Pd(II)-catalyzed aliphatic Claisen rearrangements of acyclic allyl vinyl ethers

Palladium (II)-catalyzed [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement of acyclic allyl vinyl ethers delivers 2,3-anti disubstituted pentenal Claisen adducts with high diastereoselectivity. Reaction conditions for circumventing allyl vinyl ether cleavage that had previously plagued catalyzed rearrangement of α-unsubstituted vinyl ether substrates are described. Merging Pd(II) catalysis with the facile access to the Claisen substrates afforded by Ir(I)-catalyzed olefin isomerization provides an expedient procedure for realizing asymmetric anti-selective Claisen rearrangements.     

Isomerization and Cleavage of Allyl Ethers of Carbohydrates by Trans- [Pd(NH3)2Cl2

Allyl ethers are widely used for the “temporary” protection of hydroxy groups in carbohydrates. The allyl group is conveniently removed by isomerization and subsequent cleavage of the labile prop-1-enyl group.² The rearrangement of allyl ethers to prop-1-enyl ethers is readily achieved by treatment with potassium t-butoxide in dimethyl sulfoxide, using tris(tripheny1phosphine)rhodium chloride, palladium on activated charcoal and by an ene reaction with diethylazodicarboxylate. acidic conditions, ozonolysis followed by alkaline hydrolysis, reaction with alkaline permanganate solution, or treatment with mercuric chloride in the presence of mercuric oxide. The isomerization of allyl ethers to prop-1-enyl ethers can also be carried out in the presence of palladium on carbon or complex bis(benzonitrile)palladium(11) chloride. Bruce and Roshan-Ali' showed that derivatives of allyl phenyl ether are smoothly cleaved by this complex. This has made it possible to remove the protecting group in a one-pot operation. We have now investigated the effect of palladium catalysts on the isomerization and cleavage of the allyl group in carbohydrate derivatives.     

Regioselectivity in aromatic Claisen rearrangements

Theoretical calculations and the isomeric product composition for a series of eight meta-substituted allyl aryl ethers confirm the reliability of a new (1)H NMR methodology used to predict aromatic Claisen regioselectivity from ground-state conformational preference of the reactant allyloxy group. Frontier HOMO-LUMO intramolecular orbital interactions, a classical approach in predicting reactivity and selectivity for Claisen rearrangements of allyl vinyl ethers, is shown to fail to mimic transition-state orbital interactions for aromatic Claisen rearrangements of meta-substituted allyl aryl ethers. B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) calculations on reactants and transition states are shown, however, to correctly predict the outcome of such aromatic Claisen rearrangements from either the preferential reactant ground-state conformation (theoretical predictions that agree with the NMR measurements) or the less energetic transition state, or both.     

Allyl, methallyl, prenyl, and methylprenyl ethers as protected alcohols: their selective cleavage with diphenyldisulfone under neutral conditions

Diphenyldisulfone is a mild and efficient reagent for selective cleavage of methylprenyl (2,3-dimethylbut-2-en-1-yl), prenyl (3-methylbut-2-en1-yl), and methallyl (2-methylallyl) ethers. These reaction conditions are compatible with the presence of other protecting groups such as acetals, acetates, and allyl, benzyl, and TBDMS ethers. Exposure of 2,3-dimethylbut-2-en-1-yl and 3-methylbut-2-en1-yl ethers to diphenyldisulfone led to the formation of 2,3-dimethylbuta-1,3-diene and isoprene, respectively. 2-Methylallyl ethers undergo isomerization to 2-methylpropenyl ethers, which are easily hydrolyzed into the corresponding free alcohols and isobutyraldehyde. [reaction: see text]     

Stereoselective olefin isomerization leading to asymmetric quaternary carbon construction

Chemo- and stereoselective Ir(I)-catalyzed isomerization of 1,1-disubstituted and trisubstituted allylic ethers and in situ [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement of the resulting allyl vinyl ethers provide for the highly stereoselective construction of quaternary carbon stereocenters. The olefin isomerization-Claisen rearrangement (ICR) sequence allows adjacent quaternary-tertiary stereocenter relationships to be established with excellent diastereoselection. Several complementary strategies for enantioselective quaternary carbon synthesis derive directly from the ICR reaction design.     

