Intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions of brominated masked o-benzoquinones with electron-deficient dienophiles. A detour method to synthesize bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones from 2-methoxyphenols

Intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions of masked o-benzoquinones, i.e., 6,6-dimethoxy-2,4-cyclohexadienones 5-7 and 21-24 generated from 2-methoxyphenols 1-3 and 17-20, respectively, with electron-deficient dienophiles leading to highly functionalized bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones are described. The masked o-benzoquinones (MOBs) 5-7 underwent Diels-Alder cycloadditions with methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and methyl vinyl ketone to provide bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones 13a-c to 15a-c (direct method) in low to moderate yields with the concomitant formation of considerable amounts of dimers 9-11. To retard dimerization and to improve the yields of the requisite bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones, a detour method comprised of sequential bromination of 2-methoxyphenols 1-4, oxidation and Diels-Alder reaction, and debromination has been developed. The oxidation of bromophenols 17-20 produced MOBs 21-24 which are stable enough to be isolated. The MOBs 21-24 underwent cycloaddition with electron-deficient dienophiles in a very efficient manner to afford the corresponding cycloadducts 25a-c to 28a-c in good to high yields without self-dimerization. When the cycloadducts 25a-c to 28a-c were treated with either Bu(3)SnH/AIBN or tributylammonium formate-palladium reagent, the corresponding debrominated products 13a-cto 16a-c were obtained in high to excellent yields. In general, the cycloadducts 13a-c to 15a-c were obtained in 20-40% higher yields via the detour method than those via the direct method. In both routes, the Diels-Alder reactions proceeded in a highly regio- and stereoselective manner to furnish a single cycloadduct in each case.     

Photochemistry of bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene-2,5-diones and the corresponding 5-hydroxyimino and 5-methylene derivatives

Synthesis and photochemistry of several title compounds 1-3 containing multiple chromophoric systems are described. The Diels-Alder reactions of 2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-2,4-dienone (5) with acetylenes 6a-d provided the adducts 7a-d, which upon hydrolysis furnished the desired bicyclo[2.2.2]octenediones 1a-d. Oximes 2a-d were prepared from diones 1a-d by treatment with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in pyridine. 5-Methylenebicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-en-2-ones 3a-d were obtained via chemoselective Wittig reaction of the corresponding diones 1a-d. Bicyclo[2.2.2]octenediones 1a-c underwent chemoselective oxa-di-pi-methane rearrangement under sensitized conditions and suffered formal ketene extrusion upon direct irradiation. Direct irradiation of 1d afforded 11d via formal ketene extrusion but under sensitization it remained unchanged. Oximes 2a-d suffered ketene extrusion upon direct irradiation and E/Z isomerization under sensitized conditions. On the other hand, 5-methylenebicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-en-2-ones 3a-d generally underwent 1,3-acyl shift. The plausible courses of all these photochemical processes are discussed.     

Dual behavior of masked o-benzoquinones in intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions with acyclic dienes: a rapid entry to polyfunctionalized bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-5-en-2-ones and cis-decalins

The potentiality of the masked o-benzoquinones, i.e., 6,6-dimethoxy-2,4-cyclohexadienones 5-8, to react both as dienes and dienophiles in their intermolecular reactions has been demonstrated. The masked o-benzoquinones (MOBs) 5-8 generated in situ from 2-methoxyphenols 1-4 underwent intermolecular Diels-Alder cycloadditions with acyclic 1,3-dienes 9a-e to provide bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones 10a-f-13a-f along with cis-decalin derivatives 14a-f-17a-f with regio- and stereoselectivity, except in the case of MOB 8. The formation of cis-decalins in these Diels-Alder reactions illustrates the dienophilic character of MOBs, in addition to their general behavior as dienes. The ratio of the two cycloadducts obtained in each reaction as a result of the dual character of MOBs depends on the nature and/or position of the substituents on both the cyclohexadienone moiety and the added conjugated acyclic diene. All of the cycloadducts resulted from the diene property of MOBs in intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions smoothly underwent Cope rearrangement to furnish cis-decalins as sole products in excellent to quantitative yields.     

The synthesis of bicyclo[2.2.2]octan-2-ones by sequential michael reactions

The reaction of cross-conjugated dienolate anions derived from substituted cyclohexenones with methyl acrylate and vinyl ketones has been studied. Bicyclo[2.2.2]octan-2-ones are formed by a sequential Michael mechanism; however, the reactions of vinyl ketones must be conducted under amine-free conditions. Unexpecedly, the conjugate base from 2,3-dimethylcyclohex-2-enone gives only a single Michael adduct with vinyl ketones, and if forced to react further undergoes an intramolecular aldol condensation. An alternative Diels-Alder approach to the bicyclo[2.2.2]octanone products is shown to be effective.     

