Novel migrating group in 1,2-anionotropic reactions: Cobalt complexation facilitates 1,2-shift of alkynyl groups

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ja961030y

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 8949-8950
Scheme 1
8949
Novel Migrating Group in 1,2-Anionotropic
Reactions: Cobalt Complexation Facilitates
1,2-Shift of Alkynyl Groups
Tetsuya Nagasawa, Kimiko Taya, Mitsuru Kitamura, and
Keisuke Suzuki*,†
Department of Chemistry, Keio UniVersity
Hiyoshi, Yokohama 223, Japan
ReceiVed March 28, 1996
It is well documented that an alkyne-Co complex strongly
stabilizes a cationic charge at its R-position,1a a phenomenon
reminiscent of cyclopropylcarbinyl stabilization.1b The effect
is attributed to the metallacyclopropyl structure of the complex
isolobal to tetrahedrane,2 where participation of the C-Co bond-
(s) with the adjacent vacant orbital enables the effective charge
delocalization onto the cluster (see canonical forms A and A′).1a,2
By analogy, we focused our attention on the behaVior toward
the â-positiVe charge, with which a cyclopropyl group is known
to undergo neighboring group participation, ultimately undergo-
ing a 1,2-shift without ring opening as shown in B.3 The
corresponding behavior of the Co complex is unknown; does
the alkyne-Co complex behave similarly as shown in C? In
this communication, we report an affirmative answer to this
question: a Co-complexed alkynyl group is an excellent
migrator in 1,2-anionotropic reactions.4 The finding enables
the 1,2-shift of alkynyl groups (eq 1), otherwise an unfavorable
process,5,6 to be used to access various stereodefined alkyne-
containing building blocks of potentially broad synthetic utility.
Table 1. Me3Al-Promoted 1,2-Rearrangement of Complexes 3
R
run
product
T/°Ca
yield/%
1
2
3
4
n-Bu-
(3a)
(3b)
(3c)
(3d)
4a
4b
4c
4d
20
0
-20
20
78
84
80
58
Me3Si-
MeOCH2-
H2CdCMe-
a At this temperature, each reaction proceeds smoothly, thereby
completing within ca. 2 h.
sponding Co complex 3a underwent clean 1,2-shift to give the
ketone 4a in 61% yield.8 Oxidative decomplexation gave
unstable R-hexynyl ketone 2a in 99% yield.8
When Me3Al was used as a promoter, the reaction proceeded
smoothly at lower temperature, giving the ketone 4a in high
yield (Table 1, run 1).8,9 Notably, these Lewis acidic conditions
did not induce any Nicholas-type alkylation, even though the
expulsion of the hydroxyl in 3a could generate a highly
stabilized cationic species.1a As can be seen in other runs, the
migratory aptitudes of the complexes vary depending on the
alkynyl substituent. A silyl or a methoxymethyl group enhances
the migratory aptitude,10 while a propenyl group makes the
complex less prone to migrate (run 4).
The migratory aptitude of these complexes proved to be far
larger than we expected and, in fact, exceeds that of alkyl (see
eq 4) or even aryl groups as shown in eq 2.11 Competition
with a phenyl group (see the reaction of 5a) gave 6a as the
exclusive product.8,12,13 Surprisingly, the migratory aptitude of
Scheme 1 shows the preliminary experiment that gave the
initial promising result of our study. As reported by Wender
et al.,6a the alkynyl chlorohydrin 1a7 remained unchanged when
subjected to the conditions for alkoxide-induced 1,2-shift
(EtMgBr/benzene, 55 °C, 2 h). In sharp contrast, the corre-
(5) The poor migratory aptitude of an alkynyl group is attributed to the
deficiency of its π-electrons to participate to the neighboring cationic species
in terms of electronic (the sp hybridization) and/or spatial (the linearity)
factors. Computational studies showed that the activation energy of the
ethynyl shift is larger than, for example, that of the vinyl migration by
10.5 kcal/mol. Nakamura, K.; Osamura, Y. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115,
9112.
(6) (a) Wender, P. A.; Holt, D. A.; Sieburth, S. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1983, 105, 3348. (b) Suzuki, K.; Ohkuma, T.; Miyazawa, M.; Tsuchihashi,
G. Tetrahedron Lett. 1986, 27, 373. (c) Shoenen, F. J.; Porco, J. A.;
Schreiber, S. L.; VanDuyne, G. D.; Clardy, J. Tetrahedron Lett. 1989, 30,
3765.
(7) For preparation of the chlorohydrins, see supporting information.
(8) All new compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic means
(1H and 13C NMR, IR), high-resolution MS, and/or combustion analysis
(see supporting information).
(9) The parent chlorohydrin 1a did not undergo 1,2-shift even after 2 h
reflux in CH2Cl2.
(10) Note that the reactions proceed at lower temperatures in runs 2 and
3. Origin of the substituent effect is under investigation. At present, we
assume that the migratory aptitude is enhanced by a substituent that stabilizes
a positive charge that would develop at the migrating cluster during the
1,2-shift by analogy with the R-cation stabilization (see A and A′).
(11) For organoaluminum-promoted 1,2-shift of aryl groups in â-mesy-
loxy alcohols, see: (a) Suzuki, K.; Katayama, E.; Tsuchihashi, G.
Tetrahedron Lett. 1983, 24, 4997. For a classical example under solvolytic
conditions, see: (b) Winstein, S.; Lindegren, C. R.; Marshall, H.; Ingraham,
L. L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1953, 75, 147.
† Present address: Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technol-
ogy, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152, Japan.
(1) (a) For a review, see: Nicholas, K. M. Acc. Chem. Res. 1987, 20,
207. (b) Olah, G. A.; Reddy, V. P.; Prakash, G. K. Chem. ReV. 1992, 92,
69 and references cited therein.
(2) (a) Hoffman, D. M.; Hoffmann, R.; Fisel, C. R. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1982, 104, 3858 and references cited therein. (b) Schreiber, S. L.; Sammakia,
T.; Crowe, W. E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 116, 5505. (c) Schreiber, S. L.;
Klimas, M. T.; Sammakia, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 5749.
(3) For the 1,2-shift of cyclopropyl groups, see: (a) Shono, T.; Fujita,
K.; Kumai, S.; Watanabe, T.; Nishiguchi, I. Tetrahedron Lett. 1972, 3249.
(b) Shimazaki, M.; Hara, H.; Suzuki, K. Tetrahedron Lett. 1989, 30, 5443.
(4) For reviews on 1,2-anionotropic reactions, see: (a) Saunders, M.;
Chandrasekhar, J.; Schleyer, P. v. R. In Rearrangement in Ground and Exci-
ted States; Mayo, P. de, Ed.; Academic Press: New York, 1980; Vol. 1, p
1. (b) Shubin, V. G. In Topics in Current Chemistry; Rees, C., Ed.; Springer:
Berlin, 1984; Vol. 116-117, p 267. (c) Collins, C. J.; Eastham, J. F. The
Chemistry of the Carbonyl Group (The Chemistry of Functional Groups);
Patai, S., Ed.; Wiley: New York, 1966; Chapter 15, p 761. (d) Barto´k, M.;
Molna´r, AÄ . The Chemistry of Functional Groups, Supplement E; Patai, S.,
Ed.; Wiley: New York, 1980; Chapter 16, p 721. For reviews on pinacol
rearrangement, see: (e) Rickborn, B. In ComprehensiVe Organic Synthesis;
Trost, B. M., Fleming, I., Eds.; Pergamon: Oxford, 1991; Vol. 3, Chapter
3.2, p 721. (f) Suzuki, K. J. Synth. Org. Chem., Jpn. 1988, 46, 365.
S0002-7863(96)01030-X CCC: $12.00 © 1996 American Chemical Society

8950 J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 118, No. 37, 1996
Communications to the Editor
the Co complex exceeds that of a p-methoxyphenyl group14 as
shown by the predominant formation of 6b from 5b. The TMS-
substituted vinyl group, which is one of the best migrating
groups known,15 can, however, compete with the Co complex
(eq 3).
The process, however, offers a highly useful access to
compounds with a quaternary chiral center,17 which are devoid
of such configurational instability. For example, isomeric epoxy
silyl ethers 16 and 17 were converted to the corresponding Co
complexes and treated with TMSOTf (5 mol %) at -78 °C,18,19
respectively. The reaction occurred rapidly at this temperature,
and workup with CAN gave quaternary aldols 18 and 19 in
excellent yields.20,21 The products showed no trace of the other
isomer,22 thereby further providing evidence for the stereospeci-
ficity of the 1,2-shift.
Equation 7 shows a further example, a reductive version of
the reaction,19 that is relevant to the total synthesis of the
furaquinocin antibiotics.23 The 1,2-shift occurred smoothly at
-78 °C, and further reaction at an elevated temperature
completed the reduction of the aldol formed.
The stereospecificity of the 1,2-shift should also be noted.
(S)-Lactate-derived mesylate 11 underwent 1,2-rearrangement
to give ketone 12 in enantiomerically pure form (eq 4)8 as
evidenced by analysis of the derived diastereomeric alcohols
13 [(1) DIBAL/toluene, -78 °C, (2) CAN/MeOH].16 Unfor-
tunately, attempts to obtain the enantiopure ketone 14 were
unsuccessful due to the isomerization to allenyl ketone 15; this
isomerization occurred particularly readily upon attempted
purification by silica-gel chromatography.
