Rhodium(II) carbene-mediated modification of 2-deoxystreptamine surrogates

Rhodium(II)-catalyzed decomposition of carbene precursors grafted to the alcohol of diaminocyclopentanols promotes clean formation of a C-N bond via 1,6-insertion into an adjacent carbamate or azide. These modifications of 2-deoxystreptamine surrogates might give rise to aminoglycoside mimics where the two nitrogen atoms will be differentiated.     

One-pot synthesis of furo[2,3-h]quinoline and furo[2,3-h]isoquinoline derivatives using Fischer carbene complex

A new route for the synthesis of furo[2,3-h]quinoline and furo[2,3-h]isoquinoline derivatives have been explored through the coupling of carbene complexes with pyridine-bridged enynes. This reaction process, involving the annulation of both furan and benzene ring on to a pre-existing pyridine ring is highly efficient in the presence of triphenylphosphine as ligand additive.     

Ruthenium carbene complexes containing bidentate and tridentate PO ligands

Treatment of [Ru(CHR)Cl₂(PCy₃)₂] (Cy = cyclohexyl) with Tl[N(Pr₂ⁱPO)₂] and AgL_OEt (L_OEt⁻ = [CpCo{P(O)(OEt)₂}₃]⁻) afforded the Ru carbene complexes [Ru(CHPh)(PCy₃)Cl{N(Pr₂ⁱPO)₂}] (1) and [L_OEtRu(CHR)(PCy₃)Cl] (2), respectively. Chloride abstraction of complex 2 with TlPF₆ in MeCN afforded [L_OEtRu(CHPh)(PCy₃)(MeCN)][PF₆] (3). Complexes 1 and 2 are capable of catalyzing ring-closing metathesis of diethyl 1,2-diallylmalonate. The crystal structure of complex 2 has been determined.     

Synthesis, structure, and catalytic activity of rhodium complexes with new chiral binaphthyl-based NHC-ligands

Three new chiral NHC-rhodium complexes have been prepared from the reactions between [Rh(COD)Cl]₂, NaOAc, KI, and dibenzimidazolium salts 3, 4 or 5, which are derived from (S)-2,2′-diamino-1,1′-binaphthyl. The steric and electronic effects of the ligand play an important role in the complex formation. For example, treatment of pyridine substituted dibenzimidazolium salts 3 or 4 with 0.5 equiv of [Rh(COD)Cl]₂ in the presence of NaOAc and KI in CH₃CN at 85 °C gives the chiral Rh(III) complexes 6 and 7, respectively. However, under similar reaction conditions, pyridine-N-oxide substituted dibenzimidazolium salt 5 affords a binuclear Rh(I) complex 8. All compounds have been characterized by various spectroscopic techniques, and elemental analyses. The solid-state structures of compounds 4-8 have been further confirmed by X-ray diffraction analyses. Rhodium complexes 6-8 show good catalytic activity for the asymmetric hydrosilylation of acetophenone with moderate ee values.     

Reactions of Complex Ligands,LXX. An Intramolecular Alkyne Insertion/Carbonylation/Cyclization Sequence of Chromium Aminocarbene Complexes: A Novel Access to Indole and Indenoindole Skeletons

2-Alkynylanilinocarbene chromium complexes 1–7 bearing a rigid arene C₂ spacer between the aminocarbene and alkyne units were prepared from pentacarbonyl(aroyl)chromates(–I), acetyl bromide, and 2-alkynylanilines. They undergo intramolecular cyclization the course of which depends on the substitution pattern at the alkyne terminus. A tandem alkyne insertion into the metal–carbene bond/carbonylation sequence affords Cr(CO)₃-coordinated 3-indolylketenes 8, 9, 12–14 by using a bulky substituent; the rate of the reaction increases with N-alkylation. Less bulky n-alkynylanilinocarbene complexes 4, 5 exhibit two competing carbene annulation sequences: Benzannulation leads to benzo[a]carbazoles 15, 16 , whereas cyclopentannulation without prior carbonylation furnishes indeno[1,2-b]indoles 17, 18 .     

Wolff Rearrangement of Oxidatively Generated α‐Oxo Gold Carbenes: An Effective Approach to Silylketenes

Gold‐catalyzed oxidations of alkynes by N‐oxides offer direct access to reactive α‐oxo gold carbene intermediates from benign and readily available alkynes instead of hazardous diazo carbonyl compounds. Despite various versatile synthetic methods developed based on this strategy, one of the hallmarks of α‐oxo carbene/carbenoid chemistry, that is, the Wolff rearrangement, has not been realized in this context. This study discloses the first examples that show the Wolff rearrangement can be readily realized by α‐oxo gold carbenes oxidatively generated from TBS‐terminated alkynes (TBS=tert‐butyldimethylsilyl). The thus‐generated silylketenes can be either isolated pure or subsequently trapped by various internal or external nucleophiles in one pot to afford α‐silylated carboxylic acids, their derivatives, or TBS‐substituted allenes.     

Acyl‐Phosphide Anions via an Intermediate with Carbene Character: Reactions of K[PtBu2] and CO

The analogy of the reactivity of group 1 phosphides to that of FLPs is further demonstrated by reactions with CO, affording a new synthetic route to acyl‐phosphide anions. The reaction of [K(18‐crown‐6)][PtBu₂] ( 1 ) with CO affords [(18‐crown‐6)K?THF₂][Z‐tBuP=C(tBu)O] ( 2?THF₂ ) as the major product, and the minor product [K₆(18‐crown‐6)][(tBu₂PCO)₂]₃ ( 3 ). Species 2 reacts with either BPh₃ or additional CO to give [K(18‐crown‐6)][(Ph₃B)tBuPC(tBu)O] ( 4 ) and [K(18‐crown‐6)][(OCtBu)₂P] ( 5 ), respectively. The acyl‐phosphide anion 2 is thought to be formed by a photochemically induced radical process involving a transient species with triplet carbene character, prompting 1,2‐tert‐butyl group migration. A similar process is proposed for the subsequent reaction of 2 with CO to give 5 .