Three-component reaction of imidazoles,cyanophenylacetylene, and chalcogens: stereoselective synthesis of 3-alkenyl-2-imidazolethiones and -selones

The three-component reaction of 1-substituted imidazoles, cyanophenylacetylene, and elemental sulfur or selenium proceeds readily (for sulfur at room temperature without solvent, and for selenium in boiling MeCN) to stereoselectively afford 3-(Z)-cyanophenylethenyl-2-imidazolethiones or -selones in yields ranging 39–97% (for thiones) and 39–84% (for selones). In this reaction, tellurium is inactive both under the above conditions and upon heating (50–55 °C) in DMSO, instead, only the C(2)-vinylation of the imidazole ring in up to 98% yield takes place. The Z-stereoselectivity of the reaction is close to 100% (for sulfur) and reaches 91–99% (for selenium). The reaction involves the zwitterionic adduct of imidazoles with cyanophenylacetylene, which converts to the carbene via proton transfer (from the imidazole 2 position to the carbanionic site of the zwitterion) further reacting with chalcogens.     

Facile synthesis of 1,2,4-triazolines via PPh3-triggered reaction of azodicarboxylate with 2-azidoacrylates

A convenient method for the synthesis of 1,2,4-triazolines by triphenylphosphine-triggered reaction of dialkyl azodicarboxylate with 2-azidoacrylates is described. The cascade reaction procedure is general and efficient.     

Organocatalytic enantioselective multicomponent cascade reaction: facile access to tetrahydropyridines with C3 all-carbon quaternary stereocenters

A novel organocatalytic asymmetric multicomponent cascade reaction for the synthesis of valuable tetrahydropyridines has been developed. The merit of this cascade process is highlighted by its high efficiency of producing five new bonds and an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter in one operation, which otherwise is a big challenge to access by traditional strategies.     

An interrupted Ugi reaction enables the preparation of substituted indoxyls and aminoindoles

In a variation of the classical Ugi reaction, an acid-promoted reaction between imines and isocyanides forms both 3-aminoindoles and substituted indoxyls. A recently reported triflyl phosphoramide is shown to be critical to obtain high yields under mild conditions.     

A novel reaction of the ‘Huisgen zwitterion’ with benzofuran-2,3-diones: an efficient strategy for the synthesis of spirocyclic benzofuran-2-one derivatives

The nitrogen-based nucleophile generated from azodicarboxylate and triphenylphosphine displayed good reactivity toward benzofuran-2,3-diones to generate a variety of spirocyclic benzofuran-2-one derivatives. The reactions accommodate a number of benzofuran-2,3-diones and different dialkylazodicarboxylates to give the enriched functionalized 3-spirooxadiazole benzofuran-2-ones with moderate to good yields (up to 93%).     

A new ‘one-pot’ synthesis of 2-substituted 3-nitro pyrrolidines through a multicomponent domino reaction

An efficient ‘one-pot’ synthesis of the title compounds based on a multicomponent domino reaction between imines and 3-nitro-1-propanol methanesulfonate has been developed.     

C(2)-Functionalization of 1-substituted imidazoles with cyanoacetylenes and aromatic or heteroaromatic aldehydes

Substituted imidazoles (substituents are Me, Et, i-Bu, n-Hexyl, (CH₂)₂S-Bu-n, Ph, Bn) react smoothly (room temperature, without catalyst and solvent) with cyanoacetylenes (3-phenyl-2-propynenitrile and 4-(1-butoxyethoxy)-4-methyl-2-pentynenitrile) and aromatic or heteroaromatic aldehydes (benzaldehyde, 4-CN-benzaldehyde, pyridine-3-aldehyde) to give 3-(2-imidazolyl)-3-aryl-2-acylpropanenitriles, a hitherto unknown family of functionalized imidazole derivatives, in up to 62% yield. This three-component manifold represents a novel C(2)-functionalization of the imidazole nucleus involving zwitterionic, carbene and enol ether intermediates. Unlike the analogous reaction with aliphatic aldehydes, which gives enol ethers, in this case the latter undergo the further rearrangement to 3-(2-imidazolyl)-3-aryl-2-acylpropanenitriles.     

Lewis acid-promoted cascade reaction of primary amine, 2-butynedioate,and propargylic alcohol: a convenient approach to 1,2-dihydropyridines and 1H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5,7(2H,6H)-diones

1,2-Dihydropyridine-5,6-dicarboxylates were efficiently constructed through a cascade reaction of primary amine, 2-butynedioate and propargylic alcohol in the presence of Lewis acid under mild conditions. As exceptional, 1H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5,7(2H,6H)-diones were approached when the primary amine was methylamine. Possible mechanism for the formation of 1,2-dihydropyridine skeleton is proposed. The process involves 1,3,4-pentatrien-1-amine as a key intermediate that formed in situ by trapping allenic carbocations with enamines.     

A simple and convenient one-pot method for the preparation of heteroaryl-2-imidazoles from nitriles

A simple, convenient and high-yielding one-pot method for the synthesis of 2-heterocycle-substituted imidazoles from the corresponding nitriles has been developed. The procedure is easily scaleable and the workup does not involve chromatography. This synthesis is also applicable to the preparation of imidazoles with electron-poor aryl substituents.     

Cyclic phosphoric acid catalyzed one-pot, four-component synthesis of 1, 2, 4, 5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles

Cyclic phosphoric acid catalyzed one-pot,four component reactions of benzil,aldehydes,primary amines and ammonium acetate in refluxing ethanol were developed,giving highly substituted imidazoles in excellent yield.     

