Novel ene trimerization of 1-phenylcyclopropene

1-Phenylcyclopropene (1) was synthesized by treatment of 1,1,2-tribromo-2-phenylcyclopropane (2) with 2.5 equiv of methyllithium followed by protonation. Compound 1 underwent ene dimerization to form ene dimer 5 followed by ene reaction with monomer 1 (enophile) to give an ene trimer 6. Both of these two ene reactions derived endo transition states. In the meantime, the [2+2] adduct, trans-1,2-diphenylbicyclo[3.1.0.0(2,4)]hexane (7), was also formed. When the adduct 7 was heated at THF refluxing temperature, 1,2-diphenylcyclohexa-1,4-diene (8) was obtained. Compound 8 was treated with DDQ to yield o-diphenylbenzene.     

Kishner's reduction of 2-furylhydrazone gives 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran, a highly reactive ene in the ene reaction

[reaction: see text] The Kishner reduction of 2-furylhydrazone gives 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran as the major abnormal reduction product. 2-Methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran is an excellent ene in the carbonyl-ene reaction, reacting with a variety of aldehydes. Most notable was the asymmetric carbonyl-ene reaction of 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran and decanal using Ti(OCH(CH3)2)4/(S)-BINOL to give the corresponding alcohol in 66% yield and 94% ee. The reaction of 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran with 2 equiv of 1,4-benzoquinone unexpectedly gave a monoalkylated 1,4-hydroquinone/1,4-benzoquinone electron donor-acceptor complex.     

Intramolecular ene reaction of 1,6-fullerenynes: a new synthesis of allenes

[Structure: see text] Thermal treatment of 1,6-fullerenynes bearing an alkyl group on the terminal carbon of the alkyne moiety leads quantitatively to new allenes through a reaction mechanism involving an intramolecular ene process. This reaction outcome is in contrast to that recently found for free terminal alkynes which form cyclobutene derivatives through a [2+2] cyclization mechanism.     

Intramolecular ene reaction of a chiral bicyclic lactam

The preparation of bicylic lactam 2 is described, employing an acetoacetate-based synthesis of 1,4-ketoacid 3. The lactam 2 was shown to undergo a thermal ene reaction at 280-300 degrees C to afford tricycle 7. Reduction of the ene product followed by removal of the chiral auxiliary fragment provided the unusual lactam system 9 in highly enantioenriched form.     

An intramolecular imine/ene - photo-[2+2]-cycloaddition reaction

In a conformationally rigid cage substrate (15), a clean imine/ene photo-[2+2]-cycloaddition was effected by direct or sensitized (acetone) excitation.     

Synthesis of 2-arylacrylic esters from aryl methyl ketones via Wittig reaction/singlet oxygen ene reaction

An efficient synthetic method has been developed for the synthesis of 2-arylacrylic esters from the corresponding aryl methyl ketones via Wittig reaction and singlet oxygen ene reaction. Wittig reaction to aryl methyl ketones with (methoxymethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride in basic condition afforded the methyl enol ethers, and then 2-arylacrylic esters were obtained by singlet oxygen ene reaction, followed by tosylation and elimination in one-pot to the methyl enol ethers in good yields.     

Evaluation of thiol‐ene click chemistry in functionalized polysiloxanes

Polysiloxanes are commonly used in a myriad of applications, and the “click” nature of the thiol‐ene reaction is well suited for introducing alternative functionalities or for crosslinking these ubiquitous polymers. As such, understanding of the thiol‐ene reaction in the presence of silicones is valuable and would lead to enhanced methodologies for modification and crosslinking. Here, the thiol‐ene reaction kinetics were investigated in functionalized oligosiloxanes having varying degrees of thiol functionalization (SH), π–π interactions (from diphenyls, DP), and ene types (C?C). In the ene‐functionalized oligomers, π–π interactions were controlled through the use of dioctyl repeats (DO). The polymerization rate and rate‐limiting steps were determined for all systems containing an allyl‐functionalized oligomer, and rates ranging from 0.10 to 0.54 mol L^?1 min^?1 were seen. The rate‐limiting step varied with the oligomer composition; examples of rate‐limited propagation (5:3:2 C?C:DP:DO/1:1 SH:DP) or chain transfer (5:3:2 C?C:DP:DO/3:1 SH:DP) were found in addition to cases with similar reaction rate constants (5:2:3 C?C:DP:DO/1:1 SH:DP). None of the siloxanes were found to exhibit autoacceleration despite their relatively high viscosities. Instead, the allyl‐, vinyl‐, and acrylate‐functionalized siloxanes were all found to undergo unimolecular termination based on their high α scaling values (0.98, 0.95, and 0.82, respectively) in the relation R_p ∝ R_i^α. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Synthesis of optically active 2-aminotetraline derivatives via enantioselective ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of ene carbamates

The enantioselective hydrogenation of prochiral ene carbamates, directly derived from 2-tetralone, was completed using a catalytic ruthenium system generated from Ru(COD)(methallyl)₂, an optically pure diphosphine and a strong acid containing a non-coordinating counter anion.     

