A methodology for synthesis of primary o-phenylenebisphosphines and o-chlorophenylphosphines

On the basis of the reaction of ethynediylbisphosphonates and chloroethynylphosphonates with classical donor alka-1,3-dienes, a general strategy for synthesis of o-bisphosphanylbenzenes and o-chlorophosphanylbenzenes, which includes two consecutive steps: Diels-Alder condensation → aromatization of the carbocyclic phosphonate (bisphosphonate) formed → reduction of the phosphonate groups, was developed. Convenient procedures are devised for aromatization of phosphorus-containing cyclohexa-1,4-dienes and for reduction of o-phenylenebisphosphonates and o-clorophenylphosphonates to primary phosphines. A series of new alkylsubstituted phosphonic chlorides were prepared, and a possibility of functionalization of methylsubstituted o-phenylenebisphosphonates and o-clorophenylphosphonates by the methyl groups is demonstrated.     

Stereoselective synthesis of substituted dienes by the double ortho ester Claisen rearrangement

This letter shows the highly stereoselective synthesis of substituted (E)-1,3-dienes from substituted propargylic diols via the double ortho ester Claisen rearrangement. The cyclohexyl-substituted diene undergoes thermal Diels-Alder cycloaddition with maleic anhydride to produce the corresponding bicyclic diester in highly stereoselective manner.     

Dehalogenation of o-dihalogen substituted arenes and α,α′-dihalogen substituted o-xylenes with lanthanum metal

It was found that lanthanum metal caused the dehalogenation of o-dihalogen substituted arenes and α,α′-dihalogen substituted o-xylenes to generate the corresponding benzynes and o-quinodimethanes. When o-dihalogen substituted arenes were allowed to react with lanthanum metal in the presence of dienes, the Diels-Alder products between benzyne and dienes were formed in moderate to good yields. Similarly, the Diels-Alder adducts of o-quinodimethane with dienophiles were obtained, in the reaction of α,α′-dibromo-o-xylenes with lanthanum metal in the presence of dienophiles.     

Efficient synthesis of o-alkynyl-N-pivaloylanilines from o-acyl-N-pivaloylanilines and lithium trimethylsilyldiazomethane

Reaction of o-acyl-N-pivaloylanilines with lithium trimethylsilyldiazomethane efficiently gave the corresponding o-alkynyl-N-pivaloylanilines via alkylidenecarbene intermediates.     

Formation of 2,6-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]-octa-3,7-dienes or multiply substituted o-benzoquinones from reactions of 1,4-dilithio-1,3-dienes with dimethyl oxalate

Reactions of 1,4-dilithio-1,3-dienes with dimethyl oxalates afforded multiply substituted o-benzoquinones or stereodefined 2,6-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]-octa-3,7-dienes in good yields.     

Synthesis of carbazoles by dehydro Diels-Alder reactions of ynamides

A new approach to carbazoles and benzannulated carbazoles by means of intramolecular dehydro Diels-Alder of ynamides is reported. N-(o-Ethynyl)aryl ynamides and N-(o-ethynyl) arylynamides were prepared in a few steps starting from o-iodoaniline. Thermal cycloaddition of N-(o-ethynyl)aryl ynamides and N-(o-ethynyl) arylynamides affords carbazoles and benzannulated and heteroannulated carbazoles in moderate-to-good yields.     

Enantiopure arenesulfenic acids as intermediates in stereoselective synthesis

New transient arenesulfenic acids were involved in the synthesis of enantiopure 2-arylsulfinyl-1,3-dienes, showing central or axial chirality of the substituted arene residue, apart from the chirality related to the stereogenic sulfur atom. Some of the obtained dienes, that is, (S_a,S_S)- and (S_aR_S)-2-(2′-hydroxy-1,1′-binaphthalen-2-sulfinyl)-3-methyl-1,3-butadienes, were subjected to diastereoselective Diels-Alder cycloadditions with N-methylmaleimide. Removal of the arylsulfoxide auxiliary, in the major adduct, was accomplished by reductive cleavage with Raney nickel.     

Enantioselective organocatalytic aryloxylation of aldehydes with o-quinones

An enantioselective organocatalytic inverse electron demand hetero Diels-Alder reaction of in situ generated enamines with o-quinone reagents is reported. The method, which is optimal in wet acetonitrile at ambient temperature, provides a new and direct asymmetric route to the aryl alkyl ether motif and an alternative metal-free strategy to S_N2 substitutions with phenolate nucleophiles.     

Novel porphyrin-quinazoline conjugates via the Diels-Alder reaction

Novel derivatives of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin with appended quinazoline moieties were synthesized, via the Diels-Alder reaction, between a 4-(porphyrinyl)pyrimidine ortho-quinodimethane and 1,4-benzoquinone, 1,4-naphthoquinone and N-(p-nitrophenyl)maleimide. The structure of one bis adduct was established by X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry. We have unequivocally confirmed that the 2:1 adducts obtained from the reaction of pyrimidine-fused 3-sulfolenes with N-arylmaleimides have an open-chain structure and not a cyclooctapyrimidine structure, as previously published.     

