2.2.3. The Stille Reaction
The Stille reaction, a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between an organostannane and a halide, was first described by Stille in 1985 [
17] and was illustrated through numerous examples. Herein, we will focus on those that led to conjugated dienes. The coupling between the (E)-(iodovinyl) benzene and a stannyl derivative successfully resulted in the corresponding 1,3-diene compound. It is important to note that the reaction exclusively kept the stereochemistry of the reactants involved. This reaction is of great synthetic interest because a compound with a trans stereochemistry will lead to a trans diene (
Scheme 11) [
18,
19].
In 2001, Pattenden’s team proposed the total synthesis of natural molecules comprising a conjugated diene moiety via the Stille coupling reaction [
20]. Their work began with the application of Farina’s conditions, i.e., the use of palladium tetrakistriphenylarsine in THF at reflux, which enabled them to obtain compound 15 via the intramolecular cyclization of compound 14 at a 37% yield (
Scheme 12) [
21].
Several years later, Morris’ group attempted to obtain hydroxystrobilurin A (methyl (2E,3Z,5E)-3-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(methoxymethylidene)-6-phenylhexa-3,5-dienoate), with Stille coupling as a key reaction [
22]. Hydroxystrobilurin A has the same biological activity of other strobilurins or oudemansins. It exhibits antifungal activities but no antibacterial activity compared to strobilurin [
23]. Compound 16 was coupled with the iodine derivative 17 in the presence of Pd(dppf)Cl
2 in anhydrous DMF. Compound 18, which is a conjugated diene, was obtained at a yield of 66%. The coupling turned out to be selective at the iodine level as expected, leaving the possibility of carrying out another coupling on the bromine atom. This is, moreover, the continuation of the strategy envisaged by this team (
Scheme 13).
Compound 18 was coupled with compound 19 in the presence of CuI, triphenylarsine and Pd2dba3 in N-methylpyrolidine at 50 °C and was protected from light. The compound 20 thus obtained at an 86% yield was then reduced by the action of DIBAL-H on the α,β-unsaturated methyl ester. A 12% yield of hydroxystrobilurin A was thus obtained. In this case, the coupling took place on the bromine atom unlike the previous reaction. This may be due to the use of CuI, which activates the C-Br bond by the complexation of the latter, and then via transmetalation with palladium, it initiates the catalytic cycle of the coupling.
Stannylated compounds, although easily accessible, remain extremely toxic. Despite the effectiveness of this coupling, it is therefore necessary to consider its environmental impact during total synthesis. In addition, if this coupling is used for the synthesis of active compounds, slight traces of tin could still be present in the final formulation.
Amos B. Smith et al. [
24] described the total synthesis of the Lituarines B and C macrocyclic lactones involving the formation of (E/Z)-dienamide side chain with cis-vinyl stannane by the Stille coupling reaction (
Scheme 14). These compounds are present in biologically active marine natural products. Cytotoxic and antineoplastic activities were observed.
2.2.4. The Suzuki–Miyaura Reaction
In 1979, the Suzuki team [
25,
26,
27] published a coupling reaction between a boronic acid derivative and a vinyl bromide in the presence of a base and palladium (
Scheme 15) [
28].
Historically, the first coupling was carried out between the compounds 21 and 22 in the presence of palladium tetrakistriphenylphosphine and sodium ethanoate, leading to the conjugated diene derivatives 23 and 24 in respective yields of 47% and 41%.
This reaction opened the way to numerous total syntheses, such as that described by Pattenden’s group for the synthesis of (+)-curacin A in 2002 (
Scheme 16) [
29]. Curacin has been reported to be a potent antiproliferative cytotoxic compound for several cancers, including renal, colon, and breast cancers [
30,
31,
32,
33]. Curacin A interacts with binding sites that inhibit the microtubule polymerization involved in cell division and proliferation processes.
Compounds 25 and 26 were placed in the presence of palladium acetate, triphenylphosphine, and lithium hydroxide in degassed THF at 40 °C for 16 h to lead to the single isomer (E,E) of compound 27 in a 59% yield.
In 2004, Molander’s group developed [
34] a total synthesis of oxymidine II, which demonstrated potent antitumor activity [
35] and used the Suzuki reaction as the key step for the formation of the macrocycle (
Figure 2).
This macrocyclization was carried out intramolecularly on molecule 21 (
Scheme 17) in the presence of Pd(PPh
3)
4 derived from cesium carbonate in a THF/H
2O (10/1,
v/v) mixture at the reflux temperature for 20 h. Compound 30 was obtained in a 42% yield in two steps from alkyne 28.
Suzuki coupling yields, among other things, conjugated diene and triene compounds from simple and easily accessible reagents. However, boronic acid derivatives comprising several chemical functions are generally expensive when they are commercially available.
