InBr3 catalyzed three-component reactions of an aryldiazoacetate,an alcohol,and a carbonyl compound

InBr₃ promoted three-component reactions of an aryldiazoacetate, an alcohol, and an electron deficient carbonyl compound gave α,β-dihydroxyl acid derivatives in good yield with high diastereoselectivity. The reaction is proposed through a protic oxonium ylide trapping process. The reaction mechanism for the formation of the protic oxonium ylide via Lewis acid InBr₃ catalyzed diazo decomposition is suggested through a vinyl cationic intermediate.     

An approach toward the alkaloid (±)-mersicarpine using a rhodium(II) carbenoid cyclization-cycloaddition cascade of an α-diazo dihydroindolinone

A tandem carbonyl ylide/1,3-dipolar cycloaddition cascade of α-diazo indole-2,3-dione with several different dipolarophiles was investigated. The intermolecular Rh(II)-catalyzed reaction occurs efficiently and affords dipolar cycloadducts in high yields. The analogous intramolecular reaction also takes place and gives an azapolycyclic product derived from trapping of the carbonyl ylide dipole with a tethered alkene. The power of the intramolecular cascade sequence is that it rapidly assembles polycyclic ring systems containing both multiple stereocenters and adjacent quaternary carbon centers in a single step in high yield. This cascade reaction was successfully utilized in a model study directed toward the total synthesis of mersicarpine.     

Studies on ylides: Carbonyl olefination with (p-nitro benzylidene)triphenylarsenane

(p-Nitrobenzylidene)triphenylarsenane, a semistabilized arsonium ylide has been prepared and reacted with carbonyl compounds to yield olefins as opposed to epoxidation products. Treatment of the ylide with a ranged acyl halides gave new disubstituted arsonium ylides. IR and NMR spectral data for the resulting products are reported.     

Rhodium(II)-catalyzed cyclization of amido diazo carbonyl compounds

A series of acyclic diazo ketoamides were prepared from N-benzoyl-N-alkylaminopropanoic acids and were treated with a catalytic amount of rhodium(II) acetate. The resultant carbenoids underwent facile cyclization onto the neighboring amide carbonyl oxygen atom to generate seven-membered carbonyl ylide dipoles. Subsequent collapse of the dipoles with charge dissipation produce bicyclic epoxides which undergo further reorganization to give substituted 5-hydroxydihydropyridones in good yield. Depending on the nature of the substituent groups, it was possible to trap some of the initially formed carbonyl ylide dipoles with a reactive dipolarophile such as DMAD. In other cases, cyclization of the dipole to the epoxide is much faster than bimolecular trapping. A related cyclization/rearrangement sequence occurred when diazo ketoamides derived from the cyclic pyrrolidone and piperidone ring systems were subjected to catalytic quantities of Rh(II) acetate. With these systems, exclusive O-cyclization of the amido group onto the carbenoid center occurs to generate a seven-ring carbonyl ylide dipole. Starting materials are easily prepared, and the cascade sequence proceeds in good yield and does not require special precautions. The overall procedure represents an efficient one-pot approach toward the synthesis of various indolizidine and quinolizidine ring systems.     

Rhodium(II) catalyzed highly diastereoselective synthesis of conformationally restricted dispiro[1,3-dioxolane]bisoxindoles

Synthesis of conformationally restricted dispiro- and bis-dispiro-1,3-dioxolanes via three-component reaction of diazoamides, ketoamides/diketones, and aromatic/heteroaromatic aldehydes in the presence of rhodium(II) acetate dimer catalyst at room temperature involving carbonyl ylides is demonstrated with diastereoselectivity. Synthesis of macrocyclic dispiro-1,3-dioxolanes via intramolecular carbonyl ylide is also delineated in high yield. The conformationally restricted symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical dispiro-1,3-dioxolanes were obtained under mild conditions in a highly diastereo- and regioselective manner.     

