Reaction of Selenostannanes with 1-Alkynes in the Presence of SnCl4

(Organylseleno)triethylstannanes RSeSnEt₃ (R = Me, Ph) react with 1-hexyne and phenylacetylene in the presence of SnCl₄ to give 1,2-bis(organylseleno)-1-organylethenes.     

Readily Available Primary Aminoboranes as Powerful Reagents for Aldimine Synthesis

Primary aminoboranes (RNHBR₂), which are readily available by spontaneous dehydrocoupling of amines and boranes cleanly react at room temperature with aldehydes to give aldimines. The overall transformation from amines to aldimines can be conveniently performed by a sequential one‐pot reaction. This synthetic strategy is especially useful for electron poor and bulky amines which are reluctant to react with aldehydes under dehydration conditions. Using a Glorius robustness screen, we show that this methodology is chemoselective, and functional group tolerant. Computational and experimental data support the irreversible formation of the aldimine product in marked contrast with traditional methods.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of imines by propan-2-ol in benzene

Transfer hydrogenation of a variety of different imines to the corresponding amines by propan-2-ol in benzene catalyzed by [Ru2(CO)4(mu-H)(C4Ph4COHOCC4Ph4)] (1) has been studied. The reaction is highly efficient with turnover frequencies of over 800 per hour, and the product amines were obtained in excellent yields. A remarkable concentration dependence of propan-2-ol was observed when the reaction was run in benzene as cosolvent. An optimum was obtained at 24 equivalents of propan-2-ol to imine, and further increase of the propan-2-ol led to a dramatic decrease in rate. Also the use of polar cosolvents with 24 equivalents of propan-2-ol gave a low rate. It was found that ketimines react faster than aldimines and that electron-donating substituents on the imine increase the rate of the catalytic transfer hydrogenation. Electron-withdrawing substituents decreased the rate. An isomerization was observed with imines having an alpha-hydrogen at the N-alkyl substituent, which is in accordance with a mechanism involving a ruthenium-amine intermediate. It was demonstrated that the ruthenium-amine complex from alpha-methylbenzylamine, corresponding to the postulated intermediate, can replace 1 as catalyst in the transfer hydrogenation of imines. A primary deuterium isotope effect of kCH/CD = 2.7 +/- 0.25 was observed when 2-deuterio-propan-2-ol was used in place of propan-2-ol in the transfer hydrogenation of N-phenyl-(1-phenylethylidene)amine.     

Catalytic Hydrosilylation of Furan, Thiophene, and Pyridine Aldimines

The addition of hydrosilanes (HSiEt₃, HSiMe₂Ph, H₂SiPh₂) to the CH=N bond of heterocyclic azomethines has been studied in the presence of monovalent complexes of rhodium and palladium. The effect on the reaction of the CF₃ group of the aldimines, which were obtained from O-, S-, and N-heteroaromatic aldehydes and 2-trifluoromethylaniline, has been clarified, as were other regularities of the processes being studied. A series of corresponding furans, thiophenes, and pyridine amines has been synthesized.     

Base catalysed decomposition of oxaziridines to yield N-unsubstituted aldimines

A range of oxaziridines bearing an α-hydrogen atom on the N-alkyl substituent react with tertiary amines at ambient temperature to yield N-unsubstituted aldimines.     

Catalyst-free allylation of 2-aminophenol–derived aldimines with allyltrichlorosilane under thermal conditions

Allylation of 2-aminophenol-derived aldimines using allyltrichlorosilane under catalyst free conditions has been developed. This reaction afforded the corresponding homoallylic amines in good to excellent yields (68–94%). The salicylaldehyde-derived aldimines as well as benzoylhydrazone also found to react with allyltrichlorosilane smoothly under the same conditions, to furnish the corresponding homoallylic amine derivatives. This study suggests that the phenolic –OH group acts as an anchoring group for the transfer of allyl group from allyl silane reagent.     

Stereoselective vinylation of aryl N-(2-pyridylsulfonyl) aldimines with 1-alkenyl-1,1-heterobimetallic reagents

Vinylation of aryl N-(2-pyridylsulfonyl) aldimines with versatile 1-alkenyl-1,1-borozinc heterobimetallic reagents is disclosed. In situ hydroboration of air-stable B(pin)-alkynes followed by chemoselective transmetalation with dimethylzinc and addition to aldimines provides B(pin)-substituted allylic amines in 53-93% yield in a one-pot procedure. The addition step can be followed by either B-C bond oxidation to provide α-amino ketones (71-98% yield) or Suzuki cross-coupling to furnish trisubstituted 2-arylated (E)-allylic amines (51-73% yield).     

