Decarboxylative cyclizations and cycloadditions of palladium-polarized aza-ortho-xylylenes

Vinyl benzoxazinones undergo decarboxylation in the presence of palladium catalysts to form palladium-polarized aza-ortho-xylylenes, which are versatile reaction intermediates. These palladium-polarized aza-ortho-xylylenes are generated under exceptionally mild conditions and undergo a plethora of different reactions depending on the reaction conditions. Specifically, they undergo dimerization reactions to produce macrocycles, cyclizations to form dihydroquinolines, cycloadditions with electrophilic p-bonds, and nucleophilic attack by amines. Thus, a wide array of structurally unique aniline derivatives can be accessed from these unique intermediates.     

Recent advances in metal carbenoid mediated nitrogen-containing zwitterionic intermediate trapping process

Zwitterionic intermediates generated from metal carbenoids and compounds containing enamine units belong to a class of highly active synthetic intermediates that undergo different types of transformations. They can undergo rapid proton transfer to afford C–H functionalization products, or undergo intramolecular trapping process to give [3+2] annulation products. Recently, by taking advantage of its unique electronic feature, novel transformations have been developed by applying suitable electrophiles to trap such type of zwitterionic intermediates. The successful trapping process offers a powerful strategy for the effective construction of diversified nitrogen-containing molecules.     

The diastereoselective synthesis of functionalised isoxazolidines using a Cope elimination/intramolecular nitrone cycloaddition strategy

Functionalised hydroxylamine derivatives of (S)-prolinol prepared by a Cope elimination have been found to undergo oxidation to the nitrone either in the presence of air or a catalytic quantity of TPAP. These undergo intramolecular cycloaddition to give tricyclic isoxazolidines with high diastereoselectivity.     

A new synthesis of highly functionalized 2H-pyran derivatives

Ethyl oxo-(2-oxo-cycloalkyl)-ethanoates undergo a smooth reaction with triphenylphosphine and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates via intramolecular Wittig reaction to produce spiro-cyclobutene derivatives. These spiro systems undergo electrocyclic ring opening reaction to produce electron-deficient 1,3-dienes, which spontaneously cyclize to 2H-pyran derivatives.     

Synthesis and reactivity of azapalladacyclobutanes

N-Sulfonyl aziridines undergo oxidative addition to palladium(0) complexes generated in situ from mixtures of Pd2(dba)3 and 1,10-phenanthroline. The resulting azapalladacyclobutane complexes undergo intramolecular carbopalladation in the presence of copper(I) iodide to afford azapalladabicyclo[3.2.1]octanes. A deuterium-labeling experiment indicates that the oxidative addition proceeds via SN2-type attack of palladium(0) on the less-hindered carbon of the aziridine ring and that alkene insertion occurs in a syn fashion. The azapalladabicyclo[3.2.1]octane complexes undergo oxidative palladium-carbon bond functionalization in the presence of copper(II) bromide.     

Copper-catalyzed silylation of cyclopropenes using (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane

A variety of cyclopropenes undergo direct silylation using (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane in the presence of a copper-bisphosphine catalyst; under these conditions, cyclopropenes that might otherwise undergo ring-opening are silylated efficiently.     

Ring expansion of lactones and lactams via propiolate 1-carbon intercalation

Readily available five- and six-membered lactones and N-sulfonyllactams undergo efficient addition of t-butyl propiolate, and the resulting adducts undergo cycloisomerization to six- and seven-membered cyclic ethers or amines in the presence of pyridinium acetate. The ring expansion process occurs in generally good yields and is proposed to involve a nucleophilic catalysis mechanism.     

Studies on thermal reactivity of beta-(1,2-allenyl)butenolides and 2-allyl-3-allenylcyclohex-2-enones

A series of thermal pericyclic reactions of beta-allenylfuranones have been studied. It was observed that beta-allenylfuranones would undergo 1,5-hydrogen shift to afford a new type of trienes upon heating. Due to their high reactivity, these trienes would undergo subsequent pericyclic reactions based on the nature of the substituent group R: When R is an alkyl group, the intermediate 4a or 4b would undergo a further 1,7-hydrogen shift to afford a more stable conjugated triene 3; with R being phenyl or cyclopropyl group, the 1,7-hydrogen shift was inhibited and the 4-type conjugated triene would form a six-membered ring 5 via 6 pi-electrocyclization. Interestingly, introducing another C=C double bond into the triene intermediate (R = CH=CH2, the 18-type intermediate would undergo 8 pi-electrocyclization reaction to form an eight-membered ring. Such a transformation was also observed with 2-allyl-3-allenylcyclohex-2-enones. The deuterium-labeling mechanistic studies show that the alkyl groups at the allenyl moiety of 1 participated in the isomerization process via 1,7-hydrogen shifts between 18 A, 20 A, and 29 A.     

