endo-Selective (3+2) cycloaddition polymerizations of nitrone monomers with olefins utilising high pressure conditions

A high pressure mediated (3+2) cycloaddition polymerization strategy has been employed to afford linear poly(isoxazolidine) architectures. Under these high pressure conditions this cycloaddition process was found to afford primarily endo-heterocycles which when translated to the polymerization should ultimately affect the tacticity and resultant properties of the polymer. The stereoselectivity occurred as a result of a lower volume of activation for the endo-transition state and the application of a ‘type-I’ regime (HOMO_Dipole-LUMO_{Dipolarophile}) cycloaddition process that features secondary orbital interactions within the extended molecular orbitals. A variety of linker segments were employed in an attempt to affect the physical properties of the polymeric cycloadducts such as T_g and solubility in order to tailor these materials for use in coating applications.     

Cycloaddition reactions in aqueous systems: A two-decade trend endeavor

Cycloaddition reactions are an integral and weighty part of organic chemistry in pedagogy and research as well. The wealthy literature on cycloaddition reactions from their birth up to now, unequivocally witnesses to their leading chemistry. The so-called “conventional solvents” are organic solvents that have indubitably promoted their success. Yet, the toxicity facet of these solvents impedes their use freely and with no fear. Not only is the operating chemist uncomfortable while experimenting, but also the environment is equally threatened. Working out the cycloaddition reactions and other organic ones in aqueous systems would certainly bring some relief to the chemist and to the environment as well. Unusual outcomes in terms of yield, reactivity and selectivity compared to those performed in organic solvents were commonly observed, and have overwhelmed the chemists with surprise indeed. In this review, homo Diels–Alder reactions in aqueous media include those involving the following dienophiles: maleimides, α,β-unsaturated esters, p-benzoquinones, vinyl ketones, phenyl-1-(2-pyridyl)-2-propen-1-one, α,β-unsaturated esters. A special case is the organocatalysis of Diels–Alder cycloaddition of α,β-unsaturated ketones (aldehydes). Of no less importance, some hetero Diels–Alder cycloaddition reactions in water systems are delineated. The impact of additives (salts, organic and inorganic chemicals), micellar catalysis and Lewis/Brønstëd acid catalysis on outcomes of such cycloaddition reactions is discussed. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition methodology applied to aqueous media has brought forth a number of heterocyclic compounds, usually with a regio- and stereoselectivity pecularity. These heterocycles include triazoles, tetrazoles, pyrazoles, isoxazoles, isoxazolidines, pyrroles and pyrrolidines. The superiority of copper(I) catalysis in the azide-alkyne cycloaddition (Huisgen cycloaddition) in water is endorsed by a number of examples.     

Stereoselective synthesis of l-isoxazolidinyl thymidine from N-benzyl-1,2-di-O-isopropylidene-d-glyceraldehyde nitrone (BIGN)

A synthetic approach to l-isoxazolidinyl nucleosides is demonstrated by the stereoselective conversion of N-benzyl-1,2-di-O-isopropylidene-d-glyceraldehyde nitrone (BIGN) into cis and trans l-isoxazolidinyl thymidine. The methodology consists of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of BIGN with either vinyl acetate or a vinyl base to give key intermediates that are easily transformed into the target compound. The experimental results of the cycloaddition reactions can be qualitatively explained by theoretical ab initio calculations.     

4-R-7-Nitrobenzofurazans in [3+2] cycloaddition reactions with N-methylazomethine ylide

A number of new tetrahydroisoindole derivatives fused with the furazan ring were synthesized based on the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of N-methylazomethine ylide with substituted 4-nitrobenzofurazans. Substituents in the benzene ring were found to affect the cycloaddition process.     

A theoretical investigation of the regio- and stereoselectivities of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of C-diethoxyphosphoryl-N-methylnitrone with substituted alkenes

A theoretical study of the regio- and stereoselectivities of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of C-diethoxyphosphoryl-N-methylnitrone with substituted alkenes (allyl alcohol and methyl acrylate) is carried out using DFT at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. The FMO analysis and DFT-based reactivity indices confirmed the experimental ortho regioisomeric pathway. Potential energy surface analysis shows that these 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions favor the formation of the ortho-trans cycloadduct in both cases. The obtained results are in agreement with experimental data.     

