Highly efficient reduction of unactivated aryl and alkyl iodides by a ground-state neutral organic electron donor

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.200462038

Electron-transfer reductions of unactivated aryl and alkyl iodides with a neutral ground-state organic molecule are reported. The reducing agent 1 is formed in two steps from N-methylbenzimidazole using very simple chemistry, and subsequent treatment of the iodoalkane or-arene with 1 affords cyclized products (see scheme).

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.200462038

Communications
organic molecules,[6] or photochemically assisted electron
transfer.[7] The use of neutral ground-state organic molecules
as powerful reducing agents is a novel and attractive idea.
This would allow reductions to be carried out 1) under very
mild conditions because of their neutrality, 2) in the absence
of metal ions, a worthwhile feature as metal residues cause
environmental problems, and 3) with wider applicability than
in the case of photochemically assisted reactions.
Our initial studies[8] featured the reactions between
arenediazonium salts 1 and tetrathiafulvalene (TTF, 2). TTF
(2) reacts with diazonium salts in a radical–polar crossover
reaction that leads to the formation of alcohols 3, ethers 4,
and amides 5 (Scheme 1). This protocol has been substantially
Scheme 1. The radical–polar crossover reaction, useful in the synthesis
of aspidospermidine (6), depends specifically on the use of tetrathia-
fulvalene (TTF, 2). Conditions: 3: acetone, water; 4: MeOH; 5: MeCN,
then H2O.
Synthetic Methods
Highly Efficient Reduction of Unactivated Aryl
and Alkyl Iodides by a Ground-State Neutral
Organic Electron Donor**
developed and has even been used to prepare complex
products such as aspidospermidine (6).[9,10] However, a
limitation of this process is that only arenediazonium
substrates can act as electron acceptors; attempts to extend
this reaction to the much more common aryl halides or to
alkyl halides have not been successful as these substrates are
more difficult to reduce.[11] It is well known that diazadithia-
fulvalenes 7 (see Scheme 1) are more powerful reducing
agents,[12] but we have shown that these compounds undergo a
complicating side reaction when treated with arenediazonium
salts[13] and are not powerful enough electron donors to react
with organic halides.
More recently, the reagent TDAE (1,1,2,2-tetra-(dime-
thylamine)ethane, 8) has been reacted with very electron-
deficient organic halides by Mꢀdebielle and co-workers.[14,15]
Thus, iodotrifluoromethane (9) was treated with TDAE and
benzoyl chloride to afford the products 10 and 11, which
indicate the intermediacy of trifluoromethyl anions,[14] and p-
nitrobenzyl chloride (12) was similarly transformed to its
anion[15] upon treatment with the same reagent (Scheme 2).
Accordingly, our efforts began by testing the reaction of
TDAE (8) with unactivated aryl and alkyl halides. In all cases,
we found that this reagent is not sufficiently powerful to
perform the reaction.
John A. Murphy,* Tanweer A. Khan, Sheng-ze Zhou,
Douglas W. Thomson, and Mohan Mahesh
Reactive intermediates, namely radicals and organometallic
species, can be formed by reduction of an organic substrate
with an electron donor. Metals in low oxidation states[1]
frequently perform this role, and indeed, most electron-
transfer reduction processes feature this route. Alternative
methods include electrochemical reduction at a (usually
metal) cathode,[2,3] reduction by solvated electrons,[4] reduc-
tion by lithium naphthalenide[5] or related radical anions of
[*] Prof. Dr. J. A. Murphy, Dr. T. A. Khan, Dr. S.-z. Zhou, D. W. Thomson,
M. Mahesh
Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry
University of Strathclyde
295 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G11XL (UK)
Fax: (+44)141-548-4246
E-mail: john.murphy@strath.ac.uk
[**] We thank the EPRSC (S.Z.Z. and D.W.T.), CVCP (Universities UK),
and the University of Strathclyde (T.A.K. and M.M.) for funding, and
the EPRSC National Mass Spectrometry Service Centre, Swansea,
for recording mass spectra.
Powerful sulfur-containing organic electron donors such
as 14 (Scheme 2) are available,[16] and here the driving force
for the electron donation derives from the considerable
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
under http://www.angewandte.org or from the author.