Straightforward approach to iminoxazines and azetidinimines via 1,4-additions of chelated enolates toward nitroalkenes

[reaction: see text] Chelated amino acid ester enolates undergo 1,4-addition toward nitroalkenes in a highly stereoselective fashion. Trapping the nitronates formed in the addition step with chloroformates or acyl chlorides gives rise to highly reactive intermediates that directly undergo cyclization. Depending on the N-protecting group (PG) used, iminoxazines or azetidinimines are formed in a simple one-pot protocol.     

Transformations of unsymmetrical N-hetarylformazans in acidic media

1-Aryl-3-phenyl-5-hetarylformazans undergo acid cleavage to give benzaldehyde hetarylhydrazones, whereas 1-hetaryl-3-phenyl-5-(4-nitrophenyl)formazans undergo acid cleavage to give benzaldehyde 4-nitrophenylhydrazones. 1-Aryl-3-phenyl-5-(6-oxo-4-methyl-2-pyrimidinyl)-formazans undergo cyclization to 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidine derivatives.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 9, pp. 1268–1270, September, 1977.     

Asymmetric cycloadditions of palladium-polarized aza-o-xylylenes

Vinyl benzoxazinanones undergo highly enantioselective decarboxylative cycloadditions with electron-deficient olefins in the presence of palladium catalysts. Palladium induces the decarboxylation of the parent benzoxazinanones under mild conditions to produce an intermediate that can be described as a polarized aza-o-xylylene. These intermediates undergo a formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition with good Michael acceptors to produce highly substituted hydroquinolines with excellent regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities.     

Linear Polymers from Diene Monomers by the Cyclic Polymerization Mechanism. XI. Polyphosphonium Salts via Cyclopolymerization

A wide variety of diunsaturated phosphonium salts have been synthesized in order to determine whether or not such structures undergo cyclopolymerization. As intermediates for these monomers, a number of previously unreported unsaturated phosphines have been prepared and characterized. Polymerization studies using a wide variety of free radical initiating conditions led to polymers in those cases which were predicted to undergo cyclopolymerization leading to five-, six-, or seven-membered rings with one exception. The properties of the polymers are consistent with the cyclopolymerization mechanism. The conversion of poly(diallyldiphenylphosphonium bromide) to polfidiallyldiphenylphosphine oxide) offers additional evidence for cyclopolymerization. Di-3-butenyldiphenylphosphonium bromide, a monomer functionally capable of forming a polymer containing an eight-membered ring, did not polymerize. Divinylphenylphosphine was found to undergo copolymerization with acrylonitrile in accordance with the cyclo-copolymerization mechanism.     

Fe+ chemical ionization of peptides

Laser-desorbed peptide neutral molecules were allowed to react with Fe⁺ in a Fourier transform mass spectrometer, using the technique of laser desorption/chemical ionization. The Fe⁺ ions are formed by laser ablation of a steel target, as well as by dissociative charge-exchange ionization of ferrocene with Ne⁺. Prior to reaction with laser-desorbed peptide molecules, Fe⁺ ions undergo 20–100 thermalizin collisions with xenon to reduce the population of excited-state metal ion species. The Fe⁺ ions that have not experienced thermalizing collisions undergo charge exchange with peptide molecules. Iron ions that undergo thermalizing collisions before they are allowed to react with peptides are found to undergo charge exchange and to form adduct species [M + Fe⁺] and fragment ions that result from the loss of small, stable molecules, such as H₂O, CO, and CO₂, from the metal ion-peptide complex.     

Highly selective alpha-acylvinyl anion additions to imines

alpha-Hydroxypropargylsilanes undergo rearrangement to form reactive lithium allenolates. The resulting alpha-acylvinyl anion equivalents undergo highly selective additions to N-tert-butanesulfinyl imines generating beta-substituted aza-MBH-type products. High yields are achieved for a wide range of alpha-hydroxypropargylsilanes as well as for a diverse selection of imines. The reactions proceed with good to excellent diastereoselectivity and regioselectivity (8-20:1 major/ Sigma minor) favoring the Z-isomer of the alkene.     

