Bifunctional Hydrogen Bond Donor-Catalyzed Diels–Alder Reactions: Origin of Stereoselectivity and Rate Enhancement

The selectivity and rate enhancement of bifunctional hydrogen bond donor-catalyzed Diels–Alder reactions between cyclopentadiene and acrolein were quantum chemically studied using density functional theory in combination with coupled-cluster theory. (Thio)ureas render the studied Diels–Alder cycloaddition reactions exo selective and induce a significant acceleration of this process by lowering the reaction barrier by up to 7 kcal mol⁻¹. Our activation strain and Kohn–Sham molecular orbital analyses uncover that these organocatalysts enhance the Diels–Alder reactivity by reducing the Pauli repulsion between the closed-shell filled π-orbitals of the diene and dienophile, by polarizing the π-orbitals away from the reactive center and not by making the orbital interactions between the reactants stronger. In addition, we establish that the unprecedented exo selectivity of the hydrogen bond donor-catalyzed Diels–Alder reactions is directly related to the larger degree of asynchronicity along this reaction pathway, which is manifested in a relief of destabilizing activation strain and Pauli repulsion.     

How Lewis Acids Catalyze Diels–Alder Reactions

The Lewis acid(LA)‐catalyzed Diels–Alder reaction between isoprene and methyl acrylate was investigated quantum chemically using a combined density functional theory and coupled‐cluster theory approach. Computed activation energies systematically decrease as the strength of the LA increases along the series I₂<SnCl₄<TiCl₄<ZnCl₂<BF₃<AlCl₃. Emerging from our activation strain and Kohn–Sham molecular orbital bonding analysis was an unprecedented finding, namely that the LAs accelerate the Diels–Alder reaction by a diminished Pauli repulsion between the π‐electron systems of the diene and dienophile. Our results oppose the widely accepted view that LAs catalyze the Diels–Alder reaction by enhancing the donor–acceptor [HOMO_diene–LUMO_dienophile] interaction and constitute a novel physical mechanism for this indispensable textbook organic reaction.     

Bioinspired Intramolecular Diels–Alder Reaction: A Rapid Access to the Highly‐Strained Cyclopropane‐Fused Polycyclic Skeleton

A bioinsipred gold‐catalyzed tandem Diels–Alder/Diels–Alder reaction of an enynal and a 1,3‐diene, forming the highly‐strained benzotricyclo[3.2.1.0^2,7]octane skeleton, was reported. In contrast, a Diels–Alder/Friedel–Crafts tandem reaction occurred instead when silver salts were used as the catalyst. Although both reactions experienced the similar Diels–Alder reaction of a pyrylium intermediate with a 1,3‐diene, they have different reaction mechanisms. The former proceeded with a stepwise Diels–Alder reaction, while the latter one with a concerted one.     

Activation of the Unreactive Bond in C70 Fullerene toward Diels‐Alder Reaction by Encapsulation of a Lithium Atom

Diels‐Alder cycloaddition reaction is useful for generation of covalent derivatives of fullerenes. Diels‐Alder reactions of C₇₀ and dienes usually take place at the carbon‐carbon bond that has a short bond length in C₇₀, while the bonds with long lengths are generally unreactive. In this paper, we investigated the reactivities of Li⁺@C₇₀ and Li@C₇₀ toward Diels‐Alder reactions with cyclohexadiene by means of density functional theory calculations. We found that the thermodynamic and kinetic reactivities of the fullerene cage are changed significantly after the encapsulation of the lithium ion or atom. The encapsulated lithium ion causes a remarkable decrease of the activation barrier for the cycloaddition reaction, which can be ascribed to the enhanced orbital interaction between cyclohexadiene and the fullerene cage. The unreactive bond with a long length in C₇₀ is activated efficiently after the encapsulation of the lithium atom. According to the activation‐strain model analysis, the improved reactivity of the long bond is associated with the small deformation energy and large interaction energy of the reactants. Unlike conventional Diels‐Alder reactions that proceed through concerted mechanism, the reaction of Li@C₇₀ and cyclohexadiene undergoes an unusual stepwise mechanism because of the open‐shell electronic structure of Li@C₇₀.     

