REGIOSELECTIVE AND STEREOSELECTIVE SYNTHESIS FOR A NOVEL CLASS OF ORGANOALUMINUM COMPOUNDS - SUBSTITUTED ALUMINACYCLOPENTANES AND ALUMINACYCLOPENTENES ASSISTED BY ZIRCONIUM CATALYSTS

A novel regio- and stereoselective method has been developed for the catalytic cyclometallation of olefins and acetylenes with alkylalanes in the presence of Cp(2)ZrCl(2), to give in one stage high yields of 3-substituted aluminacyclopentanes and aluminacyclopentenes. Applications of these reactions to a wide range of linear and cyclic olefins and to those containing functional substituents have been studied. The transformation of the aluminacyclopentanes thus produced, into five-membered heterocycles, mono- and di-substituted cyclobutanes and cyclopropanes, has been demonstrated.