Asymmetric claisen rearrangements enabled by catalytic asymmetric Di(allyl) ether synthesis

Merging the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of di(allyl) ethers with ensuing olefin isomerization-Claisen rearrangement (ICR) reactions provides a convenient, two-step route to asymmetric aliphatic Claisen rearrangements from easily obtained starting materials. These reactions deliver the 2,3-disubstituted 4-pentenal derivatives characteristic of aliphatic Claisen rearrangements with excellent relative and absolute stereocontrol. A catalytic enantioselective synthesis of the (+)-calopin dimethyl ether demonstrates the utility of this reaction technology in asymmetric synthesis enterprises.     

Strategies for expanding structural diversity available from olefin isomerization-claisen rearrangement reactions

Boron-substituted di(allyl) ethers provide an efficient conduit for expanding the structural diversity available from olefin isomerization-Claisen rearrangement (ICR) reactions. Easily prepared allyl propargyl ethers undergo chemoselective Zr(IV)-catalyzed hydroboration to afford the boron-substituted ICR substrates. The boron-substituted allyl residue undergoes chemoselective Ir(I)-catalyzed olefin isomerization and in situ Claisen rearrangement to afford stereodefined beta-boryl aldehyde products. Functionalization of the C-B linkage by oxidation or Suzuki cross-coupling provides a route to Claisen adducts previously inaccessible from the ICR methodology.     

Ruthenium(IV)-catalyzed isomerization of the C=C bond of o-allylic substrates: a theoretical and experimental study

A general mechanism to rationalize Ru(IV) -catalyzed isomerization of the C=C bond in O-allylic substrates is proposed. Calculations supporting the proposed mechanism were performed at the MPWB1K/6-311+G(d,p)+SDD level of theory. All experimental observations in different solvents (water and THF) and under different pH conditions (neutral and basic) can be interpreted in terms of the new mechanism. Theoretical analysis of the transformation from precatalyst to catalyst led to structural identification of the active species in different media. The experimentally observed induction period is related to the magnitudes of the energy barriers computed for that process. The theoretical energy profile for the catalytic cycle requires application of relatively high temperatures, as is experimentally observed. Participation of a water molecule in the reaction coordinate is mechanistically essential when the reaction is carried out in aqueous medium. The new mechanistic proposal helped to develop a new experimental procedure for isomerization of allyl ethers to 1-propenyl ethers under neutral aqueous conditions. This process is an unique example of efficient and selective catalytic isomerization of allyl ethers in aqueous medium.     

Enantioselective Claisen rearrangements with a hydrogen-bond donor catalyst

N,N'-Diphenylguanidinium ion associated with the noncoordinating BArF counterion is shown to be an effective catalyst for the [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of a variety of substituted allyl vinyl ethers. Highly enantioselective catalytic Claisen rearrangements of ester-substituted allyl vinyl ethers are then documented using a new C2-symmetric guanidinium ion derivative.     

Stereoselective Isomerization of Unsymmetrical Diallyl Ethers to Allyl (E)-Vinyl Ethers by a Cationic Iridium Catalyst

The stereoselective isomerization of unsymmetrical diallyl ethers to allyl (E)-vinyl ethers was carried out in the presence of a cationic iridium(I) catalyst. The catalyst prepared in situ by treating [Ir(cod)(PPh₂Me)₂]PF₆ with hydrogen was found to be an excellent catalyst to selectively isomerize the less substituted allyl group to an (E)-vinyl ether.     

Tandem isomerization/Claisen transformation of allyl homoallyl and diallyl ethers into gamma,delta-unsaturated aldehydes with a new three component catalyst Ru3(CO)12/imidazolinium salt/Cs2CO3

The three component catalyst Ru3(CO)12/1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolinium chloride/Cs2CO3 (molar ratio 1:3:6) successively promotes both allyl to vinyl isomerization and Claisen rearrangement from allyl homoallyl and diallyl ethers to selectively afford gamma,delta-unsaturated aldehydes.     