2.2.6. The Negishi Reaction
During the reaction developed in 1977 by Negishi, halogenated compounds were coupled with organozinc derivatives [
40,
41,
42]. Historically, the first coupling was carried out between (E)-1-iodohex-1-ene and ethynylzinc chloride, which was prepared in situ by adding a solution of ZnCl
2 in THF to a solution of ethynyl lithium. The reaction was carried out at room temperature in THF in the presence of Pd(PPh
3)
4 as a catalyst to yield the desired coupling compound in a yield of 83% (
Scheme 20).
In 2008, Kershaw’s team used Negishi coupling as one of the key reactions to synthesize a naturally occurring compound isolated from corals, the deoxypukalide that is obtained by the desoxygenation of pukalide [
43]. The synthesis was performed from compound 33 with 2.3 equivalents of LDA to tear the acidic proton from the cycle, leading to the lithiated derivative udnergoing transmetalation in the presence of zinc chloride. The latter compound underwent Negishi coupling in the presence of compound 34 and a ferrocene palladium complex. The alcohol that was obtained was deprotected in the presence of TBAF, leading to compound 35 with a global yields of 78% in two steps. Then, various subsequent reactions led to the expected natural compound (
Scheme 21).
Another alternative to obtain organozinc compounds was used by Negishi during the total synthesis of vitamin A in 2001 [
44]. In this case, the necessary terminal alkyne was placed in the presence of trimethylaluminum and a zirconium complex (Cp
2ZrCl
2) in dichloromethane to generate the corresponding alkenylalane. Firstly, the trimethylaluminum and Cp
2ZrCl
2 complex chelated via a non-binding doublet of the chlorine atoms and exchanged a methyl group. Then, the triple bond on the electronic vacancy of the zirconium incorporated the methyl at the same time. The triple bond was reduced by electronic transfer. Subsequently, transmetalation took place between the zirconium and the aluminum, leading to the alkenylalane compound (
Scheme 22).
In this case, Negishi sought to optimize the coupling between the organozinc and the compound (E)-1-bromo-2-iodo-ethene while promoting the addition on the iodine atom as well as reducing the possibility of having a second coupling on the bromine atom. A search for the best solvent (
Table 8) showed that a DMF/THF mixture (2/1,
v/v) was the best combination, as it favored the mono-coupling with iodine with only traces of compound 37. DMF had a very significant impact on the reaction because when the coupling was carried out in THF, the yield of compound 36 dropped to 20% without increasing the proportion of 37. However, after 12 h of reaction time, they observed the formation of compound 37 with a yield of up to 10%.
This process was used to synthesize vitamin A by reacting compound 38 under the conditions described above. The deprotection of the alkyne was then carried out to lead to conjugated compound 39 at a yield of 70% (
Scheme 23).
In 2004, Panek’s group developed the total synthesis of Callystatin A through a Negishi coupling reaction [
45]. Callystatin exhibits anti-tumor activity, and this antibiotic blocked some of the molecules involved in the cellular processes of proliferation, differentiation, development, and hormone action [
46] To achieve this, alkyne 40 was brought into contact with the zirconium complex at room temperature. The advantage of using Cp
2ZrHCl, also called Schwartz’s reagent, is that it adds a proton to the triple bond and not a methyl, which was the case previously [
47]. The addition of zinc chloride in THF led to organozinc, which was immediately engaged in the Negishi coupling reaction with iodine compound 41 to generate compound 42 at a 51% yield. Various deprotection reactions then led to the target natural molecule (
Scheme 24).
2.2.7. The Mizoroki–Heck Reaction
Heck–Mizoroki coupling is one of the most convenient methods for carbon–carbon double bond formation in small organic molecules. Here, we report the state-of-the art of conditions leading to conjugated diene compounds in general and an application of the synthesis to a natural molecule.
In 1971, Mizoroki’s team published work to bound phenyl iodide and vinyl bromide in the presence of palladium and potassium carbonate [
48]. In 1972, Heck’s group described the same coupling but applied these conditions to various substrates [
49]. This reaction, called the Heck–Mizoroki reaction (
Scheme 25), is commonly used in organic synthesis, as the required building blocks are easy to access and are generally inexpensive.
The mechanism of this reaction is now well known [
50]. To improve the environmental impact of its use, some studies have introduced improvements, for example the work by Hallberg’s team in 2002, which describes a methodology for this coupling using microwaves as a thermal source [
51]. The advantage of using this type of heating is that it reduces the reaction time considerably compared to conventional heating because microwaves heat the reaction media to the core. The coupling compounds that were obtained were all of configuration (E). The use of microwave irradiation did not modify the stereochemistry of the double bond since although isomerization occurred by the thermal effect, the products formed in these examples were thermodynamic products and not kinetic products. It should be noted that these conditions required high heating, with temperatures reaching up to 180 °C. This may not be tolerated by certain functions or even by complex molecules such as certain sugars, as it can lead to degradation and side products.
