N-Heterocyclic carbenes have become universal ligands in organometallic and inorganic coordination chemistry. They not only bind to any transition metal, be it in low or high oxidation states, but also to main group elements such as beryllium, sulfur, and iodine. Because of their specific coordination chemistry, N-heterocyclic carbenes both stabilize and activate metal centers in quite different key catalytic steps of organic syntheses, for example, C-H activation, C-C, C-H, C-O, and C-N bond formation. There is now ample evidence that in the new generation of organometallic catalysts the established ligand class of organophosphanes will be supplemented and, in part, replaced by N-heterocyclic carbenes. Over the past few years, this chemistry has been the field of vivid scientific competition, and yielded previously unexpected successes in key areas of homogeneous catalysis. From the work in numerous academic laboratories and in industry, a revolutionary turning point in oraganometallic catalysis is emerging.

http://aether.cmi.ua.ac.be/artikels/Artikels%20Gitte/Artikels/Reviews/NHC-%20liganden%20Herrmann.pdf

N-heterocyclic carbenes: a new concept in organometallic catalysis.

In recent years, the olefin metathesis reaction has attracted widespread attention as a versatile carbon−carbon bond-forming method. Many new applications have become possible because of major advances in catalyst design. State-of-the-art ruthenium catalysts are not only highly active but also compatible with most functional groups and easy to use. This Account traces the ideas and discoveries that were instrumental in the development of these catalysts, with particular emphasis on (PCy3)2Cl2RuCHPh and its derivatives. The discussion includes an analysis of trends in catalyst activity, a description of catalysts coordinated with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, and an overview of ongoing work to improve the activity, stability, and selectivity of this family of L2X2RuCHR complexes.

http://web4.uwindsor.ca/users/j/jlichaa/reference.nsf/0/10ff8b04ff3a317885256d88005720f6/$FILE/acr-2001-34-18-metath-grubbs.pdf

The Development of L2X2RuCHR Olefin Metathesis Catalysts: An Organometallic Success Story

A number of studies were conducted to demonstrate C-H activation for the construction of C-B bonds. Investigations revealed that the conversion of C-H bonds to C-B bonds was both thermodynamically and kinetically favorable. The reaction at a primary C-H bond of methane or a higher alkene B 2(OR)4 formed an alkylboronate ester R' -B(OR)2 and the accompanying borane H-B(OR2. The ester and the borane were formed on the basis of calculated bond energies for methylboronates and dioaborolanes. The rates of key steps along the reaction pathway for the conversion of a C-H bond in an alkane or arene to the C-B bond in an alkyl or arylboronate ester were favorable. These studies also highlighted the accessible barriers for C-H bond cleavage and B-C bond formation during the borylation of alkanes and arenes.

/pdf/c-h-activation-for-the-construction-of-c-b-bonds-23ckat61mx.pdf

C−H Activation for the Construction of C−B Bonds

Dynamic covalent chemistry relates to chemical reactions carried out reversibly under conditions of equilibrium control. The reversible nature of the reactions introduces the prospects of "error checking" and "proof-reading" into synthetic processes where dynamic covalent chemistry operates. Since the formation of products occurs under thermodynamic control, product distributions depend only on the relative stabilities of the final products. In kinetically controlled reactions, however, it is the free energy differences between the transition states leading to the products that determines their relative proportions. Supramolecular chemistry has had a huge impact on synthesis at two levels: one is noncovalent synthesis, or strict self-assembly, and the other is supramolecular assistance to molecular synthesis, also referred to as self-assembly followed by covalent modification. Noncovalent synthesis has given us access to finite supermolecules and infinite supramolecular arrays. Supramolecular assistance to covalent synthesis has been exploited in the construction of more-complex systems, such as interlocked molecular compounds (for example, catenanes and rotaxanes) as well as container molecules (molecular capsules). The appealing prospect of also synthesizing these types of compounds with complex molecular architectures using reversible covalent bond forming chemistry has led to the development of dynamic covalent chemistry. Historically, dynamic covalent chemistry has played a central role in the development of conformational analysis by opening up the possibility to be able to equilibrate configurational isomers, sometimes with base (for example, esters) and sometimes with acid (for example, acetals). These stereochemical "balancing acts" revealed another major advantage that dynamic covalent chemistry offers the chemist, which is not so easily accessible in the kinetically controlled regime: the ability to re-adjust the product distribution of a reaction, even once the initial products have been formed, by changing the reaction's environment (for example, concentration, temperature, presence or absence of a template). This highly transparent, yet tremendously subtle, characteristic of dynamic covalent chemistry has led to key discoveries in polymer chemistry. In this review, some recent examples where dynamic covalent chemistry has been demonstrated are shown to emphasise the basic concepts of this area of science.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/1521-3773%2820020503%2941%3A9%3C1460%3A%3AAID-ANIE11111460%3E3.0.CO%3B2-N

Dynamic covalent chemistry.

Several highly active, recoverable and recyclable Ru-based metathesis catalysts are presented. The crystal structure of Ru complex 5, bearing a 1,3-dimesityl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene and styrenyl ether ligand is disclosed. The heterocyclic ligand significantly enhances the catalytic activity, and the styrenyl ether allows for the easy recovery of the Ru complex. Catalyst 5 promotes ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and the efficient formation of various trisubstituted olefins at ambient temperature in high yield within 2 h; the catalyst is obtained in >95% yield after silica gel chromatography and can be used directly in subsequent reactions. Tetrasubstituted olefins can also be synthesized by RCM reactions catalyzed by 5. In addition, the synthesis and catalytic activities of two dendritic and recyclable Ru-based complexes are disclosed (32 and 33). Examples involving catalytic ring-closing, ring-opening, and cross metatheses are presented where, unlike monomer 5, dendritic 33 can be readily recovered.