Relative thermodynamic stabilities of isomeric alkyl allyl and alkyl (Z)-propenyl ethers

The relative thermodynamic stabilities of ten allyl ethers (ROCH₂CH=CH₂) and the corresponding isomeric (Z)-propenyl ethers (where R is an alkyl group, or a methoxysubstituted alkyl group) have been determined by chemical equilibration in DMSO solution with t-BuOK as catalyst. From the variation of the equilibrium constant with temperature, the values of the thermodynamic parameters ΔGΘ, ΔHΘ and ΔSΘ of isomerization at 298.15 K were evaluated. The propenyl ethers are highly favored at equilibrium, the values of both ΔGΘ and ΔHΘ for the allyl → propenyl reaction being ca. −18 to −25 kJ mol⁻¹. The favor of the propenyl ethers is increased by bulky alkyl substituents, and decreased by methoxy-substituted alkyl groups. In most cases the entropy contribution is negligible; however, for R = (MeO)₂CH and R = (MeO)₃C the values of ΔSΘ are ca. −5 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹.     

Access to Vinyl Ethers and Ketones with Hypervalent Iodine Reagents as Oxy‐Allyl Cation Synthetic Equivalents

We report an Umpolung strategy of enol ethers to generate oxy‐allyl cation equivalents based on the use of hypervalent iodine reagents. Under mild basic conditions, the addition of nucleophiles to aryloxy‐substituted vinylbenziodoxolone (VBX) reagents, easily available in two steps from silyl alkynes, resulted in the stereoselective formation of substituted aryl enol ethers. The reaction was most efficient with phenols as nucleophiles, but preliminary results were also achieved for C‐ and N‐ nucleophiles. In absence of external nucleophiles, the 2‐iodobenzoate group of the reagent was transferred. The obtained aryl enol ethers could then be transformed into α‐difunctionalized ketones by oxidation. The described “allyl cation”‐like reactivity contrast with the well‐established “vinyl‐cation” behavior of alkenyl iodonium salts.     

Substituent effects on the rate constants for the photo-Claisen rearrangement of allyl aryl ethers

The photochemistry of 11 substituted allyl 4-X- and 3-X-aryl ethers 3 (ArOCH2-CH=CH2) has been examined in both methanol and cyclohexane as solvents. The ethers react by the photo-Claisen rearrangement to give allyl substituted phenols as the major primary photoproducts, as expected from the well-established radical pair mechanism. The excited singlet state properties (absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, fluorescence quantum yields, and singlet lifetimes) were compared with a parallel set of unreactive 4-X- and 3-X-anisoles 4. The excited-state properties of three substituted 4-X-aryl 4-(1-butenyl) ethers 14 (ArOCH2CH2-CH=CH2) were also examined. The model compounds 4 and the reactive allyl ethers 3 have essentially identical rate constants for the excited-state processes with the exception of, the rate constant for homolytic cleavage from S(1) of the allyl ethers to give the radical pair. The difference between the fluorescence quantum yields and/or singlet lifetimes for 3 and 4 were used to obtain values of for all of the allyl ethers. These values exhibit a large substituent effect, spanning almost 2 orders of magnitude with electron-donating groups (CH3O, CH3) accelerating the reaction and electron-withdrawing ones (CN, CF3) slowing it down. The parallel range of rate constants observed in both methanol and cyclohexane indicates that ion pairs are not important intermediates in these rearrangements. Quantum yields of reaction (Phi(r)) for several of the more reactive ethers demonstrate that neither these values nor rate constants of reaction derived from them are reliable measures of the actual excited-state process. In fact, the values are significantly lower than the ones, indicating that the radical pairs undergo recombination to generate starting material. Finally, the rate constants were found to parallel a trend for the change in bond dissociation energy (deltaBDE) for the O-C (allyl) bond of the allyl ethers, indicating that other possible substituent effects are of minor importance.     

