Nonproductive events in ring-closing metathesis using ruthenium catalysts.

The relative TONs of productive and nonproductive metathesis reactions of diethyl diallylmalonate are compared for eight different ruthenium-based catalysts. Nonproductive cross metathesis is proposed to involve a chain-carrying ruthenium methylidene. A second more-challenging substrate (dimethyl allylmethylallylmalonate) that forms a trisubstituted olefin product is used to further delineate the effect of catalyst structure on the relative efficiencies of these processes. A steric model is proposed to explain the observed trends.

A general enantioselective route to the chamigrene natural product family.

Described in this report is an enantioselective route toward the chamigrene natural product family. The key disconnections in our synthetic approach include sequential enantioselective decarboxylative allylation and ring-closing olefin metathesis to form the all-carbon quaternary stereocenter and spirocyclic core present in all members of this class of compounds. The generality of this strategy is demonstrated by the first total syntheses of elatol and the proposed structure of laurencenone B, as well as the first enantioselective total syntheses of laurencenone C and α-chamigrene. A brief exploration of the substrate scope of the enantioselective decarboxylative allylation/ring-closing metathesis sequence with fully substituted vinyl chlorides is also presented.

Conformations of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands in ruthenium complexes relevant to olefin metathesis.

The structure of ruthenium-based olefin metathesis catalyst 3 and model pi-complex 5 in solution and in the solid state are reported. The N-tolyl ligands, due to their lower symmetry than the traditional N-mesityl substituents, complicate this analysis, but ultimately provide explanation for the enhanced reactivity of 3 relative to standard catalyst 2. The tilt of the N-tolyl ring provides additional space near the ruthenium center, which is consistent with the enhanced reactivity of 3 toward sterically demanding substrates. Due to this tilt, the more sterically accessible face bears the two methyl substituents of the N-aryl rings. These experimental studies are supported by computational studies of these complexes by DFT. The experimental data provides a means to validate the accuracy of the B3LYP and M06 functionals. B3LYP provides geometries that match X-ray crystal structural data more closely, though it leads to slightly less (approximately 0.5 kcal mol-1) accuracy than M06 most likely because it underestimates attractive noncovalent interactions.

The catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of elatol.

Described in this report is the first total synthesis of elatol, a halogenated sesquiterpene in the chamigrene natural product family. The key disconnections in our synthetic approach include an enantioselective decarboxylative allylation to form the all-carbon quaternary stereocenter and a ring-closing olefin metathesis to concomitantly form the spirocyclic core as well as the fully substituted chlorinated olefin. This strategy represents a general platform for accessing the chamigrene natural product family, as demonstrated by the synthesis of (+)-laurencenone B as an intermediate in our route.

Cobalt dinitrosoalkane complexes in the C-H functionalization of olefins.

The use of cobalt dinitrosoalkane complexes in the C-H functionalization of alkenes has been demonstrated. Reaction of a series of alkenes with Me4CpCo(CO)2 in the presence of NO generates intermediate cobalt dinitrosoalkane complexes that can be deprotonated alpha to the nitrosyl group and added to various Michael acceptors. The resultant products can then undergo retrocycloaddition reactions in the presence of the original alkene to regenerate the starting cobalt dinitrosoalkane complex and release the functionalized alkene.

Increased efficiency in cross-metathesis reactions of sterically hindered olefins.

Efficiency in olefin cross-metathesis reactions is affected upon reducing the steric bulk of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands of ruthenium-based catalysts. For the formation of disubstituted olefins containing one or more allylic substituents, the catalyst bearing N-tolyl groups is more efficient than the corresponding N-mesityl catalyst. In contrast, the formation of trisubstituted olefins is more efficient using the N-mesityl-containing catalyst. A hypothesis to explain this dichotomy is described.

Highly efficient ruthenium catalysts for the formation of tetrasubstituted olefins via ring-closing metathesis.

[reaction: see text] A series of ruthenium-based metathesis catalysts with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have been prepared in which the N-aryl groups have been changed from mesityl to mono-ortho-substituted phenyl (e.g., tolyl). These new catalysts offer an exceptional increase in activity for the formation of tetrasubstituted olefins via ring-closing metathesis (RCM), while maintaining high levels of activity in ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reactions that generate di- and trisubstituted olefins.

Asymmetric catalytic synthesis of P-stereogenic phosphines via a nucleophilic ruthenium phosphido complex.

Ruthenium phosphido complexes have been shown to be excellent nucleophiles, reacting via two-electron processes with a variety of electrophiles. A catalytic alkylation reaction was developed using an achiral ruthenium complex, which was then elaborated into a catalytic enantioselective synthesis of P-stereogenic phosphines. These useful and synthetically challenging phosphines can now be accessed in a single step from simple secondary phosphines and alkyl halides. Optimization and scope of the enantioselective alkylation are discussed.

Living ring-opening polymerization of N-sulfonylaziridines: synthesis of high molecular weight linear polyamines.

Sulfonylaziridines have been identified as excellent monomers for living ring-opening polymerization initiated by nucleophilic sulfonylamides. The resulting polymers exhibit low polydispersities and controllable molecular weights. The enantiopurity of the monomer plays a key role: racemic samples yield soluble polymers of target molecular weights, while enantiopure samples produce insoluble polymers with molecular weights significantly below theoretical values. Dynamic light scattering and kinetics of polymerization are discussed.

Phosphine-catalyzed hydration and hydroalkoxylation of activated olefins: use of a strong nucleophile to generate a strong base.

The direct addition of water and a variety of alcohols to activated olefins was observed in the presence of nucleophilic phosphine catalysts. Unlike existing methods, the reactions proceed at room temperature and in the absence of transition metals, or strong acids or bases. The use of simple commercially available catalysts makes this an attractive method for the preparation of beta-hydroxy and beta-alkoxy substrates, which are prevalent targets and intermediates in organic synthesis. The scope and mechanism of this reaction has been explored, and the compound that acts as the resting state of the catalyst was synthesized independently. Our mechanism also suggests the possibility of extending the scope of this reactivity to other classes of nucleophiles.