Rhodium(II) mediated cyclizations of diazo alkynyl ketones

The rhodium(II)-catalyzed reaction of -diazo ketones bearing tethered alkyne units represents a new and useful method for the construction of a variety of substituted cyclopentenones. The process proceeds by addition of the rhodium-stabilized carbenoid onto the acetylenic π-bond to give a vinyl carbenoid intermediate. The resulting rhodium complex undergoes a wide assortment of reactions including cyclopropanation, 1,2-hydrogen migration, CH-insertion, addition to tethered alkynes and ylide formation. The exact pathway followed is dependent on the specific metal/ligand employed and is also influenced by the nature of the solvent. Sulfonium ylide formation occurred both intra and intermolecularly when the reaction was carried out in the presence of a sulfide. In the case where an ether oxygen was present on the backbone of the vinyl carbenoid, cyclization afforded an oxonium ylide which underwent a [1,2] or [2,3]-sigmatropic shift to give a rearranged product. These cyclic metallocarbenoids were also found to interact with a neighboring carbonyl π-bond to produce carbonyl ylide dipoles that could be trapped with added dipolarophiles. The domino transformation was also performed intramolecularly by attaching an alkene directly to the carbonyl group. When 2-alkynyl-2-diazo-3-oxobutanoates were treated with a Rh(II)-catalyst, furo[3,4-c]furans were formed in excellent yield. The 1,5-electrocyclization process involved in furan formation has also been utilized to produce indeno[1,2-c]furans. Rotamer population was found to play a significant role in the cyclization of -diazo amide systems containing tethered alkynes. In this account, an overview of our work in this area is presented.     

A convenient one-pot approach to Paclitaxel (Taxol) side chain via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides and N-benzoylbenzyl imines

An efficient cascade approach to α-hydroxy-β-amino acid derivatives is reported, which goes through a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides and N-benzoylbenzyl imines and followed by hydrolysis under acidic conditions. This is the first example of using N-benzoylbenzyl imine as dipolarophile for 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with carbonyl ylide, which provides a direct and convenient access for the one-pot synthesis of paclitaxel side chain and its derivatives.     

One-pot and stereoselective synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzodiazepin-2-one with a phosphanylidene or phosphono-succinate substituent

The one-pot synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzodiazepins-2-one bearing phosphanylidene (ylide) or phosphono-succinate substituent is described. In this four-component reaction, benzodiazepine derived from condensation of o-phenylenediamine and diketene is trapped with the trialkyl phosphite-dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylate zwitterion. In the presence of H₂O, the ylide functional group is hydrolyzed to the corresponding phosphonate. The configuration of the products is selective and only one of the two possible rotamers or diastereomers is formed exclusively in high yield.     

S-Methylidene agents: preparation of chiral non-racemic heterocycles

Reaction of sulfur ylide with aldehyde, imine, and ketone functionality affords the desired three-membered heterocycle in excellent yield. The sulfur ylide is generated in situ upon decarboxylation of carboxymethylsulfonium betaine functionality. Of the seven carboxymethylsulfonium betaine derivatives surveyed, the highest level of conversion of π-acceptor to heterocycle was obtained with the one having S-methyl and S-phenyl functionality bound to a thioacetate derivative. Methylene aziridinations and epoxidations involving the decarboxylation of carboxymethylsulfonium betaine functionality complements existing technologies with the advantages of the reaction protocol, levels of conversion, and scope. While moderate levels of diastereocontrol were observed in the aziridination of imine functionality, the four oxiranes resolved using Jacobsen's Co(II)-salen complex were obtained in both high yield and enantioselectivity. The isolated chiral non-racemic oxiranes constitute the formal synthesis of chelonin B and combretastatin starting from 3-bromo-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde, respectively.     

Demonstration of 14-20-membered intramolecular carbonyl ylides: diastereoselective synthesis of macrocycles incorporating spiro-indolooxiranes

A range of macrocycles (13-19-membered) possessing spiro-indolooxirane unit were synthesized with complete diastereoselectivity in good yield by the rhodium(II) acetate catalyzed reaction of substituted cyclic diazoamides in dry dichloromethane. The reaction proceeds via the formation of the corresponding macrocyclic carbonyl ylide followed by a con-rotatory electrocyclization process.     

