Sequential aza-Baylis-Hillman/ring closing metathesis/aromatization as a novel route for the synthesis of substituted pyrroles

A new route to diverse 2-substituted-3-methoxycarbonyl pyrroles has been developed. Diverse SES protected alpha-methylene beta-aminoesters were obtained by a 3-component aza-Baylis-Hillman reaction. Diversity arose from the aryl aldehydes which can be used in this reaction. N-Alkylation with allyl bromide under mild conditions provided the corresponding dienes. These substituted dienes were cyclized by ring closing metathesis at room temperature or under microwave-activation with Grubbs-type II catalyst to yield SES-protected pyrroline intermediates. The final pyrroles were obtained by base-promoted dehydrodesulfinylation/aromatization. The scope of each of these reactions was explored.     

Synthesis of chlorinated 2-(aminomethyl)- and 2-(alkoxymethyl)pyrroles

The synthesis of chlorinated 2-(hydroxymethyl)-, 2-(alkoxymethyl)- and 2-(aminomethyl)pyrroles via aromatization of 2-aryl-3,3-dichloro-5-(bromomethyl)pyrrolines and via reduction of 2-formyl- and 2-cyanopyrroles is described. The former methodology also provided new 2-[(alkyl- or phenylamino)methyl]pyrroles and a 2-(phosphonomethyl)pyrrole. Halogenated and methylene-spaced functionalized pyrroles are of particular interest for their pronounced physiological activities.     

Enantioselective Michael reactions of chiral secondary enaminoesters with 2-substituted nitroethylenes. Syntheses of trans, trans-2,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine-3-carboxylates

The Michael reaction of chiral 3-substituted secondary enaminoesters with 2-substituted nitroethylenes leads to (Z)-adducts, with good to excellent diastereoselectivity. The nitro group of these adducts was catalytically reduced to give, after cyclization and chiral amine elimination, pyrrolines or pyrrolidines after further reduction. In particular, the syntheses of ethyl (2R,3S,4S)-2,4-dimethylpyrrolidine-3-carboxylate and ethyl (2R,3R,4S)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-(3,4-(methylenedioxy)phenyl)pyrrolidine-3-carboxylate are described.     

Gold catalysis in organic synthesis: efficient cycloisomerization of alpha-aminoallenes to 3-pyrrolines

[reaction: see text] The gold(III) chloride-catalyzed cycloisomerization of various alpha-aminoallenes gave the corresponding 3-pyrrolines in good to high chemical yields. An interesting dependence of the chirality transfer and reactivity on the N-protecting group was observed. The 3-pyrrolines are highly useful intermediates for the synthesis of functionalized pyrrolines, pyrrolidines, and other natural products.     

Partial reduction of pyrroles: application to natural product synthesis

The partial reduction of N-Boc pyrroles has been explored giving stereoselective routes to disubstituted pyrrolines in good yields and with excellent diastereoselectivities. A novel methodology has been developed to carry out reductive aldol reactions on 2-substituted N-Boc pyrroles; use of aldehydes under reductive aldol conditions gave the anti aldol product in good selectivity. This chemistry was used as the key transformation in a synthesis of omuralide, which was achieved in 13 steps and 14% overall yield. We also report a methodology for selectively forming either cis or trans 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolines via a partial reduction of an electron-deficient N-Boc pyrrole. The trans pyrroline formed using this route was utilized in the syntheses of the polyhydroxylated pyrrolizidine natural products hyacinthacine A1 and 1-epiaustraline. Further investigation has led to the development of routes to enantiopure substituted pyrroline compounds. This has been achieved via a chiral protonation approach using easily accessible chiral acids, such as ephedrine and oxazolidinones, to quench enolates formed during the partial reduction process. Alternatively, enzymatic desymmetrization of symmetrical diol compounds formed from the partial reduction products of substituted pyrroles is also reported. This leads to formation of both enantiomers of 2,2- and 2,5-disubstituted N-Boc pyrrolines in excellent ee and yields.     

Rearrangement of pyrrolines derived from the Birch reduction of electron-deficient pyrroles: radical ring-expansion to substituted tetrahydropyridines

Access to the synthetically important tetrahydropyridine motif has been achieved by radical rearrangement of pyrrolines obtained from the Birch reduction of electron-deficient pyrroles.     

Synthesen und pharmakologische Eigenschaften von 2,2-Dialkyl-5-aryl-3-pyridylpyrrolidinen

Syntheses and Pharmacological Properties of 2,2-Dialkyl-5-aryl-3-pyridylpyrrolidines Reaction of the photochemically generated benzonitrile methylides 2 with vinylpyridines yields 2-aryl-4-pyridyl-1-pyrrolines 3. Depending on reduction methods, the compounds 3 are selectively transformed to the corresponding cis- or the trans-substituted pyrrolidines 10 or 11 , respectively. Furthermore, a non-photochemical synthesis has been developed: the easily available nitro-ketones 8 provide through reductive cyclization the pyrrolines 3 or directly the pyrrolidines 11. Twenty-seven compounds of types 10 and 11 have been evaluated in the writhing, hot plate and kaolin tests; especially the cis-pyrrolidines 10 exhibit a valuable antinociceptive activity. Some of the pyrrolines and pyrrolidines have been separated into their enantiomers, which are easily interconverted.     

