During these thirty years, we have pursued new methodologies in organic synthesis and developed many synthetically useful reactions. Among them, four topics are described in this article. (1) Regio-and stereoselective silylmetalation of acetylenes has been examined. Whereas platinum-or copper-catalyzed silylmagnesation of terminal acetylenes afforded (E)-1-silyl-1-alkene exclusively, palladium-catalyzed silylalumination with PhMe 2 Si-AlEt 2 provided 2-silyl-1-alkenes with high regioselectivity. (2) Triethylborane induced radical addition of Ph 3 SnH to acetylenes gave 1-triphenylstannyl-1-alkenes in the presence of small amount of oxygen. The reaction has two distinguishing characteristics. One feature is that Et 3 B can initiate the radical reaction at low temperature, such as À78 C. (3) The other distinctive feature of Et 3 B-induced radical reaction is that many solvents could be used for the reaction. Thus, water was chosen as a solvent, and Et 3 B-induced atom-transfer radical cyclization of iodo acetals and iodoacetates in water was examined. (4) Three types of organometallic ate complexes, R 3 MnMgBr, R 3 MgLi, and R 3 Co(L 2 )MgBr, were prepared and used for organic synthesis. Treatment of gem-dibromocyclopropane with trialkylmanganate provided alkylated cyclopropane after aqueous workup. Aryl and alkenyl halides could be converted into the corresponding magnesium reagents by the action of trialkylmagnesate via halogen-magnesium exchange. Finally, synthetic reactions catalyzed by cobalt complexes are described. Without suffering from -elimination, cobalt complexes allow cross-coupling reactions of alkyl halides with Grignard reagents.
Silylmetalation of Acetylenes and Its Application to the Stereoselective Synthesis of Steroidal Side ChainsIn 1982, we started an investigation on the stereoselective synthesis of the side chain of a plant growth steroidal hormone, brassinolide. Our synthesis route, which consists of three key reactions, is shown in Scheme 1.We began by studying the last step (c), selective ring opening of ,-epoxy alcohol. Among many organometallic compounds examined, organoaluminum reagents were found to be effective for the regio-and stereoselective ring opening of epoxy alcohol to give 1,2-diols. 1 The reaction proceeds with inversion at the reacting center. In the next step (b), we had to develop a new method of preparing threo epoxy alcohol 3 form (E)-allylic alcohol 2a. The vanadium-catalyzed epoxidation of (E)-allylic alcohol gave the erythro isomer as a main product. On the other hand, m-CPBA epoxidation gave the threo isomer as a major product, but the selectivities of these reactions were rather low and not enough for our purpose. This problem was solved by substitution of an appropriate hydrogen on the double bond by a bulky Me 3 Si group.2 Treatment of 2b with VO(acac) 2 -t-BuOOH or m-CPBA gave threo epoxy alcohol 3 with high stereoselectivity (99%). The Me 3 Si group was easily removed by treatment with n-Bu 4 NF or CsF in DMSO, and the desilylation of epoxysilane proceeded wi...