Carbon-centered strong bases in phosphonium ionic liquids

Phosphonium ionic liquids (PhosILs), most notably tetradecyl(trihexyl)phosphonium decanoate (PhosIL-C(9)H(1)9COO), are solvents for bases such as Grignard reagents, isocyanides, Wittig reagents (phosphoranes), and N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). The stability of the organometallic species in PhosIL solution is anion dependent. Small bases, such as hydroxide, react with the phosphonium ions and promote C-H exchange as suggested by deuterium-labeling studies. A method to dry and purify the ionic liquids is described and this step is important for the successful use of basic reagents in PhosIL. NHCs have been generated in PhosIL, and these persistent solutions catalyze organic transformations such as the benzoin condensation and the Kumada-Corriu cross-coupling reaction. Phosphoranes were generated in PhosIL, and their reactivity with various organic reagents was also tested. Inter-ion contacts involving tetraalkylphosphonium ions have been assessed, and the crystal structure of [(n-C(4)H(90)(4)P][CH(3)CO(2).CH(3)CO(2)H] has been determined to aid the discussion. Decomposition of organometallic compounds may also proceed through electron-transfer processes that, inter alia, may lead to decomposition of the IL, and hence the electrochemistry of some representative phosphonium and imidazolium ions has been studied. A radical derived from the electrochemical reduction of an imidazolium ion has been characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.     

Grignard reagents in ionic solvents: electron transfer reactions and evidence for facile Br-Mg exchange

Grignard reagents form persistent solutions in phosphonium ionic liquids possessing O-donor anions and these solutions are excellent reaction media for electron transfer processes and transmetallation reactions.     

Versatile method for introduction of bulky substituents to alkoxychlorosilanes

The reactions of various alkoxytrichlorosilanes prepared in situ from tetrachlorosilane and alcohols, with Grignard reagents bearing a bulky substituent such as the isopropyl, sec-butyl, and cyclohexyl group afforded triisopropyl-, tri(sec-butyl)-, and tricyclohexylalkoxysilane in high yields. The reactions of n-butoxytrichlorosilane with these Grignard reagents produced triisopropyl-, tri(sec-butyl)-, and tricyclohexyl(n-butoxy)silane in 94%, 96%, and 92% yields, respectively. Methoxymethyldichlorosilane reacted with the same Grignard reagents to give diisopropyl-, di(sec-butyl)-, and dicyclohexylmethoxymethylsilane in 84%, 83%, and 83% yields. Treatment of methoxydimethylchlorosilane with the Grignard reagents readily afforded isopropyl-, sec-butyl-, and cyclohexylmethoxydimethylsilane in excellent yields. Similar treatment of methoxydimethylchlorosilane with tert-butylmagnesium chloride gave tert-butylmethoxydimethylsilane in 62% yield.     

Synthesis of C2-symmetrical chiral diamines: diastereoselective addition to bis(1,3-oxazolidinyl)alkanes with Grignard reagents

Asymmetric syntheses of C₂-symmetrical chiral 1,4- and 1,5-diamines with stereogenic centers adjacent to the nitrogen atom have been accomplished. Chiral diamines were prepared by diastereoselective alkylations of bisoxazolidine, which was derived from (R)-phenylglycinol. Methyl and phenyl Grignard reagents were employed as alkylating reagents. In addition, tertiary chiral diamines were readily converted to primary diamines in high yield.     

Stereoselective synthesis of isoindolinones and tert-butyl sulfoxides

A reaction of Grignard reagents with an optically pure N-sulfinylimine derived from methyl 2-formylbenzoate yields enantioenriched isoindolinones and tert-butyl sulfoxides. The products are formed by the addition of the nucleophile to N-sulfinylimine followed by cyclization to form N-tert-butylsulfinylisoindolinone, which readily undergoes substitution with a second equivalent of Grignard reagent. The reaction can be carried out in dichloromethane at room temperature or at elevated temperatures without any loss of stereoselectivity. The use of nucleophiles other than Grignard reagents has also been investigated.     

