Regioselective solvent-dependent benzannulation of conjugated enynes

The transformation of enynes under cobalt-catalysis leads to symmetrical benzannulation products in dichloromethane. In tetrahydrofuran the cobalt-catalysed reactions afforded the unprecedented unsymmetrical benzannulation products in moderate to good yields and good regioselectivities. In addition, cyclotrimerisation of the alkyne subunit can be realised when electron-deficient enynes are applied in the cobalt-catalysed transformations to generate 1,2,4-trivinylbenzene derivatives using tetrahydrofuran as solvent.     

Stannylative cycloaddition of enynes catalyzed by palladium-iminophosphine

Palladium-iminophosphine complex catalyzes stannylative cycloaddition of conjugated enynes using hexabutyldistannoxane as a stannylating agent to afford highly substituted 3-alkenylphenylstannanes regioselectively. Stannylative cross-cycloaddition reactions between different enynes or between enynes and diynes are also achieved. The reaction is successfully applied to a concise synthesis of alcyopterosin N, which has been isolated recently from sub-Antarctic soft coral, Alcyonium paessleri.     

Skeletal reorganization of enynes catalyzed by InCl3

[reaction: see text] The skeletal reorganization of enynes is achieved by the presence of InCl(3) as the catalyst. The reaction of enynes having a terminal acetylenic moiety proceeds in a stereospecific manner to give 1-vinylcycloalkenes. The reaction of enynes containing an alkyl group on the acetylenic terminal carbon resulted in a new type of skeletal reorganization to give 1-allylcycloalkenes, formation of which involves a double cleavage of the C-C double bond and the triple bond.     

Lewis acid-promoted cyclization of heteroatom-substituted enynes

Lewis acid-promoted cyclizations of heteroatom-substituted enynes have been examined. The reaction of enynes and bearing silicon substituents on an alkyne afforded the halogenated five-membered gamma-lactones and gamma-lactams as the main products. The reaction of substrates and having 2-phosphonoacrylate instead of malonate also gave halogenated five-membered cyclic compounds and as the major products. The cyclized products are highly substituted and potentially useful for further synthetic transformations.     

Fe‐catalyzed hydrohalogenative cyclization of cyclohexadienone‐containing enynes

A Fe‐catalyzed hydrohalogenative cyclization of cyclohexadienone‐containing 1,n‐enynes to give three different types of compounds is discussed. 1,6‐enynes with a stoichiometric amount of FeX₃ provided cis‐hydrobenzofurans with moderate stereoselectivity, whereas the reaction with TMSX (X = Cl, Br) as the halide source in the presence of Fe catalyst improved the stereoselectivity of halide addition highly. The alkyl vs aryl shows difference that the reaction of 1,6‐enynes bearing an alkylethynyl group gave meta alkenated phenols (2 examples) whereas a similar reaction of 1,6‐enynes with an arylethynyl group delivered only cis‐hydrobenzofurans (12 examples). 1,7‐enynes afforded tricyclic products (4 examples). The different reactivity of 1,6‐ and 1,7‐enynes is probably influenced by the formation of a six‐membered chair‐like intermediate in 1,6‐enynes.     

Nickel-catalyzed coupling of allyl chlorides and enynes

The Ni-catalyzed coupling of allyl chlorides and enynes has been developed; the cyclization of enynes was triggered by the addition of pi-allylnickel species to the alkyne part, followed by the incorporation of the alkene part.     

Conjugated enynes as a new type of substrates for olefin metathesis

[reaction: see text] It has been demonstrated for the first time that conjugated enynes can be employed as a facile substrate in olefin metathesis with the use of a bispyridine-substituted ruthenium benzylidene catalyst. Cross-metathesis of the enynes with alkenes turns out to proceed with preferential formation of (Z)-isomers over (E)-isomers up to >25:1 in moderate to good yields. The intramolecular version of conjugated enynes affords novel butadienyl cycloalkenes, which are a highly useful synthetic building blocks, in acceptable yields.     

Skeletal reorganization of enynes to 1-vinylcycloalkenes catalyzed by GaCl(3)

The skeletal reorganization of enynes is achieved by the presence of GaCl3 as the catalyst. This reaction demonstrates the first example of the skeletal reorganization of enynes catalyzed by typical metal complexes. The process is simple and provides a diverse range of enynes in good to high yields. The reaction of enynes bearing a monosubstituent at the terminal olefinic carbon proceeds in a stereospecific manner with respect to the geometry of the olefin moiety. Enynes, bearing two substituents at the olefinic terminal carbon, undergo an efficient skeletal reorganization, these substrates having been known to be unsuitable substrates for the skeletal reorganization of enynes.     

Copper-catalyzed functionalization of enynes

The copper-catalyzed functionalization of enyne derivatives has recently emerged as a powerful approach in contemporary synthesis. Enynes are versatile and readily accessible substrates that can undergo a variety of reactions to yield densely functionalized, enantioenriched products. In this perspective, we review copper-catalyzed transformations of enynes, such as boro- and hydrofunctionalizations, copper-mediated radical difunctionalizations, and cyclizations. Particular attention is given to the regiodivergent functionalization of 1,3-enynes, and the current mechanistic understanding of such processes.

The copper-catalyzed functionalization of enynes is a powerful approach to yield densely functionalized products. This review covers various transformations, such as boro- and hydrofunctionalizations, copper-mediated radical difunctionalizations, and cyclizations.     

Thiophenol promoted cyclization of enynes

Vinyl radicals generated by the addition of thiophenol to enynes have been shown to cyclize regioselectively giving cyclohexylidene thioethers.     