Intramolecular carbonyl nitroso ene reaction: recent developments

Novel single-step protocols for intramolecular oxidative cyclization of unsaturated hydroxamic acids proceeding by the carbonyl nitroso ene reaction were reported. The reaction can be viewed as a formal intramolecular allylic C–H amination. Simple, mild catalytic system based either on CuCl–O₂ in THF or FeCl₃–H₂O₂ in 2-propanol do not adversely affect the transient nitroso species and allow the nitroso ene reaction to take place.     

Conservation of the planar chiral information in the tandem oxy-cope/ene reaction

[reaction: see text] We report the stereoselective synthesis of a Decalin unit using a tandem oxy-Cope/ene reaction. [3,3]-Shift of 1,2-divinylcyclohexenol 18 generates (1E, 3Z, 7E) cyclodecatrien-2-ol 23 which tautomerizes to ketone 21 (Figure 3). The chiral information embedded in 23 is transferred into the newly formed stereogenic carbon C6 in 21. The efficiency of the chirality transfer is a reflection of the difference in the rates of ring inversion versus tautomerization of 23. Ketone 21 undergoes a carbonyl-ene reaction to give Decalin 20. Assuming a rapid equilibrium between macrocyclic diastereomers, the diastereomeric ratio of the transannular ene reaction is governed by the Curtin-Hammett principle. Analysis of the conservation of the planar chiral information in the tandem oxy-Cope/ene reaction is presented.     

The effect of the trimethylsilyl group on the regiochemistry of the ene reaction

The trimethylsilyl group has been found to have a profound effect on the regiochemistry of the ene reaction of E-1-methyl-2-trimethylsilyl olefins during the formation of [3.3.0] bicyclo-octanes.     

The power of thiol‐ene chemistry

As a tribute to Professor Charlie Hoyle, we take the opportunity to review the impact of thiol‐ene chemistry on polymer and materials science over the past 5 years. During this time, a renaissance in thiol‐ene chemistry has occurred with recent progress demonstrating its unique advantages when compared with traditional coupling and functionalization strategies. Additionally, the robust nature of thiol‐ene chemistry allows for the preparation of well‐defined materials with few structural limitations and synthetic requirements. To illustrate these features, the utility of thiol‐ene reactions for network formation, polymer functionalization, dendrimer synthesis, and the decoration of three‐dimensional objects is discussed. Also, the development of the closely related thiol‐yne chemistry is described. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 743–750, 2010     

Sequential thiol‐ene/thiol‐ene and thiol‐ene/thiol‐yne reactions as a route to well‐defined mono and bis end‐functionalized poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)

Sequential thiol‐ene/thiol‐ene and thiol‐ene/thiol‐yne reactions have been used as a facile and quantitative method for modifying end‐groups on an N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) homopolymer. A well‐defined precursor of polyNIPAm (PNIPAm) was prepared via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in DMF at 70 °C using the 1‐cyano‐1‐methylethyl dithiobenzoate/2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylpropionitrile) chain transfer agent/initiator combination yielding a homopolymer with an absolute molecular weight of 5880 and polydispersity index of 1.18. The dithiobenzoate end‐groups were modified in a one‐pot process via primary amine cleavage followed by phosphine‐mediated nucleophilic thiol‐ene click reactions with either allyl methacrylate or propargyl acrylate yielding ene and yne terminal PNIPAm homopolymers quantitatively. The ene and yne groups were then modified, quantitatively as determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, via radical thiol‐ene and radical thiol‐yne reactions with three representative commercially available thiols yielding the mono and bis end functional NIPAm homopolymers. This is the first time such sequential thiol‐ene/thiol‐ene and thiol‐ene/thiol‐yne reactions have been used in polymer synthesis/end‐group modification. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) were then determined for all PNIPAm homopolymers using a combination of optical measurements and dynamic light scattering. It is shown that the LCST varies depending on the chemical nature of the end‐groups with measured values lying in the range 26–35 °C. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3544–3557, 2009     

lactam synthesis by intramolecular ene insertion of acylazocarboxylates

Acylazocarboxylates having γ,δ or δ,ε unsaturation are generated by MnO₂ oxidation of the corresponding hydrazines. Internal ene reaction occurs at room temperature to give 5- or 6-membered lactam derivatives.     

Chiral Lewis acid-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular carbonyl ene reactions of unsaturated alpha-keto esters

[reaction: see text] Chiral Lewis acid-promoted highly enantioselective intramolecular carbonyl ene reactions of unsaturated alpha-keto esters have been investigated. In the presence of chiral Lewis acids such as [Sc((R,R)-Ph-pybox)](OTf)(3) and [Cu((S,S)-Ph-box)](OTf)(2), several unsaturated alpha-keto esters underwent carbonyl ene reactions in CH(2)Cl(2) at room temperature to give monocyclic products in good yield and excellent enantioselectivity.     