1356
ꢀ 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200462038
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 1356 –1360

Angewandte
Chemie
Scheme 3. Formation and reactions of tetraazaalkene 16.
solution showed the appearance of a key signal at d =
123.1 ppm corresponding to the central quaternary carbon
in the dimer. No trace[19] of the corresponding biscarbene 21
or of a monocarbene species were evident.
Scheme 2. Chemistry of TDAE (8) and structures of potentially more-
powerful electron donors. TDAE=1,1,2,2-tetra-(dimethylamine)ethene,
DMF=N,N-dimethylformamide, Bz=benzoyl.
To show that the dimer 16 had formed, it was treated with
one equivalent of molecular iodine. With such an easily
reduced compound as I2, we would expect that 16 would
behave like TDAE in forming a dication—in this case, 22.
Molecular modeling of TDAE2+ indicates that the repulsion
between the two positive charges would be minimized by
twisting into orthogonal planes as in 23. So the expected
product 22, being somewhat restrained by the 3-carbon strap,
should subsequently undergo a helical twist to impart
diastereotopicity to the protons of each of its -NCH2-
groups. Indeed reaction with one equivalent of iodine led to
clean formation of the disalt 22 (see Scheme 3), which was
aromatization energy residing in the corresponding radical
cation, 15. The easiest way to visualize this aromatization is by
looking at the particular canonical form, 15, in which two of
the rings are represented as aromatic. However, the syntheses
of such compounds are not straightforward, so it is unlikely
that they could ever be used as routine reagents. Even their
characterization has proved challenging. However, the mes-
sage is clear: aromatic stabilization energy can greatly assist
electron donation.
The presence of nitrogen is also helpful to the creation of a
good electron donor, as shown by both the diazadithiafulva-
lenes 7 and TDAE (8), particularly because of the stabiliza-
tion imparted to the resulting cation by the adjacent nitro-
gens.[13]
These two stabilizing factors that act in concert, for
example, in 16, should therefore afford excellent electron
donors. Thus, electron loss from 16 would initially afford
radical cation 17, which features the dual stabilization.
Although compound 16 has not previously been prepared, a
number of similar compounds, which are formally derived
from the dimerization of cyclic carbenes, have been pre-
pared[17,18] and used in mechanistic studies of the behavior of
Wanzlick carbenes[17] or to test their ability to form carbene
ligands on metals.[18] Their reductive organic chemistry
appears not to have been explored, except from an electro-
chemical viewpoint.[17b,o] Reaction of benzimidazole 18 with
1,3-diiodopropane (19) afforded the stable crystalline salt 20,
which upon treatment with base[17a,b,d,e,18a,18g,18h] under argon
then afforded a yellow solution of the “dimer” 16, which is
highly reactive towards air (Scheme 3). The dimer was
characterized upon formation in situ in deoxygenated
[D7]DMF (N,N-dimethylformamide) under argon, and the
1
characterized by HRMS (22ÀIÀ) and by H and 13C NMR
spectroscopy. As expected, the protons in the -NCH2- groups
are diastereotopic. Clean formation of 22 assured us that
alkene 16 had also formed cleanly. Note that a study of a bis-
bridged analogue[12d,17a] featuring 3-carbon bridges surpris-
ingly showed no evidence for diastereotopicity.
Compound 16 was then treated with a series of aryl
iodides, 24–26 and 30 (Scheme 4). All of these compounds
smoothly afforded the corresponding indolines in excellent
yield (81–90%). The oxygen-linked substrate 32 also showed
clean transformation to the product 33; the lower yield (65%)
may reflect a greater volatility of the product relative to the
nitrogen series. The alkyne-containing substrates 34 and 35
also cyclized smoothly to give the exocyclic alkenes, which
were not isolated but treated with acid under mild conditions
to give the corresponding indoles 38 (64%) and 39 (67%).
Similarly, aliphatic iodides 40, 41, and 44 reacted smoothly
with 16, which was formed in situ, and gave excellent yields of
cyclized products (Scheme 4).
Questions arise over the mechanisms of the observed
reactions and in particular over the nature of the intermedi-
ates. Initial electron transfer to the substrate, for example,
aryl iodide 24, would afford the radical anion 46 (Scheme 5).
