Rhenium-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective addition of imines to terminal alkynes leading to N-alkylideneallylamines

The reaction of terminal alkynes with imines using ReBr(CO)(5) as a catalyst results in the production of N-alkylideneallylamines and not the conventional propargylamines. The substituent on the imine nitrogen is important, and a diphenylmethyl group gave the best result. The catalytic cycle of this regioselective C-C bond forming reaction appears to involve the formation of an alkynyl rhenium species and subsequent nucleophilic attack of the alkynyl β-carbon atom on the imine carbon to give a vinylidene rhenium species.     

Ru-catalyzed stereoselective addition of imides to alkynes

A catalyst system formed in situ from bis(2-methylallyl)cycloocta-1,5-dieneruthenium(II) ((cod)Ru[met]2), a phosphine, and scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate (Sc(OTf)3) was found to efficiently catalyze the anti-Markovnikov addition of imides to terminal alkynes, allowing mild and atom-economic synthesis of enimides. Depending on the phosphine employed, both the (E)- and the (Z)-isomer can be accessed stereoselectively.     

Efficient stereoselective nucleophilic addition of pyrroles to chiral nitrones

Regioselective additions of pyrroles to a variety of optically active nitrones under smooth acidic conditions lead to chiral pyrrolic N-hydroxylamines in good to excellent yields. Depending on the position of the chirality on the nitrone partner, the addition products have been isolated with high diastereoselectivity levels. Reaction of glyoxylate based chiral nitrones either at the C-2 or at the C-3 position of the pyrrole nucleus afforded N-hydroxyamino esters in high yields as single diastereoisomers. These adducts allow access to enantio-enriched non proteinogenic 2'- and 3'-pyrrolylglycines (13 and 19 respectively).     

Rhenium-catalyzed regiodivergent addition of indoles to terminal alkynes

An efficient rhenium-catalyzed site-switchable addition of indoles to terminal alkynes is described. A variety of bisindolylalkane derivatives are expeditiously synthesized in high yields with excellent regioselectivity. Preliminary mechanistic study sheds light on the observed regiodivergent addition.     

Palladium-catalyzed conjugate addition of terminal alkynes to enones

A practical protocol for the hydroalkynylation of enones using Pd catalysis is reported. The reaction proceeds efficiently with a variety of alkynes as well as with several cyclic and acyclic enones, providing synthetically relevant β-alkynyl ketones in good to excellent yields.     

Base-mediated regio- and stereoselective intermolecular addition of alkynes to N-heterocycles

The regio- and stereoselective addition of N-heterocycles to alkynes using KOH is reported. Formation of (Z)-isomers and their conversion to (E)-products were found to be dependent upon time as well as the choice of base. Selective attack of N-heterocycles on a more electrophilic alkynyl carbon was supported by DFT calculations, and the stereochemistry of the products was established by X-ray crystallographic studies and intramolecular cyclization of ortho-haloalkynes in indolo-[2,1-a]isoquinolines.     

Pt-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective pyridylthiolation of terminal alkynes

Three-component cross-coupling reactions among 3-iodopyridynes, terminal alkynes and ArSK took place in the presence of Pt-catalyst to give pyridine derivatives with conjugated vinyl groups in moderate yields.     

Regio- and stereoselective hydrosilylation of immobilized terminal alkynes

Regio- and stereoselective hydrosilylation of terminal alkynes on solid support using diisopropyl hydrosilanes yielding β-(E)-vinyl silanes with excellent selectivity is reported. The hydrosilylation is catalyzed by Pt(DVDS)/P(ⁱBuNCH₂CH₂)₃N (DVDS = 1,3-divinyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-disiloxane), in which the bulky proazaphosphatrane ligand plays a key role for the selectivity. The immobilized products are characterized with gel phase¹³C NMR and ¹H high resolution magic angle spinning NMR.     

Enantioselective addition of terminal alkynes to isolated isoquinoline iminiums

[reaction: see text] The asymmetric, catalytic addition of terminal alkynes to discrete alkyliminium species in the presence of copper bromide, QUINAP ligand, and triethylamine is reported. The reaction proceeds in high yield and high enantiomeric excess with a variety of substrates in solution and is also amenable to solid-phase synthesis.     

