Ruthenium dihydride complexes as enyne metathesis catalysts

Ruthenium–catalyzed enyne metathesis is a reliable and efficient method for the formation of 1,3-dienes, a common structural motif in synthetic organic chemistry. The development of new transition-metal complexes competent to catalyze enyne metathesis reactions remains an important research area. This report describes the use of ruthenium (IV) dihydride complexes with the general structure RuH₂Cl₂(PR₃)₂ as new catalysts for enyne metathesis. These ruthenium (IV) dihydrides have been largely unexplored as catalysts in metathesis-based transformations. The reactivity of these complexes with 1,6 and 1,7-enynes was investigated. The observed reaction products are consistent with the metathesis activity occurring through a ruthenium vinylidene intermediate.     

Synthesis of dienynes from alkenes and diynes using ruthenium-mediated ring-closing metathesis

This communication describes a novel ruthenium-mediated transformation, which converts molecules containing alkenes and conjugated diynes such as 1-allyl-2-{[6-(2-allylphenoxy)-2,4-hexadiynyl]oxy}benzene into dienynes such as 3-[2-(2,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepin-3-yl)-1-methylene-2-propenyl]-2,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepine instead of the expected product 3-[2-(2,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepin-3-yl)ethynyl]-2,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepine.     

Recent advances in the synthetic and mechanistic aspects of the ruthenium-catalyzed carbon-heteroatom bond forming reactions of alkenes and alkynes

The group’s recent advances in catalytic carbon-to-heteroatom bond forming reactions of alkenes and alkynes are described. For the C-O bond formation reaction, a well-defined bifunctional ruthenium-amido catalyst has been successfully employed for the conjugate addition of alcohols to acrylic compounds. The ruthenium-hydride complex (PCy₃)₂(CO)RuHCl was found to be a highly effective catalyst for the regioselective alkyne-to-carboxylic acid coupling reaction in yielding synthetically useful enol ester products. Cationic ruthenium-hydride catalyst generated in-situ from (PCy₃)₂(CO)RuHCl/HBF₄·OEt₂ was successfully utilized for both the hydroamination and related C-N bond forming reactions of alkenes. For the C-Si bond formation reaction, regio- and stereoselective dehydrosilylation of alkenes and hydrosilylation of alkynes have been developed by using a well-defined ruthenium-hydride catalyst. Scope and mechanistic aspects of these carbon-to-heteroatom bond forming reactions are discussed.     

Synthesis of spirocyclic butenolides by ring closing metathesis

Spirocyclic butenolides were efficiently prepared by a ring closing metathesis strategy.     

Ene-yne-ene and ene-yne-yne metathesis of norbornene derivatives

Norbornene derivatives 4 and 5 containing sidechains bearing an internal alkyne and either a terminal alkene or a terminal alkyne were found to undergo a cascade of metathesis reactions when treated with ruthenium based metathesis catalysts to form highly functionalised pentacyclic products. The reactions illustrate an interesting difference in reactivity between Grubbs’ catalyst and the second generation catalyst, with the former being more reactive for the early steps of the cascade.     

Ring-rearrangement metathesis of bicyclic amino acid derivatives

In this letter, we describe the ring-rearrangement metathesis (RRM) of bicyclic amino acid derivatives. The procedure is of use for the synthesis of constrained amino acid and peptide derivatives with potential as reverse-turn inducers.     

Ligand manipulation and design for ruthenium metathesis and tandem metathesis-hydrogenation catalysis

Results of investigations into tandem ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)-hydrogenation are reviewed, in which hydrogen and 3-chloro-3-methyl-1-butyne provide simple chemical toggles to switch between metathesis and hydrogenation chemistry, enabling multiple tandem catalysis in chlorocarbon solvent. In the presence of methanol, hydrogenation of metathesis polymers can be carried out under 1 atm H₂. Issues of ligand design are examined in developing new Ru-diphosphine catalysts with improved selectivity, and an important decomposition pathway is identified for RuCl₂(PP)(CHR) systems (PP=chelating diphosphine).     