Diversified Cycloisomerization/Diels–Alder Reactions of 1,6‐Enynes through Bimetallic Relay Asymmetric Catalysis

We report the combination of transition‐metal‐catalyzed diversified cycloisomerization of 1,6‐enynes with chiral Lewis acid promoted asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction to realize asymmetric cycloisomerization/Diels–Alder relay reactions of 1,6‐enynes with electron‐deficient alkenes. A broad spectrum of chiral [5,6]‐bicyclic products could be acquired in high yields (up to 99 %) with excellent diastereoselectivy (>19:1 dr) and enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee).     

Counter anion in Li+‐encapsulated C60 can further enhance the rate of Diels–Alder reaction: A DFT study

Density functional theory calculations were carried out to investigate the Diels–Alder cycloaddition between cyclopentadiene and C₆₀ after the encapsulation of Li⁺ ion with transition states identified and confirmed by intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations. Our results showed that the Li⁺‐encapsulation results in a lower energy barrier and the presence of counter anion can further reduce the energy barrier, making the trend in agreement with the experimental results. In addition, the influencing factors on the reactivity of Li⁺‐encapsulated fullerenes such as counter anion and the position of Li⁺ in C₆₀ were discussed. This study aims to provide a better understanding of Diels–Alder reaction with Endohedral Metallofullerenes to allow more efficient functionalization of fullerenes.     

How Lewis Acids Catalyze Diels–Alder Reactions

The Lewis acid(LA)-catalyzed Diels–Alder reaction between isoprene and methyl acrylate was investigated quantum chemically using a combined density functional theory and coupled-cluster theory approach. Computed activation energies systematically decrease as the strength of the LA increases along the series I₂<SnCl₄<TiCl₄<ZnCl₂<BF₃<AlCl₃. Emerging from our activation strain and Kohn–Sham molecular orbital bonding analysis was an unprecedented finding, namely that the LAs accelerate the Diels–Alder reaction by a diminished Pauli repulsion between the π-electron systems of the diene and dienophile. Our results oppose the widely accepted view that LAs catalyze the Diels–Alder reaction by enhancing the donor–acceptor [HOMO_diene–LUMO_dienophile] interaction and constitute a novel physical mechanism for this indispensable textbook organic reaction.     

Catalyst‐Free One‐Pot Synthesis of 2,4,6‐Triaryl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines in Ionic Liquid and Their Catalyzed Activity on Two Simple Diels–Alder Reactions

A series of 2,4,6‐triaryl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines bearing a hydroxyl group was synthesized greenly by the cascade aldol/Michael/addition reaction of aromatic aldehyde, acetophenone, and NH₄OAc (1:2:excessive) in ionic liquid [BmIm][BF₄] without any catalyst. The results of their catalyzed activity on two simple Diels–Alder reactions indicated that this kind of compound containing a poly aryl ring can be used as an effective catalyst on the Diels–Alder reaction. This method, because of its environmental friendliness, simplicity, mild conditions, effectiveness, and lower costs, is suitable for the synthesis of arrays of compounds.     

Origin of rate enhancement and asynchronicity in iminium catalyzed Diels–Alder reactions

The Diels–Alder reactions between cyclopentadiene and various α,β-unsaturated aldehyde, imine, and iminium dienophiles were quantum chemically studied using a combined density functional theory and coupled-cluster theory approach. Simple iminium catalysts accelerate the Diels–Alder reactions by lowering the reaction barrier up to 20 kcal mol⁻¹ compared to the parent aldehyde and imine reactions. Our detailed activation strain and Kohn–Sham molecular orbital analyses reveal that the iminium catalysts enhance the reactivity by reducing the steric (Pauli) repulsion between the diene and dienophile, which originates from both a more asynchronous reaction mode and a more significant polarization of the π-system away from the incoming diene compared to aldehyde and imine analogs. Notably, we establish that the driving force behind the asynchronicity of the herein studied Diels–Alder reactions is the relief of destabilizing steric (Pauli) repulsion and not the orbital interaction between the terminal carbon of the dienophile and the diene, which is the widely accepted rationale.

