PALLADIUM-CATALYZED REACTION OF VINYL TRIFLATES AND VINYL ARYL HALIDES WITH 4-ALKYNOIC ACIDS - REGIOSELECTIVE AND STEREOSELECTIVE SYNTHESIS OF (E)-DELTA-VINYL ARYL-GAMMA-METHYLENE-GAMMA-BUTYROLACTONES

The palladium-catalyzed reaction of vinyl triflates and vinyl/aryl halides with 4-pentynoic acid, 2,2-disubstituted 4-pentynoic acids, and 5-substituted 4-pentynoic acids produced regio- and stereoselectively the corresponding (E)-delta-vinyl/aryl-gamma-methylene-gamma-butyrolactones in good to high yield. Reactions were carried out in the presence of catalytic amounts of Pd(OAc)2(PPh3)2 or Pd(PPh3)4, Et3N, and n-Bu4NCl. The presence of chloride anions was found to be necessary to obtain the best results. The proposed mechanism involves an intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the carboxylate anion on the palladium-coordinated carbon-carbon triple bond and subsequent reductive elimination of Pd(0) species from the resulting sigma-vinylpalladium complex which regenerates the catalyst and releases the exocyclic enol lactone.