Photopolymerization of thiol‐ene systems based on oligomeric thiols

Thiol oligomers were copolymerized with a triallyl ether by a photoinduced polymerization process. These oligomeric thiol‐ene systems comprise the same components as a photopolymerized thiol‐ene‐acrylate ternary system, yet the photopolymerized networks have much lower glass transition temperatures. An investigation into the effect of oligomeric thiol design on network formation was conducted by analyzing the reaction kinetics and thermal/mechanical properties of the thiol‐ene networks. Real‐time FTIR analysis shows that total conversion is >90% for all thiols investigated. Photo‐DSC analysis shows that the maximum exotherm rate is roughly equivalent for all of the thiols when the equivalent weight of the thiol is taken into account. As would be expected, the glass transition temperature and tensile strength increase with thiol functionality and lower thiol equivalent weight for thiols with functionality from 2 to 4. Films made using the oligomeric thiols have essentially the same glass transition temperatures and tensile modulus values regardless of thiol design. These results distinguish the method for generation of networks consisting of an initial Michael reaction of thiols and acrylates followed by a photoinitiated copolymerization with a multifunctional ene from the traditional photolysis of the corresponding thiol‐ene‐acrylate ternary systems with no Michael reaction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 14–24, 2009     

Tandem Diels-Alder/ene reactions

[reaction: see text] The reactions of unsaturated aldehydes and triene 3 afford adducts via a tandem Diels-Alder/ene reaction.     

Theoretical insights into the metal-free and formal [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition strategy via intramolecular cascade propargylic ene/Diels-Alder reactions with tautomerization

A metal-free and formal [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of triynes has emerged recently as a novel methodology for the synthesis of fused tricyclic compounds via an intramolecular cascade propargylic ene reaction, Diels-Alder cycloaddition and tautomerization. DFT calculations on three model systems reveal that the ene reaction with low distortion energy makes the metal-free strategy feasible and, as the rate-determining step, affects the regioselectivity of unsymmetric triynes. Furthermore, the types of final products depend on H-transfer during tautomerization after the Diels-Alder reaction. Generally, the different tethered atoms between the yne moieties are responsible for the different regioselectivities and the final products in the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloadditions. On the basis of a comprehensive theoretical investigation into the mechanism, triynes involving cyclic ynes have been designed and are predicted to react to afford fused tetracyclic products under milder conditions due to dramatically lower energy barriers and by altering the rate-determining step to the Diels-Alder reaction.     

Silyl-substituted 1,3-butadienes for Diels-Alder reaction, ene reaction and allylation reaction

Silyl-substituted 1,3-butadienes are useful building blocks and are readily applied in several types of reactions such as Diels-Alder reaction, ene reaction and allylation. They can also participate in different tandem reactions such as Diels-Alder/allylation, ene/allylation, ene/allylation/Diels-Alder reaction, ene/allylation/ene reaction and ene/allylation/Diels-Alder/allylation reaction. This feature article reviews the synthesis of silyl-substituted 1,3-butadienes, and their applications in the reaction types mentioned above, involving a tandem Diels-Alder/ene/allylation process. This article also introduces some reactions of alkenylsilanes and allylsilanes for comparison and discussion about the tandem reaction. The tandem reactions described in this article are a powerful tool to construct complicated multicyclic compounds with high selectivity and high efficiency.     

A new solvent-dependent mechanism for a triazolinedione ene reaction

The ene reaction between 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD) and tetramethylethylene has been investigated using QM/MM calculations in water, methanol, DMSO, and acetonitrile. The effects of solvation on the mechanism and rates of reaction are elucidated using two-dimensional potentials of mean force (PMF) simulations utilizing free-energy perturbation theory and Monte Carlo statistical mechanics. A new mechanism is proposed where direct formation of an open dipolar intermediate following the addition of PTAD to the alkene is rate-limiting and the pathway toward ene product is significantly dependent on the reaction medium. In protic solvents, the open dipolar intermediate may proceed directly to the ene product or reversibly form an aziridinium imide (AI) intermediate that does not participate in the reaction. However, in aprotic solvents the open intermediate is short-lived (<10-11 s) and the ene product forms via the AI intermediate. The calculated free energies of activation are in close agreement with those derived from experiment, e.g., DeltaG of 14.9 kcal/mol compared to 15.0 kcal/mol in acetonitrile. Density functional theory calculations at the (U)B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,p) level using the CPCM continuum solvent model were also carried out and confirmed a zwitterionic, and not diradical, open intermediate present in the reaction. Only the QM/MM methodology was able to accurately reproduce the experimental rates and differentiate between the protic and aprotic solvents. Solute-solvent interaction energies, radial distribution functions, and charges are analyzed and show that the major factor dictating the changes in reaction path is hydrogen bond stabilization of the charge separations spanning 2 to 4 atoms in the intermediates and transition states.