Stereoselective synthesis of new selenium-containing heterocycles by cyclocarbonylation of aminoalkynes with carbon monoxide and selenium

The reaction of 3-aminoalkynes 2 with carbon monoxide and selenium yielded 5-alkylideneselenazolin-2-ones 3 stereoselectively via cycloaddition of in situ generated carbamoselenoates to the carbon-carbon triple bond. 4-Aminoalkyne 7 also afforded the corresponding six-membered selenium-containing heterocycle with the aid of CuI.     

Isoselenocyanates: a powerful tool for the synthesis of selenium-containing heterocycles

Selenium-containing heterocyclic compounds have been well recognized, not only because of their remarkable reactivities and chemical properties, but also because of their diverse pharmaceutical applications. In this context, isoselenocyanates have been emerged as a powerful tool for the synthesis of selenium-containing heterocycles, since they are easy to prepare and store and are safe to handle. In this review the recent advances in the development of synthesis methods for selenium-containing heterocycles from isoselenocyanates are presented and discussed.     

Ruthenium-catalysed oxidative synthesis of heterocycles from alcohols

Ruthenium-catalysed hydrogen transfer has been successfully used for the conversion of alcohols into either 2,3-dihydroquinazolines or quinazolines. The choice of reaction conditions allows for the selective formation of either heterocycle and the methodology can also be applied to the sulfonamide analogue.     

Indole synthesis by radical cyclization of o-alkenylphenyl isocyanides and its application to the total synthesis of natural products

Development of indole synthesis by tin-mediated radical cyclization of o-alkenylphenyl isocyanide is described. Upon heating o-alkenylphenyl isocyanide in the presence of tri-n-butyltin hydride and AIBN, 2-stannyl-3-substituted indole was formed via 5-exo-trig cyclization of the imidoyl radical intermediate. After acidic workup, 3-substituted indoles were isolated. For substrates bearing simple alkyl groups, a substantial amount of tetrahydroquinoline derivatives were generated through 6-endo-trig cyclization. This undesired cyclization was suppressed by using an excess amount (five equivalents based on o-alkenylphenyl isocyanide) of ethanethiol instead of tri-n-butyltin hydride. The 2-stannylindole intermediates proved to be a suitable substrate for Stille coupling, giving 2,3-disubstituted indoles in a one-pot procedure. In addition, the 2-stannylindole intermediates could be converted to 2-iodoindoles by treatment with iodine or N-iodosuccinimide. The 2-iodoindoles thus obtained served as good substrates for Heck reactions, Stille couplings, Suzuki couplings, and palladium-mediated carbonylations, to afford a variety of 2,3-disubstituted indoles. The utility of this protocol was demonstrated by application to synthetic studies on gelsemine and discorhabdin A, and the total synthesis of an aspidosperma alkaloid, (-)-vindoline.     

Reactions of selenium dichloride and dibromide with divinyl sulfone: synthesis of novel four- and five-membered selenium heterocycles

The reactions of selenium dichloride and dibromide with divinyl sulfone leading to novel selenium heterocycles, 2,4-bis(halomethyl)-1,3-thiaselenetane-1,1-diones and 5-halo-2-halomethyl-1,3-thiaselenolane-1,1-diones, have been studied. Under the action of silica gel or pyridine, 5-halo-2-halomethyl-1,3-thiaselenolane-1,1-diones undergo facile regioselective dehydrohalogenation into 5-halo-2-methylene-1,3-thiaselenolane-1,1-diones.     

Dzhemilev reaction in the synthesis of five-membered sulfur and selenium heterocycles*

A one-pot methods were developed for the synthesis of five-membered sulfur and selenium heterocycles based on the consecutive cyclometallation of olefins, allenes, and acetylenes using alkyl and haloalkyl derivatives of Al and Mg in the presence of catalytic amounts of titanium and zirconium complexes to give the corresponding alumina- and magnesacarbocycles in situ, which, without further purification, were introduced into reaction with sulfur or selenium, leading to various tetrahydrothiophenes, thiophenes, tetrahydroselenophenes, and selenophenes. * Dedicated to Academician B. A. Trofimov of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the occasion of his seventieth jubilee. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 393–403, March, 2009.     

Ugi three-component reaction of alcohols,amines and isocyanides: A new approach to the synthesis of cyclic amidines

We have developed a novel, simple, efficient and one pot synthetic protocol for the synthesis of cyclic amidines via Ugi three-component reaction of alcohols, amines, and isocyanides.     

Development of isomerization and cycloisomerization with use of a ruthenium hydride with N-heterocyclic carbene and its application to the synthesis of heterocycles

A pure ruthenium hydride complex with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand was efficiently generated from the reaction of a second-generation Grubbs ruthenium catalyst with vinyloxytrimethylsilane and unambiguously characterized. This ruthenium hydride complex showed high catalytic activity for the selective isomerization of terminal olefin and for the cycloisomerization of 1,6-dienes. These reactions of N-allyl-o-vinylaniline lead to novel synthetic methods for heterocycles such as indoles and 3-methylene-2,3-dihydroindoles, which are useful synthons for bioactive natural products. These procedures address an important issue in diversity-oriented synthesis.     

