Bromophilic substitution/carbophilic substitution cascade reactions of α,α-dibromo-2-methoxyacetophenone with C-, N- and O-nucleophiles

α,α-Dibromo-2-methoxyacetophenone reacts, under mild reaction conditions, with C-, N- and O-nucleophiles via a bromophilic substitution/protonation/carbophilic substitution cascade process to afford α-monosubstituted-2-methoxyacetophenones in moderate to good yield. The only exception from this reaction pathway is the reaction with the anion derived from malononitrile in which 2-aroyl-1,1,3,3-tetracyanopropene is obtained.     

A convenient transformation of α-alkylserines into α-halogenomethyl-α-alkylglycines

An efficient and facile synthesis of N-Boc-α-chloromethyl- and α-bromomethyl-α-alkylglycines is reported that involves cyclization of N-Boc-α-alkylserines to the corresponding β-lactones under Mitsunobu reaction conditions, followed by ring opening with anhydrous MgCl₂ or MgBr₂.     

Straightforward, racemization-free synthesis of peptides with fairly to very bulky di- and trisubstituted glycines

Several fully protected tri- and pentapeptides containing a central symmetrical α,α-dialkyl glycine residue, with the alkyl group varying from methyl or ethyl to benzyl, were synthesized in good yields by a strategy based on the Ugi-Passerini reaction. Each Ugi-Passerini adduct was selectively cleaved and the product submitted to an assisted N,N′-dicyclohehylcarbodiimide coupling to an amino acid or dipeptide ester, respectively. Tripeptides as the above but containing a 4-methoxybenzyl group at the nitrogen atom of the central residue were also synthesized in fair to good yields by N-[(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)-(dimethylamino)methylene]-N-methylmethanaminium hexafluorophosphate N-oxide assisted couplings. The results reported here show that our strategy is appropriate for routine synthesis of peptides incorporating these moieties.     

Selective mono-acylation of 1,2- and 1,3-diols using (α,α-difluoroalkyl)amines

In the reaction of N,N-diethyl-α,α-difluorobenzylamine (DFBA) with 1,2- or 1,3-diols, selective mono-benzoylation occurs to afford mono-esters of the diols in good yield. The reaction is completed under mild conditions in a short reaction time. Further, prim-, sec-, and tert-diols and catechol can be converted to the corresponding mono-benzoates. DFBA is used for the protection of the hydroxy group in sugars. The selective mono-nicotinylation, formylation and pivaloylation of diols are also performed by using the corresponding difluoroalkylamines.     

A new synthesis of α-fluorovinylsulfones utilizing the Peterson olefination methodology

α-Fluoro-α-silyl-substituted sulfones 1 are readily prepared from fluoromethyl phenyl sulfone and the appropriate silyl chloride. The use of TBSCl improves both the stability and yield of 1. Lithium derivatives 4 undergo a smooth Peterson olefination reaction with less-enolizable carbonyl compounds to give moderate to good yields of the expected α-fluorovinylsulfones 6, in some cases with high E-stereoselectivity. One-pot reaction with 4 generated in situ from fluoromethyl phenyl sulfone in tetrahydrofuran (THF) also proceeds smoothly, particularly with aldehydes.     

Catalyst-free Friedel-Crafts reaction of 1-(N-acylamino)alkyltriarylphosphonium salts with electron-rich arenes

Friedel-Crafts reaction of 1-(N-acylamino)alkyltriarylphosphonium salts with arenes or heteroarenes without the need for any catalyst provided access to a wide range of biologically interesting N-(1-arylalkyl)amides or 1-arylalkylphosphonium salts which can be of great interest in the chemistry of ylides and phosphonium ionic liquids. Depending on reaction conditions and substrate structure, the reaction can be conducted selectively with high yields toward each of the above-mentioned products. Mechanistic aspects of the above transformations were also considered.     

Novel synthesis of tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-2-ones via decarboxylative cyclization reaction of α-amino acids and α-ketoamides

An efficient and practical method was developed for the synthesis of tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-2-ones based on the decarboxylative cyclization reaction of α-ketoamides and proline. In most cases, tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-2-ones were obtained with perfect diastereoselectivity to give trans-isomer in excellent yield.     

Asymmetric synthesis of α,β-substituted γ-amino acids via conjugate addition

The first conjugate addition reaction of organocuprates to N-enoyl oxazolidinone where a N-protected γ-nitrogen atom and an α-methyl group are present into α, β-unsaturated system is described. This reaction gave anti-products in moderate yields and high diastereomeric ratios. The anti-products have two contiguous stereogenic centers, one formed by the conjugate addition reaction and the other by a diastereoselective protonation reaction. The removal of chiral oxazolidinone moiety and N-deprotection of amino group furnished chiral α, β-disubstituted γ-amino acids.     