Asymmetric syntheses of (-)-8-epi-swainsonine triacetate and (+)-1, 2-Di-epi-swainsonine. Carbonyl addition thwarted by an unprecedented aza-pinacol rearrangement

Indolizidines (-)-8-epi-swainsonine triacetate and (+)-1, 2-di-epi-swainsonine were synthesized from the O'Donnell Schiff base ester 1 derived from D-serine. Reductive-alkenylation of 1 with (i)()Bu(5)Al(2)H/H(2)C=CHMgBr followed by substrate-directed dihydroxylation of the pendant allylic group with OsO(4), reduction of imine, and cyclization with Ph(3)P/CCl(4) gave the polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines 8a and 8b as advanced intermediates. Efficient protecting group manipulations converted pyrrolidines 8a and 8b to their corresponding partially protected analogues 10a and 10b, which upon Swern oxidation and diastereoselective Keck-type allylation with BF(3).Et(2)O afforded the required three-carbon homologues (10a, >20:1 de; 10b, 3.5:1 de). Use of the chelating Lewis acid MgBr(2) instead of BF(3).Et(2)O with 10a led to a novel aza-pinacol rearrangement and allylation at the alpha-carbon to yield amino alcohol 17, which is similar to a hydride migration in the biosynthetic pathway of indolizidine alkaloids. Subsequent hydroboration, cyclization, and deprotection furnished (-)-8-epi-swainsonine triacetate 15a and (+)-1,2-di-epi-swainsonine 16b in good overall yields (6.3% for 1 --> 15a, 13 steps, and 4.0% for 1 --> 16b, 14 steps).     

Synthesis and Properties of 2-Alkyl-1-(2-aminoethyl)pyrroles

3-Chloropropenyl alkyl ketones or 2-methoxy-3-chloropropyl alkyl ketones in reaction withethylenediamine furnish previously unknown 2-alkyl-1-(2-aminoethyl) pyrroles. Their reaction with 2'2'-dichlorodiethyl ether gave rise to 2-alkyl-1-(2-morpholinoethyl)pyrroles, with anhydrides ofdicarboxylic acids the corresponding amidoacids and imides of dicarboxylic acids were obtained.     

Synthesis of (+)-DGDP and (-)-7-epialexine

The partial reduction of electron deficient pyrroles is an extremely versatile method that allows us to prepare substituted pyrrolidines and pyrrolizidines with trans-diol stereochemistry on the five membered ring.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 1-benzyl-2-((S)-2′,2′-dimethyl-1′,3′-dioxolan-4′-yl)-1H-pyrrole using chiral imines

A new synthesis of chiral alkyl pyrroles and pyrrolines has been achieved in an easy straightforward way, using the addition of organometallics to chiral imines.     

First Total Synthesis of (-)-Fumitremorgin C

The first total synthesis of the tremorgic mycotoxin furnitremorgin C (1a) employing 6-methoxy-N-hydroxytryptophan (5a) is presented. Our approach features formation of the nitrone (6a), stereoselective cycloaddition to yield 7a, ring opening and coupling with an L-proline derivative to form 14. Base-catalysed epimerisation gave 16, which was converted into the title compound by deprotection of the amine function, dioxopiperazine formation and dehydration.     

Enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines through a multicomponent Ugi reaction and their transformation into bicyclic scaffolds

A new enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines through a multicomponent approach has been developed, using highly reactive pyrrolines 4 as preformed cyclic imines. The pyrrolidines obtained using protected aspartic acid as acid component in the Ugi condensation have been transformed into two epimeric bicyclic lactones 18, 19, which may find an application as external reverse turn inducers.     

Iodine-mediated ring-closing iodoamination with concomitant N-debenzylation for the asymmetric synthesis of polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines

Treatment of a range of homochiral unsaturated β-amino esters (containing a cis-dioxolane unit) with iodine promotes a novel ring-closing alkene iodoamination reaction which proceeds with concomitant N-debenzylation, providing a simple and stereoselective route to iodomethyl pyrrolidines. Functional group interconversion of the resulting iodomethyl pyrrolidines upon treatment with AgOAc proceeds via the corresponding aziridinium ion, with subsequent deprotection giving access to polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines.     

Preparation of (R)- and (S)-N-protected 3-hydroxypyrrolidines by hydroxylation with Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200, a highly active, regio- and stereoselective, and easy to handle biocatalyst.