Base-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of conjugated enynes

A de novo intramolecular hydroamination of conjugated enynes was developed using commercially available n-BuLi as a precatalyst. This hydroamination reaction successfully afforded allenyl-substituted pyrrolidines with up to 95% yield. One of the resulting allenyl pyrrolidines was converted to the natural products irniine and irnidine in three steps.     

Substituent effects on the Z/E-selectivity in cross-metathesis of conjugated enynes

Cross-metathesis of a range of conjugated enynes with alkenes turns out to proceed with preferential formation of Z-isomers over E-isomers up to >25:1. Careful studies including substrate modification and control experiments revealed that the reaction proceeds under kinetic rather than thermodynamic control. Driving forces for this substrate-dependent Z-selectivity are attributed to the steric hindrance between substituents on the reacting enynes and NHC ligand of the ruthenium catalyst in the putative metallacyclobutane, as well as chelation effects of suitably positioned functional groups to Ru, which is strongly supported by ab initio calculations.     

Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of silyl-substituted enynes

Treatment of 1-ethynyl-1-phenyltetramethyldisilane, ethynyldimethylphenylsilane and ethynylmethyldiphenhlsilane with tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) at 100°C gave the corresponding enyne by head-to-head coupling, as the single regioisomer in high yield. Ethynyl-substituted mono- and di-silanes that have no phenyl group on the ethynylsilicon atom, however, afforded the enynes only in low yields.     

Skeletal reorganization of enynes into 1-vinylcycloalkenes in ionic liquids

The skeletal reorganization of enynes catalyzed by transition metal chlorides, such as PtCl(2), [RuCl(2)(CO)(3)](2), [RhCl(CO)(2)](2), and AuCl(3), in ionic liquids proceeds under milder conditions (at lower reaction temperatures and for shorter reaction times) than those needed for ordinary solvents. The products produced by the skeletal reorganization of enynes were easily removed from the catalyst by a simple extraction with Et(2)O or distillation. The PtCl(2) can be reused up to five times.     

Efficient and Z-selective cross-metathesis of conjugated enynes

[reaction: see text] The generation of a conjugated alkynyl alkylidene has been achieved using an allyl ether moiety as an intramolecular catalyst delivery vehicle. The reaction of this intermediate with alkenes and alkynes yields conjugated enynes with Z-selectivity.     

Electrophilic activation and cycloisomerization of enynes: a new route to functional cyclopropanes

Transformations of enynes in the presence of transition-metal catalysts have played an important role in the preparation of a variety of cyclic compounds. Recent developments in the activation of triple carbon-carbon bonds by electrophilic metal centers have provided a new entry to the selective synthesis of cyclopropane derivatives from enynes. The mechanisms of these reactions involve catalytic species with both ionic and cyclopropylcarbenoid character. This type of activation will undoubtedly be further developed for application to other unsaturated hydrocarbons and inspire new catalytic cascade reaction sequences. This Minireview discusses the recent developments in electrophilic activation of enynes and shows that simple catalysts such as [Ru(3)(CO)(12)], PtCl(2), and cationic gold complexes are efficient precursors to promote the formation of functional polyclic compounds.     

The mechanistic puzzle of transition-metal-catalyzed skeletal rearrangements of enynes

Three pathways actually compete in metal-catalyzed cyclizations of enynes in which the metal selectively activates the alkyne: an endocyclic process and two exo-cyclizations, one proceeding by anti attack of the alkene and a second one resulting in a syn addition. Although cyclobutenes may be formed in transition-metal-catalyzed cyclization of some enynes, particularly, 1,7-enynes, these compounds are not necessarily the intermediates in the skeletal rearrangement. Cyclobutenes are formed by ring expansion of syn-cyclopropyl metal-carbenes formed in the syn pathway.     

Cycloisomerization of enynes via rhodium vinylidene-mediated catalysis

A novel rhodium-catalyzed cycloisomerization has been developed which converts various acyclic enynes to their cyclic diene isomers with endoselectivity. Both [RhCl(COD)]2/P(4-FC6H4)3 and RhCl(PPh3)3 catalyst systems are effective in promoting the C-C bond-forming cyclization of enynes to furnish carbo- and heterocycles in good to excellent yield. Deuterium labeling studies suggest that the reaction proceeds through the formation of a rhodium vinylidene followed by subsequent [2 + 2] cycloaddition with the alkene and ring-opening of the resulting rhodacyclobutane. These mechanistic studies reevaluate a previously proposed reaction pathway and lead to the discovery of a new cycloisomerization reaction that involves migration of silyl and selenyl substituents at the alkyne of enyne substrates upon cyclization.     

Palladium-catalyzed tandem fluorination and cyclization of enynes

A novel palladium-catalyzed tandem fluorination and cyclization of enynes has been developed. A favorable cis-fluoropalladation is proposed as a key step to construct a vinyl-F bond, and the final C(sp3)-Pd bond is reduced by alcohol. This transformation represents an efficient road to synthesize fluorinated lactams.     

Au(I)-catalyzed cyclization of enynes bearing an olefinic cycle

Gold(I)-catalyzed cyclization of enynes containing an olefinic cycle has been studied. The introduction of an olefinic ring instead of a terminal alkene in enynes dramatically increased the yield of the reaction. Enynes having an olefinic cycle were prepared by a rhodium-catalyzed intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition of diynes with butadiene. Consecutive rhodium-catalyzed Diels-Alder/gold(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerization reactions were integrated in a one-pot reaction.