Catalytic enantioselective pyrrole alkylations of alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles

[reaction: see text] Enantioselective additions of pyrroles to alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles catalyzed by the bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complex (1) have been accomplished. The alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles were synthesized in high yields through Wittig olefination. A short, enantioselective synthesis of the alkaloid (+)-heliotridane has been accomplished utilizing this methodology and a 2-acyl imidazole cleavage and cyclization. This methodology was then extended to the one-pot asymmetric synthesis of 2-substituted indoles.     

Enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylations catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complexes

The enantioselective Friedel-Crafts addition of a variety of indoles catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complexes (Sc(III)-pybox) was accomplished utilizing a series of beta-substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated phosphonates and alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles. The acyl phosphonate products were efficiently transformed into esters and amides, whereas the acyl imidazole adducts were converted to a broader spectrum of functionalities such as esters, amides, carboxylic acids, ketones, and aldehydes. The sense of stereoinduction and level of enantioselectivity were found to be functions of the size of the substrate employed, the substitution on the ligand, and the catalyst loading. Molecular modeling of the catalyst with the bound substrates was performed based on the crystal structures of the catalyst complexes and the sense of stereoinduction observed in the addition reaction. Nonlinear effects over a range of catalyst concentrations implicate a mononuclear complex as the active catalyst.     

Enantioselective nitrone cycloadditions of alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-cerium(IV) triflate complexes

[Structure: see text] Enantioselective nitrone cycloadditions with beta-substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-cerium(IV) triflate complexes 1 have been reported. The isoxazolidine products were efficiently transformed into densely functionalized beta'-hydroxy-beta-amino acid derivatives.     

Alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles as a practical class of dienophiles for the DNA-based catalytic asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction in water

Alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles are a novel and practical class of dienophiles for the DNA-based catalytic asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction in water. The Diels-Alder products are obtained with very high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities in the range of 83-98%. The catalytic reaction was performed on a 1.0 mmol scale, and the imidazole auxiliary was removed readily.     

Catalytic conjugate additions of carbonyl anions under neutral aqueous conditions

The conjugate addition of carbonyl anions catalyzed by thiazolium salts that is fully operative under neutral aqueous conditions has been accomplished. The combination of alpha-keto carboxylates and thiazolium-derived zwitterions produces reactive carbonyl anions in a buffered protic environment that readily undergo conjugate additions to substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles. The scope of the reaction has been examined and found to accommodate various alpha-keto carboxylates and beta-aryl substituted unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles. The optimal precatalyst for this process is the commercially available thiazolium salt 5, a simple analogue of thiamin diphosphate. In this process, no benzoin products from carbonyl anion dimerization are observed. The corresponding 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds can be efficiently converted into esters and amides by way of activation of the N-methylimidazole ring via alkylation.     

Enantioselective indole Friedel--Crafts alkylations catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complexes

A highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of electron-rich aromatic nucleophiles catalyzed by scandium(III) triflate-pyridyl(bis)oxazoline complexes has been accomplished. The reaction involves alpha,beta-unsaturated acyl phosphonates as electrophiles and primarily substituted indoles as nucleophiles. The reactive acyl phosphonate product is converted to the corresponding ester or amide in good overall yield by adding an alcohol or amine directly to the reaction mixture.     

Synthesis and methylation products of 4(5)-(2-furyl)imidazole

Bromination of 2-acetylfuran with copper(II) bromide in a mixture of ethyl acetate and chloroform leads selectively to furacyl bromide, the nucleophilic substitution of bromine in which by OAc and subsequent use of the Weidenhagen reaction enabled the synthesis of 4(5)-(2-furyl)imidazole. On N-methylation of this imidazole in KOH–acetone 2 isomers are formed, the 1-methyl-4- and 1-methyl-5-(2-furyl)imidazoles. It was established that, unlike alkylation of 4(5)-phenylimidazole, the main product of the reaction is 1-methyl-5-(2-furyl)imidazole.     

Stereoselective C(2)-vinylation of 1-substituted imidazoles with 3-phenyl-2-propynenitrile

First examples of direct vinylation of 1-substituted imidazoles at the 2-position of the imidazole nucleus are described. 1-Substituted imidazoles 1a-e are C(2)-vinylated with 3-phenyl-2-propynenitrile (2) at room temperature without catalyst and solvent to afford 3-(1-organyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-3-phenyl-2-propenenitriles 3a-e, mainly (c.a. 95%) as (Z)-isomers, in 56-88% yield. The reaction is likely to involve the zwitterionic intermediates, which prototropically isomerizes to imidazole carbene and eventually undergoes the selective 3,2-shift of the functionalized vinyl substituent.     