A new mild method for the one-pot synthesis of pyridines

Polysubstituted pyridines are prepared in good yield and with total regiocontrol by the one-pot reaction of an alkynone, 1,3-dicarbonyl compound and ammonium acetate in alcoholic solvents. This new three-component heteroannulation reaction proceeds under mild conditions in the absence of an additional acid catalyst and has been used in the synthesis of dimethyl sulfomycinamate, the acidic methanolysis degradation product of the sulfomycin family of thiopeptide antibiotics.     

Stereoselective C(2)-vinylation of 1-substituted imidazoles with 3-phenyl-2-propynenitrile

First examples of direct vinylation of 1-substituted imidazoles at the 2-position of the imidazole nucleus are described. 1-Substituted imidazoles 1a-e are C(2)-vinylated with 3-phenyl-2-propynenitrile (2) at room temperature without catalyst and solvent to afford 3-(1-organyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-3-phenyl-2-propenenitriles 3a-e, mainly (c.a. 95%) as (Z)-isomers, in 56-88% yield. The reaction is likely to involve the zwitterionic intermediates, which prototropically isomerizes to imidazole carbene and eventually undergoes the selective 3,2-shift of the functionalized vinyl substituent.     

Benzotriazole: an excellent ligand for Cu-catalyzed N-arylation of imidazoles with aryl and heteroaryl halides

Benzotriazole (BtH) is an efficient ligand for the Cu-catalyzed N-arylation of imidazoles with aryl and heteroaryl halides. A combination of CuI/BtH was found to be an efficient and inexpensive catalyst system to carry out the N-arylation of imidazoles affording the corresponding products in good to excellent yields.     

Formation of substituted pyrazolines in the reaction of C,N-diphenylnitrilimine with a zwitterion derived from triisopropylphosphine and ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate

The reaction of C,N-diphenylnitrilimine with a P-zwitterion derived from Prⁱ ₃P and H₂C=C(CN)CO₂Et afforded the first representative of 2-pyrazolines containing the phosphonium group and products of the addition of nitrilimine to Prⁱ ₃P and H₂C=C(CN)CO₂Et. The reaction of the P-zwitterion with C-4-nitrophenyl-N-phenylnitrilimine gave rise to a condensation product of one Prⁱ ₃P molecule and two nitrilimine molecules. The three-dimensional structures of the compounds synthesized were established by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Unexpected reductive transformation of 1-substituted 5-hydroxy-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2(5H)-ones and their cyclic analogs by the reaction with thiourea and hydrochloric acid

An unexpected reductive transformation of 1-substituted 5-hydroxy-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2(5H)-ones (imidazolones) and their cyclic analogs to give 1-substituted 4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2(5H)-ones (imidazolinones) upon reaction with thiourea and hydrochloric acid was discovered.     

Novel and chemoselective dehydrogenation of 2-substituted imidazolines with potassium permanganate supported on silica gel

Various types of 2-imidazolines are efficiently oxidized to the corresponding imidazoles using potassium permanganate supported on silica gel under mild conditions at room temperature. 2-Alkylimidazolines are selectively converted to their corresponding imidazoles in the presence of 2-arylimidazolines. Chemoselective oxidation of 2-imidazolines in the presence of other oxidizable functional groups such as sulfide, ether, aldehyde, acetal, and THP ether was also achieved by this reagent system.     

Tetrazole-1-acetic acid as a ligand for copper-catalyzed N-arylation of imidazoles with aryl iodides under mild conditions

Tetrazole-1-acetic acid was found to serve as a superior ligand for CuI-catalyzed N-arylation of imidazoles with aryl iodides under a low catalyst loading (5 mol% of CuI). A variety of aryl iodides could be aminated to provide the N-arylated products in good to excellent yields without the need of an inert atmosphere.     

Disparate behavior of ketones and thioketones on reaction with organolithiums

The reactions of alkyllithiums with ketones and thioketones proceed in fundamentally different ways. Whereas alkyllithiums add to the carbonyl carbon of ketones to give tertiary alcohols, the reaction with thioketones proceeds to give secondary thiols by reduction of the CS group. Transition states for the addition and reduction reactions of acetone and thioacetone in ethereal solution have been located and the computed activation free energies are in agreement with the observed behavior of ketones and thioketones in reactions with alkyllithiums.     

Silver-catalyzed cascade reaction of o-aminoaryl compounds with alkynes: an aniline mediated synthesis of 2-substituted quinolines

An efficient silver-catalyzed, aniline mediated cascade hydroamination/cycloaddition of o-aminoaryl compounds including o-aminoaryl aldehydes, o-aminoaryl ketones with alkynes for the synthesis of 2- or 2,4-substituted quinolines is reported. The reactions proceed with high regioselectivity to afford mono- or disubstituted quinoline derivatives in good to high yields using AgOTf as the catalyst in the air.     

Three-component reaction of triphenylphosphine,dialkyl but-2-ynedioate and arylidene pivaloylacetonitrile for diastereoselective synthesis of densely substituted 2,3-dihydrofurans

The three-component reaction of triphenylphosphine,dialkyl but-2-ynedioate and arylidene pivaloylacetonitrile in dry methylene dichloride at room temperature resulted in unexpected densely substituted 1-(triphenyl-λ~5-phosphanylidene)ethyl)-2,3-dihydrofurans in satisfactory yields with high diastereoselectivity.The relative configuration of the 2,3-dihydrofurans was elucidated by determination of single crystal structures.