Synthesis of 5-aminoisoxazolines from N-allyl compounds and nitrile oxides via tandem isomerization-1,3-dipolar cycloaddition

A new strategy for the synthesis of derivatives of 5-aminoisoxazolines via tandem catalytic isomerization (of N-allyl systems to N-(1-propenyl) systems)—1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (of a stable nitrile oxide to N-(1-propenyl) systems) is presented. Rhodium and ruthenium complexes, Verkade’s superbase, and 18-crown-6/KOH system were used for the syntheses of the N-(1-propenyl) systems. 4-P-substituted isoxazoline was also synthesized via cycloaddition of diphenyl(1-propenyl)phosphine (prepared via isomerization of allyldiphenylphosphine) to 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile oxide. All cycloadditions were regioselective but not stereoselective and not concerted. Cycloaddition to all N-(1-propenyl) systems yielded 5-N-substituted isoxazolines, but cycloaddition to P-(1-propenyl) system lead to the formation of a 4-P-regioisomer. This difference in regioselectivity is predicted by opposite FMO reactivity indices calculated for model compounds: N-(1-propenyl)amine and N-(1-propenyl)phosphine.     

The synthesis and biological activity of novel spiro-isoxazoline C-disaccharides based on 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of exo-glycals and sugar nitrile oxides

A series of novel spiro-isoxazoline C-disaccharides were synthesized by the key step of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of exo-glycals and sugar nitrile oxides, and followed by catalytic debenzylation in the presence of Pd(OH)₂/C. The cycloaddition reactions were carried out stereoselectively and afforded α-isomers exclusively except in the case of galactose. The biological activities of the novel disaccharides against the glycosidases (α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and β-glucosidase) and HIV and BVDV were evaluated.     

A rhodium(I)-xylyl-BINAP catalyzed asymmetric ynamide-[2+2+2] cycloaddition in the synthesis of optically enriched N,O-biaryls

A rhodium(I)-xylyl-BINAP catalyzed asymmetric [2+2+2] cycloaddition of achiral conjugated aryl ynamides with various diynes is described here. This asymmetric cycloaddition provides a series of structurally interesting chiral N,O-biaryls with excellent enantioselectivity along with a modest diastereoselectivity with respect to both C-C and C-N axial chirality.     

Copper(II) triflate promoted cycloaddition of α-alkyl or aryl substituted N-tosylaziridines with nitriles: a highly efficient synthesis of substituted imidazolines

Cu(OTf)₂ or Zn(OTf)₂ mediated [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of various α-alkyl or aryl substituted N-tosylaziridines with nitriles is described for the syntheses of substituted imidazolines. A mechanism for the cycloaddition is proposed to rationalize the formation of a nonracemic imidazoline from optically pure aziridine.     

Unexpected one-pot synthesis of new polycyclic coumarin[4,3-c]pyridine derivatives via a tandem hetero-Diels-Alder and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction

O-Methyl-4-coumarincarbaldehyde oxime reacted as an azadiene with electron-deficient and electron-rich dienophiles to give, via one-step hetero-Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions, the corresponding 5H-coumarin[4,3-c]pyridin-5-ones. When excess of the dienophile was used, fused azatetracyclo derivatives were also formed via a tandem Diels-Alder and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of the dienophile to an azomethine ylide formed by the intermediate 2,3-dihydro-5H-coumarin[4,3-c]pyridine-5-one. The regio- and stereoselectivities of the new compounds correspond well with spectroscopic (2D NMR) and theoretical data. A possible mechanistic scheme is provided.     

