From osmium hydrido vinylidene to osmacycles: the key role of osmabutadiene intermediates

Chem Asian J. 2013 Jan;8(1):269-75. doi: 10.1002/asia.201200872. Epub 2012 Nov 7.

Abstract

Osmium hydrido vinylidene 1 shows diverse cyclization reactivity with activated terminal alkynes. Treatment of 1 with HC≡CCOR' (R'=OEt and Me) gave osmafurans 3a and 3b via osmium alkenyl/vinylidenes 2a and 2b. In addition, 1 reacted with HC≡CCH(OH)C≡CH to yield osmabenzene 4, in which the alkynol acted as a C(5) fragment to cyclize with 1. Mechanistic analysis indicates that these reactions and the previous formal [3+3] cycloadditions between 1 and HC≡CCH(OH)R (R=Ph, Et, and vinyl) or HC≡CCH(OEt)(2) all go through similar osmabutadiene intermediates. Subsequently, the intermediates either took a "coordination and cyclization" process or a "carbon-carbon coupling" path to cyclization, depending on the coordination ability of substituents on the terminal alkenyl carbon atom.