Access to 1,2‐Dihydroisoquinolines through Gold‐Catalyzed Formal [4+2] Cycloaddition

A new synthetic route to the privileged 1,2‐dihydroisoquinolines is reported. This method, which relies on a gold‐catalyzed formal [4+2] cycloaddition between ynamides and imines, provides a new retrosynthetic disconnection of the 1,2‐dihydroisoquinoline core by installing the 1,8a C?C and 2,3 C?N bonds in one step. Both aldimines and ketimines can be used as substrates. In addition, one example of dihydrofuropyridine synthesis is also demonstrated.     

Azomethine imines in the reactions of dichlorocarbene with mono- and 1,2-disubstituted hydrazines

Oxidation of phenylhydrazine and 1,2-disubstituted hydrazines with dichlorocarbene afforded the corresponding diazenes and hydrazones with the intermediate formation of the unstable azomethine imines, which were determined by their cycloaddition to dimethyl malcate.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1489–1492, June, 1996.     

Gold‐Catalysed Oxyarylation of Styrenes and Mono‐ and gem‐Disubstituted Olefins Facilitated by an Iodine(III) Oxidant

1‐Hydroxy‐1,2‐benziodoxol‐3(1H)‐one (IBA) is an efficient terminal oxidant for gold‐catalysed, three‐component oxyarylation reactions. The use of this iodine(III) reagent expands the scope of oxyarylation to include styrenes and gem‐disubstituted olefins, substrates that are incompatible with the previously reported Selectfluor‐based methodology. Diverse arylsilane coupling partners can be employed, and in benzotrifluoride, homocoupling is substantially reduced. In addition, the IBA‐derived co‐products can be recovered and recycled.     

Asymmetric Diethylzinc Addition to N-Diphenylphosphinoyl Benzalimine Mediated by Imino Alcohols

As our continuous efforts to search for easily accessible ligands for dialkylzinc addition to imines,[1] in this paper,we would like to present a family of chiral imino alcohols 3 derived from 1,2-diphenyl-2-aminoethanol which will be evaluated for the titled reaction. We believed that this kind of chiral ligands could be good chiral ligands for the diethylzinc addition to imines based on two points: (1) The excellent asymmetrically inductive properties of 1,2-diphenyl-2-aminoethanol and its derivatives have been proven in many reactions. (2) The conformation of the nitrogen in the chiral imines 3 is restricted by imine function which is similar to chiral oxazolines reported in our recent work.     

Oxygenation of Simple Olefins through Selective Allylic C−C Bond Cleavage: A Direct Approach to Cinnamyl Aldehydes

A novel metal‐free allylic C−C σ‐bond cleavage of simple olefins to give valuable cinnamyl aldehydes is reported. 1,2‐Aryl or alkyl migration through allylic C−C bond cleavage occurs in this transformation, which is assisted by an alkyl azide reagent. This method enables O‐atom incorporation into simple unfunctionalized olefins to construct cinnamyl aldehydes. The reaction features simple hydrocarbon substrates, metal‐free conditions, and high regio‐ and stereoselectivity.     

X=Y-ZH Systems as potential 1,3-dipoles : Part 13. Prototropic generation of azomethine imines from hydrazones

Hydrazones of aldehydes and ketones undergo intermolecular cycloaddition to electronegative olefins via azomethine imines, formed by a formal 1,2-prototropic shift, in low to moderate yield on heating in xylene or ethanol. In some instances the reaction is diverted to give products derived (at least formally) from an ene reaction. Similar intramolecular cycloadditions occur with unactivated terminal alkenes and alkynes.     

Mechanistic Investigation of the Ring Opening in the Staudinger Cycloaddition Involving Ketenes with Electron‐Withdrawing Substituents

The cycloaddition of ketenes and imines (Staudinger cycloaddition) is a general method for the synthesis of various β‐lactams. However, reactions of imines and ketenes with electron‐withdrawing substituents produce α,β‐unsaturated alkenamides, ring‐opening products of the intermediates generated from imines and the ketenes, even as sole products, besides the desired β‐lactams. The mechanism of the formation of α,β‐unsaturated alkenamides was investigated. The results indicate that the α,β‐unsaturated alkenamides are generated via a base‐induced C?C bond isomerization followed by electrocyclic ring opening of the formed azacyclobutenes (=1,2‐dihydroazetes; cf. Scheme 3).     

