Development of an anomalous Heck reaction: Skeletal rearrangement of divinyl and enyne carbinols

ORGN 198

John M. Ndungu, Kimberly K. Larson, and Richmond Sarpong, rsarpong@berkeley.edu. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
A general protocol that achieves the union of aryl halides and divinyl or enyne carbinols to afford stereochemically defined tri- or tetrasubstituted olefins in good yields (up to 83%) has been developed. The mechanism by which this proceeds is believed to involve the intermediacy of a cyclopropanol, followed by a novel skeletal reorganization. The ability to suppress β-hydride elimination of organopalladium intermediates and the presence of a free hydroxyl functionality on the divinyl (or enyne) carbinol appears to be critical to the success of these processes. This reaction manifold provides the basis for a variety of novel ring expansion and annulation reactions.