Homo- and copolymerizaton of norbornene and norbornene derivative with Ni- and Pd-based β-ketoiminato complexes and MAO

Neutral nickel(II) and palladium(II) complexes bearing β-ketoiminato ligand have been synthesized. The two complexes have been investigated as catalyst for the polymerization. Using methylaluminoxane (MAO) as a cocatalyst, both complexes produce vinyl-addition polynorbornenes, but palladium(II) complex displays much higher activity up to 8.0 × 10⁷ g/(molPd h). Furthermore, both Ni(II) and Pd(II)/MAO system can efficiently copolymerize norbornene and 5-norbornene-2-yl acetate (NB-OCOMe) in moderate yields and in relatively high molecular weights. The analyses of the product by FTIR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectra give the verification of vinyl addition copolymer. The copolymers show narrow molecular weight distribution and good solubility in common organic solvents.     

Enyne and dienyne metathesis reactions in β-carbolines

New indolic enynes and dienynes, based on the β-carboline system, give metathesis products with ruthenium catalysts. The synthesis of the starting materials is readily achieved from tryptamine. The tuning up of the conditions for the metathesis is discussed. Cascade metathesis gives an oxidized pentacyclic product.     

A simple oxidative procedure for the removal of ruthenium residues from metathesis reaction products

Ruthenium residues can be easily and rapidly removed from Grubbs metathesis products by washing with 15% aqueous hydrogen peroxide, which converts any ruthenium complexes into highly insoluble ruthenium dioxide, which then catalyzes the conversion of excess peroxide into water and oxygen. Ruthenium levels lower than 2 ppm can be routinely obtained; an additional advantage is that any phosphines are also rapidly oxidized to the corresponding, more polar phosphine oxides thereby facilitating their removal as well in many cases.     

Synthesis of N-heterocyclic compounds via ene-yne metathesis reactions

Propargylamino and allylamino derivatives of cyclohexene and norbornene were subjected to tandem metathesis reactions with first and second generation Grubbs' catalysts 1 and 2. Results show that the method is compatible with suitably protected nitrogen-containing compounds. Cyclohexenes gave intriguing results in terms of the possibility to perform ring rearrangement metathesis (RRM) reactions, showing a difference with the analogous allyl and propargyl ether substrates.     

A Concise, metathesis based approach to construction of the lepadiformine/cylindricine tricyclic framework

A tandem dienyne metathesis based strategy has been developed for construction of the core tricyclic framework found in the lepadiformine and cylindricine alkaloids. 2-Pentenyl-2-ethynylpyrollidine acrylamide that serves as the starting material for the key ruthenium carbene catalyzed metathesis process is prepared by using a concise route starting with l-proline.     

Living ring opening metathesis polymerization of mesogenic norbornene derivatives

A new class of SCLCPs was prepared by polymerizing mesogenic norbornene derivatives using Mo(CHCMe₂R)(N-2,6-C₆H₃-i-Pr₂)(O-t-Bu)₂ (R = CH₃ or Ph). Monomers based on norbornene ring systems were chosen because the rings are highly strained and therefore yield irreversible polymerizations. The Mo-alkylidene initiators were chosen because they initiate norbornene derivatives relatively fast and quantitatively, and provide stable chain ends which have low reactivity to both the internal double bonds of the polymer backbone and the functional groups present in the monomers. The apparent absence of termination and transfer reactions in ROMP results in polymerizations which appear to be living, and the fast initiation and irreversible chain growth leads to polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions in which the degree of polymerization is controlled by the ratio of monomer to initiator used. The resulting well-defined polymers were used to determine the most basic structure-property relationships of this new class of SCLCPs. The thermotropic behavior of both terminally attached and laterally attached SCLCPs based on polynorbornene backbones becomes independent of molecular weight at approximately 25 repeat units. In addition, polydispersity was found to have no effect on the breadth of nematic phase transitions in the terminally attached polymers, with the transition temperature determined simply by the number average degree of polymerization.     

