Thermal and Ru-catalyzed Reactions of Styryl-Substituted Azulenes with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

The thermal reaction of 1-[(E)-styrl]azulenes with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in decalin at 190–200° does not lead to the formation fo the corresponding heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates (Scheme 2). Main products are the corresponding azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates (see 4 and 9 ), accompanied by the benzanellated azulenes trans- 10a and trans- 11 , respectively. The latter compounds are formed by a Diels-Alder reaction of the starting azulenes and ADM, followed by an ene reaction with ADM (cf. Scheme 3). The [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄]-catalyzed reaction of 4,6,8-trimethyl-1-[(E)-4-R-styryl]azulenes (R=H, MeO, Cl; Scheme 4) with ADM in MeCN at 110° yields again the azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates as main products. However, in this case, the corresponding heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates are also formed in small amounts (3–5%; Scheme 4). The benzanellated azulenes trans- 10a and trans- 10b are also found in small amounts (2–3%) in the reaction mixture. ADM Addition products at C(3) of the azulene ring as well as at C(2) of the styryl moiety are also observed in minor amounts (1–3%). Similar results are obtained in the [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄]-catalyzed reaction of 3-[(E)-styryl]guaiazulene ((E)- 8 ; Scheme 5) with ADM in MeCN. However, in this case, no heptalene formation is observed, and the amount of the ADM-addition products at C(2) of the styryl group is remarkably increased (29%). That the substitutent pattern at the seven-membered ring of (E)- 8 is not responsible for the failure of heptalene formation is demonstrated by the Ru-catalyzed reaction of 7-isopropyl-4-methyl-1-[(E)-styryl]azulene ((E)- 23 ; Scheme 11) with ADM in MeCN, yielding the corresponding heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylate (E)- 26 (10%). Again, the main product is the corresponding azulene-1,2-dicarboxylate 25 (20%). Reaction of 4,6,8-trimethyl-2-[(E)-styryl]azulene ((E)- 27 ; Scheme 12) and ADM yields the heptalene-dicarboxylates (E)- 30A / B , purely thermally in decalin (28%) as well as Ru-catalyzed in MeCN (40%). Whereas only small amounts of the azulene-1,2-dicarboxylate 8 (1 and 5%, respectively) are formed, the corresponding benzanellated azulene trans- 29 ist found to be the second main product (21 and 10%, respectively) under both reaction conditions. The thermal reaction yields also the benzanellated azulene 28 which is not found in the catalyzed variant of the reaction. Heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates are also formed from 4-[(E)-styryl]azulenes (e.g. (E)- 33 and (E)- 34 ; Scheme 14) and ADM at 180–190° in decalin and at 110° in MeCN by [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄] catalysis. The yields (30%) are much better in the catalyzed reaction. The formation of by-products (e.g. 39–41 ; Scheme 14) in small amounts (0.5–5%) in the Ru-catalyzed reactions allows to understand better the reactivity of zwitterions (e.g. 42 ) and their triyclic follow-up products (e.g. 43 ) built from azulenes and ADM (cf. Scheme 15).     

A Detailed Investigation of the Reaction of 5,9-Diphenylbenz[a]azulene with Dialkyl Acetylenedicarboxylates Leading to Dialkyl 8,12-Diphenylbenzo[a]heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylates

The synthesis of 5,9-diphenylbenz[a]azulene ( 1 ) from 1,3-diphenylcyclopent[a]indene-2,8-dione ( 4 ) and cyclopropene has been re-investigated. The reduction of the decarbonylated cycloadduct 5 with LiAlH₄/AlCl₃ in Et₂O leads not only to the expected 7,10-dihydrobenz[a]azulene 6 , but also to small amounts of the cyclopropa[b]fluorenes exo- 7 and endo- 7 (cf. Scheme 2), the structures of which have been determined by X-ray crystal-structure analysis (cf. Fig. 1). The reaction of 1 with dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates (ADR) in MeCN at 100° in the presence of 2 mol-% of catalysts such as [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄] results mainly in the formation of the expected 8,12-diphenylbenzo[a]heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylates 3 . A thorough investigation of the reaction mixture of 1 and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) revealed the presence of a number of intermediates and side products (Scheme 5). Most important was the isolation and identification of the cyclobutene intermediate 9a (cf. Fig. 4), which is formed by a zwitterionic rearrangement of the primary adduct 2a of 1 and ADM and represents the direct precursor of the heptalene-diester 3a . Compounds of type 9a have so far only been postulated as necessary intermediates in the thermal reaction of azulenes and ADR to give corresponding heptalenedicarboxylates. Compound 9a is photochemically unstable and undergoes rearrangement even under the influence of normal laboratory light into a mixture of trans- 10a and cis- 10a (Scheme 8). Both diastereoisomers are also found in the original reaction mixture of 1 and ADM, but not when the reaction is performed under exclusion of light. On heating in MeCN at 100°, or better in DMF at 150°, trans- 10a and cis- 10a undergo rearrangement to the fluoranthene-1,2-dicarboxylate 11a (Scheme 9), which is also present in the original reaction mixture of 1 and ADM. The catalysts do not accelerate the reaction of 1 and ADR, but they lead to better yields of the benzo[a]heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylates 3 , especially in the reaction of 1 with diisopropyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADiP) (cf. Tables 1 and 2).     