Gold-catalyzed addition of carbon nucleophiles to propargyl carboxylates

Propargyl carboxylates react with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and electron-rich arenes in the presence of Au(I) catalysts to give enol carboxylates via alpha,beta-unsaturated Au(I) carbenes or Au(I)-coordinated allenes formed by 1,2- or 1,3-acyl migration, respectively.     

Octahedral iridium complex catalyzed α-chlorination of 2-acyl imidazoles with tosyl chloride

An efficient and catalytic α-chlorination of 2-acyl imidazoles with readily available tosyl chloride catalyzed by an octahedral iridium complex under mild condition was reported. A range of 2-acyl imidazoles were converted to their corresponding α-chlorination products in good to excellent yields.     

Coordination of imidazoles by Cu(II) and Zn(II) as studied by NMR relaxometry, EPR, far-FTIR vibrational spectroscopy and ab initio calculations: effect of methyl substitution

Synthetic imidazole ligands are typically substituted at the N(1) ((1)-Im) position while natural imidazole ligands are substituted at the C(4) ((4)-Im) position. To outline the difference in coordination properties, the methyl-substituted imidazoles Me(4)-Im and Me(1)-Im were complexed with CuCl(2) and ZnCl(2) and investigated by NMR relaxometry, electron paramagnetic resonance, far-Fourier transform IR vibrational spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations. Me(4)-Im, Me(1)-Im, and Im in excess form the usual tetragonal D(4h) [CuL(4)X(2)] complexes with CuCl(2) whereas the methylated imidazoles form pseudotetrahedral C(2v) complexes instead of the usual octahedral O(h) [ZnIm(6)](2+) complex. All imidazoles display a high degree of covalence in the M-L σ- and π-bonds and the π-interaction strength affects the relative energies of complexation. Opportunities to tailor complexes by the chemical properties of the substituents are envisaged due to the role of the inductive and hyperconjugative effects, rather than position.     

Isomerization reaction of olefin using RuClH(CO)(PPh(3))(3)

When methyl 5-(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy-2-pentenoate was refluxed in toluene in the presence of RuClH(CO)(PPh(3))(3) (5 mol %), double-bond migration took place to afford methyl 5-(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy-4-pentenoate in high yield. This means that the double bond conjugated with the ester moiety migrates to a deconjugated position by a ruthenium catalyst. We planned to prepare an enol ether from alpha,beta-unsaturated compounds having an ether moiety in a tether using ruthenium-catalyzed isomerization of the double bond. As a result, silyl or benzyl enol ether was obtained from the alpha,beta-unsaturated ester having alcohol protected by the silyl or benzyl group in a tether in high yield. In this reaction, double bond migration of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone and alpha,beta-unsaturated amide took place to produce deconjugated compounds. Moreover, the double bond of alpha, beta-unsaturated ester having a triple or double bond in a molecule migrated to produce conjugated enyne and diene. On the other hand, treatment of a bis-metalated compound having an alpha, beta-unsaturated ester moiety or the double bond in a tether with RuClH(CO)(PPh(3))(3) gave allyl bis-metalated compound in good yield. These compounds are useful units in synthetic organic chemistry.     

Microwave-assisted one-pot synthesis of 1-indanones from arenes and alpha,beta-unsaturated acyl chlorides

A series of 1-indanones were synthesized in good yields via tandem Friedel-Crafts acylation and Nazarov cyclization of arenes and alpha,beta-unsaturated acyl chlorides in the presence of aluminum chloride under microwave irradiation.     

Autocatalytic demetalation of a Zn(salphen) complex provoked by unprotected N-heterocycles

The interaction of Zn(salphen) complex with biologically important structures such as (benz)imidazoles and purine has been studied and revealed in the case of unprotected purine and (benz)imidazole derivatives a demetalated product, whereas for structurally related 1-methyl-(benz)imidazole the formation of 1 : 1 coordination complexes was evidenced by NMR, MS and X-ray crystallography.     