Rapid assembly of the functionalized tricyclic core of umbellactal through domino metathesis involving ROM-RCM of a norbornene derivative

A novel approach to the construction of the functionalized core structure of the anticancer diterpene umbellactal is described using a domino metathesis protocol involving ROM-RCM of an appropriately constructed norbornene derivative.     

Annulated butanolides by ring closing metathesis of diallyltetronic acid derivatives

3,3-Diallyldihydrofuran-2,4-diones 5 with two identical allyl residues were obtained by Tsuji-Trost-type Pd-catalysed allylation of either 4-O-allyltetronates or 3-allyltetronic acids. Allylation of sodium 3-allyltetronate with a second allyl acetate gave mixed derivatives 5 as did the Claisen rearrangement of 4-O-allyl 3-allyltetronates 6 under microwave conditions. Compounds 5 and 6 were converted to butanolides with 3,3-spirocyclopentenyl or 3,4-cycloalkanyl annulation by ring closing metathesis with Grubbs catalysts.     

Ring opening metathesis polymerisations of norbornene and norbornadiene derivatives containing oxygen: a study on the regeneration of Grubbs catalyst

Ring opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) of norbornene and norbornadiene derivatives containing oxygen are investigated using Grubbs well-defined ruthenium initiator. A series of 7-alkoxy norbornadiene monomers (2b-d), containing alkoxy groups with decreasing steric hindrance in the 7-position have been prepared. The ROMP reactions of monomers showed that as the reaction proceeds the initiator is consumed first and then is partially regenerated at the expense of the propagating species. A small amount of another carbene species X, giving a broad signal at 17.44 ppm, is also formed which is extremely stable in solution. The species X is an active metathesis species and is able to perform ROMP on strained cyclic olefins. ROMP of monomers without alkoxy groups in the 7-position (3, 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b) and also monomers with alkoxy groups in the 5 and/or 6 positions of norbornene (6 and 7) have been performed under similar conditions. None of these systems exhibited regeneration of the initiator and no resonances due to species X can be seen in the ¹H NMR spectra. The results confirm that the presence of oxygen in the 7-position of the norbornadiene monomer plays an important role in the process of regeneration of the initiator. It is found that the steric bulk and the position of substituents of the monomer have a pronounced influence on the extent of regeneration of the initiator.     

Di(ethylene glycol) vinyl ether: a highly efficient deactivating reagent for olefin metathesis catalysts

A highly efficient method for deactivating commonly used olefin metathesis catalysts is described. Inexpensive and commercially available di(ethylene glycol) vinyl ether is found to quench both first- and second-generation Grubbs’ carbenes in less than 10 min at room temperature. The resulting ruthenium byproducts are readily removed by silica gel purification.     

Conversion of norbornene derivatives into vicinal-dithioethers via S8 activation

Norbornene reacts with elemental sulfur to give a mixture of trithiolane and pentathiepane. Sulfuration of norbornene derivatives was achieved with elemental sulfur, by using a catalytic amount of a nickel complex, to afford selectively the corresponding trithiolanes. The most effective catalytic system was Ni(NH₃)₆Cl₂ in dimethylformamide. The trithiolanes were reduced with super-hydride into 1,2-dithiolate salts, and quenched in situ to form vicinal-dithioethers.     

沸石催化剂上降冰片烯二聚（英文）

The high activity and selectivity of H‐Beta and H‐ZSM‐12 zeolites in the dimerization of norbornene was established.The norbornene conversion reached 100% in chlorinated paraffin and argon gas medium,with a selectivity of dimer formation of 88%–98%.Four stereo‐isomers of the bis‐2,2'‐norbornylidene structure were identified in the dimer fraction,with the(Z)‐anti‐bis‐2,2'‐norbornylidene prevailing over the others.     

Dimerization of norbornene on zeolite catalysts

The high activity and selectivity of H‐Beta and H‐ZSM‐12 zeolites in the dimerization of norbornene was established. The norbornene conversion reached 100%in chlorinated paraffin and argon gas medium, ...