α,α-Dialkylglycines obtained by solid phase Ugi reaction performed over isocyanide functionalized resins

The multicomponent Ugi reaction is a straightforward method that can be used for the synthesis of highly hindered C-tetrasubstituted amino acids by reacting an amine, a ketone or aldehyde, a carboxylic acid and an isocyanide. In the present work, the synthesis of several α,α-dialkylglycines (α,α-diethylglycine, Deg; α,α-dipropylglycine, Dpg; 1-amino-1-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, Ac₆c) was achieved by solid phase Ugi reaction using resins functionalized with the isocyanide group. Since no resins with these features were available commercially, the functionalization of an aminomethylated resin started by the use of glycine (Gly), β-alanine (β-Ala) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as spacers. After spacer N-formylation, followed by dehydration, isocyanide functionalised resins were obtained. The resins were then used in solid phase Ugi reaction, using phenylacetic acid as the acid component, 4-methoxybenzylamine as the amine component and different ketones, to afford the desired N-acylated α,α-dialkylglycines in good overall yields (60–80%), after acidolytic cleavage from the resin, thus proving the feasibility of this approach.     

A novel tandem [4+2] cycloaddition-elimination reaction: 2-alkenyl-4,4-dimethyl-1,3-oxathianes as synthetic equivalents for α,β-unsaturated thioaldehydes

The first tandem cationic [4⁺+2] polar cycloaddition-elimination reaction of 1-thia-1,3-butadienyl cations B with olefins to afford directly 3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans D is described. The cations B were easily accessible by treatment of monothioacetals A, particularly the 2-alkenyl-4,4-dimethyl-1,3-oxathianes 1, with a hard Lewis acid. In this novel reaction, 2-alkenyl-4,4-dimethyl-1,3-oxathianes were utilized as synthetic equivalents for highly reactive α,β-unsaturated thioaldehydes. The effect of geminal dimethyl substituents on the oxathianes 1 and the mechanistic aspect of the reaction are considered. The reaction's asymmetric version was also investigated using a chiral oxathiane 4 derived from (−)-(1R,2R,5R)-2-(1-mercapto-1-methylethyl)-5-methylcyclohexanol. Although the enantioselectivities were moderate, the whole process can be done under odorless conditions.     

Synthesis of difluorinated pseudopeptides using chiral α,α-difluoro-β-amino acids in the Ugi reaction

2,2-Difluoro-3-(2-hydroxy-1 R-phenylethylamino)-3 S-phenylpropionic acid 3, obtained by a Reformatsky-type reaction of ethyl bromodifluoroacetate with (4R)-2,4-diphenyloxazolidine, was used as a classical carboxylic acid in the Ugi reaction to prepare various difluorinated pseudopeptides 5a-n. Compounds 5 were then deprotected by hydrogenolysis to furnish difluorinated pseudopeptides 6.     

Synthesis and kinetic investigation of the selective acidolysis of para-substituted N-benzyl- or N-phenyl-N-phenylacetyl-α,α-dialkylglycine cyclohexylamides

Several derivatives of N-phenylacetyl-N-benzyl-α,α-dimethylglycine cyclohexylamide and their α,α-dibenzylglycine analogues were synthesised by a Ugi-Passerini reaction. In addition, a few analogues of the former but having an N-phenyl instead of a benzyl group at the nitrogen atom were synthesised. The compounds in each of these three sets differed from each other at position 4 of the N-benzyl (and N-phenyl) group. These adducts were submitted to acidolysis with TFA to obtain the corresponding free acids, the reactions being monitored by HPLC and data collected for kinetic purposes. The kinetic data were submitted to Hammett uni- and biparametric relationships and the results were analysed in terms of structure-reactivity in connection with the sensitivity of the reaction rates to the electronic contributions of the various substituents at position 4 of the aromatic rings. The results allowed comparison with information obtained in previous investigations and rationalise the contribution of the substituent at the nitrogen atom to the lability of the C-terminal amide bond.     

Regioselective synthesis of β-fluoro-α,β-unsaturated ketones by the reaction of β-diketones with DFMBA

The deoxyfluorination reaction of β-diketones with N,N-diethyl-α,α-difluoro-m-methylbenzylamine (DFMBA) gave β-fluoro-α,β-unsaturated ketones in good yields. The reaction proceeded regioselectively, and only one regioisomer was obtained from the unsymmetrical 1-aryl-1,3-diketones. The reaction is applicable to diketones with a trifluoromethyl group, obtaining good yields of 3,4,4,4-tetrafluorobutenones. We used the resulting β-fluoro-α,β-unsaturated ketones for the reaction with lithium dialkyl cuprates.     

