Intramolecular Nucleophilic Acyl Substitution Reactions Mediated by XTi(O-i-Pr)3 (X = Cl, O-i-Pr)/2i-PrMgBr Reagent. Efficient Synthesis of Functionalized Organotitanium Compounds from Unsaturated Compounds

Treatment of acetylenic or olefinic carbonates and esters with a low-valent titanium reagent diisopropoxy(η 2 -propene)titanium ( 1 ), readily generated by the reaction of Ti(O- i -Pr) 4 or ClTi(O- i -Pr) 3 with 2 i -PrMgX, resulted in an intramolecular nucleophilic acyl substitution (INAS) reaction to afford organotitanium compounds having a carbonyl functional group, in good to excellent yields. Thus, the treatment of alkyl alkynyl carbonates 2 or alkyl alkenyl carbonates 4 with 1 gave organotitanium compounds having a lactone and/or ester group. Similarly, alkyl alkynoates 10 or alkynyl esters 14 of carboxylic acids reacted with 1 to give organotitanium compounds having a cyclic or acyclic ketone group, respectively. Thus, the reaction provides, after hydrolysis, five- or six-membered α-alkylidene lactones and/or α,β-unsaturated esters from 2, γ-butyrolactone derivatives from 4, five- or six-membered α-alkylidene cyclic ketones from 10, and acyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones 15 from 14 . In all cases, the yields are excellent and the generation of the organotitanium compounds was confirmed by deuterolysis. The organotitaniums 6 and 11c reacted smoothly with iodine to afford 2-(iodomethyl)-4-butanolide ( 9 ) and α-[iodo(trimethylsilyl)methylidene]cyclopentanone, respectively. The organotitanium compounds obtained here also reacted with aldehydes to give the corresponding adducts, thus opening up a new access to substituted α,β-butenolides from 2, to γ-butyrolactones from 4, and to the corresponding tetrasubstituted furan from 10 and 14 .