Regioselective transformation of O-propargylic arylaldoximes to four-membered cyclic nitrones by copper-catalyzed skeletal rearrangement

(E)-O-Propargylic arylaldoximes were regioselectively converted, in the presence of copper catalysts, into their corresponding four-membered cyclic nitrones in good to excellent yields. The reactions proceeded via a tandem [2,3]-rearrangement and 4π-electrocyclization of the N-allenylnitrone intermediate and involved cleavage of the carbon-oxygen bond.     

Silylation products of cyclic tri-aminal carbanions and their lithiation

The structure of 1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-triaza-cyclohexane (TMTAC) was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and compared with earlier gas-phase data. It shows a preference for an aee-conformation in all phases. Lithiated TMTAC, [(RLi)(2)·(RH)] (1) (R = 2,4,6-trimethyl-2,4,6-triaza-cyclohex-1-yl), was reacted with Et(3)SiCl, Ph(3)SiCl and PhMe(2)SiCl to afford the substituted silanes Et(3)SiR (1), Ph(3)SiR (2) and PhMe(2)SiR (3) in moderate yields. They were characterised by NMR spectroscopy ((1)H, (13)C, (29)Si). 1 reacts with Me(2)SiCl(2) and Ph(2)SiCl(2) to give Me(2)SiR(2) (5) and Ph(2)SiR(2) (6) which were characterised by NMR spectroscopy. 5 was also identified by crystal structure determination. Analogous triple substitution could not be observed by employing trichlorosilanes. Quantumchemical calculations explain this by sterical overcrowding of the silicon atom. The reaction of 1 with SiCl(4) did not yield fourfold substitution but a formal insertion product of SiCl(2) into a C-N bond of the TMTAC ring (2,4,6-trimethyl-2,4,6-triaza-1,1-dichloro-1-sila-cycloheptane, 7) in very small quantities. It was identified by X-ray crystallography and shows an intramolecular Si···N dative bond. The reactions of (3) and (5) with n-butyl lithium afforded lithiation of the silicon bound methyl groups in both cases. The products, 8 and 9, were characterised by NMR spectroscopy ((1)H, (13)C, (29)Si), 8 was also characterised by X-ray crystallography.     

Nickel-catalyzed reaction of butadiene with strained ring olefins: Formation of a four-membered cyclic compound

Reaction of butadiene with strained ring olefins such as norbornene, dicyclopentadiene etc. Gives an exo-methylene- and methyl-substituted four-membered cyclic compound (II). The effective catalysts are (n-Bu₃P)₂NiBr₂/NaBH₄ or /alkoxide $\text{1}\text{1}$ syn-π-crotylbis(triethyl phosphite)nickel hexafluorophosphate (IV), and tetrakis(triethyl phosphite)nickel/CF₃COOH $\text{1}\text{1}$. π-Crotyl complex IV reacts with the strained ring olefins to give the corresponding product similarly. It is concluded that the active species for this catalytic reaction is a nickel hydride and that this reaction proceeds through π-crotyl intermediate.     

Oxidation of N-hydroxyazetidines: A novel synthesis of N-acetoxy β-Lactams and four-membered cyclic nitrones

The N-hydroxyazetidines $\text{2}$ and $\text{3}$ are prepared startinfrom 2,3-dihydroazete 1-oxides ($\text{1a}$ and $\text{1b}$0 by reduction with sodium borohydride and by reaction with a nucleophile, respectively. The N-thydroxyazetidines $\text{2}$ and $\text{3}$ can be oxidized with mercury (II) oxide to the corresponding nitrones $\text{1}$; oxidation of the N-hydroxyazetidine $\text{2a}$ (unsubstituted at C-4) with $\text{two}$ equivalent of lead tetraacetate tyields the N-tacetoxy β-lactam $\text{4}$.     