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 1356 –1360
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
1357

Communications
cyclized radical 48 could, in principle, be reduced to the
corresponding anion 50, but again this should result in attack
on DMF. No such product was seen, so we believe that the
pathway featured radicals—but not anions—derived from the
substrates throughout. The source of the hydrogen atom in
the final hydrogen transfer, for example, in the conversion of
48 to 27, has not yet been determined. A labeling experiment
using anhydrous deuterated DMF as the exclusive solvent,
sodium hydride as base rather than potassium hexamethyldi-
silazide (KHMDS), and 25 as substrate revealed no label in
the product 28 (this point is currently under further inves-
tigation).
Similarly with the alkyl iodides 40, 41, and 44, cyclization
to 42, 43, and 45 should start with electron transfer followed
by loss of iodide and formation of free-radical intermediates.
In these substrates, a further opportunity exists to show the
presence of carbanions prior to cyclization by the elimination
of an alcoholate and the formation of a styrene product;
however, in no case was such a fragmentation observed. It
could be argued that the reagent has the intrinsic electron-
donating power to form anions, but that the radical cyclization
of these substrates occurred more rapidly than anion for-
mation. To test further for the possibility of formation of alkyl
anions, we studied the substrates 51 and 56. Iodide 51
afforded the indoline 55 in 90% yield, presumably through
quenching of radical 52. Again, there is no evidence for
formation of anion 53, which should lead to rapid elimination
to form alkene 54. Substrate 56 also showed evidence of
formation of radicals but not anions. Thus, the directly
reduced product 57 was formed in 18% yield, but the major
product was the ether 58, which results from a neophyl
rearrangement through radicals 59 and 60 followed by
quenching.
Scheme 4. Reactions of aryl iodides and aliphatic iodides with tetraazaalkene 16.
Ms=methanesulfonyl, tol=toluene.
Dissociation of 46 would then afford the aryl radical 47.
Although, in principle, 47 could be further reduced to the
anion 49, this anion would be more likely to undergo
nucleophilic attack on DMF, but this reaction was not
observed. The excellent yields of the products obtained
preclude these pathways from our reaction. Similarly, the
Scheme 5. Thoughts on the mechanism of S.E.T. (single electron transfer) reactions of tetraazaalkene 16.
ꢀ 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
1358
www.angewandte.org
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 1356 –1360

Angewandte
Chemie
as a colorless oil as a mixture of diastereoisomers (5:8) that could not
In summary, the first reductions of unactivated aryl and
alkyl iodides by a neutral ground-state organic molecule have
been described. The reducing agent is formed in two steps
from N-methylbenzimidazole using very simple chemistry:
1) alkylation with 1,3-diiodopropane to form a stable crystal-
line salt and 2) treatment of this salt with base to form the
reactive reducing agent. Considerable variation of these super
S.E.T. (single electron transfer) structures is now possible to
afford reducing agents of greater power or to tailor reductions
to particular substrates. Applications in synthesis and materi-
als chemistry are likely to arise from this discovery.
be separated (0.061 g, 88%). FT-IR (neat): n˜ = 2931, 2854, 1613, 1513,
1458, 1443, 1302, 1246, 1172, 1036, 995, 828 cmÀ1; 1H NMR (400 MHz,
CDCl3): d = 1.21–2.42 (11H, m, CH and 5 ꢁ CH2), 3.81 (3H, minor, s,
OCH3), 3.82 (3H, major, s, OCH3), 4.02 (1H, major, dd, J = 9.5, 4.8,
OCH), 4.25 (1H, minor, dd, J = 7.5, 3.5, OCH), 4.93 (1H, major, t, J =
7.8, OCHAr), 5.15 (1H, minor, t, J = 7.8, OCHAr), 6.85–6.93 (2H, m,
ArH), 7.21–7.30 (1H, m, ArH), 7.32–7.40 ppm (1H, m, ArH);
13C NMR (100.61 MHz, CDCl3): d = 21.1 (CH2), 22.0 (CH2), 24.3
(CH2), 24.6 (CH2), 27.9 (CH2), 29.0 (CH2), 29.1 (CH2), 29.5 (CH2),
38.7 (CH), 39.2 (CH), 41.0 (CH2), 42.5 (CH2), 55.8 (CH3), 78.4 (CH),
79.1 (CH), 79.8 (CH), 114.1 (CH), 114.2 (CH), 127.2 (CH), 127.4
(CH), 136.8 (C), 137.8 (C), 159.1 (C), 159.1 ppm (C); m/z (CI): 250
([M + NH4]+, 91%), 233 (100). HRMS (ESI) m/z: Calcd for
C15H20O2: 233.1536 (MH+); found: 233.1536 (MH+).
