Syntheses of seven-membered rings: ruthenium-catalyzed intramolecular [5+2] cycloadditions

The Ru-catalyzed intramolecular [5+2] cycloaddition of cyclopropylenynes is investigated with respect to the regio- and diastereoselectivity as well as the functional group compatibility of the reaction. Evidence for the mechanism as occurring through a ruthenacyclopentene intermediate is elucidated from 1) the study of the diastereoselectivity of the cycloaddition; 2) the effect of variation of substituents on the regioselectivity of cyclopropyl bond cleavage in 1,2-trans- and 1,2-cis-disubstituted cyclopropanes and 3) examples that clearly do not involve ruthenacyclohexene as intermediates as products still incorporate the cyclopropyl moiety. The scope and limitations of the Ru-catalyzed cycloaddition are discussed and compared with the Rh-catalyzed reaction. The potential power of this methodology towards natural product total synthesis is demonstrated by the formation of several polycyclic systems with the chosen reaction conditions and readily available cyclopropylenyne substrates.     

The role of palladium catalyst and base in stereoselective transformations of (E)-2-chlorovinylsulfides

Stereoselective transformations of 2-chlorovinylsulfides in the presence of soluble (t-BuOK) or insoluble (solid KOH or Cs₂CO₃/18-crown-6) base and palladium catalyst (dppb)Pd(OAc)₂ have been studied. Depending on the substrate or catalytic system, the reaction leads to the formation of (E)-1,2-bis[aryl(or arylmethyl)thio]ethenes and/or (E)-1,4-bis[aryl(or arylmethyl)thio]-1-buten-3-ynes in yields of up to 93%.     

Coordination Behavior of Sterically Protected Phosphaalkenes on the AuCl Moiety Leading to Catalytic 1,6‐Enyne Cycloisomerization

Mes*‐substituted 2,3‐dimethyl‐1,4‐diphosphabuta‐1,3‐diene, 1,2‐diphenyl‐3,4‐diphosphinidenecyclobutene, 2,2‐bis(methylsulfanyl)‐1‐phosphaethene, and 3,3‐diphenyl‐1,3‐diphosphapropenes (Mes*=2,4,6‐tri‐tert‐butylphenyl) were employed as P ligands of gold(I) complexes. The (E,E)‐2,3‐dimethyl‐1,4‐diphosphabuta‐1,3‐diene functioned as a P2 ligand for digold(I) complex formation with or without intramolecular Au–Au contact, which depends on the conformation of the 1,3‐diphosphabuta‐1,3‐diene. The 1,2‐diphenyl‐3,4‐diphosphinidenecyclobutene, which has a rigid s‐cis P?C? C?P skeleton, afforded the corresponding digold(I) complexes with a slight distortion of the planar diphosphinidenecyclobutene framework and intramolecular Au–Au contact. In the case of the 2,2‐bis(methylsulfanyl)‐1‐phosphaethene, only the phosphorus atom coordinated to gold, and the sulfur atom showed almost no intra‐ or intermolecular coordination to gold. On the other hand, the 1,3‐diphosphapropenes behaved as nonequivalent P2 ligands to afford the corresponding mono‐ and digold(I) complexes. Some phosphaalkene–gold(I) complexes showed catalytic activity for 1,6‐enyne cycloisomerization without cocatalysts such as silver hexafluoroantimonate.     

Reactions of the Ru3(CO)10(μ-Ph2PCH2PPh2) cluster with enynes RCH=CHC≡CR (R is phenyl or ferrocenyl). Formation of indenone derivatives of triruthenium clusters

The thermal reaction of Ru₃(CO)₁₀(-Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂) (1) with enyne PhCH=CHCCPh afforded the trinuclear ruthenium clusters Ru₃(CO)₆{₃-P(Ph)CH₂PPh₂}{₃-C(Ph)=CHCC(Ph)(1,2-C₆H₄)C(=0)} (2), Ru₃(-H)(CO)₅{₃-P(Ph)CH₂PPh₂}{₃-C(Ph)=CHCC(Ph)(1,2-C₆H₄)C(—0)} (3), and Ru₃(CO)₆(-CO){₃-P(Ph)CH₂PPh₂}{₃-C(C=CPh₂)CH=C(H)Ph} (4) and also two isomers of Ru₃(CO)₅(-CO)(-Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂){₃-C₄Ph₂(CH=CHPh)₂} (5a and 5b). Clusters 2, 3, and 4 were characterized by IR spectroscopy, ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The reaction of complex 1 with enyne FcCH=CHCCFc gave rise to the Ru₃(CO)₆{₃-P(Ph)CH₂PPh₂}{₃-C(Fc)=CHCC(Fc)(1,2-C₆H₄)C(=0)} (6) and Ru₃(-H)(CO)₅{₃-P(Ph)CH₂PPh₂}{₃-C(Fc)=CHCC(Fc)(1,2-C₆H₄)C(—0)} (7) clusters. According to the spectral data, the latter compounds are isostructural to complexes 2 and 3, respectively.     

Carbophilic 3‐Component Cascades: Access to Complex Bioactive Cyclopropyl Diindolylmethanes

Naturally occurring indole‐3‐carbinol and 3,3‐diindolylmethane show bioactivity in a number of disparate disease areas, including cancer, prompting substantial synthetic analogue activity. We describe a new approach to highly functionalised derivatives that starts from allene gas and proceeds via the combination of a three‐component Pd⁰‐catalysed cascade with a one‐pot, three‐component carbophilic Pt^II cascade linked to a stereoselective acid‐catalysed Mannich–Michael reaction that generates complex cyclopropyl diindolylmethanes which show selective activity against prostate cancer cell lines.