Stereoselective synthesis of functionalized trans-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans

[reaction: see text] The addition of the titanium enolates of N-acetyl, N-propionyl, and N-bromoacetyl (R)-oxazolidin-2-ones to gamma-lactol 2, derived from (S)-glutamic acid, afforded trans- and cis-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans (trans/cis ratio: R = H, 2:1; R = Me, 8:1; R = Br, 10:1) after desilylation with aqueous HF/CH3CN. Chromatographic separation and LiBH4 reduction allowed the efficient preparation of the corresponding trans-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran diols and the recovery of the chiral auxiliary.     

Preparation of alkyl substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazin-6-ones by the DCC induced cyclization of 2-oxoalkanoic acid acylhydrazones

A series of 2,5-disubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazin-6-ones were prepared by treating syn-2-oxoalkanoic acid acylhydrazones with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The isomeric anti isomers produced acylureas when treated with DCC. The cycloaddition reaction of 5-methyl-2-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazin-6-one with norbornene was studied and found to give a nitrogen deficient 1:1-cycloadduct. The formation of the product can be rationalized in terms of a Diels-Alder cycloaddition followed by nitrogen extrusion and cyclization of the resulting γ-ketoketene intermediate.     

A stereoselective entry into functionalized 1,2-diamines by zinc-mediated homologation of alpha-aminoacids

A general, stereoselective synthesis of 4,5-disubstituted imidazolidines-2-ones from alpha-aminoacids has been developed: the key steps are a Blaise reaction of bromoacetate on alpha-aminonitriles and further reduction. Although reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride afforded a mixture of cis and trans isomers 6a-e with moderate to good stereoselectivity, reduction with sodium in liquid ammonia gave the trans isomers 8a-e with complete stereoselectivity. Acidic hydrolysis of the urea gave 4-amino-pyrrolidinones, which can be precursors to beta,gamma-diaminoacids or 3-aminopyrrolidines.     

Novel diastereoselective synthesis of bicyclic beta-lactams through radical cyclization and their reduction toward 2-(1-alkoxy-2-hydroxyethyl)piperidines and 2-(1-alkoxy-2-hydroxyethyl)azepanes

1-Allyl- and 1-(3-phenylallyl)-substituted 4-(2-bromo-1,1-dimethylethyl)azetidin-2-ones were transformed into 3-substituted 7-alkoxy-5,5-dimethyl-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]octane-8-ones through radical cyclization by means of n-tributyltin hydride and AIBN in toluene with excellent diastereocontrol (>or=99%). The radical cyclization of 4-(2-bromo-1,1-dimethylethyl)-1-(2-methylallyl)azetidin-2-ones afforded 8-alkoxy-3,6,6-trimethyl-1-azabicyclo[5.2.0]nonan-9-ones in good diastereomeric excess (75-78%). The reductive ring opening of 1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]octane-8-ones and 1-azabicyclo[5.2.0]nonan-9-ones with lithium aluminum hydride resulted in novel 2-(1-alkoxy-2-hydroxyethyl)piperidines and -azepanes, which were isolated as single isomers.     

Synthesis of 2,6-bridged piperazine-3-ones by N-acyliminium ion chemistry

Several 2-substituted and 2,5-disubstituted piperazine-3,6-diones were synthesized starting from readily available alpha-amino acids. After activation of a lactam carbonyl via introduction of a methoxycarbonyl group onto nitrogen, this carbonyl was selectively reduced. Treatment of the resulting urethane with protic acid generated the corresponding N-acyliminium ion, which was trapped by a nucleophilic C2-side chain to provide 2,6-bridged piperazine-3-ones. Several aromatic, heteroaromatic, and nonaromatic side chains were used as pi-nucleophiles. In addition, the effect of the presence of a C5-methyl group on the stereochemical outcome of the cyclization was examined.     

Diastereocontrol by a hydroxyl auxiliary in the synthesis of pyrrolidines via radical cyclization

[reaction: see text] Organoselenium precursors of 3-aza-5-hexenyl radicals carrying a 1-hydroxyalkyl group in the 2-position were prepared by addition of organometallic reagents to N-allyl-2-aziridinecarbonitrile, reduction of the resulting aziridine ketone, and regioselective benzeneselenol ring opening of the aziridine. Reductive radical cyclization was highly selective, affording the corresponding trans-2,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine (cis/trans ca. 1/10) as the major diastereomer. Recrystallization afforded material that was substantially more enriched in the trans isomer (cis/trans < 1/25).     

Synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted piperidines by carbonyl ene and prins cyclizations: switching between kinetic and thermodynamic control with Brønsted and Lewis acid catalysts

A novel approach to cis and trans 3,4-disubstituted piperidines is described. Carbonyl ene cyclization of aldehydes 4a-e catalyzed by MeAlCl(2) in refluxing chloroform afforded the trans piperidines 7a-e with diastereomeric ratios of up to 93:7, while aldehyde 4f afforded solely the cis product 6f, which was resistant to isomerization to the trans isomer. It was demonstrated for 4a that the cyclization catalyzed by a variety of Lewis acids at low temperature proceeded under kinetic control to afford predominantly the cis piperidine 6a, and this isomerized to the thermodynamically more stable trans piperidine 7a on warming. In contrast, Prins cyclization of 4a-e catalyzed by concentrated hydrochloric acid in CH2Cl2 at low temperature afforded cis piperidines 6a-e with diastereomeric ratios of up to >98:2. The yield and diastereoselectivity of these cyclizations could be improved by using HCl-saturated CH2Cl2 to form the corresponding chloride, followed by elimination of HCl effected by ammonia. Aldehydes 4f and 4galso cyclized in good yield under the latter conditions. Mechanistic studies supported by DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-31G(d)) suggest that the cyclizations proceed via a mechanism with significant carbocationic character, with the cis carbocation being more stable than the trans carbocation. DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-31G(d)) of the transition state energies for concerted cyclization show that the cis piperidine is also the favored product from cyclization through a more concerted mechanism.     

Synthesis of 1-alkyl-2-methylazetidin-3-ones and 1-alkyl-2-methylazetidin-3-ols

Several 1-alkyl-2-methylazetidin-3-ones were prepared in good yield by the hydride-induced cyclization of the corresponding β-bromo-α,α-dimethoxyketimines, the resulting 3,3-dimethoxyazetidines being hydrolyzed by acid. Imination of these 1,2-disubstituted azetidin-3-ones, followed by alkylation under kinetic control conditions resulted in regioisomeric mixtures of 2,4- and 2,2-dialkylated compounds. Analytical samples of the major 2,4-disubstituted derivatives were obtained after extensive chromatographic separation. The cis stereochemistry of the major 2,4-dialkylated isomer was demonstrated on the basis of NMR data.     

Novel design of 3,8-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane framework in oxidative sulfonamidation of 1,5-hexadiene

1,5-Hexadiene reacts with trifluoromethanesulfonamide in the oxidative system (t-BuOCl+NaI) to give trans-2,5-bis(iodomethyl)-1-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)pyrrolidine 5 and 3,8-bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-3,8-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane 6. With arenesulfonamides ArSO₂NH₂ (Ar=Ph, Tol), the reaction stops at the formation of the trans and cis isomers of 2,5-bis(iodomethyl)-1-(arenesulfonyl)pyrrolidine 7 and 8 (1:1). The cis isomers of 7 and 8 do not undergo cyclization to the corresponding 3,8-disubstituted 3,8-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octanes. The reaction with triflamide represents the first example of one-pot two-step route to 3,8-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane system.     

Organocatalytic approach to 3,5,6-trisubstituted and 4,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyran-2-ones

The diarylprolinol ether-catalyzed Michael addition and subsequent cyclization of ethyl 3-methyl-2-oxobut-3-enoate with aldehydes, and γ-substituted β,γ-unsaturated-α-ketoesters with acetaldehyde, afforded the corresponding lactals, which were subjected to oxidation and stereocontrolled hydrogenation to provide 3,5,6-trisubstituted and 4,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyran-2-ones with excellent enantioselectivities.     

