Titanium-catalyzed hydroalumination of conjugated dienes: access to fulvene-derived allylaluminium reagents and their diastereoselective reactions with carbonyl compounds.

The described titanium-catalyzed hydroalumination of conjugated dienes opens up a new way to allylaluminium reagents. The reaction is carried out by using diisobutylaluminium hydride (DIBAL-H) and a catalytic amount of [Cp2TiCl2] (Cp = cyclopentadienyl). When applied to mono- and disubstitued pentafulvenes, this reaction proceeds in a highly endocyclic manner. The formed allylaluminium compounds react regio- and stereoselectively with both aldehydes and ketones to afford homoallylic alcohols that are suitable synthons for functionalized cyclopentanones. An extension of this methodology to simple dienes was also investigated. In the proposed mechanism, the initially formed bimetallic species (Ti/Al) are involved in the two possible catalytic cycles with a direct hydroalumination or/and a hydrotitanation followed by a titanium to aluminium transmetallation.