Experimental Section
Received: September 18, 2004
Published online: January 26, 2005
Exemplary procedures for the cyclization of aromatic and aliphatic
iodide substrates are mentioned below. See Supporting Information
for details of the synthesis and characterization of other compounds
prepared during this research.
Keywords: cyclization · electron transfer · radical reactions ·
.
reduction · synthetic methods
Cyclization of aromatic substrates: 1-Methanesulfonyl-3-ethyl-
2,3-dihydro-1H-indole (28):[21]
A solution of salt 20 (202 mg,
0.36 mmol) in toluene (10 mL) and DMF (5 mL) under argon was
purged with argon for 0.5 h at room temperature. Potassium
bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (1.44 mL of 0.5m solution in toluene,
0.72 mmol) was added dropwise to the mixture, and the resulting
yellow solution was stirred for 1 h under argon. A solution of N-but-2-
enyl-N-(2-iodophenyl)methanesulfonamide (25; 0.105 g, 0.3 mmol) in
toluene (5 mL) was added, and the reaction mixture was heated and
maintained at reflux for 18 h under Ar. The reaction mixture was then
cooled and poured into diethyl ether (50 mL) and water (50 mL). The
organic phase was further washed with water (3 ꢁ 50 mL) and then a
saturated solution of NaCl (50 mL). The organic extract was dried
over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and evaporated, and the
residue was purified by column chromatography (ethyl acetate/
petroleum ether 10:90) to afford the title compound as a colorless
liquid (0.059 g, 88%). FT-IR (disc): n˜ = 3016, 2963, 2930, 1599, 1478,
[1] a) T. Imamoto in Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, Vol. 8 (Ed.:
B. M. Trost), Pergamon, Oxford, 1991, chap. 4.1, pp. 795 – 797;
b) M. Hudlicky in Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, Vol. 8 (Ed.:
B. M. Trost), Pergamon, Oxford, 1991, chap. 4.5, pp. 895 – 922.
[2] D. G. Peters in Organic Electrochemistry (Eds.: H. Lund, O.
Hammerich), Marcel Dekker, New York, 1991, p. 354.
[3] For indirect electrochemical reductions, see: a) M. D. Koppang,
G. A. Ross, N. F. Woolsey, D. E. Bartak, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986,
108, 1441; b) S. Olivero, J.-P. Rolland, E. Duꢂach, Organo-
metallics 1998, 17, 3747.
[4] a) J. M. Hook, L. N. Mander, Nat. Prod. Rep. 1986, 3, 35; b) T. J.
Donohoe, R. Garg, C. A. Stevenson, Tetrahedron: Asymmetry
1996, 7, 317.
[5] C. J. Hollowood, S. V. Ley, Org. Biomol. Chem. 2003, 1, 3197.
[6] a) T. J. Donohoe, D. House, K. W. Ace, Org. Biomol. Chem.
2003, 1, 3749; b) T. J. Donohoe, D. House, J. Org. Chem. 2002,
67, 5015; c) T. J. Cleij, S. K. Y. Tsang, L. W. Jenneskens, Chem.
Commun. 1997, 329.
[7] a) J. Cossy, Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr. 1994, 131, 344, and references
therein; b) U. C. Yoon, Y. X. Jin, S. W. Oh, C. H. Park, J. H.
Park, C. F. Campana, X. Cai, E. N. Duesler, P. S. Mariano, J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 10664.
[8] a) J. A. Murphy in Radicals in Organic Synthesis, Vol. 1 (Eds.: P.
Renaud, M. Sibi), Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2001, pp. 298 – 315.
[9] O. Callaghan, C. Lampard, A. R. Kennedy, J. A. Murphy, J.
Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 1 1999, 995.
[10] O. Callaghan, C. Lampard, A. R. Kennedy, J. A. Murphy,
Tetrahedron Lett. 1999, 40, 161.
[11] A. J. Fry in Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry, Wiley, Chi-
chester, 1989, p. 95.