Stereochemically general approach to adjacent bis(tetrahydrofuran) cores of annonaceous acetogenins

A series of six 2,5-disubstituted adjacent bis(tetrahydrofuran) stereoisomers with trans/erythro/cis, trans/threo/trans, or cis/threo/cis relative stereochemistry have been synthesized from known dihydroxycyclooctenes via ring opening/cross metathesis and Pd(0)-mediated asymmetric double cycloetherification. The stereochemistry of four of these isomers has been found in the biologically active annonaceous acetogenin natural products. [reaction: see text].     

Reductive cyclizations of hydroxysulfinyl ketones: enantioselective access to tetrahydropyran and tetrahydrofuran derivatives

The stereocontrolled formation of cis-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans and cis-2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyrans is achieved from enantiopure ketosulfinyl esters by reduction, Weinreb's amide, and ketone formation, followed by the reductive cyclization (Et3SiH/TMSOTf) of the resulting hydroxysulfinyl ketones. The sulfoxide-bearing heterocycles were transformed into two natural products, (-)-centrolobine (1) and both enantiomers of cis-(6-methyltetrahydropyran-2-yl)acetic acid (2).     

On the 6-exo atom transfer radical cyclization reactions of 3-butenyl 2-iodoalkanoates

Bis(tributyltin)-initiated atom transfer cyclization reactions of 3-butenyl iodoalkanoates in the presence of BF3.OEt2 as the catalyst afforded the 6-exo cyclization products as a mixture of 3,4-cis- and trans-substituted tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-ones in 53-71% yield with the major isomers being the cis ones. Ab initio calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G level on the transition states of the radical cyclization and on the cyclized products revealed that the reactions are kinetically controlled and the transition states for the 6-exo radical cyclization are in boat conformations. Moreover, the cis-oriented transition states are of lower energy than the corresponding trans-oriented ones, which are in excellent agreement with experimental results.     

BiBr3-initiated tandem addition/silyl-Prins reactions to 2,6-disubstituted dihydropyrans

A tandem addition/silyl-Prins reaction efficiently affords cis-2,6-disubstituted dihydropyrans (DHPs) using 5 mol % of BiBr3 in CH2Cl2. The reaction occurs between delta-triethylsilyloxyvinyltrimethylsilanes and a variety of aldehydes to give good to excellent isolated yields of DHPs. The diastereoselectivities in the crude products are significantly affected by aldehyde substitution with electron-rich aldehydes, providing 2-3:1 (cis:trans) and neutral (or electron-poor) aldehydes affording dr > or = 19:1 (cis:trans).     

Selection of the cis and trans phosph(III)azane macrocycles [{P(mu-NtBu)}2(1-Y-2-NH-C6H4)]2(Y=O, S)

The 1 : 1 reactions of [ClP(mu-NtBu)]2 with the difunctional aromatic amines 1,2-1-YH-2-NH2-C6H4 in the presence of Et3N give the dimeric phosph(III)azane macrocycles [{P(mu-NtBu)2(1-Y-2-HN-C6H4)]2, predominantly as the cis isomer in the case of Y=O (1.cis) and as the trans isomer for Y=S (2.trans). Model M.O. calculations suggest that the selection of the cis and trans isomers is not thermodynamically controlled. The alternative isomers 1.trans and 2.cis are generated exclusively by the deprotonation of the model intermediates [(1-Y-2-NH2-C6H4)P(mu-NtBu)]2[Y=O (3), S (4)] with nBuLi followed by cyclisation with [ClP(mu-NtBu)]2. The solid-state structures of 1.cis/trans(50 : 50), 2.cis, 3 and 4 are reported.     

CBS-QB3 computational examination of substituent effects on the interconversion of 1,3,5-cyclooctatriene and bicyclo[4.2.0]-2,4-octadiene

The position of equilibrium between 7-substituted and 7,8-disubstituted 1,3,5-cyclooctatrienes (1) and the corresponding valence isomeric bicyclo[4.2.0]-2,4-octadienes (2) is highly sensitive to the nature of substituents. In particular, the difference between trans and cis-7,8 isomers in this regard has never been explained. These differences have been clarified by computational means. The CBS-QB3 hybrid quantum chemical computational method reproduces the experimental free energy differences between a series of cyclooctatrienes (1) and the corresponding valence isomers (2) with excellent accuracy; the MAD and root mean square (rms) differences are 0.54 kcal/mol and 0.58 kcal/mol, respectively. The energy barriers between several derivatives of 1 and 2 were computed with good accuracy (MAD=1.3 kcal/mol and rms=1.5 kcal/mol) by the same procedure. The dihedral angle between the substituents increases upon electrocyclic conversion of trans-7,8-disubstituted cyclooctatrienes to the bicyclic isomer and decreases for the corresponding cis isomers. This differential effect explains both the higher bicyclic proportion at equilibrium and the faster rate of cyclization in the trans series compared to cis.     