Diels-Alder reactions of halogenated masked o-benzoquinones: synthesis of halogen-substituted bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones

Intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions of 4-halo masked o-benzoquinones generated from hypervalent iodine-mediated oxidation of 4-halo-2-methoxyphenols, with electron-deficient dienophiles—methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate and methyl vinyl ketone—leading to halo-substituted bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones, are described. The halo-benzoquinone monoketals can be isolated and characterized. The dimerization of these intermediates is not observed under the reaction conditions.     

Cycloaddition of cyclohexa-2,4-dienones with electron deficient 2 pi partners: a novel and stereoselective route to functionalized bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones

A novel route to functionalised bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones via pi 4s + pi 2s cycloaddition of cyclohexa-2,4-dienones with electron deficient 2 pi partners, and crystal structure of 1,7-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-5-chloromethyl-2-carboethoxy bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene-6-one, is reported.     

Domino retro Diels-Alder/Diels-Alder reaction: an efficient protocol for the synthesis of highly functionalized bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones and bicyclo[2.2.2]octadienones

A novel and convenient approach, the domino retro Diels-Alder/Diels-Alder reaction sequence for highly stereo- and regioselective synthesis of various bicyclo[2.2.2]octenone and bicyclo[2.2.2]octadienone derivatives is presented. Thus, the masked o-benzoquinones (MOBs) 2a-e generated by the pyrolysis of the respective dimers 3a-e participated in this novel synthetic strategy with a variety of olefinic and acetylenic dienophiles at 220 degrees C to provide the title compounds in good to excellent yields.     

Studies on photochemical rearrangement of non-oxygenated bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones and mono-oxygenated bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones from masked o-benzoquinones: Access to protoilludane and marasmane skeletons

In this work, we described flexible approaches to protoilludane-like (5,6,4-tricyclic ring) and marasmane-like (5,6,3-tricyclic ring) skeletons with naturally occurring cis/anti/cis stereochemistry using photochemical rearrangement of bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones and Diels-Alder reaction of masked o-benzoquinones as the key steps.     

Oxidative Dearomatization: Synthesis of Functionalized Bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones,Sigmatropic Shift in Excited State,and Radical-Induced Cleavage of Cyclopropane Ring

Synthesis of novel bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones endowed with a β,γ-enone system in which γ-carbon is substituted with an electron-withdrawing group from simple aromatics is described. Oxa-di-pi-methane reaction of bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones to functionalized bicyclo[3.3.0]octanes and their transformation to bicyclo[3.2.1]octane framework are also presented.     

Facile preparation of bicyclo[2.2.2]octenone derivatives via Diels-Alder cycloadditions of in situ-generated masked o-benzoquinones

Diels-Alder cycloadditions of in situ-generated, substituted 2,2-dimethoxycyclohexa-3,5-dienones with olefinic dienophiles resulted in the development of an efficient method for the preparation of highly functionalized bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-5-en-2-ones with good to excellent yields.     

Polyesters containing bicyclo[2.2.2]octane and bicyclo[3.2.2]nonane rings

Polyesters containing bicyclo[2.2.2]octane and bicyclo[3.2.2]nonane rings are prepared from 1,4-bis(carboethoxy)bicyclo[2.2.2]octane, 1,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)bicyclo[2.2.2]-octane and the 1,5-disubstituted bicyclo[3.2.2]nonane analogs. These polyesters are compared to the related polymers containing 1,4-phenylene and trans-1,4-cyclohexylene rings in terms of their melting point, thermal stabilities and oxidative stabilities. The lower symmetry of the bicyclo[3.2.2]nonane ring produces lower-melting polymers than the other ring systems. The remaining three rings are approximately equivalent in their effect on the melting point of a polymer provided that no more than one bicyclo[2.2.2]octane ring is present per polymer repeat unit. Two such rings produce a highermelting polymer than any other combination. Both the thermal and oxidative stabilities of the polyesters is improved by the presence of the bicyclo rings. This is attributed to the rings providing an approximation of a ladder polymer.     

Manifestations of the Alder-Rickert reaction in the structures of bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene and bicyclo[2.2.2]octene derivatives

The Alder-Rickert ethylene extrusion reaction manifests in the ground state structures of compounds 9-12 which contain the bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene moiety and compounds 13, 14, and 17-20 which contain the bicyclo[2.2.2]octene moiety. A significant decrease of the 13C-13C one-bond coupling constants for the C-C bonds, which break in this fragmentation reaction, suggests lengthening, and hence weakening of these bonds. In the unsymmetrical systems these effects are also shown to be associated with strengthening of the CH2-CH2 bond, which is ultimately lost from the molecule as ethylene. Low-temperature crystal structures of compounds 9-12 and 16 provide evidence for similar crystal packing requirements of the CH2-CH2 and CH=CH moieties.     

