Synthesis 2006(7): 1205-1219  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-926379
FEATUREARTICLE
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Copper-Catalyzed Ring-Opening of Heterobicyclic Alkenes with Grignard Reagents: Remarkably High anti-Stereocontrol

Ramón Gómez Arrayás*, Silvia Cabrera, Juan Carlos Carretero*
Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Fax: +34(91)4973966; e-Mail: ramon.gomez@uam.es; e-Mail: juancarlos.carretero@uam.es ;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 20 January 2006
Publication Date:
08 March 2006 (online)

Abstract

Unlike most of the reported protocols for the ring-opening reaction of heterobicyclic alkenes with carbon nucleophiles which typically occur with syn selectivity, the alkylative ring-opening reaction of [2.2.1]oxa- and azabicyclic alkenes with Grignard reagents in the presence of a catalytic amount of copper(I) takes place with very high or complete anti-stereocontrol under smooth reaction conditions. This new procedure proved to be wide in scope with respect to both the Grignard reagent and the bicyclic alkene. Especially noteworthy is the facile ring-opening reaction of low reactive substrates such as nonaromatic oxabicyclic alkenes and azabenzonorbornadienes under this catalyst system.

5

Results communicated within reference 1a (p 182).

27

Upon screening other commonly used ligands for copper such as dimethyl ethylenediamine, BINAP or bisoxazolines, it was found that the use of Ph3P was crucial for achieving good yield and high anti selectivity.

30

Lower catalyst loading was also studied: the reaction of oxabenzonorbornadiene with EtMgBr in the presence of 5 mol% of CuCl and 5 mol% of Ph3P provided anti-2b in lower yield due to the formation of 3 (8%) and 4 (7%) in the reaction mixture.

31

In the absence of Ph3P, CuCl alone gave a 58:35:5 mixture of anti-2b, naphthalenol 3 and naphthalene (4), respectively, in the reaction of 1a with EtMgBr.

32

The anti stereochemistry of the ring-opened products was assigned by comparison of their NMR data with those of the reported compounds anti-2a, anti-2b (see ref. 26), and anti-9a and anti-9g (see ref. 21).

41

For a similar (π-allyl)copper pathway suggested in the anti-stereoselective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to oxabenzonorbornadienes, see reference 16.

44

In this direction, the copper(II)-catalyzed ring-opening reaction of 17 with Et2Zn (1,2-dichloroethane, reflux), instead of EtMgBr, afforded exclusively the product syn-22b with only 20% conversion after 48 h (Figure [1] ), evidencing the key role exerted by the Grignard reagent in achieving both high reactivity and anti-stereocontrol.