Stereoselective synthesis of various α-selenoglycosides using in situ production of α-selenolate anion

A large variety of α-selenoglycosides, including alkyl and aryl selenoglycosides, selenoglycosyl amino acid and selenodisaccharide have been synthesized in a stereoselective manner. The key precursor of α-anomeric selenolate anion was designed as p-methylbenzoyl selenoglycoside, which was synthesized by the reaction of β-glycosyl chloride with potassium p-methylselenobenzoate. Upon the action of piperazine or methylhydrazine in the presence of Cs₂CO₃, the acyl selenoglycoside produced an anomeric selenolate anion, which reacted in situ with various electrophilic counterparts to yield α-selenoglycoside.     

Novel one-pot asymmetric cascade approach toward densely substituted enantioenriched α-methylene-γ-lactams

A novel one-pot asymmetric synthesis of densely substituted α-methylene-γ-lactams in favor of cis-isomer involving Zn-promoted aza-Barbier-type reaction has been well established. A wide array of α-methylene-γ-lactams were obtained in high yields with excellent diastereomeric ratios from 98:2 to >99:1 and good enantioselectivities. The synthetic potential of such α-methylene-γ-lactams was demonstrated by successfully oxidizing the phenol moiety to quinone in quantitative yield.     

Reaction of 3-aminoquinoline-2,4-diones with isothiocyanic acid—an easy pathway to thioxo derivatives of imidazo[1,5-c]quinazolin-5-ones and imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-ones

3-Amino-1H,3H-quinoline-2,4-diones react with thiourea or potassium thiocyanate in boiling acetic acid to give novel 2,3-dihydro-3-thioxoimidazo[1,5-c]quinazolin-5(6H)-ones in high yields. However, if the starting compounds are substituted with a benzyl group at position 3, a C-debenzylation proceeds to give 2,3-dihydro-2-thioxo-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4(5H)-ones. According to a proposed reaction mechanism, a molecular rearrangement of the primarily formed mono-substituted thiourea takes place. All compounds were characterized by ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as by mass spectrometry.     

An efficient synthesis of α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones from Baylis-Hillman adducts via an In-mediated Barbier reaction and stereoselective lactonization under MeSO2Cl/Et3N conditions

An efficient synthesis of trans-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones is disclosed from syn-homoallylic alcohols via the intramolecular mesylate displacement reaction promoted by nearby ester group under the influence of MsCl/Et₃N. syn-Homoallylic alcohols were prepared via the In-mediated Barbier reaction of the bromides of Baylis-Hillman adducts.     

Trihaloacetaldehyde N,O-acetals: useful building blocks for dihalomethylene compounds

The reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde N,O-acetals with more than 2 equiv of alkyllithiums at −78 °C resulted in regiospecific defluorinative alkylation with unusual regioselectivity to give α,α-difluoroketone N,O-acetals in excellent yield. In contrast, under similar conditions, trichloroacetaldehyde N,O-acetals gave simple mono-dechlorinated product without the alkyl transfer reaction from alkyllithiums to the generated intermediates.     

A novel route to 2-imidazolin-5-one derivatives via oxidative cyclization of aryl-substituted (Z)-N-acetyl-α-dehydroalanines having a dialkylamino group

It was found that the reaction of the title compounds [(Z)-1] with oxygen in methanol proceeds according to the first-order kinetics to give (Z)-2-imidazolin-5-one derivatives and hydrogen peroxide in quantitative yields. Analysis of substituent and solvent effects on the rate constant for this oxidative cyclization led us to propose that electron transfer from the dialkylamino nitrogen in (Z)-1 to oxygen, amide-proton abstraction by superoxide and the subsequent intramolecular electron transfer are all rate-determining steps. The synthetic utility of the novel cyclization reaction of aryl-substituted (Z)-N-acetyl-α-dehydroalanine derivatives was discussed.     

Enantioselective phospha-Michael reaction of diethyl phosphonate with exocyclic α,β-unsaturated benzocyclic ketones catalyzed by a dinuclear zinc−AzePhenol catalyst

The dinuclear zinc complexes as high performance catalysts were used to catalyze phospha-Michael reaction of exocyclic α,β-unsaturated benzocyclic ketones under mild conditions, and the desired products possessing 1-indanones or 1-tetralones skeleton were obtained with excellent enantioselectivities of up to 99%/99% ee and yields of up to 99%. The absolute stereochemistry of the major products catalyzed by (R,R)-L1 was determined to be the (R,R)-configuration by X-ray crystallographic analysis of 3d. A positive nonlinear effect was observed and the possible mechanism was proposed.