Intramolecular homolytic substitution at selenium: synthesis of novel selenium-containing vitamin E analogues

Treatment of 1-(benzylselenenyl)-5-butyl-5-nonanol (10) with oxalyl chloride followed by the sodium salt of N-hydroxypyridine-2-thione afforded the corresponding pyridine-2-thione-N-oxycarbonyl (PTOC) oxalate ester which was not isolated but immediately heated to provide 2,2-dibutylselenane (7). This transformation presumably involves a tertiary alkyl radical that undergoes intramolecular homolytic substitution at selenium with loss of the benzyl radical to provide the selenium-containing ring system (7). A similar protocol, when applied to 1-(2-benzylselenenyl-5-methoxyphenyl)-3-methyl-3-heptanol (18) and 1-(2-benzylselenenyl-5-methoxyphenyl)-3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-3-hexadecanol (19), followed by deprotection, afforded the selenium-containing alpha-tocopherol analogues 4 and 1f, respectively, in moderate yields. To the best of our knowledge, these transformations represent the first examples of tertiary radicals involved in homolytic substitution chemistry at selenium.     

New entry to convertible isocyanides for the Ugi reaction and its application to the stereocontrolled formal total synthesis of the proteasome inhibitor omuralide

The development of a new convertible isocyanide, indole-isocyanide, for ready access to pyroglutamic acids culminated in the formal total synthesis of the proteasome inhibitor omuralide featuring a stereocontrolled Ugi reaction. Indole-isocyanide was named after the facilitation of hydrolysis of the resulting 2-(2,2-dimethoxyethyl)anilide via an N-acylindole intermediate obtained by the Ugi multicomponent condensation reaction followed by the indole formation.     

Preparation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles using ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and its application to natural product synthesis

Our synthetic study of nitrogen-containing heterocycles using ring-closing metathesis (RCM), such as chiral bicyclic lactams, azacycloundecenes, axially chiral macrolactams, 1,2-dihydroquinolines, 2-quinolinone and indoles, including a development of silyl-enol ether ene metathesis and isomerization of terminal olefins, are described. Their applications to natural product synthesis are also reported.     

Stereospecific rearrangements during the synthesis of pyrrolidines and related heterocycles from cyclizations of amino alcohols with vinyl Sulfones

Conjugate additions of amino alcohols derived from alpha-amino acids to vinyl sulfones, followed by N-benzylation, chlorination, and intramolecular alkylation, provide a convenient route to substituted pyrrolidines. The process is accompanied by the stereospecific rearrangement of substituents from the alpha-position of the amine to the beta-position of the product and takes place via the corresponding aziridinium ion intermediates. Another type of rearrangement was observed during the reaction of (2-piperidine)methanol or 2-(2-piperidine)ethanol with phenyl trans-1-propenyl sulfone, in which the methyl group appears to migrate from the beta- to the alpha-position of the sulfone moiety. This process involves the isomerization of phenyl trans-1-propenyl sulfone to phenyl 2-propenyl sulfone by the addition-elimination of catalytic benzenesulfinate anion to the former vinyl sulfone, followed by conjugate addition of the amino group to the latter sulfone. Chlorination and intramolecular alkylation then afford the corresponding rearranged indolizidine and quinolizidine derivatives, respectively.     

Reactions of selenium dichloride and dibromide with divinyl selenide: synthesis of novel selenium heterocycles and rearrangement of 2,6-dihalo-1,4-diselenanes

The synthesis of novel selenium heterocycles, 2,6-dihalo-1,4-diselenanes, 4-halo-2-halomethyl-1,3-diselenolanes and 2-halomethyl-1,3-diselenoles, based on the reactions of selenium dichloride and dibromide with divinyl selenide is described. The spontaneous rearrangement of 2,6-dihalo-1,4-diselenanes to 4-halo-2-halomethyl-1,3-diselenolanes is observed. Distillation of 4-chloro-2-chloromethyl-1,3-diselenolane leads to regioselective dehydrochlorination and the formation of 2-chloromethyl-1,3-diselenole.     

CpRu(PN) complex-catalyzed isomerization of allylic alcohols and its application to the asymmetric synthesis of muscone

Highly efficient isomerization of allylic alcohols into saturated carbonyls is accomplished using the catalyst system of Cp*RuCl[Ph2P(CH2)2NH2-kappa2-P,N]-KOt-Bu (Cp* = eta5-C5(CH3)5) under mild conditions. Mechanistic consideration based on isotope-labeling experiments indicated the present reaction is applicable to the asymmetric isomerization of racemic sec-allylic alcohols with a prochiral olefin via dynamic kinetic resolution. A concise asymmetric synthesis of muscone has been achieved, where the asymmetric isomerization using an optically active ligand is a key reaction.     

Gold-catalyzed synthesis of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles from alkynyl ethers: application to the total synthesis of andrachcinidine

In this paper we report that homopropargylic ethers containing pendent oxygen or nitrogen nucleophiles react with electrophilic gold catalysts in the presence of water to form saturated heterocyclic ketones. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the reactions proceed through a sequence of alkyne hydration, alkoxy group elimination, and intramolecular conjugate addition. Diastereoselectivities for tetrahydropyran and piperidine formation are very good to excellent. This method has been applied to an efficient total synthesis of the natural product andrachcinidine. Utilizing propargylic ether substrates rather than homopropargylic ethers promotes regioselective hydration of internal alkynes, thereby expanding the scope of products that can be accessed through this protocol.     

A new aromaticity index and its application to five-membered ring heterocycles

A new index of aromatic character has been devised based upon a statistical evaluation of the deviations in peripheral bond orders. The latter can be derived readily from experimentally determined bond lengths. The utility of this index is exemplified by its application to five-membered ring heterocycles and their mesoionic derivatives.