Call number: LD2668 .T4 1959 M56

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A set of mild conditions for the pentafluorophenylation of carbonyl compounds employing copper-bisphosphine catalysis have been developed. The optimised conditions allow access to a wide range of pentafluorophenyl benzyl alcohols in high yields. The reaction of aliphatic aldehydes and particularly electrophilic ketones to give products in moderate yields is also disclosed. An investigation into the reactivity of β-fluoroalkyl-α ,β -unsaturated carbonyl compounds was conducted. Asymmetric copper hydride reduction of β -fluoroalkyl-α , β-unsaturated ketones was found to preferentially give the allylic alcohol product resulting from 1,2 attack in up to 62% ee. Reaction of β-fluoroalkyl-α , β-unsaturated esters under similar conditions gave the product of conjugate reduction in higher enantiomeric excess; up to 99% was observed. Rhodium-catalysed arylation of β -fluoroalkyl-α , β-unsaturated ketones was also found to give the product of direct carbonyl attack. Conditions for the racemic reaction are described along with those for the enantioselective reaction of methyl ketones in up to 74% ee. Ruthenium catalysed arylation of β-fluoroalkyl-α ,β -unsaturated aldehydes employing Me-Bipam as ligand gave the desired secondary allylic alcohols in good yields and good to excellent enantiomeric excesses (14 examples, 76-87% ee).

ABSTRACT Solventless reactions of substituted cyclopentadienyl metal carbonyls of iron and ruthenium with electron donor ligands have been carried out. The reactions between CpFe(CO)2I and a range of phosphine ligands occurred in melt phase and yielded two typical compounds : salt product, [CpFe(CO)2PR3]I, and non-salt product, CpFe(CO)PR3I with the salt product being predominant. The complex [CpFe(CO)2]2 was used to catalyze these reactions. The progress of the reactions was followed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The characterization of products correlates well with the products obtained when working in solution medium. The presence of a Me substituent on the Cp ring was found to favour the salt product formation but generally led to lower rates of reaction. Solventless reactions between RCpRu(CO)2I (R = H, Me) and solid phosphine ligands were also carried out. It has been observed that the ruthenium complexes were less reactive compared with their iron analogues but led to the same types of products namely salt and non-salt. The phosphite ligands were found to be less reactive than their phosphine analogues. In fact, the solventless reactions between RCpM(CO)2I (R = H, Me; M = Fe, Ru) were very slow even in the presence of [CpFe(CO)2]2 as a catalyst. However, when Me3NO.2H2O was added to the reaction mixture in solventless conditions, the non-salt product was obtained in a short period of time at 80oC. A range of cyclopentadienyl based metal complexes e.g [CpMo(CO)3]2, [MeCpRu(CO)2]2 etc. and palladium based compounds such as PdO, Pd/CaCO3 5% etc. were found to be good catalysts for the solventless reactions between CpFe(CO)2I and PPh3. Solventless migratory-insertion reactions have been successfully conducted between CpFe(CO)2CH3 and a range of solid phosphine ligands. Only the acetyl products, CpFe(CO)[PR3]COCH3 were obtained. SO2 insertion into RCpFe(CO)2R’ (R = H, CH3; R’ = CH3, CH2Ph) occurred quite easily at room temperature. However, when R was a carboxylic acid group, CO2H, no reaction took place. CO insertion into the same systems did not happen in solventless conditions.

Iron-catalysed carbonyl reduction, nitro reduction, formal hydroamination, and the radical alkenylation of alkyl halides have been developed. A Simple, easy-to-make, air- and moisture-stable iron(III) amine-bis(phenolate) complex catalysed the hydrosilylation of carbonyl compounds efficiently using triethoxysilane as the reducing agent. The reaction tolerated a wide range of substrates to give the corresponding alcohol products in good to excellent yields after hydrolysis of the hydrosilylated products (Scheme A1). Scheme A1. Iron-Catalysed Hydrosilylation of Carbonyl Compounds. The same catalyst was also an active catalyst for the chemoselective reduction of nitro arenes into corresponding amines using triethoxysilane as reducing agent. The method exhibited excellent chemoselectivity as other reducible functional groups such as halogen, ester, nitrile all kept unchanged during the reaction. This catalytic system was then successfully applied to the formal hydroamination of alkene to give substituted amine in synthetic useful yields under mild condition. The reaction is hypothesised to proceed through a radical intermediate (Scheme A2). Scheme A2. Iron-Catalysed Nitro Reduction and Alkene Formal Hydroamination. Finally, FeCl2-catalysed formal Heck cross-coupling has been developed between alkyl halides and styrenes. The reaction tolerated both electron-rich and electron-neutral substrates to give the products in moderate to excellent yields. Initial studies revealed that the reaction also proceeds through a radical intermediate (Scheme A3). Scheme A3. Iron-Catalysed Formal Heck Cross-Coupling of Functionalised Alkyl Halides.