Diastereo‐ and Regioselective Addition of Thioamide Dianions to Imines and Aziridines: Synthesis of N‐Thioacyl‐1,2‐diamines and N‐Thioacyl‐1,3‐diamines

Addition reactions of thioamide dianions that were derived from N‐arylmethyl thioamides to imines and aziridines were carried out. The reactions of imines gave the addition products of N‐thioacyl‐1,2‐diamines in a highly diastereoselective manner in good‐to‐excellent yields. The diastereomeric purity of these N‐thioacyl‐1,2‐diamines could be enriched by simple recrystallization. The reduction of N‐thioacyl‐1,2‐diamines with LiAlH₄ gave their corresponding 1,2‐diamines in moderate‐to‐good yields with retention of their stereochemistry. The oxidative‐desulfurization/cyclization of an N‐thioacyl‐1,2‐diamine in CuCl₂/O₂ and I₂/pyridine systems gave the cyclized product in moderate yield and the trans isomer was obtained as the sole product. On the other hand, a similar cyclization reaction with antiformin (aq. NaClO) as an oxidant gave the cis isomer as the major product. The reactions of N‐tosylaziridines gave the addition products of N‐thioacyl‐1,3‐diamines with low diastereoselectivity but high regioselectivity and in good‐to‐excellent yields. The use of AlMe₃ as an additive improved the efficiency and regioselectivity of the reaction. The stereochemistry of the obtained products was determined by X‐ray diffraction.     

Copper-Catalyzed Borylative Couplings with C−N Electrophiles

Copper-catalyzed borylative multicomponent reactions (MCRs) involving olefins and C−N electrophiles are a powerful tool to rapidly build up molecular complexity. The products from these reactions contain multiple functionalities, such as amino, cyano and boronate groups, that are ubiquitous in medicinal and process chemistry programs. Copper-catalyzed MCRs are particularly attractive because they use a relatively abundant and non-toxic catalyst to selectively deliver high-value products from simple feedstocks such as olefins. In this Minireview, we explore this rapidly emerging field and survey the borylative union of allenes, dienes, styrenes and other olefins, with imines, nitriles and related C−N electrophiles.     

Organocatalytic Tandem Reaction to Construct Six‐Membered Spirocyclic Oxindoles with Multiple Chiral Centres through a Formal [2+2+2] Annulation

An efficient tandem reaction for the asymmetric synthesis of six‐membered spirocyclic oxindoles has been successfully developed through a formal [2+2+2] annulation strategy. The amine‐catalysed stereoselective Michael addition of aliphatic aldehydes to electron‐deficient olefinic oxindole motifs gave chiral C3 components, which were further combined with diverse electrophiles (activated olefins or imines) to afford spirocyclic oxindoles with versatile molecular complexity (up to six contiguous stereogenic centres, high diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities).     

Ti-catalyzed ring-opening oxidative amination of methylenecyclopropanes with diazenes

The ring-opening oxidative amination of methylenecyclopropanes (MCPs) with diazenes catalyzed by py₃TiCl₂(NR) complexes is reported. This reaction selectively generates branched α-methylene imines as opposed to linear α,β-unsaturated imines, which are difficult to access via other methods. Products can be isolated as the imine or hydrolyzed to the corresponding ketone in good yields. Mechanistic investigation via density functional theory suggests that the regioselectivity of these products results from a Curtin–Hammett kinetic scenario, where reversible β-carbon elimination of a spirocyclic [2 + 2] azatitanacyclobutene intermediate is followed by selectivity-determining β-hydrogen elimination of the resulting metallacycle. Further functionalizations of these branched α-methylene imine products are explored, demonstrating their utility as building blocks.

The ring-opening oxidative amination of methylenecyclopropanes (MCPs) with diazenes catalyzed by py₃TiCl₂(NR) complexes is reported.     