Cycloaddition of Cyclohexa-2,4-dienones with Nitroolefins: An Unusual Regioselectivity and Expeditious Entry into Nitro-bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones

Cycloaddition of electron-deficient cyclohexa-2,4-dienones with nitroolefins leading to functionalized bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones with nitro groups is reported. A highly unusual regioselectivity was observed. Crystal structure of one of adducts has also been reported.     

Synthesis of Novel Triacetal Trioxa-Cage Compounds by Ozonolysis of Bicyclo[2.2.1]Heptenes and Bicyclo[2.2.2]Octenes

Several novel triacetal trioxa-cage compounds 11a-11g, 13, 15, 17 and 19 are synthesized in a short sequence. Ozonolysis of bicyclo[2.2.1]heptenes 4a-4c, 8a-8c, 10a, 10b and 14 in dichloromethane at ?78 °C followed by reduction with dimethyl sulfide gave triacetal oxa-cages 11a-11g, 13 and 15 in moderate yields, respectively. Ozonolysis of bicyclo[2.2.2]octenes 16 and 18 under the same reaction conditions gave triacetal oxa-cages 17 and 19 in moderate yields, respectively.     

Synthesis of a pericosine analogue with a bicyclo[2.2.2]octene skeleton

A new analogue of the antitumor pericosines possessing a bicyclo[2.2.2]octene skeleton has been synthesized from methyl gallate using oxidative dearomatization and regio- and diastereoselective Diels-Alder reaction as the key steps.     

Diels-Alder reactions of fused pyran-2-ones with maleimides: efficient syntheses of benz[e]isoindoles and related systems

[reaction: see text] The Diels-Alder reaction of some substituted 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2H-1-benzopyran-2-ones (1a-f) with N-substituted maleimides (2a-c) leading to fused isoindole derivatives (5a-n, 7) or, in a few cases, to bridged double cycloadducts (fused bicyclo[2.2.2]octene derivatives) (6a-f) is presented. When X = CO, the first efficient, substituent-driven aromatization of an intermediary-formed cycloadduct was observed, resulting in substituted benz[e]isoindoles (5a-k). The same type of aromatization can also be achieved in an unprecedented catalysis with Rh/C.     

Cycloaddition between electron-deficient pi-systems, photochemical and radical-induced reactions: a novel, general, and stereoselective route to polyfunctionalized bridged bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes, bicyclo[3.3.0]octanes, bicyclo[4.2.0]octanes, and tricyclo[4.3.1.0(3,7)]decanes

A novel, general, and stereoselective route to functionalized bridged bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes, bicyclo[3.3.0]octanes, bicyclo[4.2.0]octanes, and tricyclo[4.3.1.0(3,7)]decanes has been described. Various functionalized and substituted bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes endowed with a beta,gamma-enone chromophore were synthesized via cycloaddition of in situ generated cyclohexa-2,4-dienones with electron-deficient 2pi partners and manipulation of the resulting adducts. Triplet sensitized irradiation of bridged bicyclooctenones led to synthesis of bicyclo[3.3.0]octanoids, whereas the direct irradiation furnished bicyclo[4.2.0]octanes in stereoselective fashion as a result of modulation of reactivity in excited states. Further, manipulation of the adducts led to appropriately appended and functionalized bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes that upon radical induced cyclization provided an efficient and stereoselective route to the tricyclo[4.3.1.0(3,7)]decane (isotwistane) framework of pupukeananes.     

Studies on alkylation of bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones and 3,3-sigmatropic shift: synthesis of advanced cis-decalins

A stereoselective method for alkylation of bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones and their 3,3-sigmatropic shift leading to cis-decalins containing various types of appendages is described. A simple and convenient method for the introduction of a butenyl chain onto the bicyclooctenones employing 1,4-dibromobutane as an equivalent of 4-bromobutene, was developed.     

Cycloaddition between electron deficient partners: an efficient regio- and stereoselective synthesis of functionalised bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones. A tandem alkylation, stereochemical inversion and aldol condensation

A novel one step regio- and stereoselective synthesis of functionalised bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones from readily available aromatic precursors is described. The methodology involved in situ generation of reactive spiroepoxycyclohexadienones and π^4s+π^2s cycloaddition with methyl vinyl ketone. Study on π-facial alkylation that led to the formation of homobrendane derivatives as a result of stereochemical inversion and aldol condensation in tandem, is also presented. The crystal structure of 6-acetyl-1-methoxy-bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-en-2-one-spiro[3,2′]oxirane and 3-methoxy-4,6,9-trimethyltricyclo[4.3.1.0^3,7]decan-8-en-5-one-spiro[2,2′]oxirane is also reported.     

Autocatalytic domino Michael reaction leading to bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2,5-dione derivatives

In the presence of a catalytic amount of lithium amide, the reaction of oxophorone with electron-deficient olefins afforded bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2,5-dione derivatives in high yields. The reaction proceeds autocatalytically by an enolate of bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2,5-dione, generated by an initial domino Michael reaction.