Cyclization-cycloaddition casade of rhodium carbenoids using different carbonyl groups. Highlighting the position of interaction

A series of 3-diazoalkanediones, when treated with a catalytic quantity of a rhodium(II) carboxylate, were found to afford oxabicyclic dipolar cycloadducts derived by the trapping of a carbonyl ylide intermediate. The reaction involves generation of the 1,3-dipole by intramolecular cyclization of the keto carbenoid onto the oxygen atom of the neighboring keto group. Both five- and six-ring carbonyl ylides are formed with the same efficiency. A study of the tandem cyclization-cycloaddition cascade of several alpha-diazo ketoesters was also carried out, and the cascade sequence proceeded in high yield. When the interacting keto carbonyl group was replaced by an imido group, the rhodium(II)-catalyzed reaction proceeded uneventfully. In contrast, alpha-diazo amidoesters do not undergo nitrogen extrusion on treatment with a Rh(II) catalyst. Instead, the diazo portion of the molecule undergoes 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with various dipolarophiles to give substituted pyrazoles as the final products.     

Reactions on a 1,2-Dicarbonyl Moiety of a Fullerene Skeleton

A 1,2-dicarbonyl moiety on a cage-opened fullerene skeleton is one of suitable building blocks for the further derivatization. Herein, we discuss the chemical transformation of a 1,2-dicarbonyl compound into β-oxo-phosphorus ylide, acid anhydride, and α-methylene carbonyl derivatives. Despite possessing a sterically small methylene unit in the last one, the release of an encapsulated water molecule was significantly supressed whereas the β-oxo-phosphorus ylide bearing three bulky p-tolyl groups on the P-atom enabled the faster insertion/release dynamics, implying the flexibility of the phosphonium substituent. The replacement of the carbonyl group with phosphorus ylide and methylene units largely varied electrochemical properties of the fullerene skeleton, likely arising from the anionic charge delocalized over the entire molecule and removal of an electron-withdrawable carbonyl group, respectively.     

Asymmetric synthesis of dihydro-1,3-dioxepines by Rh(ii)/Sm(iii) relay catalytic three-component tandem [4 + 3]-cycloaddition

Heterocycles have been widely used in organic synthesis, agrochemical, pharmaceutical and materials science industries. Catalytic three-component ylide formation/cycloaddition enables the assembly of complex heterocycles from simple starting materials in a highly efficient manner. However, asymmetric versions remain a yet-unsolved task. Here, we present a new bimetallic catalytic system for tackling this challenge. A combined system of Rh(ii) salt and chiral N,N′-dioxide–Sm(iii) complex was established for promoting the unprecedented tandem carbonyl ylide formation/asymmetric [4 + 3]-cycloaddition of aldehydes and α-diazoacetates with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters smoothly, affording various chiral 4,5-dihydro-1,3-dioxepines in up to 97% yield, with 99% ee. The utility of the current method was demonstrated by conversion of products to optically active multi-substituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives. A possible reaction mechanism was provided to elucidate the origin of chiral induction based on experimental studies and X-ray structures of catalysts and products.

Catalytic asymmetric tandem carbonyl ylide formation/[4 + 3]-cycloaddition of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters, aldehydes and α-diazoacetates was achieved by using a bimetallic rhodium(ii)/chiral N,N′-dioxide–Sm(iii) complex catalyst.     

Theoretical Study of the Cycloaddition Reaction of a Tungsten‐Containing Carbonyl Ylide

The [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of a tungsten‐containing carbonyl ylide with methyl vinyl ether and the insertion reactions of the nonstabilized carbene complex intermediates produced have been investigated through the use of B3LYP density functional theory. The [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of the tungsten‐containing carbonyl ylide has been proven to proceed concertedly, reversibly, and with high endo selectivity. The intermolecular Si? H insertion reactions of the carbene complex intermediates have been proven to be favored over the intramolecular C? H insertion, in good agreement with experimental results. Moreover, the kinetic endo/exo ratio of the [3+2] cycloaddition reaction has been shown to determine the endo/exo selectivity of the Si? H insertion products. In addition, secondary orbital interactions involving the benzene ring and the carbonyl ligand on the metal center have turned out to strongly influence the high endo selectivity of the [3+2] cycloaddition reaction with methyl vinyl ether.     

Thermal and photochemical studies with stilbene oxides intramolecular trapping of carbonyl ylide intermediates

The annelated tetrahydrofuran derivatives 14 and 15, resp., are formed in moderate yield by intramolecular trapping reaction of the carbonyl ylide intermediates 9, which are generated either by thermal ring opening of the trans-stilbene oxides 7t/8t or by photolysis of the cis-isomers 7c/8c.     