Acknowledgment. We thank Prof. Nobuharu Iwasawa, the Uni-
versity of Tokyo, for helpful suggestions on the subject. This work
was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and
Culture of Japan [Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Area
(No. 04640514)]. T.N. is grateful to JSPS for a predoctoral fellowship.
Supporting Information Available: Typical reaction procedures,
synthesis of starting materials, and analytical data of compounds 2a,
3a-d, 4a-d, 5a,b, 6a,b, 8a,b, 9a,b, 10a,b, 11-13, 16-19, and 21,
the stereostructure of 18 and 19, and ee of 13 (16 pages). See any
current masthead page for ordering and Internet access instructions.
JA961030Y
(16) A 1/1 diastereomeric mixture. For the ee analysis by chiral capillary
GC, see supporting information.
(12) Me3Al serves as a Lewis acid to activate the mesylate and also as
a captor of methanesulfonic acid. For these aspects in general, see: Suzuki,
K.; Tomooka, K.; Tsuchihashi, G. Tetrahedron Lett. 1984, 25, 4253; Suzuki,
K.; Tomooka, K.; Shimazaki, M.; Tsuchihashi, G. Tetrahedron Lett. 1985,
26, 4781. One of the referees pointed out the possible intermediacy of an
epoxide. Under these conditions, however, epoxide formation is rarely
observed and limited to the case where poor migrating groups like an alkyl
are concerned. To test the behavior of a relevant epoxide under the reaction
conditions, mesylate 5a was treated with a base, e.g. KH, thereby giving,
however, a complex mixture of products. The epoxide, obtained in 2-3%
yield, was not converted to 6a even when treated with Me3Al. It is also a
significant point to note that, stereochemically, the 1,2-shift of mesyloxy
alcohols proceeds with inversion (cf. double inversion for the epoxide
mechanism).
(17) For a review, see Martin, S. F. Tetrahedron 1980, 36, 419.
(18) For stereospecific synthesis of R,R-disubstituted aldols via epoxy
silyl ether (epoxy alcohol) rearrangements, see: Shimazaki, M.; Hara, H.;
Suzuki, K.; Tsuchihashi, G. Tetrahedron Lett. 1987, 28, 5891. For review,
see ref 6f. See also: (a) Maruoka, K.; Hasegawa, M.; Yamamoto, H.; Suzuki,
K.; Shimazaki, M.; Tsuchihashi, G. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 108, 3827.
(c) Suzuki, K.; Miyazawa, M.; Tsuchihashi, G. Tetrahedron Lett. 1987,
28, 3515. (d) Suzuki, K.; Miyazawa, M.; Shimazaki, M.; Tsuchihashi, G.
Tetrahedron 1988, 44, 4061.
(19) Silyl ethers 16, 17, 20 are epimeric mixture with respect to the tert-
or sec-siloxy substituted carbon. No noticeable difference in the reactivity
was seen for the epimers.
(20) For the stereostructure of aldols 18 and 19, see supporting
information.
(13) In the reaction of the noncomplexed congener of 5a, the 1,2-shift
of the phenyl group prevailed over that of the 1-hexynyl group (selectiv-
ity: 9/1). Since the reaction only occurred at 20 °C, the carbonyls in the
products were thoroughly methylated (96% combined yield).
(14) The migratory aptitude of the p-methoxyphenyl group is reportedly
500 times higher than that of the phenyl group in pinacol rearrangement.
Acheson, R. M. Acc. Chem. Res. 1971, 4, 177.
(15) (a) Suzuki, K.; Katayama, E.; Tsuchihashi, G. Tetrahedron Lett.
1984, 25, 1817. (b) Suzuki, K.; Tomooka, K.; Katayama, E.; Matsumoto,
T.; Tsuchihashi, G. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 108, 5221.
(21) Parent epoxide 16 underwent 1,2-shift (10 mol % TMSOTf/CH2-
Cl2, 25 °C), which, however, was hardly reproducible due to the retro-
aldol reaction, giving rise to varying amount of racemic ketone 14. Such a
situation was even more the case for isomer 17, and none of 19 was obtained.
(22) Diastereomeric purity was >98% for 18 and 19, respectively, as
proven by 1H NMR (C6D6). Diagnostic signals appear at δ 4.13 (dq) for 18
and at δ 3.97 (q) for 19. It should be noted that partial isomerization (18 f
19 and Vice Versa) occurs upon prolonged exposure to silica gel.
(23) Saito, T.; Morimoto, M.; Akiyama, C.; Matsumoto, T.; Suzuki, K.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 10757.