Anionic cross-coupling reaction of alpha-metallated alkenyl sulfoximines and alkenyl sulfoximines with cuprates featuring a 1,2-metal-ate rearrangement of sulfoximine-substituted higher order alkenyl cuprates and an alpha-metallation of alkenyl sulfoximines by cuprates

(E)- and (Z)-configured alpha-lithioalkenyl sulfoximines, which are available through lithiation of the corresponding alkenyl sulfoximines, undergo a anionic cross-coupling reaction (ACCR) with organocuprates with formation of the corresponding alkenyl cuprates and sulfinamide. The alkenyl cuprates can be trapped by electrophiles. The ACCR presumably proceeds via the formation of a higher-order sulfoximine-substituted alkenyl cuprate, which undergoes a 1,2-metal-ate rearrangement whereby the sulfoximine group acts as the nucleofuge. The parent (E)- and (Z)-configured alkenyl sulfoximines suffer upon treatment with an organocuprate a deprotonation at the alpha-position with formation of the corresponding alpha-cuprioalkenyl sulfoximines. These derivatives also enter into a similar ACCR with organocuprates. The ACCR of sulfoximines substituted homoallylic alcohols allows a stereoselective access to enantio- and diastereopure substituted homoallylic alcohols.     

A convenient preparation of N- (arenesulfonyl) sulfoximines by oxidation of N- (arenesulfonyl) sulfilimines with sodium hypochlorite in a two phase system

N-(Arenesulfonyl) sulfilimines can be oxidized to the corresponding sulfoximes in high yields with sodium hypochlorite in an AcOEt-H₂O two phase system in the presence of quaternary ammonium salts as catalysts.     

Density functional study of the lithiation of cyclic vinyl ethers in solution

Lithiation of three cyclic vinyl ethers—2,3-dihydrofuran, 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran, and 2,3-dihydrooxepin in ethereal solution are investigated at the density functional theory level of B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p). Several solvation models were used, including the microsolvation model, the continuum models such as the Onsager model, the polarized continuum models, and the isodensity polarized continuum model, and the mixed discrete-continuum model. Both the microsolvation and the mixed discrete-continuum model gave results consistent with experiments. Theoretical calculations also indicate that lithiation of 2,3-dihydrooxepin undergoes allylic lithiation concomitant with ring opening.     

Functionalization of some benzylthioarylboronic acids by benzylic lithiation of their N‐butyldiethanolamine esters or lithium (triisopropoxy)borates

The reaction of benzylthioarylboronic acids protected as N‐butyldiethanolamine esters or as triisopropoxyborates with organolithium bases or lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) has been investigated. The benzylic lithiation occurs selectively using LDA at − 68 °C. The stability of the resultant borio‐lithio intermediates is strongly influenced by the position of the boron atom in the phenyl ring. The reaction with various electrophiles affords new arylboronic acids substituted in the benzylic position. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A convenient synthesis of 4-aminoaryl substituted cyclic imides

An efficient one-step synthesis of 4-nitro-N-aryl substituted glutarimides, succinimides and maleimides in polyphosphoric acid is described together with the subsequent reduction to the corresponding anilines. The scope and limitation of this cyclocondensation are presented.     

Stereoselective synthesis of cyclic ethers by intramolecular trapping of dicobalt hexacarbonyl-stabilized propargylic cations

The intramolecular attack of a hydroxy group on an exo-biscobalthexacarbonyl propargylic cation provides cyclic ethers with six- to nine-membered rings. The scope and limitations of the methodology are described. The reaction is stereoselective when additional stereocenters are present, providing iterative methodology to access ladder-like cyclic ethers.     

Rapid intramolecular heterolytic dihydrogen activation by a four-membered heterocyclic phosphane-borane adduct

A four-membered cyclic intramolecular phosphane-borane adduct activates dihydrogen to yield the respective ethylene-bridged zwitterionic phosphonium-hydridoborate system, which reduces benzaldehyde.     

