Carla Carfagna

Synthesis of Benzothiophene Derivatives by Pd-Catalyzed or Radical-Promoted Heterocyclodehydration of 1-(2-Mercaptophenyl)-2-yn-1-ols

Novel and convenient approaches to benzothiophene derivatives 3 and 5 have been developed, based on heterocyclization reactions of 1-(2-mercaptophenyl)-2-yn-1-ols 2 or 4, respectively, readily available from alkynylation of 2-mercaptobenzaldehydes or 1-(2-mercaptophenyl) ketones 1. In particular, 1-(2-mercaptophenyl)-2-yn-1-ols 2, bearing a CH(2)R substituent on the triple bond (R = alkyl, aryl), were conveniently converted in fair to good yields (55-82%) into (E)-2-(1-alkenyl)benzothiophenes 3 when allowed to react in the presence of catalytic amounts (2 mol %) of PdI(2) in conjunction with KI (KI:PdI(2) molar ratio =10) at 80-100 °C in MeCN as the solvent, through a heterocyclodehydration process. On the other hand, 2-alkoxymethylbenzothiophenes 5 were selectively obtained in fair to excellent yields (49-98%) via a radical-promoted substitutive heterocyclodehydration process, by reacting 1-(2-mercaptophenyl)-2-yn-1-ols 4 (bearing an alkyl or aryl substituent on the triple bond) in alcoholic media at 80-100 °C in the presence of a radical initiator, such as AIBN.

Solution structure investigations of olefin Pd(II) and Pt(II) complex ion pairs bearing α-diimine ligands by 19F, 1H-HOESY NMR

Complexes [M(η1,η2-C8H12OMe)((2,6-(R)2C6H3)NC(R′)C(R′)N((2,6-(R)2C6H3))]PF6 (where M=Pd, R=H and R′2=Me2 (1), M=Pd, R=Me and R′2=Me2 (2), M=Pd, R=Et and R′2=Me2 (3), M=Pd, R=iPr and R′2=Me2 (4), M=Pd, R=iPr and R′2=An (5), M=Pt, R=iPr and R′2=An (6)) were synthesized by the reaction of [M(η1,η2-C8H12OMe)Cl]2 with the appropriate α-diimine ligand in the presence of NH4PF6. Their ion pair structure in solution was investigated by detecting dipolar interactions between protons belonging to the cation and fluorine nuclei of the anion (interionic contacts) in the 19F, 1H-HOESY NMR spectra. In complexes 1–4, the anion in solution is located close to the peripheral protons of the α-diimine ligand and it interacts with the R′ protons and with the R protons that point toward the R′ groups. The steric protection of apical position exerted by the R substituents is clearly illustrated by the absence of interionic contacts between any protons of the cycloctenylmethoxy-moiety and the anion for R≥Me in 1–4. In complexes 5 and 6 the interactions between the anion and the peripheral N,N protons also predominate but other anion–cation orientations are significantly present and, consequently, the interionic structure is less specific.

Catalytic Oxidative Carbonylation of Amino Moieties to Ureas, Oxamides, 2-Oxazolidinones, and Benzoxazolones

The direct syntheses of ureas, oxamides, 2-oxazolidinones, and benzoxazolones by the oxidative carbonylation of amines, β-amino alcohols, and 2-aminophenols allows us to obtain high value added molecules, which have a large number of important applications in several fields, from very simple building blocks. We have found that it is possible to perform these transformations using the PdI2 /KI catalytic system in an ionic liquid, such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, as the solvent, the solvent/catalyst system can be recycled several times with only a slight loss of activity, and the product can be recovered easily by crystallization.

