Vinylidene, allenylidene, cyclic oxycarbene, and η2-alkyne complexes from reactions of (η5-C5Me5)OsCl(PPh3)2 with alkynes and alkynols

Reactions of Cp*OsCl(PPh3)2 (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) with alkynes and alkynols are described. Treatment of Cp*OsCl(PPh3)2 with phenylacetylene and trimethylsilylacetylene gave the vinylidene complexes Cp*OsCl(=C=CHPh)(PPh3) and Cp*OsCl(=C=CH2)(PPh3), respectively. Treatment of Cp*OsCl(PPh3)2 with the internal alkyne dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate produced the η2-alkyne complex Cp*OsCl(η2-MeO2C≡CCO2Me)(PPh3). Treatment of Cp*OsCl(PPh3)2 with the propargylic alcohol HC≡CC(OH)Ph2 gave the osmium allenylidene complex Cp*OsCl(=C = C=CPh2)(PPh3). The outcomes of the reactions of Cp*OsCl(PPh3)2 with ω-alkynols HC≡C(CH2)nOH are dependent on the length of the -(CH2)n- linker. The reaction with 3-butyn-1-ol produced the cyclic oxycarbene complex Cp*OsCl{=C(CH2)3O}(PPh3) exclusively. The reactions with 4-pentyn-1-ol produced a mixture of the hydroxyalkyl vinylidene complex Cp*OsCl{=C=CH(CH2)3OH}(PPh3) and the cyclic oxycarbene complex Cp*OsCl{=C(CH2)4O}(PPh3) in about 10:1 molar ratio. The reaction with 5-hexyn-1-ol gave exclusively the hydroxyalkyl vinylidene complex Cp*OsCl{=C=CH(CH2)4OH}(PPh3).

Ruthenium-Induced Cyclization of Heteroatom-Functionalized Alkynes: Progress, Challenges and Perspectives

Metal-induced cyclization of functionalized alkynes represents one of the most general approaches to prepare organic heterocycles. Although Ru^II centers are well-established to promote alkyne to vinylidene rearrangements and many Ru^II -mediated alkyne cyclizations have been rationalized to be the results of post-vinylidene transformations, recent discoveries indicate that Ru^II centers can serve as electrophiles and induce alkyne cyclizations without vinylidene intermediacy. In this Minireview, an overview of the Ru^II -induced cyclization of heteroatom-functionalized alkynes in the last decade is provided, with an emphasis on the discoveries and validations of the unconventional "non-vinylidene-involving" pathways.

Reactions of ruthenium-allenylidene complexes tethering a cyclopropyl group

Two cyclopropyl allenylidene complexes [Ru]=C=C=C(R)(C(3)H(5)) ([Ru]=[RuCp(PPh(3))(2)], Cp=Cyclopentadienyl; R=thiophene (2a) and R=Ph (2b)) are prepared from the reactions of [Ru]Cl with the corresponding 1-cyclopropyl-2-propyn-1-ol in the presence of KPF(6). Thermal treatment, halide-anion addition, and palladium-catalyzed reactions of 2a and 2b all lead to a ring expansion of the cyclopropyl group, giving the vinylidene complexes 4a and 4b, respectively, each with a five-membered ring. This ring expansion proceeds by C-C bond formation between Cβ of the cumulative double bond and a methylene group of the cyclopropyl ring. In the reaction of 2a with pyrrole, consecutive formation of two C-C bonds, one between C-2 of pyrrole and Cγ of 2a and the other between C-3 of pyrrole and Cα, results in the formation of 6a. The reaction proceeds by addition of pyrrole and 1,3-proton shifts. The hydrogenation of 2a by NaBH(4) is carried out in different solvents. The cumulative double bonds are reduced regioselectively to give a mixture of 7a and 8a. Interestingly, use of different solvents leads to different ratios of 7a and 8a. Presence of a protic solvent like methanol in dichloromethane or chloroform solution increases the yield of 8a, thus revealing that both the rates of hydroboration and deboronation increase. The structures of two new complexes 4a and 6a have been firmly established by X-ray diffraction analysis.