Synthesis and Chiroptical Properties of Dimethyl 8,12-Diphenylbenzo[d]heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylate

6,10-Diphenylbenz[a]azulene ( 3 ) was reacted with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in the presence of 2 mol-% of [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄] in MeCN at 100° to yield a 7:1 mixture of dimethyl 2,6-diphenyl-9,10-benzotricyclo[6.2.2.0^1,7]dodeca-2,4,6,9,11-pentaene-11,12-dicarboxylate ( 4 ) and dimethyl 8,12-diphenylbenzo[d]heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylate ( 5 ; Scheme 2). The tricycle 4 , when heated in DMF at 150° for 1 h led to the formation of 81.5% of the heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylate 5 and 15% of the starting azulene 3 . No rearrangement of tricycle 4 was observed, when it was heated at temperatures up to 180° in pseudocumene. The heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylate 5 was easily separated into its antipodes (PM)-and (MP)- 5 on a Chiracel column (cf. Fig. 2). On heating at 150° for 1 h, (MP)- 5 showed no racemization at all. The Ru-catalyzed reaction of benz[a]azulene ( 6 ) with ADM led to the formation of dimethyl 9,10-benzotricyclo[6.2.2.0^1,7]dodeca-2,4,6,9,11-pentaene-11,12-dicarboxylate ( 7 ; Scheme 3). However, the formation of the corresponding heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylate could not be observed.     

Synthesis of Benz[a]azulenes Substituted at the Benzo Ring

It is shown that the thermal electrocyclic ring-closure reaction of 1,2-di[(E)-prop-1-enyl]benzene to yield 2,3-dimethylnaphthalene (cf. Scheme 1) [10] can successfully be applied also to the synthesis of benz[a]azulenes (cf. Schemes 2 and 3). Starting materials are methyl 4,6,8-trimethylazulen-2-yl ketone ( 6 ) and the corresponding 2-carbaldehyde 5 , which, in a Horner-Emmons reaction, are transformed into the (azulen-2-yl)-acrylates (E)- 8 and (E)- 7 , respectively. Vilsmeier formylation of these compounds, followed by the Horner-Emmons reaction leads to the formation of the bisacrylates (E,E)- 11 and (E,E)- 12 , respectively. In an alternative reaction, (E)- 8 , on treatment with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in the presence of [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄], can be transformed into the methoxycarbonyl-substituted bisacrylates (E,E)- and (E,Z)- 17 . All three bisacrylates, on heating at 180–190° in p-cymene, undergo cyclization to yield the corresponding dihydrobenz[a]azulenes 13 , 14 , and 18 , respectively, which could easily be dehydrogenated on heating in the presence of Pd/C. The new benz[a]azulenes 15 , 16 , and 19 are fully characterized.     

Thermal Reaction of Azulenes with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

1,3,4,6,8-Pentamethylazulene ( 9 ), when heated at 100° in supercritical CO₂ at 150 bar in the presence of 4 equiv. of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM), led to the formation of 16% of a 1:1 mixture of dimethyl 3,5,6,8,10-pentamethylheptalene-1,2-dicarboxylate 12a ) and its double-bond-shifted isomer 12b as well as 4% of the corresponding azulene-1,2-dicarboxylate 13 (Scheme 4). The formation of the [1 + 2] adduct 11 (cf. Scheme 2) was not observed. Similarly, benz[a]azulene ( 25 ) yielded in supercritical CO₂ (150°/170 bar) in the presence of 4 equiv. of ADM dimethyl benzo[d]heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylate ( 29 ; 30%) and dimethyl benzo[a]cyclopent[cd]azulene-1,2-dicarboxylate ( 28 ; 22%; Scheme 5). The reaction of 5,9-diphenylbenz[a]azulene ( 26 ) and ADM in supercritical CO₂ (100°/150 bar) gave the corresponding benzo[d]heptalene-6,7-dicarboxylate 31 (22%) and dimethyl 5,9-diphenyl-4b,10-etheno-10H-benz[a]azulene-11,12-dicarboxylate( 30 ; 25%; Scheme 5).     

Thermal Reaction of Highly Alkylated Azulenes with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate: HOMO(Azulene) vs. SHOMO(Azulene) Control in the Primary Thermal Addition Step

The reaction of highly alkylated azulenes with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in decalin or tetralin at 180–200° yields, beside the expected heptalene- and azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates, tetracyclic compounds of type ‘anti’- V and tricyclic compounds of type E (cf. Schemes 2–4 and 8–11). The compounds of type ‘anti’- V represent Diels-Alder adducts of the primary tricyclic intermediates A with ADM. In some cases, the tricyclic compounds of type E also underwent a consecutive Diels-Alder reaction with ADM to yield the tetracyclic compounds of type ‘anti’- or ‘syn’- VI (cf. Schemes 2 and 8–11). The tricyclic compounds of type E , namely 4 and 8 , reversibly rearrange via [1,5]-C shifts to isomeric tricyclic structures (cf. 18 and 19 , respectively, in Scheme 6) already at temperatures > 50°. Photochemically 4 rearranges to a corresponding tetracyclic compound 20 via a di-π-methane reaction. The observed heptalene- and azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates as well as the tetracyclic compounds of type ‘anti’'- V are formed from the primary tricyclic intermediates A via rearrangement (→heptalenedicarboxylates), retro-Diels-Alder reaction (→ azulenedicarboxylates), and Diels-Alder reaction with ADM. The different reaction channels of A are dependent on the substituents. However, the main reaction channel of A is its retro-Diels-Alder reaction to the starting materials (azulene and ADM). The highly reversible Diels-Alder reaction of ADM to the five-membered ring of the azulenes is HOMO(azulene)/LUMO(ADM)-controlled, in contrast to the at 200° irreversible ADM addition to the seven-membered ring of the azulenes to yield the Diels-Alder products of type E . This competing reaction must occur on grounds of orbital-symmetry conservation under SHOMO(azulene)/LUMO(ADM) control (cf. Schemes 20–22). Several X-ray diffraction analyses of the products were performed (cf. Chapt. 4.1).     

Thermal Reaction of Azulene-1-carbaldehydes with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

Azulene-1-carbaldehydes which have Me substituents at C(3) and C(8) and no substituent at C(6) react with excess dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in decalin at 200° to yield exclusively the Diels-Alder adduct at the seven-membered ring (cf. Scheme 3). The corresponding 1-carboxylates behave similarly (Scheme 4). Azulene-1-carbaldehydes which possess no Me substituent at C(8) (e.g. 11 , 12 in Scheme 2) gave no defined products when heated with ADM in decalin. On the other hand, Me substitutents at C(2) may also assist the thermal addition of ADM at the seven-membered ring of azulene-1-carbaldehydes (Scheme 6). However, in these cases the primary tricyclic adducts react with a second molecule of ADM to yield corresponding tetracyclic compounds. The new tricyclic aldehydes 16 and 17 which were obtained in up to 50% yield (Scheme 3) could quantitatively be decarbonylated with [RhCl(PPh₃)₃] in toluene at 140° to yield a thermally equilibrated mixture of four tricycles (Scheme 8). It was found that the thermal isomerization of these tricycles occur at temperatures as low as 0° and that at temperatures > 40° the thermal equilibrium between the four tricycles is rapidly established via [1,5]-C shifts. The establishment of the equilibrium makes the existence of two further tricycles necessary (cf. Scheme 8). However, in the temperature range of up to 85° these two further tricycles could not be detected by ¹H-NMR. When heated in the presence of excess ADM in decalin at 180°, the ‘missing’ tricyclic forms could be evidenced by their tetracyclic trapping products ‘anti’- 45 and ‘anti’- 48 , respectively (Scheme 9).     

Formation of 6,10‐Diphenyl‐Substituted Heptalene‐4,5‐dicarboxylates

It is shown that 4,8‐diphenylazulene ( 1 ) can be easily prepared from azulene by two consecutive phenylation reactions with PhLi, followed by dehydrogenation with chloranil. Similarly, a Me group can subsequently be introduced with MeLi at C(6) of 1 (Scheme 2). This methylation led not only to the expected main product, azulene 2 , but also to small amounts of product 3 , the structure of which has been determined by X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis (cf. Fig. 1). As expected, the latter product reacts with chloranil at 40° in Et₂O to give 2 in quantitative yields. Vilsmeier formylation of 1 and 2 led to the formation of the corresponding azulene‐1‐carbaldehydes 4 and 5 . Reduction of 4 and 5 with NaBH₄/BF₃ ? OEt₂ in diglyme/Et₂O 1 : 1 and BF₃ ? OEt₂, gave the 1‐methylazulenes 6 and 7 , respectively. In the same way was azulene 9 available from 6 via Vilsmeier formylation, followed by reduction of azulene‐1‐carbaldehyde 8 (Scheme 3). The thermal reactions of azulenes 1, 6 , and 7 with excess dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in MeCN at 100° during 72 h afforded the corresponding heptalene‐4,5‐dicarboxylates 11, 12 , and 13 , respectively (Scheme 4). On the other hand, the highly substituted azulene 9 gave hardly any heptalene‐4,5‐dicarboxylate.     

Surprising Formation of Highly Substituted Azulenes on Thermolysis of 4,5,6,7,8‐Pentamethyl‐2H‐cyclohepta[b]furan‐2‐one and Heptalene Formation with the New Azulenes

Heating of 4,5,6,7,8‐pentamethyl‐2H‐cyclohepta[b]furan‐2‐one ( 1a ) in decalin at temperatures >170° leads to the development of a blue color, typical for azulenes. It belongs, indeed, to two formed azulenes, namely 4,5,6,7,8‐pentamethyl‐2‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentamethylphenyl)azulene ( 4a ) and 4,5,6,7,8‐pentamethylazulene ( 5a ) (cf. Scheme 2 and Table 1). As a third product, 4,5,6,7‐tetramethyl‐2‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentamethylphenyl)‐1H‐indene ( 6a ) is also found in the reaction mixture. Neither 4,6,8‐trimethyl‐2H‐cyclohepta[b]furan‐2‐one ( 1b ) nor 2H‐cyclohepta[b]furan‐2‐one ( 1c ) exhibit, on heating, such reactivity. However, heating of mixtures 1a / 1b or 1a / 1c results in the formation of crossed azulenes, namely 4,6,8‐trimethyl‐2‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentamethylphenyl)azulene ( 4ba ) and 2‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentamethylphenyl)azulene ( 4ca ), respectively (cf. Scheme 3). The formation of small amounts of 4,6,8‐trimethylazulene ( 5ba ) and azulene ( 5ca ), respectively, besides 1H‐indene 6a is also observed. The observed product types speak for an [8+2]‐cycloaddition reaction between two molecules of 1a or between 1b and 1c , respectively, with 1a , whereby 1a plays in the latter two cases the part of the two‐atom component (cf. Figs. 5 – 7 and Schemes 4 – 6). Strain release, due to the five adjacent Me groups in 1a , in the [8+2]‐cycloaddition step seems to be the driving force for these transformations (cf. Table 3), which are further promoted by the consecutive loss of two molecules of CO₂ and concomitant formation of the 10π‐electron system of the azulenes. The new azulenes react with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) to form the corresponding dimethyl heptalene‐4,5‐dicarboxylates 20 , 22 , and 24 (cf. Scheme 7), which give thermally or photochemically the corresponding double‐bond‐shifted (DBS) isomers 20′ , 22′ , and 24′ , respectively. The five adjacent Me groups in 20 / 20′ and 24 / 24′ exert a certain buttressing effect, whereby their thermal DBS process is distinctly retarded in comparison to 22 / 22′ , which carry `isolated' Me groups at C(6), C(8), and C(10). This view is supported by X‐ray crystal‐structure analyses of 22 and 24 (cf. Fig. 8 and Table 5).     

Thermal Reaction of Azulene and Some of Its Symmetrically Substituted Methyl Derivatives with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

It is shown that azulene ( 1 ) and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in a fourfold molar excess react at 200° in decalin to yield, beside the known heptalene- ( 5 ) and azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates ( 6 ), in an amount of 1.6% tetramethyl (1RS,2RS,5SR,8RS)-tetracyclo[6.2.2.2^2,50^1,5]tetradeca-3,6,9,11,13-pentaene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylate(‘anti’-7) as a result of a SHOMO (azulene)/LUMO(ADM)-controlled addition of ADM to the seven-membered ring of 1 followed by a Diels-Alder reaction of the so formed tricyclic intermediate 16 (cf. Scheme 3) with a second molecule of ADM. The structure of ‘anti’-7 was confirmed by an X-ray diffraction analysis. Similarly, the thermal reaction of 5,7-dimehtylazulene ( 3 ) with excess ADM in decalin at 120° led to the formation of ca. 1% of ‘anti’- 12 , the 7,12-dimethyl derivative of‘anti’-7, beside of the corresponding heptalene- 10 and azulene-1,2-dicaboxylated (cf Scheme 2). The introduction of Me groups at C(1)and C(3)of azulene ( 1 ) and its 5,7-dimethyl derivative 3 strongly enhance the thermal formation of the corresponding tetracyclic compound. Thus, 1,3-dimethylazulene ( 2 ) in the presence of a sevenfold molar excess of ADM at 200° yielded 20% of ‘anti’- 9 beside an equal amount of dimethyl 3-mehtylazulene-1,2-dicarboxylate ( 8 ;cf. Scheme 1), and 1,3,5,7-tetramethylazulene ( 4 ) with a fourfold molar excess of ADM AT 200° gave a yield of 37% of‘anti’- 15 beside small amount of the corresponding heptalene- 13 and azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates 14 (cf.Scheme 2).     

Synthesis of an Isotopically Isomeric Mixture of 1,4,6,8-Tetramethyl[13C2]azulene and Its Thermal Reaction with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

Sodium [1,3-¹³C₂]cyclopentadienide in tetrahydrofuran (THF) has been prepared from the corresponding labelled [¹³C₂]cyclopentadiene which was synthesized from ¹³CO₂ and (chloromethyl)trimethylsilane (cf. Scheme 10) according to an established procedure. It could be shown that the acetate pyrolysis of cis-cyclopentane-1,2-diyl diacetate (cis- 22 ) at 550 ± 5° under reduced pressure (60 Torr) gives five times as much cyclopentadiene as trans- 22 . The reaction of sodium [1,3-¹³C₂]cyclopentadienide with 2,4,6-trimethylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate in THF leads to the formation of the statistically expected 2:2:1 mixture of 4,6,8-trimethyl[1,3a-¹³C₂], -[2,3a-¹³C₂]-, and -[1,3-¹³C₂]azulene ( 20 ; cf. Scheme 7 and Fig. 1). Formylation and reduction of the 2:2:1 mixture [¹³C₂]- 20 results in the formation of a 1:1:1:1:1 mixture of 1,4,6,8-tetramethyl[1,3-¹³C₂]-, -[1,3a-¹³C₂]-, -[2,3a-¹³C₂]-, -[2,8a-¹³C₂]-, and -[3,8a-¹³C₂]azulene ( 5 ; cf. Scheme 8 and Fig. 2). The measured ²J(¹³C, ¹³C) values of [¹³C₂]- 20 and [¹³C₂]- 5 are listed in Tables 1 and 2. Thermal reaction of the 1:1:1:1:1 mixture [¹³C₂]- 5 with the four-fold amount of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) at 200° in tetralin (cf. Scheme 2) gave 5,6,8,10-tetramethyl-[¹³C₂]heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylate ([¹³C₂]- 6a ; 22%), its double-bond-shifted (DBS) isomer [¹³C₂]- 6b (19%), and the corresponding azulene-1,2-dicarboxylate 7 (18%). The isotopically isomeric mixture of [¹³C₂]- 6a showed no ¹J(¹³C,¹³C) at C(5) (cf. Fig. 3). This finding is in agreement with the fact that the expected primary tricyclic intermediate [7,11-¹³C₂]- 8 exhibits at 200° in tetralin only cleavage of the C(1)? C(10) bond and formation of a C(7)? C(10) bond (cf. Schemes 6 and 9), but no cleavage of the C(1)? C(11) bond and formation of a C(7)? C(11) bond. The limits of detection of the applied method is ≥96% for the observed process, i.e., [1,3a-¹³C₂]- 5 + ADM→ [7,11-¹³C₂]- 8 →[1,6-¹³C₂]- 9 →[5,10a-¹³C₂]- 6a (cf. Scheme 6).     

Some Unusual Products from the Thermal Reaction of Azulenes with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

The thermal reaction of azulene-1-carbaldehydes 5 and 6 with excess dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in decalin leads mainly to the formation of (1 + 1) and (1 + 2) adducts arising from the addition of ADM at the seven-membered ring of the azulenes (cf. Schemes 2 and 4). The (1 + 2) adducts are formed in a homo-Diels-Alder reaction of ADM and isomeric tricyclic carbaldehydes which are derived from the primary tricyclic carbaldehydes by reversible [1s5s]-C shifts (cf. Schemes 3 and 5). The thus formed pentacyclic carbaldehydes seem to undergo deep-seated skeletal rearrangements (cf. Scheme 7) which result finally in the formation of the formyl-tetrahydrocyclopenta[bc]acenaphthylene-tetraesters 12 and 19 , respectively. In other cases, e.g., azulene-1-carbaldehydes 7 and 8 (cf. Scheme 8), the thermal reaction with excess ADM furnishes only the already known tetracycfic (1 + 2) adducts of type anti- 26 to ‘anti’- 29 . The thermal reaction of 1,3,4,8-tetramethylazulene ( 9 ) with excess ADM in decalin resulted in the formation of two (1 + 2) and one (1 + 3) adduct in low yields (cf. Scheme 9). The latter turned out to be the 2,6-bridged barrelene derivative 32 . There are structural evidences that 32 is formed by similar pathways as the formyl-tetrahydrocyclopenta[bc]acenaphthylene-tetraesters (cf. Schemes 7 and 11). [²H₃]Me-Labelling experiments are in agreement with the proposed mechanisms (cf. Scheme 13).     

Reaction of Hydroxymethyl- and Alkyl-Substituted Azulenes with Manganese Dioxide

It is shown that the 2-(hydroxymethyl)-1-methylazulenes 6 are being oxidized by activated MnO₂ in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature to the corresponding azulene-1,2-dicarbaldehydes 7 (Scheme 2). Extension of the MnO₂ oxidation reaction to 1-methyl- and/or 3-methyl-substituted azulenes led to the formation of the corresponding azulene-1-carbaldehydes in excellent yields (Scheme 3). The reaction of unsymmetrically substituted 1,3-dimethyl-azulenes (cf. 15 in Scheme 4) with MnO₂ shows only little chemoselectivity. However, the observed ratio of the formed constitutionally isometric azulene-1-carbaldehydes is in agreement with the size of the orbital coefficients in the HOMO of the azulenes. The reaction of guaiazulene ( 18 ) with MnO₂ in dioxane/H₂O at room temperature gave mainly the expected carbaldehyde 19 . However, it was accompanied by the azulene-diones 20 and 21 (Scheme 5). The precursor of the demethylated compound 20 is the carbaldehyde 19 . Similarly, the MnO₂ reaction of 7-isopropyl-4-methyalazulene ( 22 ) as well as of 4,6,8-trimethylazulene ( 24 ) led to the formation of a mixture of the corresponding azulene-1,5-diones and azulene-1,7-diones 20 / 23 and 25 / 26 , respectively, in decent yields (Schemes 6 and 7). No MnO₂ reaction was observed with 5,7-dimethylazulene.     

New Results in the Synthesis of Styrylazulene Derivatives: Application of the ‘Anil synthesis’ to the preparation of azulenes substituted with styryl groups at the seven-membered ring

The synthesis of 4,6,8-trimethyl-1-[(E)-4-R-styryl]azulenes 5 (R=H, MeO, Cl) has been performed by Wittig reaction of 4,6,8-trimethylazulene-1-carbaldehyde ( 1 ) and the corresponding 4-(R-benzyl)(triphenyl)phosphonium chlorides 4 in the presence of EtONa/EtOH in boiling toluene (see Table 1). In the same way, guaiazulene-3-carbaldehyde ( 2 ) as well as dihydrolactaroviolin ( 3 ) yielded with 4a the corresponding styrylazulenes 6 and 7 , respectively (see Table 1). It has been found that 1 and 4b yield, in competition to the Wittig reaction, alkylation products, namely 8 and 9 , respectively (cf. Scheme 1). The reaction of 4,6,8-trimethylazulene ( 10 ) with 4b in toluene showed that azulenes can, indeed, be easily alkylated with the phosphonium salt 4b . 4,6,8-Trimethylazulene-2-carbaldehyde ( 12 ) has been synthesized from the corresponding carboxylate 15 by a reduction (LiAlH₄) and dehydrogenation (MnO₂) sequence (see Scheme 2). The Swern oxidation of the intermediate 2-(hydroxymethyl)azulene 16 yielded only 1,3-dichloroazulene derivatives (cf. Scheme 2). The Wittig reaction of 12 with 4a and 4b in the presence of EtONa/EtOH in toluene yielded the expected 2-styryl derivatives 19a and 19b , respectively (see Scheme 3). Again, the yield of 19b was reduced by a competing alkylation reaction of 19b with 4b which led to the formation of the 1-benzylated product 20 (see Scheme 3). The ‘anil synthesis’ of guaiazulene ( 21 ) and the 4-R-benzanils 22 (R=H, MeO, Cl, Me₂N) proceeded smoothyl under standard conditions (powered KOH in DMF) to yield the corresponding 4-[(E)-styryl]azulene derivatives 23 (see Table 4). In minor amounts, bis(azulen-4-yl) compounds of type 24 and 25 were also formed (see Table 4). The ‘anil reaction’ of 21 and 4-NO₂C₆H₄CH=NC₆H₅ ( 22e ) in DMF yielded no corresponding styrylazulene derivative 23e . Instead, (E)-1,2-bis(7-isopropyl-1-methylazulen-4-yl)ethene ( 27 ) was formed (see Scheme 4). The reaction of 4,6,8-trimethylazulene ( 10 ) and benzanil ( 22a ) in the presence of KOH in DMF yielded the benzanil adducts 28 to 31 (cf. Scheme 5). Their direct base-catalyzed transformation into the corresponding styryl-substituted azulenes could not be realized (cf. Scheme 6). However, the transformation succeeded smoothly with KOH in boiling EtOH after N-methylation (cf. Scheme 6).     

Formation of Unusual Products from the Acid-Catalyzed Reaction of Azulenes with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

The reaction of guaiazulene ( 4 ) and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in tetralin or toluene, catalyzed by 5 mol-% of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) at ambient temperature, leads to the formation of the corresponding heptalene-4,5-dicarboxylate 6 and a guaiazulenyl-substituted 2,2a,4a,8b-tetrahydrocyclopent[cd]azulene derivative 7 beside the expected guaiazulenyl-substituted ethenedicarboxylates (E)- 5 and (Z)- 5 as main products (Scheme 2). The structure of 7 was unequivocally established by an X-ray crystal-structure analysis (Fig. 1). Precursor of 7 must be the 2a,4a-dihydrocyclopent[cd]azulene-3,4-dicarboxylate 9 which reacts, under TFA catalysis, with a second molecule of 4 (Scheme 3). No formation of products of type 7 has been observed in the TFA-catalyzed reaction of 4,6,8-trimethyl- and 1,4,6,8-tetramethylazulene ( 13 and 16 , respectively) and ADM (Scheme 4). On the other hand, the TFA-catalyzed reaction of azulene ( 18 ) itself and ADM at ambient temperature gives rise to a whole variety of new products (Scheme 5), the major part of which is derived from dimethyl 2a,4a-dihydrocyclopent[cd]azulene-3,4-dicarboxylate ( 25 ) as the main intermediate (Scheme 6). Nevertheless, for the formation of the 2a,4a,6,8b-tetrahydrocyclobut[a]azulene derivatives (E)- 24a and (E)- 24b , a corresponding 2a,8b-dihydro precursor 29 has to be postulated as crucial intermediate (Scheme 8).     

Thermal Reactions of Guaiazulene and Its 3-Methyl Derivative with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

The thermal reaction of 7-isopropyl-1,3,4-trimethylazulene (3-methylguaiazulene; 2 ) with excess dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in decalin at 200° leads to the formation of the corresponding heptalene- ( 5a/5b and 6a/6b ; cf. Scheme 3) and azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates ( 7 and 8 , respectively). Together with small amounts of a corresponding tetracyclic compound (‘anti’- 13 ) these compounds are obtained via rearrangement (→ 5a/5b and 6a/6b ), retro-Diels-Alder reaction (→ 7 and 8 ), and Diels-Alder reaction with ADM (→ ‘anti’- 13 ) from the two primary tricyclic intermediates ( 14 and 15 ; cf. Scheme 5) which are formed by site-selective addition of ADM to the five-membered ring of 2 . In a competing Diels-Alder reaction, ADM is also added to the seven-membered ring of 2 , leading to the formation of the tricyclic compounds 9 and 10 and of the Diels-Alder adducts ‘anti’- 11 and ‘anti’- 12 , respectively of 9 and of a third tricyclic intermediate 16 which is at 200° in thermal equilibrium with 9 and 10 (cf. Scheme 6). The heptalenedicarboxylates 5a and 5b as well as 6a and 6b are interconverting slowly already at ambient temperature (Scheme 4). The thermal reaction of guaiazulene ( 1 ) with excess ADM in decalin at 190° leads alongside with the known heptalene- ( 3a ) and azulene-1,2-dicarboxylates ( 4 ; cf. Schemes 2 and 7) to the formation of six tetracyclic compounds ‘anti’- 17 to ‘anti’- 21 as well as ‘syn’- 19 and small amounts of a 4:1 mixture of the tricyclic tetracarboxylates 22 and 23 . The structure of the tetracyclic compounds can be traced back by a retro-Diels-Alder reaction to the corresponding structures of tricyclic compounds ( 24--29 ; cf. Scheme 8) which are thermally interconverting by [1,5]-C shifts at 190°. The tricyclic tetracarboxylates 22 and 23 , which are slowly equilibrating already at ambient temperature, are formed by thermal addition of ADM to the seven-membered ring of dimethyl 5-isopropyl-3,8-dimethylazulene-1,2-dicarboxylate ( 7 ; cf. Scheme 10). Azulene 7 which is electronically deactivated by the two MeOCO groups at C(1) and C(2) shows no more thermal reactivity in the presence of ADM at the five-membered ring (cf. Scheme 11). The tricyclic tetracarboxylates 22 and 23 react with excess ADM at 200° in a slow Diels-Alder reaction to form the tetracyclic hexacarboxylates 32 , ‘anti’- 33 , and ‘anti’- 34 (cf. Schemes 10–12 as well as Scheme 13). A structural correlation of the tri- and tetracyclic compounds is only feasible if thermal equilibration via [1,5]-C shifts between all six possible tricyclic tetracarboxylates ( 22, 23 , and 35–38 ; cf. Scheme 13) is assumed. The tetracyclic hexacarboxylates 32 , ‘anti’- 33 , and ‘anti’- 34 seem to arise from the most strained tricyclic intermediates ( 36–38 ) by the Diels-Alder reaction with ADM.     

Zur Oxidation von 1,2-Thiazolen: Ein einfacher Zugang zu 1,2-Thiazol-3(2H)-on-1,1-dioxiden

Oxidation of 1,2-Thiazoles; A Convenient Approach to 1,2-Thiazol-3(2H)-one 1,1-Dioxides The 1,2-thiazoles obtained from 3-chloroalk-2-enals and ammonium thiocyanate ( 7 → 9 , Scheme 1) are easily transformed to 1,2-thiazol-3(2H)-one 1,1-dioxidcs 10 on treatment with H₂O₂ in AcOH at 80°. Hydrogenation of 10 in AcOH yields the corresponding saturated 1,2-thiazolidin-3-one 1,1-dioxides 16 (Scheme 3). Cycloalka[c]-1,2-thiazoles 18 are prepared from 2-[(thiocyanato)methyliden]cycloalkan-1-ones and ammonia (Scheme 4). Surprisingly, oxidation of 18a with H₂O₂ in AcOH yields the tricyclic oxaziridine 19.     