5,6-Trimethylenethiapyrylium and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrothiochromylium salts

5,6-Trimethylenethiapyrylium salts have been obtained for the first time. 5,6-Trimethyleneγ-thiopyrans (or 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-γ-thiochromenes), which belong to a previously unknown series of two-ring sulfides, are formed by reaction of the 5,6-trimethylenethiapyrylium salts (or 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrothiochromylium salts) with Grignard reagents and lithium aluminum hydride.     

Highly stereoselective synthesis of 6-perfluoroalkyl-6-fluoroalka-2,3,5-(Z)-trienols through carbometallation-elimination of 5-perfluoroalkyl-substituted 4(E)-alken-2-ynols with Grignard reagents

A highly regio- and stereoselective sequential carbometallation and Z-selective β-elimination reaction of 5-perfluoroalkyl-4(E)-en-2-ynols with Grignard reagents in Et₂O has been developed to afford various 6-perfluoroalkyl-6-fluoroalka-2,3,5(Z)-trienols in good to excellent yields. Primary or secondary alkyl or aryl Grignard reagents may be used to introduce the R² group to the 2-position of the starting materials referring to the hydroxyl group. A mechanism for this transformation has been proposed.     

Highly diastereoselective conjugate additions of monoorganocopper reagents to chiral imides

Stereoselective conjugate additions to chiral N-enoyl amides employing various monoorganocuprate reagents, Li[RCuI], are described. The presence of TMSI in the addition of Li[RCuI] in THF provided the highest stereoselectivities. Reversed major diastereomeric ratios were obtained employing Li[RCuI] in ether or conventional copper-promoted Grignard reagents. The results presented support the favored anti-s-cis conformation of the substrates using Li[RCuI]/TMSI in THF, while the copper-promoted Grignard reagents or the Li[RCuI] reagents in ether favor the opposite syn-s-cis conformation. Influence of lithium ions on the stereoselective conjugate addition of the monoorganocuprate reagent, Li[BuCuI], has been investigated and two different mechanistic pathways are presented. The results show that iodotrimethylsilane (TMSI) is crucial for the asymmetric conjugate addition of the copper reagent, but only in THF or when 12-crown-4 is used. The reaction is thought not to involve any halosilane in any critical steps in the organocopper mechanisms conducted in ether. The (CuI)₄(SMe₂)₃ complex precursor plays an instrumental role for the conjugate addition using monoorganocopper reagents.     

Absolute asymmetric synthesis of "chiral-at-metal" Grignard reagents and transfer of the chirality to carbon

Two new six-coordinate Grignard reagents, cis-[(p-CH(3)C(6)H(4))MgBr(dme)(2)] (1) and cis-[MgCH(3)(thf)(dme)(2)]I (2), have been synthesized and their crystal structures have been determined. Both reagents are cis-octahedral and therefore chiral. They crystallize as conglomerates and racemize rapidly in solution. By utilizing these properties, the absolute asymmetric synthesis of specifically the Delta or the Lambda enantiomer was achieved for both Grignard reagents. Enantiopure 1 and 2 were then reacted with butyraldehyde or benzaldehyde to give the corresponding alcohol in up to 22 % enantiomeric excess. At -60 degrees C, the Grignard reagents crystallize as racemic phases instead of conglomerates. Consequently, the crystal structures of rac-cis-[(p-CH(3)C(6)H(4))MgBr(dme)(2)].DME (3) and rac-cis-[MgCH(3)(thf)(dme)(2)]I (4) could be determined.     

PhI(OAc)2-mediated iminobromination for synthesis of bromomethyl cyclic imines starting from alkenyl carbonitriles and Grignard reagents

PhI(OAc)₂-mediated iminobromination was developed starting from alkenyl carbonitriles and Grignard reagents. The present transformation is carried out by a sequence of nucleophilic addition of Grignard reagents to alkenyl carbonitriles to form N-H imines and their iminohalogenation by subsequent treatment with PhI(OAc)₂.     

