Transition-Metal Complexes Catalyzed Hydrogen Atom Transfer

Radical cyclizations have been proven to be extremely important in organic synthesis. However, their reliance on toxic trialkyltin hydrides has precluded their practical applications in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Many tin hydride substitutes have been suggested but none of them are adequate alternates to the traditional tin reagent. Transition-metal hydrides have been shown to catalyze the hydrogenation and hydroformylation of unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds. Theses reactions begin with a Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT) from a metal to an olefin, generating a carbon-centered radical. The cyclization of that radical is an effective route to five- and six-membered rings. The HAT will be fastest if the M–H bond is weak. However, making the reaction catalytic will require that the hydride can be regenerated with H2. HCr(CO)3Cp has proven to be a good catalyst for such cyclizations, but it suffers from air sensitivity. The yield of the cyclization product depends on how the rate of radical cyclization compares with the rates of side reactions (hydrogenation and isomerization), so special substituents on a substrate are best installed to increase the cyclization rate. In attempting to im