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Table 2: Borylative allyl–allyl coupling.[a]
Entry
Allene
Allyl
phosphate
(Z)-3
Yield
[%][b]
Figure 1. Structure of ligands.
1
2
76
82
the presence of a catalytic amount of CuCl and a ligand in
THF at 258C. The ligand ICy (Figure 1) was found to be the
most effective, thus affording (Z)-3a in 84% yield with 95%
isomeric purity (standard reaction conditions; Table 1,
entry 1). Without the ligand, (Z)-3a was afforded in 2%
yield. From the reaction mixture in entry 1, (Z)-3a was
isolated in 77% yield with 98% isomeric purity. The
Z configuration of the product was determined by X-ray
crystal structure analysis.[8] Furthermore, the present proce-
dure is easily amenable to a gram-scale reaction: by employ-
ing 1.0 gram of 1a (8.2 mmol), 1.4 grams (75% yield with
98% isomeric purity) of (Z)-3a were obtained. Upon
reducing the amount of KOtBu to 0.30 equivalents, the yield
of (Z)-3a decreased to 17%. Other carbene ligands such as
SIMes, IMes, and MeIMes (Figure 1) also afforded the
products in high yields, but the selectivity was somewhat
decreased (Table 1, entries 2–4). With the bulky IPr as the
ligand the yield was considerably reduced to 8% (entry 5). As
for the phosphane ligands,[9] PCy3 and dppb were efficient,
thus affording (Z)-3a in good yields with greater than 90%
selectivity (entries 6 and 7). In contrast, phosphanes such as
dppp, dppe, dppbz, Xantphos, and PPh3 provided the product
in much lower yields and with lower selectivities (see Table S1
in the Supporting Information).[8] Even when employing (E)-
2a instead of (Z)-2a as the allyl phosphate, the same (Z)-3a
was obtained as the product in 58% yield with 91% isomeric
purity (entry 8). With respect to the leaving group of the allyl
electrophile, the corresponding allyl bromide (Z)-2aa,
instead of the phosphate, afforded (Z)-3a in 16% yield
(entry 9). Only a trace amount of (Z)-3a, if any, was provided
from the corresponding allyl carbonate (Z)-2ab and acetate
(Z)-2ag (entries 10 and 11).
Other allenes (1b–h) and allyl phosphates (2a–d) were
reacted under the standard reaction conditions (Table 2).
Various 1-monosubstituted allenes (1b–h) reacted with (Z)-
2a to provide the corresponding products (Z)-3b–h in high
yields upon isolation, regio- and stereoselectively (isomeric
purities > 95%; entries 1–7). Silyl ether[9] (entry 4), olefin
(entry 5), ester (entry 6), and bromo (entry 7) functionalities
were tolerated under these reaction conditions. In contrast, 1-
phenylallene, and 1,1-di- and 1,3-disubstituted allenes did not
give the desired products selectively. The g-cyclohexyl-
substituted allyl phosphate 2b and 1a afforded the corre-
sponding adduct (Z)-3i in 62% yield, with a slightly lower
isomeric purity of 92% (entry 8). In the case of b-methyl- (2c)
and b-cyclohexyl-substituted (2d) allyl phosphates, the cor-
responding products, (Z)-3j and (Z)-3k, were obtained in
good yields with high selectivities (entries 9 and 10). The
Z configurations of (Z)-3b, (Z)-3c, and (Z)-3h were deter-
mined through NOESY measurements of these products. The
(Z)-2a
(Z)-2a
3
75
4
5
(Z)-2a
(Z)-2a
57
84
6
7
(Z)-2a
(Z)-2a
79
72
8[c]
9
1a
1a
1a
62[d]
76
10
63
[a] Allene (0.75 mmol, 1.5 equiv), B2(pin)2 (0.80 mmol, 1.6 equiv), allyl
phosphate (0.50 mmol), CuCl (0.050 mmol, 10 mol%), ICy·HBF4
(0.060 mmol, 12 mol%), KOtBu (0.75 mmol, 1.5 equiv), THF (4.0 mL),
258C, 24 h. [b] Yield of the isolated product: isomeric purity >95%.
[c] CuCl (0.10 mmol, 20 mol%), ICy·HBF4 (0.12 mmol, 24 mol%),
KOtBu (1.0 mmol, 2.0 equiv) and B2(pin)2 (1.1 mmol, 2.1 equiv).
[d] Isomeric purity, 92%. TBS=tert-butyldimethylsilyl.
Z geometries of all the other products were confirmed
similarly after derivatization of (Z)-3 through a Suzuki–
Miyaura coupling reaction with 4-bromotoluene (see
Scheme 3c and the Supporting Information).
The reaction of a-substituted allyl phosphates (2e–g) may
afford more stereoisomers (5E and 5Z). Gratifyingly, with
ICy as the ligand under the standard reaction conditions
(Table 1, entry 1), 2e, 2 f, and 2g gave the 5E-configured
products (1Z,5E)-3l–n in good yields upon isolation with
good (84%) to excellent (98%) 5E selectivities (Scheme 2a).
Here, yields of the by-products other than (1Z,5E)-3 and
(1Z,5Z)-3 were less than 5%. Remarkably, with SIMes as the
ligand, the stereoselectivity was switched from 5E to 5Z. Thus,
(1Z,5Z)-3l and (1Z,5Z)-3m were isolated in good yields with
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Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 9007 –9011