Nickel-katalysierte Synthese von α-Nornicotin-Derivaten. Vorläufige Mitteilung

Nickel-catalysed Synthesis of α-Nornicotines Schiff's bases 1 and butadiene generally co-oligomerize on nickel catalysts to yield octatrienyl-substituted amines 2 and octadienyl-substituted imines 3 . Schiff's bases 4 and 5 , on the other hand, react with 1, 3-dienes to give new [3+2]-cycloadducts 6 . In addition to the appropriately functionalized α-nornicotine derivatives some higher oligomers are formed.     

Reaction of singlet oxygen with α,β-unsaturated aldimines

The reaction of singlet oxygen with N-1-(2-alkenylidene)-t- butylamines ( and ) gives the unsaturated hemiperacetal derivatives ( and 4) of the hydroperoxy aldimines ( and ). Several α, β-unsaturated aldimines which are held in the s-trans conformation failed to react with singlet oxygen.     

Lewis acid-mediated cycloaddition of methylenecyclopropanes with aldehydes and imines: a facile access to indene, THF, and pyrrolidine skeletons via homoallylic rearrangement protocol

Methylenecyclopropanes (MCPs) 1 can react with aldehydes and aldimines to give the corresponding indene, THF, and pyrrolidine cycloaddition products in the presence of BF(3).OEt(2) under mild reaction conditions.     

From terminal alkynes directly to branched amines

The one-pot synthesis of several branched secondary aliphatic amines is described. Hydroamination of terminal alkynes with aliphatic primary amines in the presence of Cp₂Ti(η²-Me₃SiCCSiMe₃) gives the corresponding aldimines as intermediates. Reaction of these in situ produced aldimines with organolithium reagents (n-BuLi, PhLi) provides the α-branched amines in an easy way in upto 78% overall yield.     

Reactivity of α-chloro-aldimines

A series of secondary N-1-(2-chloroalkylidene)amines has been prepared by condensation of disubstituted acetaldehydes with primary amines followed by chlorination with N-chlorosuccinimide in carbontetrachloride. A study of the reactivity of these N-homologues of α-chloroaldehydes is described. Treatment of the title compounds with sodium methoxide in methanol gave high yields of α,β-unsaturated aldimines. However, N-1-(2-chloro-2-methylpropylidene)amines afforded a mixture of elimination and rearrangement products, which proceeded via an aziridine intermediate. On the other hand, α-phenyl-substituted α-chloro aldimines on treatment with methoxide in methanol underwent α-substitution, consistent with an S_N1 mechanism. Powerful nucleophiles such as sodium thiophenolate in methanol and sodium azide in acetone caused α-substitution. Reaction of α-chloro aldimines with Grignard reagents produced coupling of two aldimine units or α-alkylation. Finally the reactivity of α-chloro aldimines was compared with the reactivity of the corresponding oxygen-analogues, i.e. α-chloro aldehydes.     

Efficient Co-Catalyzed Double Hydroboration of Nitriles: Application to One-Pot Conversion of Nitriles to Aldimines

The commercially available and bench-stable Co(acac)₂/dpephos system is employed as a precatalyst for selective and efficient room temperature hydroboration of organic nitriles with HBPin to produce a series of N,N-diborylamines [RN(BPin)₂], which react in situ with aldehydes to give aldimines. Formation of aldimines from N,N-diborylamines does not require a dehydrating agent, is applicable to a wide range of N,N-diborylamine and aldehyde substrates and is highly chemoselective, being unaffected by various common functional groups, such as alkenes, alkynes, secondary amines, ketones, esters, amides, carboxylic acids, pyridines, nitriles, and nitro compounds. The overall transformation represents a synthetically valuable approach to aldimines from nitriles and can be performed in a sequential one-pot manner, tolerating ester, lactone, carboxamide and unactivated alkene functionalities.     

Unsymmetrically N,N'-substituted saturated carbenes: synthesis, reactivity and preparation of a rhodium(I) carbene complex

A versatile synthesis of unsymmetrically N,N'-substituted saturated carbenes is described. The novel racemic imidazolidin-2-ylidenes rac-5 have been synthesized by reductive desulfurization of the corresponding imidazolidin-2-thiones rac-4. The thiones were prepared in two reaction steps from aldimines and secondary amines. Three different substituents at N1, N3 and C4 of the five-membered N-heterocyclic ring can be introduced by choice of suitable aldimines and secondary amines. The dimerization behaviour (diaminocarbene/enetetramine equilibrium) for the unsymmetrically N,N'-substituted imidazolidin-2-ylidenes has been investigated by NMR spectroscopy. Unsymmetrically N-iPr and N-iBu substituted N-heterocyclic carbenes undergo a slow dimerization, whereas N-tBu substituted derivatives are stable as monomeric carbenes indefinitely. The carbene ligand rac-5d has been coordinated to rhodium(I) to give the square-planar rhodium carbene complex [Cl(cod)Rh(rac-5d)]rac-6d which has been characterized by an X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Iron carbonyl sulfides, formaldehyde, and amines condense to give the proposed azadithiolate cofactor of the Fe-only hydrogenases

