Donor- and/or acceptor-substituted expanded radialenes: theory, synthesis, and properties.

The synthesis of donor- (D) and/or acceptor (A)-expanded [4]radialenes has been developed on the basis of readily available dibromoolefin (7), tetraethynylethene (10 and 20), and vinyl triflate (12) building blocks. The successful formation of D/A radialenes relies especially on (1) effective use of a series alkynyl protecting groups, (2) Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions, and (3) the development of ring closing reactions to form the desired macrocyclic products. The expanded [4]radialene products have been investigated by spectroscopic (UV-vis absorption and emission) and quantum chemical computational methods (density functional theory and time dependent DFT). The combined use of theory and experiment provides a basis to evaluate the extent of D/A interactions via the cross-conjugated radialene framework as well as an interpretation of the origin of D/A interactions at an orbital level.

Rhodium- and palladium-catalyzed 1,5-substitution reactions of 2-en-4-yne acetates and carbonates with organoboronic acids.

Two methods involving the rhodium-catalyzed reaction of 2-en-4-yne acetates and the palladium-catalyzed reaction of 2-en-4-yne carbonates with organoboronic acids were investigated; both afforded exclusively the (E)-configured vinylallenes. The coordinative interaction of the rhodium with the acetate group promoted the δ-elimination of Rh(I)-OAc from the alkenylrhodium intermediate II in both syn and anti modes, with the syn-elimination being the major path. DFT calculations revealed that a conformer of this intermediate (II), which can lead to the (E)-configured vinylallene product via the syn-elimination mode, is energetically the most favorable conformer. The rhodium-catalyzed procedure is not applicable to reactions involving (E)-configured enyne acetates, because the geometry of the alkenylrhodium intermediate that is derived from the corresponding (E)-enyne acetate would not allow such coordinative interaction to occur. The palladium-catalyzed method, which proceeds through formation of the σ-vinylallenylpalladium intermediate, B, is suitable for both the (E)- and (Z)-configured enyne carbonates and appears to have a wider scope for both organoboronic acids and enyne substrates. The palladium-catalyzed reaction of an enantiomerically enriched enyne carbonate proceeded with racemization.