Asymmetric synthesis of β-lactams by [2+2] cycloaddition using 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-d-glucitol (isosorbide) derived chiral pools

Highly diastereoselective synthesis of cis-β-lactams via [2+2] cycloaddition reactions of imines derived from a chiral bicyclic aldehyde and ketenes is described. The chiral bicyclic aldehyde as well as chiral acids were prepared from commercially available inexpensive isosorbide. The cycloaddition reaction was found to be highly diastereoselective; in some cases giving a single diastereomer of cis-azetidin-2-one in very good yields. A moderate diastereoselectivity was observed with chiral ketenes derived from isosorbide.     

Salt, concentration, and temperature effects on an asparagine-based, aqueous Diels-Alder cycloaddition

Results are reported on the salt, concentration, and temperature effects in an aqueous, auxiliary-mediated asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloaddition. The auxiliaries were prepared under basic aqueous conditions from asparagine and trimethylacetaldehyde, and coupled to acryloyl chloride to generate dienophiles in one pot. Temperature and concentration modestly impacted cycloaddition stereochemistry. Experiments with a range of salts examined the speculation that complexation between the counterion of the auxiliary carboxylate and the dienophile carbonyl promotes the formation of the minor endo product, reducing cycloaddition diastereoselectivity for the endo products. The transformation was poorly selective for the carboxylic acid but gave moderate selectivities for several metallated carboxylates. The magnitude of the diastereoselectivity of the endo products was weakly dependent on carboxylate counterion and more strongly influenced by the basicity of the salt anion. Data presented suggest that Lewis acid catalysis reduces cycloaddition diastereoselectivity for the endo products.     

A highly enantioselective [4+2] cycloaddition involving aldehydes and β,γ-unsaturated-α-keto esters

A stereoselective inverse electron demand oxo-Diels-Alder reaction involving electron poor dienes (γ-aryl-β,γ-unsaturated-α-keto ester) and electron rich dienophiles has been studied. These cycloaddition reactions are extremely useful for the construction of O-, N-, S-centered heterocyclic compounds, which are routinely used in both synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry. The [4+2] hetero cycloaddition reactions involving various aldehydes and β,γ-unsaturated-α-keto esters were carried out in which three different types of substituted proline catalysts were examined. For these reactions, high selectivities (enantiomeric excess 93–98%) were obtained using catalyst 3. Due to the bulkiness of catalyst 3, compared to the other catalysts tested, it is more efficient at catalyzing these type reactions.     

Stereoselective synthesis of cis- and trans-2′,5′-disubstituted N-arylpyrrolo[3′,4′:1,9](C60-I h )[5,6]fullerenes by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides from dialkyl aziridinedicarboxylates to fullerene C60

A stereoselective method for the synthesis of 2′,5′-disubstituted N-arylpyrrolofullerenes from anilines, alkyl glyoxylates, alkyl diazoacetates, and fullerene C₆₀ was proposed. The key step of the synthesis is the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of fullerene with azomethine ylides generated by heating of dialkyl aziridinedicarboxylates. The thermal opening of the aziridine ring to azomethine ylide and the cycloaddition of the latter to C₆₀ at 100 °C are nearly completely stereoselective: only trans-adducts are formed from cis-aziridines, whereas trans-aziridines give exclusively cis-adducts.     

Hetero Diels-Alder reaction: a novel strategy to regioselective synthesis of pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine analogues from Biginelli derivative

A number of potent pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine analogues have been efficiently synthesized by hetero Diels-Alder cycloaddition of 6-methyl-4-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, a Biginelli compound with N-arylidine-N′-methylformamidines and N-arylidine guanidine in dry toluene. Structures of the newly obtained cycloadducts were established on the basis of elemental and spectral (IR, NMR and Mass) data. The molecular mechanism of the observed cycloaddition reaction has been investigated theoretically by means of PM3 semiempirical method. Transition state structure determinations and activation energy calculations have shown the preference for the endo approach over the exo approach of dienophile towards the diene fragments used, which is consistent with the experimental results. The studied cycloadditions proceed via an asynchronous concerted mechanism. It was demonstrated that FMO theory could reasonably predict the relative reactivities between dienes as well as indicating that these reactions belong to normal Diels-Alder type cycloadditions.     