Catalyst activity or stability: the dilemma in Pd-catalyzed polyketone synthesis

A series of Pd-complexes containing nonsymmetrical bis(aryl-imino)acenaphthene (Ar-BIAN) ligands, characterized by substituents on the meta positions of the aryl rings, have been synthesized, characterized and applied in CO/vinyl arene copolymerization reactions. Crystal structures of two neutral Pd-complexes have been solved allowing comparison of the bonding properties of the ligand. Kinetic and mechanistic investigations on these complexes have been performed. The kinetic investigations indicate that in general ligands with electron-withdrawing substituents give more active, but less stable, catalytic systems, although steric effects also play a role. The good performance observed with nonsymmetrical ligands is at least in part due to a compromise between catalyst activity and lifetime, leading to a higher overall productivity with respect to catalysts based on their symmetrical counterparts. Additionally, careful analysis of the reaction profiles provided information on the catalyst deactivation pathway. The latter begins with the reduction of a Pd(II) Ar-BIAN complex to the corresponding Pd(0) species, a reaction that can be reverted by the action of benzoquinone. Then the ligand is lost, a process that appears to be facilitated by the contemporary coordination of an olefin or a CO molecule. The so formed Pd(0) complex immediately reacts with another molecule of the initial Pd(II) complex to give a Pd(I) dimeric species that irreversibly evolves to metallic palladium. Mechanistic investigations performed on the complex with a nonsymmetrical Ar-BIAN probe evidence that the detected intermediates are characterized by the Pd-C bond trans to the Pd-N bond of the aryl ring bearing electron-withdrawing substituents. In addition, the intermediate resulting from the insertion of 4-methylstyrene into the Pd-acyl bond is a five-member palladacycle and not the open-chain η(3)-allylic species observed for complexes with Ar-BIANs substituted in ortho position.

From atactic to isotactic CO/p-methylstyrene copolymer by proper modification of Pd(II) catalysts bearing achiral α-diimines

Cationic Pd(II) complexes modified with achiral C(2v)-symmetric alpha-diimine ligands allow preparation of atactic or isotactic stereoblock CO/p-methylstyrene copolymers; both catalyst activity and polyketone microstructure depend on the choice of alpha-diimine substituents and counterion.

Reaction of allyl acetates and ketene silyl acetals catalyzed by palladium(0) complexes Part II. Cyclopropanation vs. allylic alkylation

Abstract Ketene silyl acetals and allyl acetates react in the presence of Pd(0) phosphine complexes to yield allylated products and cyclopropane derivatives. The latter are formed through nucleophilic attack of the silyl enolate on the central carbon atom of the allyl group. The influence of the structure of the silyl enolate, substitution of the allyl group and phosphorus ligand has been investigated.

Cationic palladium complexes with mono- and bidentate nitrogen-donor ligands: synthesis, characterization and reactivity in CO/styrene copolymerization reaction

Abstract Two series of cationic palladium(II) complexes, [Pd(phen)(L) 2 ][PF 6 ] 2 (L=pyridine ( 1a ), 2-picoline (2-pic) ( 1b ), 3-picoline (3-pic) ( 1c ), 4-picoline (4-pic) ( 1d )) and [Pd(CH 3 )(L)(phen)][OTf] (L=2-pic ( 2b ), 3-pic ( 2c ) and 4-pic ( 2d )), with mono and bidentate nitrogen-donor ligands bound to the same metal center have been synthesized and characterized. For the dicationic derivatives the study of the chemical behavior in solution evidences the presence of restricted rotations around the PdN bond of the monodentate ligand, generating syn and anti isomers. Depending on the nature of L the rate of this dynamic process is different on the NMR time scale. On the other hand, only the syn isomer was found by the X-ray analysis in solid state of one of these complexes. The dicationic complexes have been tested as precatalysts in the CO/styrene copolymerization, in comparison with [Pd(phen) 2 ][PF 6 ] 2 . The main difference between the two kinds of precatalysts is related to the stability of the corresponding active species, being lower for the complexes [Pd(phen)(L) 2 ][PF 6 ] 2 than for the bischelated derivative. The insertion reaction of carbon monoxide in the Pdmethyl bond was studied on the monocationic complexes, [Pd(CH 3 )(L)(phen)][OTf]. In all cases the corresponding Pdacyl species [Pd(COCH 3 )(L)(phen)][OTf] was formed with no dissociation of the monodentate L ligand. No effect of the nature of L on the rate of the insertion reaction was evidenced.