A mild deprotection strategy for allyl-protecting groups and its implications in sequence specific dendrimer synthesis

A mild deprotection strategy for allyl ethers under basic conditions in the presence of a palladium catalyst is described. Under these conditions, aryl allyl ethers can be cleaved selectively in the presence of alkyl allyl ethers. These conditions are also effective in the deprotection of allyloxycarbonyl groups. The utility of the current methodology in sequence specific dendrimer synthesis is demonstrated.     

SYNTHESIS OF ALKYL AND ARYL 1-PROPENYL ETHER MONOMERS: A NEW APPROACH

A new, convenient synthesis of alkyl and aryl 1-propenyl ether monomers in good to excellent yields has been developed. Alkyl and aryl allyl ethers can be smoothly isomerized to the desired 1-propenyl ethers by refluxing in a basic ethanolic solution containing pentacarbonyliron as a catalyst. A simplified two-step, one-pot procedure has also been developed which consists of combining an alcohol with allyl bromide in the presence of base and then adding pentacarbonyliron to isomerize the in-situ generated allyl ether to directly give the 1-propenyl ether. Good yields of alkyl 1-propenyl ethers were obtained using this process. Factors affecting the isomerization reaction were investigated and a mechanism was proposed.     

Transition metal-catalyzed isomerization and polymerization of allylic and enolic ethers

Alkyl allyl ethers undergo facile thermally induced isomerization to alkyl 1-propenyl ethers in the presence of Group VIII transition metal carbonyl compounds as catalysts. The addition of a silane containing a Si H bond to these systems results in a catalyst system that is capable of not only isomerizing the allyl ether to the 1-propenyl ether, but further results in the polymerization of these later compounds. High molecular weight polymers can be obtained directly from the alkyl allyl ether in a single step. The scope and limitations of these polymerizations are described. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2521–2532, 1997     

Access to Vinyl Ethers and Ketones with Hypervalent Iodine Reagents as Oxy-Allyl Cation Synthetic Equivalents

We report an Umpolung strategy of enol ethers to generate oxy-allyl cation equivalents based on the use of hypervalent iodine reagents. Under mild basic conditions, the addition of nucleophiles to aryloxy-substituted vinylbenziodoxolone (VBX) reagents, easily available in two steps from silyl alkynes, resulted in the stereoselective formation of substituted aryl enol ethers. The reaction was most efficient with phenols as nucleophiles, but preliminary results were also achieved for C- and N- nucleophiles. In absence of external nucleophiles, the 2-iodobenzoate group of the reagent was transferred. The obtained aryl enol ethers could then be transformed into α-difunctionalized ketones by oxidation. The described “allyl cation”-like reactivity contrast with the well-established “vinyl-cation” behavior of alkenyl iodonium salts.     

Simple and Highly Efficient Method for the Deprotection of Allyl Ethers Using Dimethylsulfoxide–Sodium Iodide

A simple and highly efficient method for deprotection of allyl ethers has been developed using dimethylsulfoxide–sodium iodide (catalytic amount). This method is inexpensive, has simple reaction conditions, has an easy workup procedure, proceduces excellent yields (60–99%), and is effective for several structurally varied allyl ethers.     

Dicobalt octacarbonyl-catalyzed cationic polymerization of allylic and enolic ethers

In the presence of silanes bearing Si H groups, dicobalt octacarbonyl [Co₂(CO)₈] efficiently catalyzes the cationic polymerization of a wide variety of enol ether and other related monomers including vinyl ethers, 1-propenyl ethers, 1-butenyl ethers, 2,3-dihydrofuran, 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran, ketene acetals, and allene ethers. In addition, this catalyst system is also effective for the polymerization of complimentary allylic and propargylic ethers by a process involving tandem isomerization and cationic polymerization. This latter process occurs by a stepwise mechanism in which the allylic or propargylic ether is first isomerized, respectively, to the corresponding enol ether or allenic ether and then this latter compound is rapidly cationically polymerized in the presence of the catalyst. In accord with this mechanism, it has been shown that the structure of the polymers prepared from related enol and allyl ethers using the above catalyst system are identical. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1579–1591, 1997