Visible‐Light‐Induced Selective Photocatalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Amines into Imines on TiO2

Imines are important intermediates for the synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural chemicals. Selective oxidation of amines into their corresponding imines with dioxygen is one of the most‐fundamental chemical transformations. Herein, we report the oxidation of a series of benzylic amines into their corresponding imines with atmospheric dioxygen as the oxidant on a surface of anatase TiO₂ under visible‐light irradiation (λ>420 nm). The visible‐light response of this system was caused by the formation of a surface complex through the adsorption of a benzylic amine onto the surface of TiO₂. From the analysis of products of specially designed benzylic amines, we demonstrated that a highly selective oxygenation reaction proceeds via an oxygen‐transfer mechanism to afford the corresponding carbonyl compound, whose further condensation with an amine would generate the final imine product. We found that when primary benzylic amines (13 examples), were chosen as the substrates, moderate to excellent selectivities for the imine products were achieved (ca. 38–94 %) in moderate to excellent conversion rates (ca. 44–95 %). When secondary benzylic amines (15 examples) were chosen as the substrates, both the corresponding imines and aldehydes were detected as the main products with moderate to high conversion rates (ca. 18–100 %) and lower selectivities for the imine products (ca. 14–69 %). When tribenzylamine was chosen as the substrate, imine (27 %), dibenzylamine (24 %), and benzaldehyde products (39 %) were obtained in a conversion of 50 %. This report can be viewed as a prototypical system for the activation of C? H bonds adjacent to heteroatoms such as N, O, and S atoms, and oxofuctionalization with air or dioxygen as the terminal oxidant under visible‐light irradiation using TiO₂ as the photocatalyst.     

Asymmetric [3+2] Annulation Approach to 3‐Pyrrolines: Concise Total Syntheses of (−)‐Supinidine, (−)‐Isoretronecanol,and (+)‐Elacomine

An asymmetric [3+2] annulation reaction to form 3‐pyrroline products is reported. Upon treatment with lithium diisopropylamide, readily available ethyl 4‐bromocrotonate is deprotonated and trapped with Ellman imines selectively at the α‐position to yield enantiopure 3‐pyrroline products. This new method is compatible with aryl, alkyl, and vinyl imines. The efficacy of the method is showcased by short asymmetric total syntheses of (?)‐supinidine, (?)‐isoretronecanol, and (+)‐elacomine. This novel annulation approach also works for an aldehyde, thus providing access to a 2,5‐dihydrofuran product in a single step from simple precursors. By modifying the structure of the carbanion nucleophile, an asymmetric vinylogous aza‐Darzens reaction can be realized.     

Asymmetric [3+2] Annulation Approach to 3‐Pyrrolines: Concise Total Syntheses of (−)‐Supinidine, (−)‐Isoretronecanol,and (+)‐Elacomine

An asymmetric [3+2] annulation reaction to form 3‐pyrroline products is reported. Upon treatment with lithium diisopropylamide, readily available ethyl 4‐bromocrotonate is deprotonated and trapped with Ellman imines selectively at the α‐position to yield enantiopure 3‐pyrroline products. This new method is compatible with aryl, alkyl, and vinyl imines. The efficacy of the method is showcased by short asymmetric total syntheses of (−)‐supinidine, (−)‐isoretronecanol, and (+)‐elacomine. This novel annulation approach also works for an aldehyde, thus providing access to a 2,5‐dihydrofuran product in a single step from simple precursors. By modifying the structure of the carbanion nucleophile, an asymmetric vinylogous aza‐Darzens reaction can be realized.     

Merging Distal Alkynyl Migration and Photoredox Catalysis for Radical Trifluoromethylative Alkynylation of Unactivated Olefins

Disclosed herein is a novel, redox‐neutral protocol for the visible‐light‐induced radical alkynylation of unactivated olefins. The intramolecular migration of an alkynyl group, by cleaving an inert C−C σ bond, is realized for the first time. A wide range of synthetically useful trifluoroethylated linear alkynes are readily obtained under mild reaction conditions.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Synthesis of N‐Aryl‐1,2‐dihydropyridines by [2+2+2] Cycloaddition of Imines with Alkynes through T‐Shaped 14‐Electron Aza‐Nickelacycle Key Intermediates