Quantum chemical activation strain analyses revealed that iminium catalysts accelerate Diels–Alder reactions by reducing the Pauli repulsion between reactants.     

Asymmetric Diels–Alder and Inverse‐Electron‐Demand Hetero‐Diels–Alder Reactions of β,γ‐Unsaturated α‐Ketoesters with Cyclopentadiene Catalyzed by N,N′‐Dioxide Copper(II) Complex

Highly enantioselective Diels–Alder (DA) and inverse‐electron‐demand hetero‐Diels–Alder (HDA) reactions of β,γ‐unsaturated α‐ketoesters with cyclopentadiene catalyzed by chiral N,N′‐dioxide–Cu(OTf)₂ (Tf=triflate) complexes have been developed. Quantitative conversion of β,γ‐unsaturated α‐ketoesters and excellent diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1) and enantioselectivities (up to >99 % ee) were observed for a broad range of substrates. Both aromatic and aliphatic β,γ‐unsaturated α‐ketoesters were found to be suitable substrates for the reactions. Moreover, the chemoselectivity of the DA and HDA adducts were improved by regulating the reaction temperature. Good to high chemoselectivity (up to 94 %) of the DA adducts were obtained at room temperature, and moderate chemoselectivity (up to 65 %) of the HDA adducts were achieved at low temperature. The reaction also featured mild reaction conditions, a simple procedure, and remarkably low catalyst loading (0.1–1.5 mol %). A strong positive nonlinear effect was observed.     

Intramolecular Aza‐Diels‐Alder Cyclization of a Dimerized Citral with Anilines Catalyzed by InCl3

A series of aza‐polycyles containing octahydroacridine core were prepared via an intramolecular aza‐Diels‐Alder reaction of a dimerized citral with various aromatic amines. This reaction is efficiently catalyzed by InCl₃ at ambient temperature to afford the corresponding cyclized products in moderate to good yields.     

Preparation of a Porous polymer by a catalyst‐free diels‐alder reaction and its structural modification by post‐reaction

A microporous polymer is prepared by a catalyst‐free Diels–Alder reaction. A cyclopentadiene with both a diene and a dienophile functionality and a dienophilic maleimide are used for the Diels–Alder reaction. 1,3,5‐Tris(bromomethyl)‐2,4,6‐trimethylbenzene is reacted with sodium cyclopentadienide to produce the multicyclopentadiene‐functionalized monomer. A crosslinked polymer ( CDAP ) is obtained by the reaction of the cyclopentadiene monomer with N,N′‐1,4‐phenylenedimaleimide. The thermal dissociation of the cyclopentadiene dimeric unit and the subsequent Diels–Alder reaction with the maleimide group are investigated by the model reaction. We are able to restructure the crosslinked polymer network by taking advantage of the thermal reversibility of the Diels–Alder linkage. After the post thermal treatment, the BET surface area of the polymer ( CDAP‐T ) is greatly increased from 317 to 1038 m² g^?1. CDAP‐T is functionalized with pyrene by bromination with N‐bromosuccinimide and the subsequent substitution reaction with aminopyrene. The adsorption property of the pyrene‐functionalized polymer for an aromatic dye is investigated using malachite green. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3646–3653     

Solvent effect on complexation reactions

The inclusion complexation of aromatic amines with cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) capped with alkali metal cations was studied spectrophotometrically. We showed that CB[6] capped with alkali metal cations forms a 1:1 inclusion complex with the aromatic amine guests (neutral organic molecules), independent of the length of guest molecules. The effects of salts on the inclusion constants of CB[6] in the presence of different alkali salts were examined and it was found that the inclusion constants increased in the order of alkali cation Cs⁺ < Na⁺ < K⁺, suggesting the interaction of amine guests with the capped alkali metal cation. Further, the structures of the inclusion complexation of aromatic amines with CB[6] were characterized by ¹H NMR measurements. Based on the results, the inclusion abilities of CB[6] capped with alkali metal cations are discussed.     