[12] a) G. V. Tormos, M. C. Bakker, P. Wang, M. V. Lakshmikantham,
M. P. Cava, R. M. Metzger, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 8528;
b) F. G. Bordwell, A. V. Satish, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 985;
c) V. Tormos, O. J. Neilands, M. P. Cava, J. Org. Chem. 1992, 57,
1008; d) V. Goulle, S. Chirayil, R. P. Thummel, Tetrahedron Lett.
1990, 31, 1539; e) H. H. Wanzlick, H.-J. Kleiner, I. Lasch, H. U.
Fueldner, H. Steinmaus, Justus Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1967, 708,
155.
[13] a) T. Koizumi, N. Bashir, A. R. Kennedy, J. A. Murphy, J. Chem.
Soc. Perkin Trans. 1 1999, 3637; b) T. Koizumi, N. Bashir, J. A.
Murphy, Tetrahedron Lett. 1997, 38, 7635.
[14] N. Takechi, S. Aꢃt-Mohand, M. Mꢀdebielle, W. R. Dolbier, Jr.,
Tetrahedron Lett. 2002, 43, 4317.
1342, 1232, 1161, 1051 cmÀ1
;
1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): d = 1.07
(3H, t, J = 7.3, CH3) 1.66 (1H, m, CH2), 1.90 (1H, m, CH2), 2.93 (3H,
s, SO2CH3), 3.38 (1H, m, CH), 3.69 (1H, dd, J = 10.2, 6.4, CH2), 4.13
(1H, dd, J = 10.2, 9.2, CH2), 7.11 (1H, dd, J = 7.5, 7.5, ArH), 7.27 (2H,
m, ArH), 7.46 ppm (1H, d, J = 7.9, ArH); 13C NMR (100.61 MHz,
CDCl3): d = 11.3 (CH3), 27.5 (CH2), 34.3 (CH3), 41.4 (CH), 55.9
(CH2), 113.4 (CH), 123.6 (CH), 124.7 (CH), 128.1 (CH), 135.0 (C),
141.8 ppm (C); m/z (EI): 225 (M+, 45%), 196 (50), 146 (78), 130 (79),
118 (100), 91 (35); HRMS (ESI) m/z: Calcd for C11H15NO2S: 243.1167
(M + NH4+); found: 243.1169 (M + NH4+).
Cyclization of aliphatic substrates: 2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)octahy-
drobenzofuran (45):[22] A suspension of salt 20 (0.672 g, 1.20 mmol,
4.00 equiv) in dry THF (20 mL) was degassed by purging with argon
at room temperature. Potassium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (4.5 mL of
0.5m solution in toluene, 2.25 mmol, 7.50 equiv) was added to this
white suspension—the reaction mixture immediately turned bright
yellow and was allowed to stir under Ar for 1 h. The solution was
concentrated in vacuo, then 1-[1-(cyclohex-2-enyloxy)-2-iodo-ethyl]-
4-methoxybenzene (44; 0.108 g, 0.30 mmol, 1.00 equiv) in dry toluene
(20 mL) was added by cannula under an argon atmosphere. The
reaction mixture was heated to 1108C under Ar and was maintained
at reflux for 15 h before cooling to room temperature and concen-
trating under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in diethyl
ether (75 mL), and the solution was extracted with deionized water
(75 mL). The aqueous phase was further extracted with diethyl ether
(2 ꢁ 25 mL). The combined organic extracts were washed with a
solution of brine (3 ꢁ 100 mL), separated, dried over anhydrous
Na2SO4, filtered, and evaporated to dryness in vacuo to yield a yellow-
orange semi-solid. This residue was purified by flash chromatography
(diethyl ether/petroleum ether 15:85) to afford the title compound 45
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 1356 –1360
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
1359

Communications
[15] a) G. Giuglio-Tonolo, T. Terme, M. Mꢀdebielle, P. Vanelle,
Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 6433; b) G. Giuglio-Tonolo, T. Terme,
M. Mꢀdebielle, P. Vanelle, Tetrahedron Lett. 2004, 45, 5121.
[16] a) Y. Yamashita, Y. Kobayashi, T. Miyashi, Angew. Chem. 1989,
101, 1090; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1989, 28, 1052; b) M.