Despite there being a straightforward approach for the synthesis of 1,2‐dihydropyridines, the transition‐metal‐catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition reaction of imines with alkynes has been achieved only with imines containing an N‐sulfonyl or ‐pyridyl group. Considering the importance of 1,2‐dihydropyridines as useful intermediates in the preparation of a wide range of valuable organic molecules, it would be very worthwhile to provide novel strategies to expand the scope of imines. Herein we report a successful expansion of the scope of imines in nickel‐catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions with alkynes. In the presence of a nickel(0)/PCy₃ catalyst, a reaction with N‐benzylidene‐P,P‐diphenylphosphinic amide was developed. Moreover, an application of N‐aryl imines to the reaction was also achieved by adopting N‐heterocyclic carbene ligands. The isolation of an (η²‐N‐aryl imine)nickel(0) complex containing a 14‐electron nickel(0) center and a T‐shaped 14‐electron five‐membered aza‐nickelacycle is shown. These would be considered as key intermediates of the reaction. The structure of these complexes was unambiguously determined by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray analyses.     

Polarity‐Reversed Allylations of Aldehydes,Ketones, and Imines Enabled by Hantzsch Ester in Photoredox Catalysis

The polarity reversal (umpolung) reaction is an invaluable tool for reversing the chemical reactivity of carbonyl and iminyl groups, which subsequent cross‐coupling reactions to form C?C bonds offers a unique perspective in synthetic planning and implementation. Reported herein is the first visible‐light‐induced polarity‐reversed allylation and intermolecular Michael addition reaction of aldehydes, ketones, and imines. This chemoselective reaction has broad substrate scope and the engagement of alkyl imines is reported for the first time. The mechanistic investigations indicate the formation of ketyl (or α‐aminoalkyl) radicals from single‐electron reduction, where the Hantzsch ester is crucial as the electron/proton donor and the activator.     

Polarity‐Reversed Allylations of Aldehydes,Ketones, and Imines Enabled by Hantzsch Ester in Photoredox Catalysis

The polarity reversal (umpolung) reaction is an invaluable tool for reversing the chemical reactivity of carbonyl and iminyl groups, which subsequent cross‐coupling reactions to form C−C bonds offers a unique perspective in synthetic planning and implementation. Reported herein is the first visible‐light‐induced polarity‐reversed allylation and intermolecular Michael addition reaction of aldehydes, ketones, and imines. This chemoselective reaction has broad substrate scope and the engagement of alkyl imines is reported for the first time. The mechanistic investigations indicate the formation of ketyl (or α‐aminoalkyl) radicals from single‐electron reduction, where the Hantzsch ester is crucial as the electron/proton donor and the activator.     

Stereoretentive Addition of N‐tert‐Butylsulfonyl‐α‐Amido Silanes to Aldehydes,Ketones, α,β‐Unsaturated Esters,and Imines

Enantioenriched N‐tert‐butylsulfonyl‐α‐amido silanes were successfully reacted with aldehydes, ketones, imines, and α,β‐unsaturated esters in the presence of a sub‐stoichiometric amount of CsF (0.5 equiv) in 1,2‐dimethoxyethane (DME) at ?20 °C to afford the corresponding coupling products with up to 89 % enantiospecificity in a retentive manner.     

Diastereo‐ and Enantioselective Synthesis of β‐Aminoboronate Esters by Copper(I)‐Catalyzed 1,2‐Addition of 1,1‐Bis[(pinacolato)boryl]alkanes to Imines

Reported herein is an efficient copper(I)‐catalytic system for the diastereo‐ and enantioselective 1,2‐addition of 1,1‐bis[(pinacolato)boryl]alkanes to protected imines to afford synthetically valuable enantioenriched β‐aminoboron compounds bearing contiguous stereogenic centers. The reaction exhibits a broad scope with respect to protected imines and 1,1‐bis[(pinacolato)boryl]alkanes, thus providing β‐aminoboronate esters with excellent diastereo‐ and enantioselectivity. The synthetic utility of the obtained β‐aminoboronate ester was also demonstrated.