Reaction of Fischer Carbene Complexes with 1,3-Butadiynes: A New Strategem for Biaryl Synthesis with Construction of the Biaryl Bond Preceding Synthesis of the Arenes

The first examples of the reactions of Fischer carbene complexes with 1,3-butadiynes are reported. These reactions are of interest since they provide new methods for the synthesis of acetylenic substituted arenes and also for the synthesis of biaryls. The reactions of the complexes (CO)5CrC(OR1)R2 [R1 = Me, n-Bu; R2 = phenyl, 1-naphthyl, 1-cyclohexenyl] were investigated with the conjugated diynes R3C⋮CC⋮CR3 [R3 = t-Bu, i-Pr, Ph]. All of the carbene complexes will react with 1 equiv of the diyne to give good yields of acetylenic arenes 5, 19, and 23, each with high selectivity for the regioisomer in which the substituent R3 on the diyne is incorporated adjacent to the phenol function. The reactions of the alkynylarenes 5, 19, and 23 with a second equivalent of carbene complexes, 4, 16, and 22, respectively, generate the bis-phenols 26, 31, and 33, with varying amounts of five-membered-ring annulated compounds as side products. These side products are not seen with the cyclohexenyl complex 22 and can be mi...