Analogies and Differences in Palladium‐Catalyzed CO/Styrene and Ethylene/Methyl Acrylate Copolymerization Reactions

The catalytic CO/styrene and ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymerizations are compared for the first time by applying the same precatalysts. With this aim, PdII neutral, [Pd(CH3)Cl(N–N)], and monocationic, [Pd(CH3)(L)(N–N)][PF6] (L=CH3CN, DMSO), complexes with 1‐naphthyl‐ and 2‐naphthyl‐substitued α‐diimines with both an acenaphthene and a diazabutadiene skeleton as chelating nitrogen‐donor ligands (N–N) have been studied. In the case of the complexes with the 1‐naphthyl‐substituted ligands, syn and anti isomers are found both in solid state and in solution. All the monocationic complexes generate active catalysts for the CO/styrene copolymerization leading to atactic or isotactic/atactic stereoblock copolymers depending on the ligand bonded to palladium. Instead, in the case of the ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymerization only the complexes with the 1‐naphthyl‐substituted ligands generate catalysts for this reaction.

Synthesis and reactivity of η2(4e)-alkyne and η2(3e)-vinyl complexes of rhenium

Reaction of cis-/trans-[ReBr2(CO)2(η-C5H5)] with PhC2Ph and MeC2Ph in refluxing toluene afforded good yields of the η2(4e)-donor alkyne complexes [ReBr2(η2-PhC2Ph)(η-C5H5)]1 and [ReBr2(η2-MeC2Ph)(η-C5H5)]2, respectively. Treatment of 1 and 2 with either AgBF4 or TlPF6 in the presence of PPh3, PMePh2 or P(OMe)3(L) gave monocations [ReBr{η2(4e)-alkyne}L(η-C5H5)]+, whereas a similar reaction with 2 equivalents of AgBF4 and 1 equivalent of Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2(dppe) afforded dications [Re(η2-PhC2Ph)(dppe)(η-C5H5)][BF4]2 and [Re(η2-MeC2Ph)(dppe)(η-C5H5)][BF4]2. The structural identity of [ReBr(η2-PhC2Ph)(PMePh2)(η-C5H5)][PF6] was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The alkyne C–C vector lies parallel to the Re–Br bond and the alkyne C–C bond length [C(1)–C(2) 1.26(4)A] is relatively short. Treatment of [ReBr(η2-PhC2Ph)(PPh3)(η-C5H5)][BF4] and [ReBr(η2-PhC2Ph)(PMePh2)(η-C5H5)][PF6] with K[BHBus3] in dichloromethane at –78 °C led to neutral η2(3e)-vinyl complexes [[graphic omitted]HPh}Br(PPh3)(η-C5H5)] and [[graphic omitted]HPh}Br(PMePh2)(η-C5H5)]. The crystal structure of the latter showed that the C–C vector of the vinyl moiety lies almost parallel to the Re–Br bond. The stereochemistry of these reactions is discussed in the light of extended-Huckel molecular orbital calculations. Reaction (–78 °C) of [Re(η2-PhC2Ph)(dppe)(η-C5H5)][BF4]2 with 1 equivalent of K[BHBus3] in tetrahydrofuran afforded the X-ray crystallographically identified monocationic η2(3e)-vinyl complex [[graphic omitted]HPh}(dppe)(η-C5H5)][BF4], which reacted at room temperature with a further equivalent of K[BHBus3] to give the cis-stilbene-substituted complex [Re(η2-Z-PhCHCHPh)(dppe)(η-C5H5)]. The crystal structure of the latter showed that the alkene phenyl substituents are orientated towards the cyclopentadienyl ring. In contrast, a similar reaction between K[BHBus3] and [Re(η2-MeC2Ph)(dppe)(η-C5H5)][BF4]2 gave initially the η2(3e)-vinyl complex [[graphic omitted]HPh}(dppe)(η-C5H5)][BF4]; a further equivalent of K[BHBus3] led to deprotonation and formation of the η2-allene complex [Re{η2-CH(Ph)CCH2}(dppe)(η-C5H5)], in which the substituted allenic bond is co-ordinated to the rhenium. The dinuclear complex [Re2Br2(PPh3)2(µ-O)(η-C5H5)2][BF4]2 was also prepared and shown crystallographically to possess a single rhenium–rhenium bond [2.731(5)A].

MgH2 as a reducing agent: Part II. Reduction of organic halides in presence of Ni(0) and Pd(0) complexes

Les catalyseurs utilises sont du type M (PR 3 ) 4 avec M=Ni, Pd et R=phenyl, ethyl. Ces catalyseurs sont tres actifs pour la reduction du chloro-, bromo-, iodo-, benzene, bromocyclohexane, β-bromostyrene