Efficient and Recyclable Monomeric and Dendritic Ru-Based Metathesis Catalysts

In recent years, olefin cross metathesis (CM) has emerged as a powerful and convenient synthetic technique in organic chemistry; however, as a general synthetic method, CM has been limited by the lack of predictability in product selectivity and stereoselectivity. Investigations into olefin cross metathesis with several classes of olefins, including substituted and functionalized styrenes, secondary allylic alcohols, tertiary allylic alcohols, and olefins with α-quaternary centers, have led to a general model useful for the prediction of product selectivity and stereoselectivity in cross metathesis. As a general ranking of olefin reactivity in CM, olefins can be categorized by their relative abilities to undergo homodimerization via cross metathesis and the susceptibility of their homodimers toward secondary metathesis reactions. When an olefin of high reactivity is reacted with an olefin of lower reactivity (sterically bulky, electron-deficient, etc.), selective cross metathesis can be achieved using fee...

A General Model for Selectivity in Olefin Cross Metathesis

The generation of olefins with electron-withdrawing functionality, such as α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, and esters, remains a difficult task in organic chemistry. A practical method to approach this problem would involve olefin metathesis, utilizing well-defined alkylidenes such as ((CF_3)_2MeCO)_2(ArN)Mo CH(t-Bu) (1) and (Pcy_3)_2Cl_2Ru CHPh (2). However, the generation of olefins with vinylic functionality through the use of cross-metathesis (CM) has met with limited success. In one of the few reports of this reaction, Crowe and Goldberg demonstrated that acrylonitrile participated in cross-metathesis reactions with a variety of terminal olefins. Other π-conjugated olefins, such as enones and enoic esters, were not functional group compatible with alkylidene 1 and failed to react with 2 in cross-metathesis. Recently, the highly active ruthenium-based olefin metathesis catalyst 3, which contains a 1,3-dimesityl-4,5-dihydro-imidazol-2-ylidene ligand, was found to efficiently catalyze the cross-metathesis of 1,1-geminally disubstituted olefins.7 Because ruthenium alkylidene 3 displayed unique activity toward previously metathesis-inactive substrates, we decided to investigate the metathesis of α-functionalized olefins. In this communication, we report the single-step synthesis of α-functionalized olefins by intermolecular cross-metathesis and intramolecular ring-closing metathesis using ruthenium alkylidene 3.

Synthesis of Functionalized Olefins by Cross and Ring-Closing Metatheses

New methodology for the selective cross-metathesis (CM) of terminal olefins employing ruthenium benzylidene 1 is described.1 CM with symmetric internal olefins was found to provide a useful means for homologating terminal olefins to protected allylic alcohols, amines, and esters. Due to the limited commercial availability of symmetric internal olefins, a two-step CM procedure was developed in which terminal olefins were first homodimerized prior to the CM reaction. Terminal olefins with allylic methyl substituents were observed to provide CM products in diminished yield albeit with markedly improved trans-selectivity. Reaction rates were measured for CM reactions utilizing butenediol and allyl alcohol derivatives, and the results demonstrated distinct advantages in reaction rate and stereoselectivity for reactions employing the disubstituted olefins. In the course of studies of substrates with allylic oxygen substituents, a new CM application was discovered involving the metathesis of acrolein acetal derivatives with terminal olefins. Acrolein acetals, including asymmetric variants derived from tartaric acid, proved to be exceptionally robust and trans-selective CM substrates. In related work, a pinacol-derived vinyl boronate was also found to be a reactive CM partner, providing a novel means for converting terminal olefins into precursors for the Suzuki coupling reaction.

New Approaches to Olefin Cross-Metathesis

Synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes via olefin cross-metathesis.

Olefin metathesis has become a valuable reaction in organic synthesis, as has been demonstrated by its frequent use as the key bond constructions for total syntheses of many natural products. With the recent discovery of highly active catalyst 1, trisubstituted and functionalized alkenes have been synthesized efficiently by cross-metathesis (CM), further expanding the substrate scope for this reaction. With these successes in hand, unprecedented metathesis reactions were explored. There have been no previous reports of the dimerization of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds by a metathesis mechanism. Molybdenum- and tungsten-based catalysts form metallocyclobutane with acrylates, but they are inactive due to carbonyl oxygen chelation. Our group reported the synthesis of ester carbene 4 by a nonmetathesis route and showed that 4 was extremely reactive. In fact, ester carbene 4 was the first carbene to ring-open cyclohexene but did not react in a catalytic fashion.4 The nontrivial synthesis, lack of stability, and the ineffective catalytic activity of ester carbene 4 has limited its uses in organic synthesis.

Arnab K. Chatterjee

Papers

A General Model for Selectivity in Olefin Cross Metathesis

Synthesis of Functionalized Olefins by Cross and Ring-Closing Metatheses

New Approaches to Olefin Cross-Metathesis

Synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes via olefin cross-metathesis.

Olefin metathesis involving ruthenium enoic carbene complexes.