Salt/ligand-activated low-valent titanium formulations: the ‘salt effect’ on diastereoselective carbon–carbon bond forming SET reactions

A comprehensive study on the influence of exogenously added electropositive metal salts as promoters/secondary activators on preformed LVT species has resulted in the construction of highly efficient low-valent titanium (LVT) reagents. These salt-activated LVT reagents while exhibiting enhanced chemoselectivity and diastereoselectivity accelerated the reductive olefination rates of aromatic and aliphatic carbonyls under ambient temperature conditions and in much reduced reaction times. The versatility of the salted reagent was further explored in other single electron transfer reactions, namely, imino-pinacol couplings and one-pot synthesis of phenanthrenes from o-alkoxy aromatic carbonyls. We envisage that, in contrast to multiphase heterogeneous colloidal slurries, salt-activated LVT reagents afforded uniformly viscous homogeneous slurries generating a highly reactive monomeric intermetallic LVT complex. Continued judicious exploration of the emerging paradigms by studying the influence of external ligands/auxiliaries/redox agents on LVT reagents, and organometallics in general, will be critical to widen the scope and utility of the classical McMurry reaction and other SET reactions.