(Z)-a-Selanyl Alkenyl Grignard Reagents as Convenient Precursors for Stereoselective Synthesis of Trisubstituted Alkenes

Many biologically active compounds occurring in nature possess the structural skeleton of trisubstituted alkenes1-3. Difunctional group reagents, which have two different functional groups linked to the olefinic carbon atoms, for example, Se-Zr, Se-B, Se-Sn play important roles in organic synthesis, especially in developing a lot of convenient methods for stereoselective synthesis of substituted alkenes4. Recently, Tingoli et al.5 reported that (Z)-a-selanylvinyl p-toluenesulfonates can u…

(Z)-a-Selanyl Alkenyl Grignard Reagents as Convenient Precursors for Stereoselective Synthesis of Trisubstituted Alkenes

Z)-a-Selanyl alkenyl Grignard reagents 2 were prepared conveniently by treatment of a-bromovinylselenides 1 with magnesium filings in THF. Intermediates 2 were reacted with alkyl iodides in the presence of CuI or Pd(PPh3)4 to afford (Z)-1,2-disubstituted vinylselenides 3, which were cross-coupled with Grignard reagents in the presence of (PPh3)2NiCl2 to give trisubstituted alkenes 4 stereoselectively in good yields.