Reaction energetics on long‐range corrected density functional theory: Diels–Alder reactions

The possibility of quantitative reaction analysis on the orbital energies of long‐range corrected density functional theory (LC‐DFT) is presented. First, we calculated the Diels–Alder reaction enthalpies that have been poorly given by conventional functionals including B3LYP functional. As a result, it is found that the long‐range correction drastically improves the reaction enthalpies. The barrier height energies were also computed for these reactions. Consequently, we found that dispersion correlation correction is also crucial to give accurate barrier height energies. It is, therefore, concluded that both long‐range exchange interactions and dispersion correlations are essentially required in conventional functionals to investigate Diels–Alder reactions quantitatively. After confirming that LC‐DFT accurately reproduces the orbital energies of the reactant and product molecules of the Diels–Alder reactions, the global hardness responses, the halves of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)‐lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy gaps, along the intrinsic reaction coordinates of two Diels–Alder reactions were computed. We noticed that LC‐DFT results satisfy the maximum hardness rule for overall reaction paths while conventional functionals violate this rule on the reaction pathways. Furthermore, our results also show that the HOMO‐LUMO gap variations are close to the reaction enthalpies for these Diels–Alder reactions. Based on these results, we foresee quantitative reaction analysis on the orbital energies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Cyclization of Furan‐Ynes bearing a Propargyl Carbonate Group: Intramolecular Diels–Alder Reaction with In Situ Generated Allenes

Gold‐catalyzed cyclization of various furan‐ynes with a propargyl carbonate or ester moiety results in the formation of a series of polycyclic aromatic ring systems. The reactions can be rationalized through a tandem gold‐catalyzed 3,3‐rearrangement of the propargyl carboxylate moiety in furan‐yne substrates to form an allenic intermediate, which is followed by an intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction of furan and subsequent ring‐opening of the oxa‐bridged cycloadduct. It was found that the steric and electronic properties of phosphine ligands on the gold catalyst had a significant impact on the reaction outcome. In the case of 1,5‐furan‐yne, the cleavage of the oxa‐bridge in the cycloadduct with concomitant 1,2‐migration of the R¹ group occurs to furnish anthracen‐1(2H)‐ones bearing a quaternary carbon center. For 1,4‐furan‐yne, a facile aromatization of the cycloadduct takes place to give 9‐oxygenated anthracene derivatives.     

Asymmetric polymerization via cycloaddition reactions

The reaction of N‐phthaloyl‐L ‐leucine acid chloride (1) with isoeugenol (2) was carried out in chloroform, and novel optically active isoeugenol ester derivative 3 as a chiral monomer was obtained in high yield. Compound 3 was characterized by ¹H‐NMR, IR, and mass and elemental analysis and then was used for the preparation of model compound 5 and polymerization reactions. 4‐Phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione, PhTD (4), was allowed to react with compound 3. The reaction is very fast and gives only one diastereomer of 5 via Diels–Alder and ene pathways in quantitative yield. In order to explain this diastereoselectivity, a nonconcerted two‐step mechanism involving benzylic cation (BC) and aziridinium (AI) have been proposed for the Diels–Alder and ene reactions, respectively. The polymerization reactions of novel monomer 3 with bis(triazolinedione)s [bis(p‐3,5‐dioxo‐1,2,4‐triazolin‐4‐ylphenyl)methane (8) and 1,6‐bis(3,5‐dioxo‐1,2,4‐triazolin‐4‐yl)hexane] (9)] were performed in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at room temperature. The reactions are exothermic, fast, and gave novel optically active polymers 10 and 11 via repetitive Diels–Alder–ene polyaddition reactions. These polymers have inherent viscosities in a range about 0.18–0.22 dL/g. Some physical properties and structural characterizations of these new polymers have been studied and are reported. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1211–1219, 1999     