Eisen(II)-Verbindungen von Imidazolen

Iron(II) Compounds of Imidazoles The reaction of ferrocene and cyclopentadienyl dicarbonyl with imidazole, 2-methyl-, 2-ethyl- and 2-phenyl-imidazole yields iron(II) derivatives of these heterocyclic compounds, which have been investigated by thermogravimetry and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The derivative of the substituted imidazoles have the expected composition and contain fourfold coordinated iron. The reaction with unsubstituted imidazole yields the compound Fe(N₂C₃H₃) · 0,71 N₂C₃H₄ with fourfold as well as sixfold coordinated metal ions.     

Induced fit process in the selective distal binding of imidazoles in zinc(II) porphyrin receptors

The respective affinities of various imidazole derivatives, imidazole (ImH), 2-methylimidazole (2-MeImH), 2-phenylimidazole (2-PhImH), N-methylimidazole (N-MeIm), 2-methylbenzimidazole (2-MeBzImH), and 4,5-dimethylbenzimidazole (4,5-Me(2)BzImH), for two phenanthroline (Phen) strapped zinc(II) porphyrin receptors porphen-Zn 1-Zn and 2-Zn have been studied. The formation of a supplementary H-bond considerably enhances the affinity of the zinc(II)-porphen receptor for imidazoles unsubstituted on the pyrrolic nitrogen (ImH) versus N-substituted imidazoles such as N-MeIm. The ImHs subset porphen-Zn complexes are formed with association constants up to 4 orders of magnitude superior to those measured either for N-MeIm as substrate or TPP-Zn as receptor. Distal or proximal binding of the substrates was determined by (1)H NMR measurements and titration. In two cases, the very high stability of the inclusion complex enabled the use of 2D NMR techniques. Excellent correlation between solution and solid-state structures has been obtained. A total of six X-ray structures are detailed in this article showing that the evolution of the shape of the zinc(II) receptor is mostly dependent on the steric constraints induced by the substitution on the imidazole. Hindered guests also progressively induce considerable mobility restrictions and severe distortions on the receptor, especially in the case of 2-MeBzImH and 2-PhImH.     

Organocatalytic enantioselective indole alkylations of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones

The C3-selective enantioselective Michael-type Friedel-Crafts alkylations of indoles with nonchelating alpha,beta-unsaturated alkyl ketones, catalysed by a chiral primary amine derived from natural cinchonine, were investigated. The reactions, in the presence of 30 mol% catalyst, were smoothly conducted at 0 to -20 degrees C. Moderate to good ee (47-89%) has been achieved.     

Synthesis and Characterization of [Cu(N-MeIm)4(BF4)2] in Ionic Liquid

A new transition metal complex, [Cu(N-MeIm)₄(BF₄)₂](N-MeIm=N-methylated imidazoles, BF₄= tetrafluoroborate), was synthesized via the solvothermal method in ionic liquid. The ionic liquid acts as thermal decomposition reaction medium, soft temple agent and ligand compound. The central Cu(II) ion is coordinated by four N atoms from four N-methylated imidazole ligands, and the four N-methylated imidazole rings are perpendicular to each other. The crystal structure of [Cu(N-MeIm)₄(BF₄)₂] was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The results of thermogravimetry(TG) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FTIR) analyses were in accordance with that of crystal structure. The complex showed strong ligand-based absorbance with maximum wavelength at 208 and 231 nm, which are attributed to π-π^* transition of the N-methylated imidazole ligands.     

Study of copper(II) succinate complexed with imidazole or methyl-substituted imidazoles

The preparation of complexes involving copper(II) succinate and imidazole or methyl-substituted imidazoles is described. The results of thermal and spectral analysis are reported for the various complexes prepared. The TGA curves, ESR and diffuse reflectance spectra are reported. The reactional behaviour of the 1,2 dimethylimidazole towards the copper(II) succinate is seen to be different from that of other imidazoles.     

Samarium triflate-catalyzed halogen-promoted Friedel-Crafts alkylation with alkenes

A versatile and efficient halogen-promoted highly regio- and stereoselective Friedel-Crafts (F-C) alkylation with alkenes has been developed with use of easily available and inexpensive NBS or I2 as the efficient halogen sources. Lewis acids, in particular metal triflates, are found to be effective catalysts for this halogen-promoted F-C alkylation. Among these, Sm(OTf)3 was the best catalyst. Electron-rich arenes smoothly underwent F-C alkylation with a variety of alkenes including alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds.