Cyclopropanation of N-Substituted 2-Oxochromene- and 6-Bromo-2-oxochromene-3-carboxamides with Zinc Enolates Derived from 1-Aryl-2,2-dibromoalkanones

Zinc enolates derived from 1-aryl-2,2-dibromoalkanones react with N-cyclohexyl-2-oxochromene-3-carboxamides to give N-cyclohexyl-1-alkyl-1-aroyl-2-oxo-1a,7b-dihydrocyclopropac]chromene-1a-carboxamides mainly as cis isomers with respect to the substituents in positions 1 and 1a. Reactions of the same zinc enolates with N-benzyl-2-oxochromene-3-carboxamide and N-benzyl-6-bromo-2-oxochromene-3-carboxamide lead to formation of 1-aryl-2-benzyl- and 1-aryl-2-benzyl-6-bromo-1-hydroxy-9c-alkyl-1,2,9b,9c-tetrahydro-5-oxa-2-azacyclopenta2,3]cyclopropa1,2-a]naphthalene-3,4-diones. The reaction of zinc enolates with N-aryl-2-oxochromene-3-carboxamides in a weakly polar solvent (diethyl ether or ethyl acetate) affords mixtures of cis-N-aryl-1-aroyl-1-alkyl-2-oxo-1a,7b-dihydrocyclopropac]chromene-1a-carboxamides and their cyclic isomers, 9c-alkyl-1,2-diaryl-1-hydroxy-1,2,9b,9c-tetrahydro-5-oxa-2-azacyclopenta2,3]cyclopropa1,2-a]naphthalene-3,4-diones, the latter prevailing. N-Substituted 1-alkyl-1-aroyl-2-oxo-1a,7b-dihydrocyclopropac]chromene-1a-carboxamides in which the aroyl group on C¹ and the carboxamide group on C^1a are arranged trans are formed by reactions of zinc enolates with the corresponding 2-oxochromene-3-carboxamides in the presence of hexamethylphosphoric triamide.__________Translated from Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, Vol. 41, No. 4, 2005, pp. 539–546.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by V. Shchepin, Silaichev, R. Shchepin, Ezhikova, Kodess.