Synlett 2010(18): 2681-2700  
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1259017
ACCOUNT
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New York

Ruthenium-Porphyrin-Catalyzed Carbenoid Transfer Reactions

Cong-Ying Zhou, Jie-Sheng Huang, Chi-Ming Che*
Department of Chemistry and Open Laboratory of Chemical Biology of the Institute of Molecular Technology for Drug Discovery and Synthesis, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, P. R. of China
Fax: +85228571586; e-Mail: cmche@hku.hk;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 11 June 2010
Publication Date:
26 October 2010 (online)

Abstract

Ruthenium-porphyrins are effective catalysts for a wide variety of carbenoid transfer reactions, such as alkene cyclopropanation, carbon-hydrogen, nitrogen-hydrogen, or sulfur-hydrogen (X-H, X = C, N, S) bond insertion, diazo coupling, carbonyl or azomethine ylide formation/1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, and halonium, sulfonium, or ammonium ylide formation/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement reactions. Extensive studies have demonstrated that ruthenium-porphyrins exhibit high stability, high product turnover numbers, and remarkable selectivity in catalytic carbenoid transfer reactions. The catalysis has been successfully applied to the synthesis of organic building blocks and natural products, and to the modification of peptides and proteins.

1 Introduction

2 Catalyst Types

3 Cyclopropanation Reactions

4 Carbon-Hydrogen, Nitrogen-Hydrogen, and Sulfur-­Hydrogen Bond Insertion Reactions

5 Alkene Formation Reactions

5.1 Coupling of Diazo Compounds

5.2 Olefination of Aldehydes

6 Ylide Formation and Subsequent Reactions

6.1 Carbonyl Ylide Formation/1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition

6.2 Azomethine Ylide Formation/1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition

6.3 Halonium Ylide Formation/[2,3]-Sigmatropic Rearrangement

6.4 Sulfonium or Ammonium Ylide Formation/[2,3]-Sigmatropic Rearrangement

7 Comparison of (Carbene)ruthenium-Porphyrin Complexes with Iron and Osmium Analogues

8 Conclusion