5-Endo-dig electrophilic cyclization of 1,4-disubstituted but-3-yn-1-ones: regiocontrolled synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted 3-bromo- and 3-iodofurans

[reaction: see text] 5-Endo-dig electrophilic cyclization of 1,4-diaryl but-3-yn-1-ones with N-bromosuccinimide or N-iodosuccinimide/acetone and iodine monochloride/CH(2)Cl(2), at room temperature, in the absence of base, provides 3-halo-2,5-diarylfurans with excellent regiocontrol and high yields (81-94%).     

Controlled synthesis of cis or trans isomers of 1,3-disubstituted tetrahydroisoquinolines and 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines

[reactions: see text] The stereoselective outcome of Pd(II)- or Ag(I)-catalyzed intramolecular N-alkylation to afford 1,3-disubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines was examined. In the absence of additional substituents, Pd(II) allows a facile access to the cis isomers, while Ag(I) favors formation of the trans isomers. The same observation was made for the synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines. Possible reasons for the observed stereoselectivities are discussed.     

Partially hydroxylated 2,5-disubstituted bis-tetrahydrofurans from carbohydrates

The diverse bioactivities of annonaceous acetogenins have recently attracted increasing interest. Many of these natural products contain one or more 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran rings as a core unit; these are important for the bioactivity, since it is believed that these anchor the compounds to the surface of the membrane. Therefore, the synthesis of functionalized bis-tetrahydrofurans is an important task and we have developed a synthetic pathway to all four diastereomeric, partially hydroxylated bis-tetrahydrofurans, that is, 3,6:7,10)-dianhydro-2,8,9-trideoxy-L-erythro-D-ido-undecitol (1), 3,6:7,10-dianhydro-2,8,9-trideoxy-D-threo-D-ido-undecitol (2), 3,6:7,10-dianhydro-2,8,9-trideoxy-L-threo-D-ido-undecitol (3), and 3,6:7,10-dianhydro-2,8,9-trideoxy-D-erythro-D-ido-undecitol (4) starting from D-glucose. The reaction of the aldose with Meldrum's acid led to the C-glycosidic 3,6-anhydro-1,4-lactone 6, which was converted to the aldehyde building block 2,5-anhydro-3,4,7-tri-O-benzyl-6-deoxy-aldehydo-D-ido-heptose (11). Chain elongation of 11 with the Grignard reagent derived from 1-bromo-3-butene gave the diastereomers 3,6-anhydro-1,4,5-tri-O-benzyl-2,8,9,10,11-pentadeoxy-L-glycero-D-ido-undec-10-enitol (12) and 3,6-anhydro-1,4,5-tri-O-benzyl-2,8,9,10,11-pentadeoxy-D-glycero-D-ido-undec-10-enitol (13). The relative threo configuration of the major product 12 was confirmed by X-ray structure analysis. Epoxidation and subsequent cyclization afforded the cis and trans diastereomers 19 and 20, respectively, in a 1:1 ratio. Subsequent cleavage of the protecting groups and separation of the isomers furnished the target compounds in good overall yields.     

A convenient method of synthesis of mesomorphic 2,5-disubstituted cyclohexan-1-ones by a catalytic reduction of 3,6-disubstituted cyclohex-2-en-1-ones

The preparation of trans-2,5-disubstituted cyclohexan-1-ones from 3,6-disubstituted cyclohex-2-en-1-ones by reduction with hydrogen in the presence of palladium on carbon in a basic medium is described. The nature of the mesomorphic phases together with some physical properties of single compounds and of nematic mixtures comprising them are reported. Mesogens containing the trans-2,5-disubstituted cyclohexan-1-one ring show a small negative dielectric anisotropy and a low birefringence.