Diels–Alder Reactions of 1,2‐Azaborines

Diels–Alder reactions employing 1,2‐azaborine heterocycles as 1,3‐dienes are reported. Carbocyclic compounds with high stereochemical and functional complexity are produced, as exemplified by the straightforward two‐step synthesis of an amino allyl boronic ester bearing four contiguous stereocenters as a single diastereomer. Whereas electron‐deficient dienophiles undergo irreversible Diels–Alder reactions, a reversible Diels–Alder reaction with the less electron‐deficient methyl acrylate is observed. Both the N and the B substituent of the 1,2‐azaborine exert significant influence on the [4+2] cycloaddition reactivity as well as the aromatic character of the heterocycle. The experimentally determined thermodynamic parameters of the reversible Diels–Alder reaction between 1,2‐azaborines and methyl acrylate correlate with aromaticity trends and place 1,2‐azaborines approximately between furan and thiophene on the aromaticity scale.     

An Enantioselective Inverse‐Electron‐Demand Imino Diels–Alder Reaction

The imino Diels–Alder reaction is an efficient method for the synthesis of aza‐heterocycles. While different stereo‐ and enantioselective inverse‐electron‐demand imino Diels–Alder (IEDIDA) reactions have been reported before, IEDIDA reactions including electron‐deficient dienes are unprecedented. The first enantioselective IEDIDA reaction between electron‐poor chromone dienes and cyclic imines, catalyzed by zinc/binol complexes is described. The novel reaction provides a facile entry to a natural product inspired collection of ring‐fused quinolizines including a potent modulator of mitosis.     

Scandium(III)‐Zeolites as New Heterogeneous Catalysts for Imino‐Diels–Alder Reactions

This study demonstrates the first zeolite‐catalyzed synthesis of piperidine derivatives, including peptidomimetics and indoloquinolizidine alkaloids. The approach developed utilizes a highly effective one‐pot reaction cascade, through imine formation and imino‐Diels–Alder reactions, promoted by scandium‐loaded zeolites as a heterogeneous catalyst. The methodology described benefits from very low catalyst loadings (≤5 mol % of Sc^III), commercially and readily available starting materials, and mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the Sc^III‐zeolite catalyst can be readily reused more than 10 times without any loss in efficiency.     

Reactivity of 4‐Phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione and Diethylazocarboxylate in [4+2]‐Cycloaddition and Ene Reactions: Solvent,Temperature, and High‐Pressure Influence on the Reaction Rate

We have studied the solvent, temperature, and pressure influences on the reaction rates of cyclic and acyclic N=N bonds in the Diels–Alder and ene reactions. The transfer from N‐phenylmaleimide ( 9 ) to a structural analogue, 4‐phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione ( 2 ), is accompanied by the rate increase in five to six orders of magnitude in the Diels–Alder reactions with cyclopentadiene ( 4 ) and 9,10‐dimethylanthracene ( 5 ), whereas the transfer from dimethyl fumarate ( 10 ) to diethyl azodicarboxylate ( 1 ) increases only in one to two orders of magnitude. The ratio of the reaction rate constants ( 2 + 4 )/( 1 + 4 ) is very large (5.2 × 10⁷) and almost the same (5.3 × 10⁷) as in the ene reactions with tetramethylethylene ( 7 ), ( 2 + 7 )/( 1 + 7 ). It has been observed that the N=N bond in reagent 2 has strong electrophilic, and its N–N moiety in the transition state has nucleophilic properties, which results from the analysis of the solvation enthalpy transfer of reagents, activated complex, and adduct in the Diels–Alder reaction of 2 with anthracene 22 .