Hydrostibination of Alkynes: A Radical Mechanism

Abstract

The addition of Sb-H bonds to alkynes was reported recently as a new hydroelementation reaction that exclusively yields anti-Markovnikov <i>Z</i>-olefins from terminal acetylenes. We examine four possible mechanisms that are consistent with the observed stereochemical and regiochemical outcomes. A comprehensive analysis of solvent, substituent, isotope, additive, and temperature effects on hydrostibination reaction rates definitively refutes three ionic mechanisms involving closed-shell charged intermediates. Instead the data support a fourth pathway featuring neutral radical Sb<sup>II</sup> and Sb<sup>III</sup> intermediates. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations are consistent this model, predicting an activation barrier that is within 1 kcal mol<sup>-1</sup> of the experimental value (Eyring analysis) and a rate limiting step that is congruent with experimental kinetic isotope effect. We therefore conclude that hydrostibination of arylacetylenes is initiated by the generation of stibinyl radicals, which then participate in a cycle featuring Sb<sup>II</sup> and Sb<sup>III</sup> intermediates to yield the observed <i>Z</i>-olefins as products. This mechanistic understanding will enable rational evolution of hydrostibination as a methodology for accessing challenging products such as <i>E</i>-olefins.