Hydroxylation of N-benzylpyrrolidine 8 with resting cells of Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 gave N-benzyl-3-hydroxypyrrolidine 15 in 53% ee (S) with an activity of 5.8 U/g CDW. By changing the "docking/protecting group" in pyrrolidines, hydroxylation activity and enantioselectivity were further improved and the enantiocomplementary formation of 3-hydroxypyrrolidines was achieved: hydroxylation of N-benzoyl-, N-benzyloxycarbonyl-, N-phenoxycarbonyl-, and N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-pyrrolidines 9-12 gave the corresponding 3-hydroxypyrrolidines 16-19 in ee of 52% (R), 75% (R), 39% (S), and 23% (R), respectively, with an activity of 2.2, 16, 14, and 24 U/g CDW, respectively. Simple crystallizations increased the ee of 16-18 to 95% (R), 98% (R), and 96% (S), respectively. Hydroxylation of pyrrolidines 8-12 with soluble cell-free extracts of Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 and equimolar NADH gave 3-hydroxypyrrolidines 15-19 in nearly the same ee as the products generated by whole cell transformation, suggesting that this strain possesses a novel soluble alkane monooxygenase. Cells of Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 were produced in large amounts and could be stored at -80 degrees C for 2 years without significant loss of activity. The frozen cells can be thawed and resuspended for biohydroxylation, providing a highly active and easy to handle biocatalyst for the regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation of nonactivated carbon atoms. These cells were used to prepare 1.0-3.2 g (66.4-93.5% yield) of 3-hydroxypyrrolidines 16-19 by hydroxylation of pyrrolidines 9-12 on 0.9-2 L scale. Preparative hydroxylation was also achieved with growing cells as biocatalysts; hydroxylation of pyrrolidine 11 on 1 L scale gave 1.970 g (79.7% yield) of 3-hydroxypyrrolidine 18.     

Synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles from sulfinimines (N-sulfinyl imines)

Polysubstituted 2-carboxylate and 2-phosphonate pyrroles are prepared by aromatization of the corresponding 3-oxo 2-carboxylate and 2-phosphonate NH-pyrrolidines using air. Reaction of electrophiles with 3-oxo pyrrolidine dianions readily introduces substituents, regioselectively at C-4 in these pyrrolidines.     

Synthesis of 3- and 5-amino-5-(3)-(pyrrol-2-yl)isoxazoles

5-Amino-3-(pyrrol-2-yl)isoxazoles were selectively prepared by the reaction of 2-(2,2-dicyano-1-ethylthioethenyl)pyrroles with hydroxylamine in methanol. Under analogous conditions, 2-(2-carbamoyl-2-cyano-1-ethylthioethenyl) pyrroles with hydroxylamine gave 5-aminoisoxazoles and their structural isomers, 3-aminoisoxazoles (3-5% yield). The latter were selectively prepared by reacting 2-(2-carbamoyl-2-cyano-1-ethylthioethenyl)pyrroles with hydroxylamine in the presence of aqueous NaOH and from the products of intramolecular cyclization of 2-(2-carbamoyl-2-cyano-1-ethylthioethenyl)pyrroles, 1-ethylthio-3-iminopyrrolizines and hydroxylamine.     

The diverse chemistry of oxazol-5-(4H)-ones

The assembly of structurally diverse scaffolds via substrate controlled diversity oriented synthesis (DOS) has proven to be an effective tool in the discovery of novel biologically important compounds. This tutorial review aims to summarize some of the more recent applications of oxazolones as a general template for the stereoselective syntheses of amino acids and heterocyclic scaffolds. A brief introduction covers a short history, nomenclature and general reactivity of oxazolones. The main body of this tutorial review highlights several applications of oxazolones as starting blocks for the diverse and stereoselective synthesis of amino acids, oxazoles, beta-lactams, pyrroles, imidazolines, pyrrolines, and imidazoles.     

Synthesis and properties of bicyclic aziridines,derivatives of triacetoneamine

Bicyclic aziridines, derivatives of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone (triacetoneamine), are synthesized, which by acids treatment undergo the N—C(1) or N—C(2) bonds cleavage to form the corresponding pyrrolines, pyrrolidines, and piperidines. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 508–511, March, 2007.     

Mild and efficient deprotection of the amine protecting p-methoxyphenyl (PMP) group

Mild and efficient procedures for deprotection of the amine nitrogen protecting p-methoxyphenyl (PMP) group are described. Periodic acid and trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) were found to be particularly effective in realizing amine liberation using 1 and 0.5 equiv of the oxidant, respectively. Extension of the periodic acid-mediated conditions to simultaneous alcohol oxidation by combination with a catalytic amount of sodium dichromate led to smooth conversion of PMP-protected Mannich products into the corresponding β-amino acids in a one-pot procedure.