1391728-10-1Relevant articles and documents
Pivaloylmetals (tBu-COM: M=Li, MgX, K) as equilibrium components
Knorr,Boehrer,Schubert,Boehrer
experimental part, p. 7506 - 7515 (2012/07/27)
Short-lived pivaloylmetals, (H3C)3C-COM, were established as the reactive intermediates arising through thermal heterolytic expulsion of O=CtBu2 from the overcrowded metal alkoxides tBuC(=O)-C(-OM)tBu2 (M=MgX, Li, K). In all three cases, this fission step is counteracted by a faster return process, as shown through the trapping of tBu-COM by O=C(tBu)-C(CD3)3 with formation of the deuterated starting alkoxides. If generated in the absence of trapping agents, all three tBu-COM species "dimerize" to give the enediolates MO-C(tBu)=C(tBu)-OM along with O=CtBu2 (2 equiv). A common-component rate depression by surplus O=CtBu2 proves the existence of some free tBu-COM (separated from O=CtBu2); but companion intermediates with the traits of an undissociated complex such as tBu-COM & O=CtBu2 had to be postulated. The slow fission step generating tBu-COMgX in THF levels the overall rates of dimerization, ketone addition, and deuterium incorporation. Formed by much faster fission steps, both tBu-COLi and tBu-COK add very rapidly to ketones and dimerize somewhat slower (but still fairly fast, as shown through trapping of the emerging O=CtBu2 by H3CLi or PhCH2K, respectively). At first sight surprisingly, the rapid fission, return, and dimerization steps combine to very slow overall decay rates of the precursor Li and K alkoxides in the absence of trapping agents: A detailed study revealed that the fast fission step, generating tBu-COLi in THF, is followed by a kinetic partitioning that is heavily biased toward return and against the product-forming dimerization. Both tBu-COLi and tBu-COK form tBu-CH=O with HN(SiMe3)3, but only tBu-COK is basic enough for being protonated by the precursor acyloin tBuC(=O)-C(-OH)tBu2. Copyright