In 2012, the Lamaty team published coupling conditions in a solvent that had the particularity of being solid at room temperature: PEG2000 [
52]. As before, the stereochemistry of the compounds was exclusively of group (E), and no isomerization was observed. In 2016, our team showed that Mizoroki–Heck coupling can also be conducted in an environmentally sound manner in PEG 400 [
53]. In 2008, Han and his team developed a solvent-free Heck–Mizoroki coupling procedure with a catalyst supported by SBA-15 silica grafted with 1,1,3,3-tetramethylgaunidinium (TMG) [
54]. Compounds were obtained in very good yields while only using a tiny amount of catalyst (0.001 mol%). In 2017, Jagtap published an interesting review on the different conditions that can be used for the Heck coupling reaction, but it did not deal with the formation of conjugated dienes [
55].Application of Mizoroki–Heck coupling to the synthesis of diene compounds.
In 2003, the Venturello team reported the coupling of conjugated diene compounds with aromatic iodine derivatives [
56]. The yields obtained in these conditions were moderate, but the isolated compounds retained the stereochemistry (E,E) of the starting diene compound 43 (
Table 9).
However, in these conditions, when the diene did not have an ester function but instead had an alkyl substituent such as a methyl 44 or a propyl 46, the isomerization of the double bonds belonging the coupling product (45,47) was observed (
Scheme 26).
When this team used diene 48 in the previously described coupling conditions, isomerization was observed, and a cyclized compound was isolated. This intramolecular cyclization was the result of the addition of alcohol to the diene complexed with palladium. Finally, the catalyst was decomplexed from the alkene to lead to compound 49 (
Scheme 27). The conformation of the compound obtained was exclusively (E).
From this result, the Venturello team generalized their method using various iodine compounds and various substituted dienes. When the diene was not substituted, the yields ranged between 60% and 73% depending on the aromatics used, with one (E) configuration only (
Table 10, entries 1 to 3). Substitution on the 3′ position of the diene used with a methyl group did indeed lead to the expected coupling compound, but a second isomer was observed (
Table 10, entries 4 and 6). However, it was shown that when aryl is hindered in the ortho position, only compound (E) was isolated (entry 5). If the diene was substituted with a methyl at the 2′ position, then compound (Z) was not observed in favor of compound (E) (
Table 10, entry 7).
The compounds that were thus isolated were of great synthetic interest because in the presence of an acid catalyst, it would be possible to regenerate an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde by deprotection of the acetal function of the molecule.
In 2006, the same team developed conditions leading to dienes without any isomerization [
57]. The base changed, but the most important variation was the replacement of DMSO by an ionic liquid, tetrabutylammonium bromide (
Scheme 28). The compound obtained was a conjugated diene with an exclusive (E,E) 51 stereochemistry.
In 2006 Skrydstrup’s group developed a new methodology to generate conjugated diene compounds [
58]. They started from tosylate compounds 52 instead of the usually used iodine compounds in the presence of PdCl
2cod as the catalyst. The phosphine was present in the form of a salt and was prepared according to the method described by Fu, with dicyclohexylmethylamine as a base in the medium [
59]. These conditions required 1 equivalent of lithium chloride (50%,
Table 11, entry 2) and an increase in the reaction temperature to 100 °C to be efficient (66%,
Table 11, entry 3).
A generalization of the method was carried out. When styrene was used, coupling took place within 17 h, with a yield of 96% (
Table 12, entry 1). The result was even better with 4-vinyl-1,1′-biphenyl (
Table 12, entry 2). The reaction was tolerant to many compounds, such as 4-vinylpyridine: the coupling compounds were obtained in a yield of 88% (
Table 12 entry 3).
In the context of applications for the synthesis of natural products, Dounay and Overmann reported an asymmetric intramolecular Heck reaction in the total synthesis of natural products [
50], and other teams reported other total synthesis reactions [
60,
61,
62]. To achieve our goal concerning natural products possessing a conjugated diene, in 2018, our team applied the Mizoroki–Heck reaction to synthetize abscisic acid (ABA) (
Scheme 29) in an environmentally sound manner [
63]. ABA is an important phytohormone [
64,
65,
66,
67,
68,
69,
70] that has been reported to have interesting properties [
71,
72]. After having considered the different synthesis strategies reported in the literature [
73,
74,
75,
76,
77,
78,
79,
80,
81], the Mizoroki–Heck reaction conditions were optimized with methyl (2
Z)-3-iodobut-2-enoate and various allylic cyclohexenols and cyclohexanols.
We succeeded in controlling the configuration of the double bonds, and no isomerization was observed. Our methodology was based on the association of simple terminal olefins with methyl (2Z)-3-iodobut-2-enoate in optimized solvent-free conditions in the presence of palladium acetate under air but without any ligand.
The expected (E/Z)-diene 57 was isolated in a 96% yield without racemization, and the
R/
S ratio was maintained during the formation of the diene. After a final saponification followed by an acidic treatment, abscisic acid synthesis was carried out. The ABA enantiomerically enriched in its
S isomer was therefore synthetized in four steps, achieving a global yield of 54% (
Scheme 30) [
63].