Thermolysis of Imidates: A New Method for the Generation of Carbonyl Ylides

Thermolysis of dimethyl 2‐[(3‐oxo‐3H‐isoindol‐1‐yl)oxy]malonate ( 8 ) promotes a [1,4]‐H shift in the imidic ? N?C? O? CH? fragment of the starting molecule, which leads to a reactive carbonyl ylide. This carbonyl ylide can be trapped by the C?N bond of imidates and imines, as well as the C?O bond of benzaldehyde. The corresponding cycloadducts 11, 14 , and 16 are formed regioselectively in good yields (60–95%) and with high stereoselectivity. In the case of 11 , the minor cycloadduct in solution undergoes an isomerization to give the more stable stereoisomer. The structures of two cycloadducts, i.e., 11a and 14a , have been established by X‐ray crystallography.     

The interaction of rhodium carbenoids with carbonyl compounds as a method for the synthesis of tetrahydrofurans

The transition metal catalyzed reaction of α-diazo carbonyl compounds has found numerous applications in organic synthesis, and its use in either heterocyclic or carbocyclic ring formation is well precedented. In contrast to other catalysts that are suitable for carbenoid reactions of diazo compounds, those constructed with the dirhodium(II) framework are most amenable to ligand modification that, in turn, can influence reaction selectivity. The reaction of rhodium carbenoids with carbonyl groups represents a very efficient method for generating carbonyl ylide dipoles. Rhodium-mediated carbenoid–carbonyl cyclization reactions have been extensively utilized as a powerful method for the construction of a variety of novel polycyclic ring systems. This article will emphasize some of the more recent synthetic applications of the tandem rhodium carbenoid cyclization/cycloaddition cascade for natural product synthesis. Discussion centers on the chemical behavior of the rhodium metal carbenoid complex that is often affected by the nature of the ligand groups attached to the metal center.     

Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed formation of trans-alkenes from the reaction of aldehydes with perfluorophenyl diazomethane through tellurium ylide

Rh₂(OAc)₄ can catalyze the formation of perfluorophenyl-containing trans-epoxides from the reactions of perfluorophenyl diazomethane with activated aryl aldehydes through sulfur ylide intermediate. In contrast, under the same reaction conditions, trans-alkenes were obtained in excellent yield through tellurium ylide intermediates.     

Lewis acid catalyzed carbon-carbon bond cleavage of aryl oxiranyl diketones: synthesis of cis-2,5-disubstituted 1,3-dioxolanes

Carbonyl ylide is one of the most important intermediates which can undergo a series of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. The C-C heterolysis of oxirane is believed to be the most atom-economic and straightforward way to generate carbonyl ylide. However, this chemistry was only achieved under photochemical and thermal conditions in past years. In this work, the one-step diastereoselective synthesis of cis-2,5-disubstituted 1,3-dioxolanes via [3 + 2] cycloadditions of aldehydes and carbonyl ylide, which is obtained from Lewis acid catalyzed C-C bond heterolysis of aryl oxiranyl diketones at ambient temperature, is described.     

Total Syntheses of (+)‐Polygalolide A and (+)‐Polygalolide B: Elucidation of the Absolute Stereochemistry and Biogenetic Implications

The total syntheses of (+)‐polygalolide A and (+)‐polygalolide B have been completed by using a carbonyl ylide cycloaddition strategy. Three of the four stereocenters, including two consecutive tetrasubstituted carbon atoms at C2 and C8, were incorporated through internal asymmetric induction from the stereocenter at C7 by a [Rh₂(OAc)₄]‐catalyzed carbonyl ylide formation/intramolecular 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition sequence. The arylmethylidene moiety of these natural products was successfully installed by a Mukaiyama aldol‐type reaction of a silyl enol ether with a dimethyl acetal, followed by elimination under basic conditions. We have also developed an alternative approach to the carbonyl ylide precursor based on a hetero‐Michael reaction. This approach requires 18 steps, and the natural products were obtained in 9.8 and 9.3 % overall yields. Comparison of specific rotations of the synthetic materials and natural products suggests that polygalolides are biosynthesized in nearly racemic forms through a [5+2] cycloaddition between a fructose‐derived oxypyrylium zwitterion with an isoprene derivative.