The azadithiolate (SCH2NHCH2S) cofactor proposed to occur in the Fe-only hydrogenases forms efficiently by the condensation of Fe2(SH)2(CO)6 (1), formaldehyde, and ammonia (as (NH4)2CO3). The resulting Fe2[(SCH2)2NH](CO)6 reacts with Et4NCN to give (Et4N)2[Fe2[(SCH2)2NH](CO)4(CN)2], for which crystallographic characterization confirmed an axial N-H and an elongated C-S bond of 1.858(3) A. Primary amines RNH2 (R = Ph, t-Bu) also participate in the condensation reaction, and Fe3S2(CO)9 can be employed in place of 1. Mechanistically, the Fe2[(SCH2)2NH] moiety is shown to arise via two pathways: (i) via the intermediacy of Fe2[(SCH2OH)2](CO)6, which was detected and shown to react with amines, and (ii) via the reaction of 1 with cyclic imines (CH2)3(NR)3 (R = Ph, Me). The reaction of 1 with (CH2)6N4 (hexamethylenetetramine) gives Fe2[(SCH2)2NH](CO)6. Trace amounts of Fe2[(SCH2)2N-t-Bu](CO)6 arise via the reaction of aqueous FeSO4, formaldehyde, NaSH, and t-BuNH2 under an atmosphere of CO.     

Synthesis of the indene, THF, and pyrrolidine skeletons by Lewis acid mediated cycloaddition of methylenecyclopropanes with aldehydes, N-tosyl aldimines, and acetals

Methylenecyclopropanes (MCPs 1) react with aldehydes, N-tosyl aldimines, and acetals to give the corresponding indene, THF, and pyrrolidine cycloaddition products in the presence of BF3 x OEt2 under mild reaction conditions. Some special transformations of MCPs 1 with aldehydes have been reported in this paper. A plausible reaction mechanism has been discussed, which is based on a deuterium-labeling experiment and the Prins-type reaction mechanism.     

Reaction of aminoalcohols with butadiene catalyzed by palladium complexes. Preliminary communication

The aminoalcohols 1 , react with 2 equivalents of butadiene in the presence of catalytic quantities of bis (acetylacetonato)palladium/triphenylphosphine to give exclusively the corresponding N-octadienyl amninoalcohols. In the presence of excess butadiene, subsequent O-octadienylation occurs only for N-octadienylimino-diethanol 2g , affording the monoether 4g . O-octadienylation of 2a-f and 4g can be effected by the addition of molar quantities of triethylamine to the reaction mixture.     

Magnesium Aldimines Prepared by Addition of Organomagnesium Halides to 2,4,6-Trichlorophenyl Isocyanide: Synthesis of 1,2-Dicarbonyl Derivatives

The selective addition of organomagnesium reagents to 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl isocyanide leading to magnesiated aldimines is reported. These aldimines react with Weinreb amides, ketones, or carbonates to provide the corresponding carbonyl derivatives after acidic cleavage. This allows for an efficient synthesis of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds and α-hydroxy ketones.     

3-Bromopentadienylsilane: A new reagent for the introduction of a functional pentadienyl unit with fixed configuration

The (Z)-1-trimethylsilyl-3-bromopenta-2,4-diene 3 was prepared through a sequence involving the reductive silylation of butadiene, dibromocarbene addition on the resulting disilane 1, and thermolytic ring opening. With aldehydes, this new pentadienylsilane reacts exclusively via an S(E)' ' pathway. In the presence of an alcohol or a carbamate under Lewis acid activation, 3 yields, respectively, bromopentadienyl ethers or bromopentadienyl-protected amines.     

Selective n,n-dimethylation of primary aromatic amines with methyl alkyl carbonates in the presence of phosphonium salts

In the presence of onium salts, at 140-170 degrees C, methyl alkyl carbonates [1a-c, ROCO2Me, R = MeO(CH2)2[O(CH2)2]n; n = 2-0, respectively] react with primary aromatic amines (XC6H4NH2, X= p-OMe, p-Me, H, p-Cl, p-CO2Me, o-Et, and 2,3-Me2C6H3NH2) to yield the corresponding N,N-dimethyl derivatives (ArNMe2) with high selectivity (up to 96%) and good isolated yields (78-95%). Phosphonium salts (e.g., Ph3PEtI and n-Bu4PBr) are particularly efficient catalysts. Overall, a solvent-free reaction is coupled with safe methylating agents (1a-c) made from nontoxic dimethyl carbonate.