Ruthenium Carbene-Mediated Construction of Strained Allenes via the Enyne Cross-Metathesis/Cyclopropanation of 1,6-Enynes

Org Lett. 2020 Feb 7;22(3):1139-1143. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.9b04662. Epub 2020 Jan 24.

Abstract

Herein, we report on the unprecedented dimerization of 1,6-enynes using a commercially available ruthenium complex RuCl2(PPh3)3, which results in a series of bicyclo[3.1.0]hexyl allene derivatives in moderate to excellent yields. Mechanistic investigation indicates that the in-situ-generated ruthenium vinylidene undergoes a site-selective metathesis process to provide allenyl ruthenium carbene, which can be intramolecularly trapped by the pendent C=C bond of enyne through a [2 + 2] cycloaddition/metal elimination process.