
stereochemistry of the exocyclic alkene (Scheme 3). Addi-
tionally, metallacycles 9 and 12 could each be formed as a
mixture of diastereomers. Of these possibilities, 7–9 are
Entry Ligand
Solvent
THF
THF/MeOH (1:8) Et3B
THF/MeOH (1:8) Et3B
Reductant Yield [%] (4a/1a)[a]
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
PPh3
PPh3
PCy3
Et3B
39 (43:57)
73 (41:59)
71 (31:69)
63 (31:69)
77 (93:7)
84 (93:7)
58 (62:38)
27 (81:19)[b]
<10
P(o-tol)3 THF/MeOH (1:8) Et3B
PPh3
PPh3
PPh3
PCy3
IMes
IPr
THF
toluene
THF/MeOH (1:8) Et3SiH
toluene
THF
Et3SiH
Et3SiH
Et3SiH
Et3SiH
Et3SiH
THF
<10
À
derived from C C bond formation at the allene central
carbon atom, as required for formation of the observed
[a] Product ratios were determined for crude reaction mixtures by using
GC and NMR analyses. Yield refers to combined yield of all product
isomers recovered after chromatographic purification. Unless otherwise
noted, compound 1a was obtained as the E isomer. [b] Compound 1a
was obtained as a 59:41 ratio of E and Z isomers. IMes=N,N’-bis(2,4,6-
trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, IPr=N,N’-bis(2,6-(diisopropyl)phe-
nyl)imidazol-2-ylidene.
À
products. Metallacycles 10–12 would be derived from C C
bond formation at an allene terminal carbon atom, and are
therefore inconsistent with the products obtained.
À
The regioselectivity of the initial C C bond-forming step
in other classes of reductive couplings of allenes has been
shown to strongly depend upon the nature and Lewis acidity
of the reducing agent.[16–19] Processes selective for addition to
the internal or the terminal carbon atoms of allenes have both
been demonstrated in various nickel-catalyzed coupling
processes. For example, the extensive developments from
Ng and Jamison involving allene–aldehyde reductive coupling
reactions,[16] as well as the related allene–CO2 coupling
processes developed by Mori and co-workers,[17] both involve
effective with Et3B in methanol/THF to obtain similar
mixtures of products 4a and 1a (Table 1, entries 3 and 4).
We then examined the use of Et3SiH as a reducing agent, and
couplings with PPh3 as a ligand in THF were effective and
highly selective for the desired product 4a (Table 1, entry 5).
Results were comparable with Et3SiH and PPh3 in toluene
(Table 1, entry 6). However this reducing agent/ligand com-
bination in MeOH/THF afforded a 2:1 mixture of 4a and 1a
in moderate yield (Table 1, entry 7). Couplings with Et3SiH
and PCy3 in toluene were low yielding (Table 1, entry 8).
Additionally, couplings with Et3SiH and either of the N-
heterocyclic carbenes IMes and IPr in THF provided low
yields of 4a.
On the basis of the above experiments, we opted to
additionally explore the formation of 1,1-disubstituted alkene
products of general structure 4 using the optimized reaction
conditions (Et3SiH and [Ni(cod)2] (10 mol%), PPh3 (20
mol%), toluene, 508C; Table 1, entry 6). Under these reac-
tion conditions, reductive couplings of methyl vinyl ketone
were efficient with a range of monosubstituted allenes
(Table 2), including aliphatic (Table 2, entry 1) and aromatic
(Table 2, entry 2) allenes, those possessing silyloxy (Table 2,
entry 3), acetoxy (Table 2, entry 4), or hydroxy functionality
(Table 2, entry 5) in a remote position, or an alkoxy functional
group directly attached to the allene (Table 2, entry 6). All
cases were selective for the desired 1,1-disubstituted alkene
product, with the exception of a hydroxy-containing allene,
À
C C bond formation at the allene central carbon atom. In
contrast, the inter- and intramolecular nickel-catalyzed alde-
hyde–allene coupling reactions involving organozinc reagents
reported independently by Kang and Yoon, and by our group,
exclusively involved addition to the terminal carbon atom of
the allene.[18] Extensive work from Krische and co-workers
has demonstrated couplings at an allene terminal carbon
atom through transfer hydrogenative couplings of allenes
with alcohols.[19] Alkylative cyclizations of allenes with
electron-deficient alkenes were reported in our synthetic
approach to kainic acid, where intramolecular additions were
observed exclusively at the proximal terminal carbon atom of
the allene.[14] As seen with the allene–aldehyde reductive
couplings involving silane or borane reducing agents noted
above, the coupling reactions developed in this work exclu-
sively involve addition at the allene central carbon atom,
which is consistent with the involvement of metallacycles 7–9.
The observed regioselectivity of enone–allene reductive
couplings using silane reagents in THF or toluene is most
readily rationalized by the involvement of metallacycle 9.
Cases where metallacycle 7 would be destabilized by allylic1,3
strain derived from substitution of R3 and R4 (i.e. Table 2,
entries 8–11) are highly selective for the desired terminal
methylene isomer 4. Selective formation of metallacycle 9 and
subsequent s-bond metathesis of the Ni–O and Si–H bonds
would afford the intermediate 13 (Scheme 4). Direct reduc-
tive elimination of this intermediate without allylic rearrange-
ment would afford the observed product 4 after hydrolysis of
the enol silane 14. In contrast, we propose that reactions
which predominantly formed
a regioisomeric product
(Table 2, entry 5). The interesting mechanistic basis for
differing regioselectivity in the presence of hydroxy function-
ality (either in the substrate or solvent) is discussed below.
Variation in the enone substrate is also tolerated, as
evidenced by the efficient participation of a-alkyl-substituted
and b-alkyl- or b-aryl-substituted enones (Table 2, entries 7–
12). Additionally, although monosubstituted allenes were our
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 8712 –8716
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