Ruthenium-catalyzed reactions--a treasure trove of atom-economic transformations

The demand for new chemicals spanning the fields of health care to materials science combined with the pressure to produce these substances in an environmentally benign fashion pose great challenges to the synthetic chemical community. The maximization of synthetic efficiency by the conversion of simple building blocks into complex targets remains a fundamental goal. In this context, ruthenium complexes catalyze a number of non-metathesis conversions and allow the rapid assembly of complex molecules with high selectivity and atom economy. These complexes often exhibit unusual reactivity. Careful consideration of the mechanistic underpinnings of the transformations can lead to the design of new reactions and the discovery of new reactivity.

Photoactivated Tungsten Hexacarbonyl-Catalyzed Conversion of Alkynols to Glycals

The photoactivated W(CO)(6)/DABCO/THF system has been used for the formal endo-cyclization of alkynes to pyran rings. We found that the regioselectivity of ring closure depends on the relative configuration of the 3,5-dihydroxy-1-alkynes, as well as, more decisively, on the type of O-protective group. Oxygen substitution at the propargylic carbon slows the rate of alkyne insertion and allows for dihydrofuran formation through exo-cyclization. In contrast, the use of bulky silyl ethers or carbon substituents leads to dihydropyrans through endo-cyclization. Substrates bearing leaving groups such as esters, phenols, or thiophenols at the propargylic site eliminate and thus represent a limitation to the cycloisomerization methodology. Propargyl vinyl ethers will rearrange to give dienals instead of glycals. 1,2-Wittig rearrangement products of dihydropyrans are readily prepared and converted to complex bicyclic building blocks for organic synthesis.

Computational studies of tungsten-catalyzed endo-selective cycloisomerization of 4-pentyn-1-ol

Endo- and exo-cycloisomerizations of 4-pentyn-1-ol have been studied computationally with density functional theory, in conjunction with double-zeta and triple-zeta basis sets, both in the absence and in the presence of tungsten carbonyl catalyst. In the absence of the catalyst, both endo- and exo-cycloisomerizations have been calculated to have a very high activation barrier of approximately 50-55 kcal/mol and cannot take place. With tungsten pentacarbonyl catalyst, endo-cycloisomerization becomes a complex multiple-step reaction and proceeds with a rate-determining barrier of 26 kcal/mol at the C(alpha) --> C(beta) hydride migration step to form a vinylidene intermediate. The primary role of the tungsten catalyst is to stabilize the vinylidene intermediate, thus lowering the rate-determining barrier. The second important role of the tungsten catalyst in endo-cycloisomerization is to assist the OH hydride migration to C(alpha) by making it a multistep process with small activation barriers. The exo-cycloisomerization with the catalyst still has a high rate-determining barrier of 47 kcal/mol. These findings clearly explain the experimentally observed endo-selectivity in the cycloisomerization of 4-pentyn-1-ol derivatives and support the experimentally proposed mechanism.

A Ru catalyzed divergence: oxidative cyclization vs cycloisomerization of bis-homopropargylic alcohols

During the course of investigating the development of catalytic reactions involving ruthenium vinylidene intermediates, a novel divergence of reactivity was discovered. The oxidative cyclization of bis-homopropargylic alcohols with Ru(+2) complexes as catalysts and N-hydroxysuccinimide as oxidant, which requires formation of a ruthenium vinylidene intermediate, is complicated by the simple electrophilically initiated direct attack of the hydroxyl group on a pi-complex of the alkyne and ruthenium. A catalytic system composed of CpRu[(p-CH(3)O(6)H(4))(3)P](2)Cl and excess (p-CH(3)O-C(6)H(4))(3)P directs the reaction toward the oxidative cyclization to form delta-lactones in good yields. Significantly, a simple switch of catalyst to CpRu[(p-FC(6)H(4))(3)P](2)Cl redirects the reaction to a cycloisomerization to form dihydropyrans in good yields. The synthetic utility of the oxidative cyclization is illustrated by the synthesis of oviposition attractant pheromone of the mosquito Culex pipens. The utility of the cycloisomerization to dihydropyrans is demonstrated by an iterative process leading to the antiviral agent narbosine B. A rationale for this dramatic switch by simple ligand modification is proposed.