Recent progress in the synthesis of benzene and 1,3-cyclohexadiene derivatives, and heterocyclic compounds such as pyridines, pyridones, pyrans, pyrimidine diones, etc, has been reviewed. The general mechanistic aspects of the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction are discussed. The asymmetric variants of these reactions are also discussed along with the proposed models of asymmetric induction. Keywords: arenes; catalysis; cycloaddition; heterocycles; metallacycles; transition metals IntroductionThe significance and increasing popularity of [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions is evident from the number of reviews that have recently appeared in the literature. [1][2][3] The [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction is remarkable in terms of its ability to utilize various unsaturated substrates such as alkynes, diynes, alkenes, imines, isocyanates, isothiocyanates, and CO 2 in the synthesis of a broad variety of highly substituted cyclic molecules such as benzenes, pyridines, pyridones, 1,3-cyclohexadienes, pyrones, thiopyridones and cyclohexanes. Multisubstituted benzenes and pyridines have traditionally been synthesized by aromatic electrophilic substitution (AES) reactions and a variety of metal-mediated coupling reactions. Although, these reactions are extremely efficient, they generally involve multistep syntheses. The application of AES reactions in the synthesis of polysubstituted aromatic rings is limited by the effect of the substituent groups and, hence, it may be very difficult or even impossible to add various functionalities at a specific position on the aromatic ring. On the other hand, [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions are extremely atom-efficient and involve the formation of several C À C bonds in a single step. Another important feature of the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction is tolerance of a myriad of functional groups such as alcohols, amines, alkenes, ethers, esters, halogens, and nitriles. Moreover, the availability of numerous catalytic systems that have Adv. Synth. Catal. 2006, 348, 2307 -2327 2006 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim 2307 REVIEWS been efficient in tedious syntheses highlights the applicability of the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction. These are important requirements for the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction to become a universal synthetic tool for the synthesis of benzene, pyridine, and other cyclic derivatives. An important problem with the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction is the lack of chemoand regioselectivity observed in earlier reported reactions. However, significant effort has been focused on attaining a high degree of chemo-, regio-and even enantioselectivity with considerable success as evident from recent reports. Excellent reviews on [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions are available. Kotha and co-workers have reviewed the synthesis of benzene derivatives by the cyclotrimerization of three alkyne functionalities utilizing transition metal systems as catalysts.[1] Their review is divided into: (a) intermolecular reactionsin which the three pi (alkyn...

The effects of proton donors (alcohols and water) on the rate of reduction of acetophenone by SmI2 have been examined utilizing stopped-flow spectrophotometric studies. The rate orders with respect to proton source and the kinetic isotope effects were determined as well. The reaction was first-order in phenol, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, methanol, and ethanol and zero-order in 2-propanol and 2-methyl-2-propanol when 25 equiv of proton source were used in the reduction. Methanol, ethanol, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, and phenol also showed a direct correlation between the pKa of the alcohol and the rate of reduction. Under the same conditions, water had a fractional rate order of 1.4. Further studies showed that water has a rate order of 1 at lower concentrations (<8 equiv) and a rate order of 2 at higher concentrations (>80 equiv). These results clearly indicate that the nature of the proton donor and its concentration affects the rates of reduction. Water has a high affinity for SmI2 (compared to that of the alcohols), and the onset of coordination at relatively low concentrations channels the reaction through a mechanistically distinct pathway.

The reductions of a series of beta-hydroxyketones by SmI(2) were examined in THF, DME, and CH(3)CN using methanol as a proton source. Reductions in THF and DME typically lead to the syn diastereomer with DME providing higher diastereoselectivities. Reductions in CH(3)CN provided the anti diastereomer predominantly. This study reveals that solvation plays an important role in substrate reduction by SmI(2). [reaction: see text]