Sato, M. V. Lakshmikantham, M. P. Cava, A. F. Garito, J. Org.
Chem. 1978, 43, 2084.
[17] a) Z. Shi, R. P. Thummel, J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 5935; b) Z. Shi,
V. Goulle, R. P. Thummel, Tetrahedron Lett. 1996, 37, 2357;
c) F. E. Hahn, L. Wittenbecher, D. LeVan, R. Froehlich, Angew.
Chem. 2000, 112, 551; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2000, 39, 541; d) Z.
Shi, R. P. Thummel, Tetrahedron Lett. 1995, 36, 2741; e) T. A.
Taton, P. Chen, Angew. Chem. 1996, 108, 1098; Angew. Chem.
Int. Ed. Engl. 1996, 35, 1011; f) M. K. Denk, A. Thadani, K.
Hatano, A. J. Lough, Angew. Chem. 1997, 109, 2719; Angew.
Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1997, 36, 2607; g) M. K. Denk, K. Hatano,
M. Ma, Tetrahedron Lett. 1999, 40, 2057; h) H.-W. Wanzlick, E.
Schikora, Angew. Chem. 1960, 72, 494; i) H.-W. Wanzlick, E.
Schikora, Chem. Ber. 1961, 94, 2389; j) H.-W. Wanzlick, H.-J.
Kleiner, Angew. Chem. 1961, 73, 493; k) H.-W. Wanzlick, Angew.
Chem. 1962, 74, 129; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1962, 1, 75;
l) H.-W. Wanzlick, H. Ahrens, Chem. Ber. 1964, 97, 2447; m) H.-
W. Wanzlick, B. Lachmann, E. Schikora, Chem. Ber. 1965, 98,
3170; n) N. Wiberg, Angew. Chem. 1968, 80, 153; Angew. Chem.
Int. Ed. Engl. 1968, 7, 7661; o) J. R. Ames, M. A. Houghtaling,
D. L. Terrian, T. P. Mitchell, Can. J. Chem. 1997, 75, 28.
[18] a) E. C¸ etinkaya, P. B. Hitchcock, H. Kꢄꢅꢄkbay, M. F. Lappert, S.
Al-Juaid, J. Organomet. Chem. 1994, 481, 89; b) F. E. Hahn, L.
Wittenbacher, M. Kꢄhn, T. Lꢄgger, R. Frꢆhlich, J. Organomet.
Chem. 2001, 617–618, 629; c) F. E. Hahn, M. Paas, D. LeVan, T.
Lꢄgger, Angew. Chem. 2003, 115, 5402; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
2003, 42, 5243; d) D. J. Cardin, M. J. Doyle, M. F. Lappert, J.
Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1972, 927; e) M. F. Lappert, J.
Organomet. Chem. 1988, 358, 185; f) E. C¸ etinkaya, P. B. Hitch-
cock, M. F. Lappert, D. B. Shaw, K. Syropoulos, N. J. W. War-
hurst, J. Organomet. Chem. 1993, 459, 311; g) E. C¸ etinkaya, P. B.
Hitchcock, H. A. Jasim, M. F. Lappert, K. Syropoulos, J. Chem.
Soc. Perkin Trans. 1 1992, 561; h) T. L. Amyes, S. T. Diver, J. P.
Richard, F. M. Rivas, K. Toth, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 4366.
[19] Such a carbene would be expected to display a 13C chemical shift
for this carbon at approximately d = 235 ppm, see Ref. [17c] and
also: F. E. Hahn, L. Wittenbecher, R. Boese, D. Blaeser, Chem.
Eur. J. 1999, 5, 1931.
[20] Initial experiments with aryl bromides and alkyl selenides are
much more sluggish and do not lead to high extents of
conversion under these conditions.
[21] T. A. Khan, R. Tripoli, J. J. Crawford, C. G. Martin, J. A.
Murphy, Org. Lett. 2003, 5, 2971.
[22] a) Y. Kita, H. Nambu, N. G. Ramesh, G. Anilkumar, M. Matsugi,
Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 1157; b) H. Nambu, G. Anilkumar, M.
Matsugi, Y. Kita, Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 77; c) L. Zhou, T. Hirao,
J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 1633.
1360
ꢀ 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
www.angewandte.org
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 1356 –1360