Highly stereoselective one-pot procedure to prepare bis- and tris-chalcogenide alkenes via addition of disulfides and diselenides to terminal alkynes

We present here the reaction of diorganoyl dichalcogenides with terminal alkynes under catalyst-free conditions, by a one-pot procedure, to prepare bis- and tris-chalcogenide alkenes selectively, avoiding the previous preparation of chalcogen alkynes. The reaction proceeded cleanly under mild reaction conditions, and the addition of dichalcogenides to alkynes occurred stereoselectively to give exclusively the corresponding Z isomers. We observed that the selectivity control was governed by the effective participation of the hydroxyl group from propargyl alcohols. In addition, the bis-chalcogenide alkenes were exclusively obtained with propargyl alcohol having the acidic hydroxyl group proton. Conversely, the alkynes with no potentially acidic hydroxyl group proton, at propargyl positions, gave exclusively the tris-chalcogenide alkenes.     

Free radical telluroacylative addition of telluroesters to terminal alkynes

Vinyl selenides and tellurides are important precursors of many kinds of organic compounds, particular the substituted alkenes that occurred in many biologically active compounds as skeleton structures. Thus the study of vinyl selenides and tellurides has attracted considerable attention in recent years. The bifunctional addition reactions involving selenium and tellurium moieties are the latest methods for preparation of vinyl selenides with various functional groups. Recently we have reported the selenocarbonylation of alkynes with selenoesters catalyzed by cuprous halides. Nevertheless the similar bifunctional addition involving tellurium atoms has not been reported. Considering the C-Te bonds are easier to be broken than corresponding C-Se bonds, the vinyl tellurides containing electron-withdrawing groups may have particular reactivity and application in the preparation of substituted alkenes. Herein we describe the synthesis of β-aryltelluro-α,β-unsaturated ketones via bifunctional addition.     

Intermolecular radical addition of alkylthio- and arylthiodiphenylphosphines to terminal alkynes

Intermolecular radical thiophosphination of terminal alkynes with alkylthio- and arylthiophosphines affords 1-thio-2-phosphino-1-alkenes in good yields. The addition reaction proceeds predominantly in an anti fashion to yield E isomers.     

Facile and selective copper-palladium catalyzed addition of terminal alkynes to activated alkynes in water

The combination of palladium and copper catalyzes the addition of terminal alkynes to electron-deficient alkynes selectively and effectively in water without the competition of terminal alkynes’ homo-coupling.     

Highly stereoselective method to prepare bis-phenylchalcogen alkenes via addition of chalcogenolate to phenylseleno alkynes

The preparation of bis-phenylchalcogen alkenes starting from phenylseleno alkynes is described. The nucleophilic species of selenium, tellurium and sulfur were generated in situ from the reaction of the respective diphenyl dichalcogenide with NaBH₄ in PEG-400 as solvent. The chalcogenolate anions were efficiently and selectively added to a variety of phenylselenoalkynes at mild conditions, furnishing the respective (Z)-1,2-bis-phenylchalcogen alkenes in good yields.     

Iridium complex-catalyzed addition of water and alcohols to non-activated terminal alkynes

The addition of water and alcohols to non-activated terminal alkynes was found to be promoted by an iridium complex combined with Lewis acid and phosphite. Thus, terminal alkynes reacted with water or alcohols to give ketones or ketals, respectively, in good to excellent yields. α,ω-Diyne like 1,7-octadiyne was converted into 1-(2-methyl-cyclopent-1-enyl)ethanone through the intramoleculer aldol condensation of the resulting 2,7-octanedione induced by Lewis acid.     

Iridium-catalyzed addition of aroyl chlorides and aliphatic acid chlorides to terminal alkynes

Iridium complexes show high catalytic activity in intermolecular additions of acid chlorides to terminal alkynes to afford valuable (Z)-β-chloro-α,β-unsaturated ketones. Ligands in the catalytic system play a crucial role in this reaction. An N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) is an efficient ligand for the addition of aroyl chlorides, while dicyclohexyl(2-methylphenyl)phosphine (PCy(2)(o-Tol)) is indispensable for the reaction of aliphatic acid chlorides. The addition reactions proceed regio- and stereoselectively with suppression of decarbonylation and β-hydrogen elimination, which have been two major intrinsic problems in transition-metal-catalyzed reactions. Stoichiometric reactions of active iridium catalysts with aroyl chlorides and aliphatic acid chlorides are carried out to gain insights into the reaction mechanisms.     

The first conjugate addition reaction of terminal alkynes catalytic in copper: conjugate addition of alkynes in water

We document that alkynyl copper reagents generated under aqueous conditions from terminal acetylenes, catalytic Cu(OAc)2, and sodium ascorbate undergo additions to Meldrum's acid-derived Michael acceptors at room temperature (Scheme 1). The additions are not only novel, but also constitute the first example of the conjugate addition reaction of an acetylide catalytic in copper.