Cationic RhI Complexes of Azulenes and Their Catalytic Activity on the Formation of Heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates from Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate and Azulenes

[Rh¹(η⁵-azulene)(cod)]⁺BF complexes 3a–g (cod = (Z,Z)-cycloocta-1,5-diene) have been synthesized by reaction of [Rh¹(cod)]⁺BF in THF with the corresponding azulenes 1a–g (Table 1). The structure of [Rh¹(cod)(η⁵-guaiazulene)]⁺BF ( 3a ) has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (Fig. 1 and 2). The Rh-atom is oriented above the five-membered ring of the azulene with almost equal Rh? C distances to all five C-atoms of the ring. The (Z,Z)-cycloocta-1,5-diene ring occurs in two enantiomorphic distorted (C_2v → C₂) tub conformations in the crystals (Fig. 3). In CDCl₃ solution, the cod ligand in the complexes 3 shows a dynamic behavior on the ¹H-NMR time scale which is best explained by rotation of the cod ligand relative to the azulene ligands around an imaginary cod? Rh? azulene axis. The new complexes 3 catalyze the formation of heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates 2 from dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) and the corresponding azulenes 1 just as effectively as [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄] and the analogous [RhH(PPh₃)₄] complex in MeCN solution (Table 3). On grounds of simplicity, 3 can be generated in situ, when [RhCl(cod)]₂ is applied as catalyst (Table 3).     

Reaktion von 3-(Dimethylamino)-2H-azirinen mit 1,3-Thiazolidin-2-thion

Reaction of 3-(Dimethylamino)-2H-azirines with 1,3-Thiazolidine-2-thione Reaction of 3-(dimethylamino)-2H-azirines 1 and 1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione ( 6 ) in MeCN at room temperature leads to a mixture of perhydroimidazo[4,3-b]thiazole-5-thiones 7 and N-[1-(4,5-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)alkyl]-N′,N′-dimethylthioureas 8 (Scheme 2), whereas, in i-PrOH at ca. 60°, 8 is the only product (Scheme 4). It has been shown that, in polar solvents or under Me₂NH catalysis, the primarily formed 7 isomerizes to 8 (Scheme 4). The hydrolysis of 7 and 8 leads to the same 2-thiohydantoine 9 (Scheme 3 and 5). The structure of 7a, 8c , and 9b has been established by X-ray crystallography (Chapt. 4). Reaction mechanisms for the formation and the hydrolysis of 7 and 8 are suggested.     

Formation of Heptaleno[1,2-c]furans and Heptaleno[1,2-c]furanones

The dehydrogenation reaction of the heptalene-4,5-dimethanols 4a and 4d , which do not undergo the double-bond-shift (DBS) process at ambient temperature, with basic MnO₂ in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature, leads to the formation of the corresponding heptaleno[1,2-c]furans 6a and 6d , respectively, as well as to the corresponding heptaleno[1,2-c]furan-3-ones 7a and 7d , respectively (cf. Scheme 2 and 8). The formation of both product types necessarily involves a DBS process (cf. Scheme 7). The dehydrogenation reaction of the DBS isomer of 4a , i.e., 5a , with MnO₂ in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature results, in addition to 6a and 7a , in the formation of the heptaleno[1,2-c]-furan-1-one 8a and, in small amounts, of the heptalene-4,5-dicarbaldehyde 9a (cf. Scheme 3). The benzo[a]heptalene-6,7-dimethanol 4c with a fixed position of the C?C bonds of the heptalene skeleton, on dehydrogenation with MnO₂ in CH₂Cl₂, gives only the corresponding furanone 11b (Scheme 4). By [²H₂]-labelling of the methanol function at C(7), it could be shown that the furanone formation takes place at the stage of the corresponding lactol [3-²H₂]- 15b (cf. Scheme 6). Heptalene-1,2-dimethanols 4c and 4e , which are, at room temperature, in thermal equilibrium with their corresponding DBS forms 5c and 5e , respectively, are dehydrogenated by MnO₂ in CH₂Cl₂ to give the corresponding heptaleno[1,2-c]furans 6c and 6e as well as the heptaleno[1,2-c]furan-3-ones 7c and 7e and, again, in small amounts, the heptaleno[1,2-c]furan-1-ones 8c and 8e , respectively (cf. Scheme 8). Therefore, it seems that the heptalene-1,2-dimethanols are responsible for the formation of the furan-1-ones (cf. Scheme 7). The methylenation of the furan-3-ones 7a and 7e with Tebbe's reagent leads to the formation of the 3-methyl-substituted heptaleno[1,2-c]furans 23a and 23e , respectively (cf. Scheme 9). The heptaleno[1,2-c]furans 6a, 6d , and 23a can be resolved into their antipodes on a Chiralcel OD column. The (P)-configuration is assigned to the heptaleno[1,2-c]furans showing a negative Cotton effect at ca. 320 nm in the CD spectrum in hexane (cf. Figs. 3–5 as well as Table 7). The (P)-configuration of (–)- 6a is correlated with the established (P)-configuration of the dimethanol (–)- 5a via dehydrogenation with MnO₂. The degree of twisting of the heptalene skeleton of 6 and 23 is determined by the Me-substitution pattern (cf. Table 9). The larger the heptalene gauche torsion angles are, the more hypsochromically shifted is the heptalene absorption band above 300 nm (cf. Table 7 and 8, as well as Figs. 6–9).