One-pot enyne metathesis/Diels-Alder reaction for the construction of highly functionalized novel polycyclic aza-compounds

Various tricyclic dienes were synthesized via enyne metathesis using the first generation Grubbs catalyst. The enyne metathesis proceeded smoothly in refluxing CH₂Cl₂ with a low catalyst loading (3.0 mol %), giving good yields (72-89%) of the tricyclic products 6 and 16. The resulting 1,3-dienes are suitable precursors of polycyclic structures via a Diels-Alder process. One-pot RCM/Diels-Alder reactions of the enyne products with dienophiles proceeded smoothly to afford polycyclic compounds as a single cycloadduct. The structures of the Diels-Alder adducts were determined by ¹H NMR spectra and X-ray analysis. The cycloadducts were formed via the approach of the dienophiles towards the diene in endo mode.     

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.     

A computational study of the thermal opening of benzocyclobutenes to (E)- and (Z)-xylylenes

The structures of eleven 1-substituted benzocyclobutenes and corresponding (E)-o-xylylenes and (Z)-o-xylylenes have been calculated at the Becke3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. Some o-xylylenes are plane and even some (Z)-isomers. In three cases (substituent: methoxy, amino and formamido groups), the (Z)-isomer is more stable than the (E)-isomer. The regioselectivity of the Diels-Alder reaction between (o)-xylylenes and propene or ethylvinylether is discussed according to the frontier OM coefficients.     

First SNAr reaction using TDAE-initiated carbanions in quinazoline series

We report herein the first example of a S_NAr reaction using TDAE-initiated carbanions in quinazoline series. The o-nitrobenzyl carbanion, formed by the action of TDAE on o-nitrobenzyl chloride, reacts with 4-chloro-2-trihalomethylquinazolines 4 and 5 via a S_NAr mechanism. This enabled a new series of 4-benzyl-2-trihaloquinazoline derivatives to be synthesized in good yields under mild reaction conditions offering promising prospects for pharmacomodulation.     

Asymmetric radical cyclization reactions of axially chiral N-allyl-o-iodoanilides to form enantioenriched N-acyl dihydroindoles

Radical cyclizations of enantiomerically enriched N-allyl-o-iodoanilides provide N-acyl-3-alkyl-2,3-dihydroindoles in good yields and with good to excellent levels of chirality transfer from the N-Ar axis to the new stereocenter. In competitive cyclizations of N-acryloyl-N-allyl-o-iodoanilides, the addition of an o-methyl group reverses the regioselectivity of the radical cyclization from the acryloyl group to the allyl group. Approximate rate constants for representative radical cyclizations have been measured to provide insight into the origin of these observations.     

Interaction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone with secondary amines—a pathway to new sterically hindered N,N-disubstituted o-aminophenols

The interaction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone with secondary amines has been studied. The synthetic procedure was developed in order to synthesize a series of new N,N-disubstituted o-aminophenols. The interaction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone with dimethylamine leads to 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)-4,6-di-tert-butyl-phenol, which is oxidized in the reaction medium by the parent 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone forming spirocompound 4,5′,6,7′-tetra-tert-butyl-3′-methyl-3′H-spiro[1,3-benzodioxol-2,2′-[1,3]benzoxazole].     

Photoacid generators (PAGs) based on N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines for carboxylic and sulfonic acids

Simple and efficient photoacid generators (PAGs) for carboxylic and sulfonic acids based on N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines have been demonstrated. Irradiation of o-carboxylates and thermally rearranged o-arenesulfonates of N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines using UV light (≥254 nm) in aqueous methanolic solution resulted in efficient generation of carboxylic and sulfonic acids, respectively. The carboxylic acid generation ability of N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines was found to be dependent on their N-acyl substituents. Further, polymer bearing o-arenesulfonates of N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine was synthesized and demonstrated as PAG for sulfonic acids.     

First total synthesis of 11-tellura steroids

The first total synthesis of 11-tellura steroids was achieved via an intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition of o-quinodimethanes as the key step.     

Mild and rapid method for the generation of o-quinone methide intermediates. Synthesis of puupehedione analogues

A route to simpler analogues to bioactive puupehedione derivatives involving a hetero Diels-Alder cycloaddition of a o-quinone methide is described. These intermediate species are generated via fluoride-induced desilylation of silyl derivatives of o-hydroxybenzyl iodides. Remarkable short reaction times and very mild experimental conditions are the main features of this method.     

First total synthesis of 11-selena steroids

The first total synthesis of 11-selena steroids was achieved via an intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition of o-quinodimethanes as the key step.