Added-metal-free catalytic nucleophilic addition of Grignard reagents to ketones

On the basis of the investigation of the combinational effect of quaternary ammonium salts and organic bases, an added-metal-free catalytic system for nucleophilic addition reactions of a variety of Grignard reagents to diverse ketones in THF solvent has been developed to produce tertiary alcohols in good to excellent yields. By using tetrabutylammonium chloride (NBu(4)Cl) as a catalyst and diglyme (DGDE) as an additive, this system strongly enhances the efficiency of addition at the expense of enolization and reduction. NBu(4)Cl should help to shift the Schlenk equilibrium of Grignard reagents to the side of dimeric Grignard reagents to favor the additions of Grignard reagents to ketones via a favored six-membered transition state to form the desired tertiary alcohols, and DGDE should increase the nucleophilic reactivities of Grignard reagents by coordination. This catalytic system has been applied in the efficient synthesis of Citalopram, an effective U.S. FDA-approved antidepressant, and a recyclable version of this catalytic synthesis has also been devised.     

The stereochemistry of the Grignard — Ortho ester reaction revisited: Regioselective endocyclic cleavage in the reaction of Grignard reagents with cis-2-methoxy-4-methyl-1,3-dioxane

The reaction of cis-2-methoxy-4-methyl-1,3-dioxane (4) with Grignard reagents proceeds in a totally regioselective manner via rupture of the less congested C(2)O(1) bond remote from the 4-methyl substituent. The analogous r-2-methoxy-cis-4,cis-6-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane (2) is totally inert to the action of Grignard reagents.     

An efficient asymmetric synthesis of (S)-2-cyclohexyl-2-phenylglycolic acid, the acid segment of oxybutynin

An innovative and facile synthesis of the title compound has been developed starting from (R)-cyclohexylidene glyceraldehyde. The key step in the synthesis is a chiral template-driven Grignard addition with absolute diastereocontrol. The other attractive features are the operational simplicity and the use of inexpensive compounds/reagents.     

Some new aspects of conjugate addition of grignard and alkyllithium reagents to vinylsilanes

A structure and reactivity relationship has been determined on the reaction of isopropyl and n-butyl Grignard reagents and n-butyllithium with vinyl-(alkoxy)silanes and (amino)silanes. The addition to the vinyl group has been analyzed in terms of the nucleophile HOMO-vinyl group LUMO interaction.     

Alkynenitriles: stereoselective chelation controlled conjugate addition-alkylations

Chelation-controlled conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to γ-hydroxyalkynenitriles stereoselectively generates tri- and tetra-substituted alkenenitriles. t-BuMgCl-initiated deprotonation of hydroxyalkynenitriles followed by addition of a second Grignard reagents triggers a facile conjugate addition leading to a cyclic magnesium chelate. Protonation of the chelate stereoselectively generates trisubstituted nitriles whereas the addition of t-BuLi causes conversion to an ‘ate’ complex that allows alkylation with aldehyde electrophiles. The chelation-controlled conjugate addition-alkylation generates tri- and tetra-substituted alkenenitriles that are otherwise difficult to synthesize.     

Copper-catalysed meso-bislactone ring opening using Grignard and mixed triorganozinc reagents

An efficient copper-mediated S_N2′ ring-opening reaction of a meso-bislactone has been developed using Grignard reagents and, for the first time, mixed triorganozinc reagents.     