A heterocycle-forming double michael reaction. [5 + 1] annulation route to highly substituted and functionalized piperidines

[reaction: see text]. Nitrogen-containing tethered diacids, easily prepared by reductive alkylation of diethyl aminomalonate or ethyl cyanoglycinate, undergo double Michael reactions with 3-butyn-2-one to give highly functionalized and substituted piperidines (pipecolic acid derivatives) with surprisingly high stereoselectivity. The heterocyclic double Michael adducts can be induced to undergo further cyclizations to give a variety of azabicyclic and diazabicyclic compounds.     

Photochemical behavior of cyclopropyl-substituted benzophenones and valerophenones

p-Cyclopropylbenzophenone, 20, gives no photoreduction when irradiated in i-PrOH solvent. This is a general phenomenon and a number of cyclopropyl-substituted benzophenones, including 4-(endo-6-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexyl)benzophenone, 19, 4-(cis-2,3-dimethylcyclopropyl)benzophenone, 21, 4-(cis-2-vinylcyclopropyl)benzophenone, 22, and 4-(endo-7-bicyclo[4.1.0]hept-2-enyl)benzophenone, 23, also fail to undergo photoreduction. Instead these latter compounds undergo cis-trans isomerization when irradiated. A mechanism involving formation of an (n, π*) triplet, which subsequently fragments the strained cyclopropane bond to give a lower energy and unreactive open triplet, has been suggested. p-Cyclopropylvalerophenone, 25, and p-(endo-6-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexyl)valerophenone, 24, also undergo photoisomerization and fail to undergo the Norrish Type II photoreactions. Triplet energy dissipation by fragmentation of the cyclopropane bond is also proposed. In addition to the Norrish Type II reaction, p-cyclobutylvalerophenone, 27, undergoes a photofragmentation to give ethylene and p-vinylvalerophenone, 60, by an energy dissipation mechanism involving a 1,4-biradical derived from cyclobutane bond fragmentation.     

Nickel hydrides supported by a non-innocent diphosphine arene pincer: mechanistic studies of nickel-arene H-migration and partial arene hydrogenation

Nickel hydrides supported by a terphenyl diphosphine were synthesized and found to undergo nickel-to-arene H-transfers. Some of the resulting complexes also undergo the reverse (C-to-Ni) H-migration, indicating the potential for storing H-equivalents in this type of pincer ligand. NMR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and isotopic labeling studies investigating the mechanism of these processes are discussed.     

An unusual radical Smiles rearrangement

Radicals derived from N-(alpha-xanthyl)acetanilides or N-(alpha-xanthyl)acetylaminopyridines possessing a substituent next to the nitrogen undergo a hitherto undocumented Smiles rearrangement proceeding through a four-membered ring. It was also found that under certain conditions the amidyl radical produced by cleavage of the four-membered ring intermediate can undergo fragmentation to give an isocyanate. Such fragmentations are unprecedented at temperatures corresponding to refluxing benzene or chlorobenzene. [reaction: see text]     

Enediynes from aza-enediynes: C,N-dialkynyl imines undergo both aza-Bergman rearrangement and conversion to enediynes and fumaronitriles

[reaction; see text] Aza-enediynes (C,N-dialkynyl imines) undergo thermal aza-Bergman rearrangement to beta-alkynyl acrylonitriles through 2,5-didehydropyridine (2,5-ddp) intermediates. Certain aza-enediynes also undergo an alternative process affording enediynes and fumaronitriles. Studies employing a specifically (l3)C-labeled aza-enediyne show that the conversion to enediyne is second order in aza-enediyne, proceeds by a "head-to-tail" coupling, and affords the (Z)-enediyne.     

An overview of the retro-Diels-Alder reaction in semiunsaturated heterocyclic rings: mass spectra of new substituted 1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinolines and their oxo-analogues 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-chromenes

Electron impact ionization (EI), chemical ionization (CI), electrospray ionization (ESI) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) were used to investigate a number of relatively large and structurally related new heterocycles such as substituted 1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinolines and their oxa-analogues 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-chromenes. In the EI spectra the hexahydroquinolines undergo the loss of the substituent attached at the C4 position, while the 4H-chromenes undergo a retro-Diels-Alder reaction (RDA) after elimination of the C4 substituent. Under chemical ionization conditions the RDA reaction is observed only for the 4H-chromenes. The ESI-MS/MS spectra reveal results similar to the EI and CI spectra, since the 4H-chromenes undergo RDA reactions while the hexahydroquinolines form a very stable even-electron pyridium ion derived from the loss of the C4 substituent.