A convenient synthesis of N-vinyl enamides via the lithiation and ring-opening reaction of 2-phenyl-2-oxazolines

A simple and efficient synthesis of N-vinyl enamides via the lithiation and ring-opening reaction of 2-phenyl-2-oxazolines with lithium diisopropylamide at room temperature has been developed. This method is especially suitable for the synthesis of multifunctional enamides. Good yields have been obtained when the reactions were amplified to gram scale.     

Theoretical study of the spin trapping of hydroxyl radical by cyclic nitrones: a density functional theory approach

The hydroxyl radical (*OH) is an important mediator of biological oxidative stress, and this has stimulated interest in its detection. 5,5-Dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) and its alkoxycarbonyl and alkoxyphosphoryl analogues have been employed as spin traps for electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic radical detection. Energies of optimized geometries of nitrones and their corresponding *OH adducts were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31+G//B3LYP/6-31G level. Calculations predict that the trans adduct formation is favored in alkoxycarbonyl nitrones, while cis adducts with intramolecular H-bonding is favored for alkoxyphosphoryl nitrones. Addition of *OH to a phosphoryl-substituted nitrone is more exoergic than the carbonylated nitrones. Charge and spin densities on the nitrone spin traps were correlated with their rates of addition with *OH, and results show that the charge density on the nitronyl C, the site of *OH addition, is more positive in phosphorylated nitrones compared to DMPO and the alkoxycarbonyl nitrones. The dihedral angle between the beta-H and nitroxyl O bonds is smaller in phosphorylated nitrones, and that aspect appears to account for the longer half-lives of the spin adducts compared to those in DMPO and alkoxycarbonyl nitrones. Structures of nitrones with trifluoromethyl-, trifluoromethylcarbonyl-, methylsulfonyl-, trifluoromethylsulfonyl-, amido-, spiropentyl-, and spiroester substituents were optimized and their energies compared. Amido and spiroester nitrones were predicted to be the most suitable nitrones for spin trapping of *OH due to the similarity of their thermodynamic and electronic properties to those of alkoxyphosphoryl nitrones. Moreover, dimethoxyphosphoryl substitution at C-5 was found to be the most efficient substitution site for spin trapping of *OH, and their spin adducts are predicted to be the most stable of all of the isomeric forms.     

High-throughput sequence determination of cyclic peptide library members by partial Edman degradation/mass spectrometry

Cyclic peptides provide attractive lead compounds for drug discovery and excellent molecular probes in biomedical research. Large combinatorial libraries of cyclic peptides can now be routinely synthesized by the split-and-pool method and screened against biological targets. However, post-screening sequence determination of hit peptides has been problematic. In this report, a high-throughput method for the sequence determination of cyclic peptide library members has been developed. TentaGel microbeads (90 mum) were spatially segregated into outer and inner layers; cyclic peptides were displayed on the bead surface, whereas the inner core of each bead contained the corresponding linear peptide as the encoding sequence. After screening of the cyclic peptide library against a macromolecular target, the identity of hit peptides was determined by sequencing the linear encoding peptides inside the bead using a partial Edman degradation/mass spectrometry method. On-bead screening of an octapeptide library (theoretical diversity of 160 000) identified cyclic peptides that bind to streptavidin. A 400-member library of tyrocidine A analogues was synthesized on TentaGel macrobeads and solution-phase screening of the library directly against bacterial cells identified a tyrocidine analogue of improved antibacterial activity. Our results demonstrate that the new method for cyclic peptide sequence determination is reliable, operationally simple, rapid, and inexpensive and should greatly expand the utility of cyclic peptides in biomedical research.     

Copolymer sequence control by ring-opening polymerization of prestructured cyclic monomers

In search for the new synthetic methods which may lead to the copolymers of controlled mer sequences, several new carbocyclic and heterocyclic monomer systems such as 1,1-disubstituted 2-vinylcyclopropanes, 1-(p-anisyl)-2-vinylcyclopropanes, substituted 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrans, substituted 4-vinyl-2-oxetanones and α-vinyl cyclic sulfones were synthesized and their polymerization behaviors were investigated. And other promising monomer systems were also examined.