An insight into copper catalyzed allylation of alkyl zinc halides. Comparison of reactivity profiles for catalytic and stoichiometric alkylzinc-copper reagents

The γ-selective allylation of catalytic and stoichiometric alkylzinc-cuprates have been kinetically studied. The reactivity profiles generated by allylation reactions of n-butylzinc chloride catalyzed by CuX compounds (X = I, Br, Cl, CN, SCN) and also catalyzed by n-butylzinc-copper reagents and di n-butylzinc-copper reagents were evaluated. Reactivity profiles for allylation of stoichiometric n-butylzinc-copper reagents and di n-butylzinc-copper reagents were also prepared. All CuX compounds have been screened for the preparation of Grignard reagent derived n-butylzinc-copper reagents and di n-butylzinc-copper reagents.The evaluation of the profiles indicates that the active catalyst might be RCu(X)ZnCl and also to some degree, R₂CuZnCl · ZnClX, which both could favor formation of γ-product. All data supports the reductive elimination of σ-allyl Cu (III) complex formed at vinylic terminal to give γ-allylated product with a quite slow isomerization to σ-allyl Cu (III) complex formed at allylic terminal to give α-allylated product. In the allylation mechanism of zinc cuprates, the role of counter ion, ZnCl⁺ has been discussed.     

Highly enantioselective Cu(I)-Tol-BINAP-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to α,β-unsaturated esters

The copper-catalyzed conjugate addition (CA) of organometallic reagents to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is one of the most versatile synthetic methods for the construction of C-C bonds. Interestingly, the application of Grignard reagents, which are among the most widely used of organometallic compounds, in asymmetric conjugate addition (CA) reactions has received less attention. Therefore, our group and others have been exploring better catalytic systems to effect the asymmetric 1,4-conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to α,β-unsaturated esters. It is only in the past decade that significant breakthroughs have been made in this field. In our studies, we found that CuI-Tol-BINAP could catalyze the asymmetric conjugate addition (CA) reactions of Grignard reagents, including the addition of MeMgBr to α,β-unsaturated esters to afford the β-methylated esters in good yields with excellent regio- and enantioselectivities. Both enantiomers of the products could be obtained by either using the enantiomers of the chiral Tol-BINAP or by using the geometrical isomer of the starting material. This method is also suitable for other Michael acceptors. In this article, we describe the development of the asymmetric Cu(I)-Tol-BINAP catalyzed 1,4-conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to α,β-unsaturated esters and applications of this chemistry. This method provides a convenient method to synthesize β-alkyl esters with high enantioselectivity or diastereoselectivity using CuI and the inexpensive chiral ligand, Tol-BINAP.     

Rapid Ti(Oi-Pr)4 facilitated synthesis of α,α,α-trisubstituted primary amines by the addition of Grignard reagents to nitriles under microwave heating conditions

A series of carbinamines (α,α,α-trisubstituted amines) have been prepared in a simple and efficient one-pot procedure by the addition of Grignard reagents to a series of aliphatic, aromatic and heteroaromatic nitriles. The resulting magnesium imines are subsequently converted to the desired amine after treatment with Ti(Oi-Pr)₄ and additional microwave heating. Key to this procedure is the use of microwave heating for both steps of the reaction protocol, which significantly improves both reaction yields and reduces reaction times. In general, the Grignard addition reaction is complete within 5-10 min at 100 °C followed by conversion with Ti(Oi-Pr)₄ and additional microwave heating to give the target amines in good yields.     

Probing the reactivity of nebularine N1-oxide. A novel approach to C-6 C-substituted purine nucleosides

A novel approach to the synthesis of purine nucleoside analogues, featuring the reaction of the C6-N1-O⁻ aldonitrone moiety of 9-ribosyl-purine (nebularine) N1-oxide with some representative dipolarophiles, as well as Grignard reagents, is reported. Addition of Grignard reagents to the electrophilic C-6 carbon of the substrate allows a facile access to C-6 C-substituted purine nucleosides without using metal catalysts. 1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition processes lead to novel nucleoside analogues via opening, degradation or ring-enlargement of the pyrimidine ring of the base system of the first-formed isoxazoline or isoxazolidine cycloadduct.