Chiral nickel(II) complex catalyzed asymmetric (3 + 2) cycloaddition of α‐diazo pyrazoleamides with 2‐siloxy‐1‐alkenes

A highly efficient asymmetric (3 + 2) cycloaddition of α-diazo pyrazoleamides with silyl enol ethers was realized by employing a chiral N,N'-dioxide-Ni(II) complex catalyst. The process includes the formation of chiral nickel carbenoid intermediate and the following enantioselective cycloaddition reaction. The desired dihydrofuran O,O-acetal derivatives were obtained in good yields (up to 90%) with high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) under mild reaction conditions within short reaction time. On the basis of the determination of the catalyst structure, a possible transition state mode was proposed.     

An intramolecular oxo Diels-Alder approach to 1-oxo-1,2,3,3a,4,7a-hexahydro-pyrano[3,4-c]pyrrole-4-carboxylic acid ethyl esters

The diastereoselective synthesis of a series of 1-oxo-1,2,3,3a,4,7a-hexahydro-pyrano[3,4-c]pyrrole-4-carboxylic acid ethyl esters via an oxo Diels-Alder reaction is described. Ab initio calculations predicted the products of the exo cycloaddition to be the thermodynamic products while the products resulting from the endo cycloaddition were predicted to be the kinetic products. The calculations were born out by experimental data.     

[2 + 2 + 1] Cycloaddition of N-tosylhydrazones,tert-butyl nitrite and alkenes: a general and practical access to isoxazolines

N-Tosylhydrazones have proven to be versatile synthons over the past several decades. However, to our knowledge, the construction of isoxazolines based on N-tosylhydrazones has not been examined. Herein, we report the first demonstrations of [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition reactions that allow the facile synthesis of isoxazolines, employing N-tosylhydrazones, tert-butyl nitrite (TBN) and alkenes as reactants. This process represents a new type of cycloaddition reaction with a distinct mechanism that does not involve the participation of nitrile oxides. This approach is both general and practical and exhibits a wide substrate scope, nearly universal functional group compatibility, tolerance of moisture and air, the potential for functionalization of complex bioactive molecules and is readily scaled up. Both control experiments and theoretical calculations indicate that this transformation proceeds via the in situ generation of a nitronate from the coupling of N-tosylhydrazone and TBN, followed by cycloaddition with an alkene and subsequent elimination of a tert-butyloxy group to give the desired isoxazoline.

A novel [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition of N-tosylhydrazones, tert-butyl nitrite and alkenes was successfully established, which allowed facile construction of a wide range of isoxazolines.     

[2+2] Cycloaddition of chlorosulfonyl isocyanate to allenyl-sugar ethers

The direction and magnitude of asymmetric induction in the [2+2] cycloaddition of chlorosulfonyl isocyanate to 3-O-allenyl-α-d-xylofuranoses was investigated. It is shown that gem terminal dimethylallenes react more readily than methyl free congeners. The configuration of adducts was established by X-ray and CD-spectroscopy of alkylidene cephams. A stereochemical model of the transition state for the [2+2] cycloaddition of chlorosulfonyl isocyanate and allenyl ethers is proposed, based on the lowest energy conformation of the cumulene.     

A fast route for the synthesis of tetrazolyl oximes by a novel multicomponent reaction between Z-chlorooximes,isocyanides and trimethylsilyl azide

A library of twenty variously decorated 1,5-disubstituted-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)methanone oximes was prepared in one single synthetic step exploiting the combination of (Z)-chlorooximes, isocyanides and trimethylsilyl azide. The formal [3+1] cycloaddition between isocyanides and nitrile N-oxides with respect to the [3+1] cycloaddition between isocyanides and azides prevails, while the direct attack of azide onto nitrile N-oxides remains competitive. Finally, an intramolecular cyclization of a (1H-tetrazol-5-yl)methanone oxime to a benzoisoxazole tetrazole is reported for the first time.