STEREOSELECTIVITY IN NUCLEOPHILIC-ADDITION TO UNSATURATED LIGANDS BOUND TO MOLYBDENUM - ALLYLIC ALKYLATION OF CYCLOHEXANONE

The stereochemistry and regiochemistry of nucleophilic addition to olefinic, allylic, or diene moieties can be controlled in reactions of molybdenum complexes. The synthesis of a wide range of .alpha.-allylic cyclohexanones is feasible using (.eta.5-cyclopentadienyl)Mo(CO)(NO)(allyl) cations. The stereoselective preparation of (RS,SR)-2-(1-methyl-2-butenyl)cyclohexanone from the reaction of 1-pyrrolidino-1-cyclohexene with [CpMo(CO)(NO)(.eta.3-1,3-dimethylallyl)]BF4 illustrates the methodology.