Low-valency titanium species, generated in situ by using Ti(OiPr)4/2 c-C5H9MgCl reagent, react with imines to give a titanium-imine complex that can couple with terminal alkynes to provide azatitanacyclopentenes with excellent regioselectivity. Stereodefined allylic amines are obtained in good yields after hydrolysis or iodonolysis of the corresponding azatitanacyclopentenes. When ethynylcyclopropane is used as the coupling partner to react with imines in this reaction, the initially generated allylic amine undergoes an unexpected 1,3-amino migration on silica gel during the column chromatography.
Keywords: allylic amine; azatitanacyclopentene; reductive cross-coupling; regioselectivity; terminal alkyne; titanium-imine complex.