Multi-purpose functionality for the structural elaboration of the piperazine-2,5-dione motif

Mild methods for controlled C- and N-alkylation of 3-benzyloxycarbonylpiperazine-2,5-diones are reported. The benzyloxylcarbonyl substituent can also serve as latent functionality for N-acyliminium ion formation and subsequent trapping enables installation of new carbon and/or heteroatom substituents.     

Lanthanide triflate catalyzed generation of N-acyliminium ions from α-amido sulfones: the synthesis of (1-alkyl-1-aryl)methyl phenyl sulfones

The reaction of α-amido sulfones with various aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds in the presence of a catalytic amount of lanthanide triflate provides a facile route for the synthesis of (1-alkyl-1-aryl)methyl phenyl sulfones.     

Asymmetric synthesis of spiro 2-pyrrolidin-5-ones, 2-piperidin-6-ones and 1-isoindolin-3-ones. Part 1: N-Acyliminium ion cyclisations with an internal arene nucleophile

A series of chiral non-racemic 5,5- and 5,6-bicyclic lactams is prepared from (R)-phenylglycinol. These are isomerised on treatment with aluminium trichloride in 1,2-dichloroethane to give spiro lactams in high yield and >3:1 diastereoselectivity. From four structures determined by X-ray crystallography, it follows that spiro indenes are formed preferentially with retention of configuration at the spiro carbon atom and spiro naphthalenes with inversion.     

Asymmetric synthesis of spiro 2-pyrrolidin-5-ones, 2-piperidin-6-ones and 1-isoindolin-3-ones. Part 2: N-Acyliminium ion cyclisations with an internal alkene nucleophile

Chiral non-racemic bicyclic and tricyclic oxylactams obtained in two steps from N-(2-hydroxy-1(R)-phenylethyl)-succinimide and phthalimide are cyclised diastereoselectively in formic acid to give spiro[cyclohexane-1,2′-pyrrolidin]-5-ones and spiro[cyclohexane-1,1′-isoindolin]-3-ones, respectively.     

TiCl4-promoted addition of nucleophiles to open chain α-amidoalkylphenyl sulfones

Linear α-amidoalkylphenyl sulfones are converted into the corresponding N-acyliminium ions by treatment with TiCl₄ at low temperature and then made to react with different nucleophiles such as allyltrimethylsilane, silyl ketene acetal, anisole and thiophene.     

A multi-component synthesis of 3-aryl-1-(arylmethylideneamino)pyrrolidine-2,5-diones

A multi-component synthesis of 3-aryl-1-(arylmethylideneamino)pyrrolidine-2,5-diones is described. A mixture of N-isocyaniminotriphenylphosphorane, an aldehyde, and Meldrum's acid undergo a 1:2:1 addition reaction under mild conditions to afford the title compounds in good to excellent yields.     

Chemo-, regio- and stereospecific addition of amino acids to acylacetylenes: a facile synthesis of new N-acylvinyl derivatives of amino acids

The one-pot reaction of natural amino acids (glycine, β-alanine, γ-aminobutyric and ?-aminocapronic acids, d,l-valine, d,l-leucine, anthranilic acid) with bielectrophilic acylacetylenes proceeds chemo-, regio- and stereospecifically in the presence of NaOH (45-50 °C, 4 h, EtOH-H₂O) to give (after treatment of the reaction mixture with aqueous HCl) Z-isomers of N-acylvinyl derivatives of amino acids in 87-94% yield.     

Directed 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of ylidene piperazine-2,5-diones

The reactivities and selectivities of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of ylidene piperazine-2,5-diones with mesitonitrile oxide are reported. The stereoselectivities of reactions with chiral ylidene piperazine-2,5-diones can be directed by judicious choice of substituents on the N- and/or C-substituents of the piperazinedione ring.     

Facile and rapid regeneration of free amino acids from N-benzyloxycarbonyl-5-oxazolidinones and from N-benzyloxycarbonylamino derivatives by treatment with BCl3 in dichloromethane

Reaction of benzyloxycarbonyl-5-oxazolidinones and of N-benzyloxycarbonylamino acids with BCl₃ in dichloromethane at room temperature affords the corresponding free amino acids.     

Substrate scope in the direct imine acylation of ortho-substituted benzoic acid derivatives: the total synthesis (±)-cavidine

The direct imine acylation (DIA) and subsequent cyclisation of a range of imines with ortho-substituted benzoic acid derivatives is described. Variation in the coupling reagents, imine and benzoic acid were all examined. The DIA procedure was also applied in the total synthesis of (±)-cavidine.     

Anomeric spiroannelated 1,4-diazepine 2,5-diones from furano exo-glycals: towards a new class of spironucleosides

The first synthesis of 1,4-diazepine 2,5-dione peptides containing a β-amino acid in which the β carbon is also the anomeric carbon of a furanoid sugar is described. These new anomeric spirosugars obtained with a stereoselective control in the d-gulo, d-manno, d-allo and d-ribo series can be regarded as the first members of a new class of spironucleosides. In the course of our study, two symmetrical tetrameric cyclopeptides comprising two identical sugar β-amino acid and α-amino acid residues were also isolated, these structures could be of interest as new potential host molecules.     

Synthesis of novel 2-perfluoroacylcyclohexane-1,3-diones

A one-pot synthesis of 2-perfluoroalkanoylcyclohexane-1,3-diones via C-acylation of cyclohexane-1,3-diones with N-perfluoroacylimidazole as an acylating agent is reported. A reaction was examined with isolated N-trifluoroacetylimidazole and with N-perfluoroacylimidazoles generated in situ from perfluorocarboxylic acid anhydrides or perfluorocarboxylic acids.     

Efficient iodine catalyzed chemoselective synthesis of aminals—an access to N,N-acetals by the addition of lactams to N-acyl imines

A highly efficient protocol has been developed for the synthesis of aminals from γ-butyrolactam and benzaldehyde using iodine as Lewis acid catalyst. The attack of γ-butyrolactam nucleophile to intermediate N-acyliminium ion was more favorable, when aryl aldehyde bears the electron donating group (EDG). Iodine plays a key role in these reaction transformations. This current mild protocol is environmentally benign and cost-effective method for the synthesis of industrially and pharmaceutically useful scaffolds.     

Environmentally benign process for the synthesis of N-formyl amino acid esters

Several amino acid ester hydrochlorides were reacted with ammonium formate to give N-formyl amino acid esters in good yields.     

Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with ketones

l-Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with unmodified ketones smoothly occurred at ambient temperature to produce β-hydroxy-β-trifluoromethylated ketones with good to excellent diastereo (up to 96% de) and enantioselectivities (up to 91% ee).     

Synthesis of a novel tetrahydroisoquinoline pentacyclic framework

N-Acyliminium cyclization of 6-substituted (3R^∗,6R^∗,11aS^∗)-3-arylmethyl-pyrazino[1,2-b]isoquinoline-1,4-diones gave with very good yields a novel tetrahydroisoquinoline pentacyclic core framework (29), while this reaction failed in all-cis-isomers to give instead conjugated enamines by deprotonation. Electronic and steric factors that govern the approach to both diastereomers from 6-substituted pyrazino[1,2-b]isoquinoline-1,4-diones have been studied.     

10b-Substituted hexahydropyrrolo-isoquinolines: studies on diastereoselective formation of a quaternary carbon stereocenter via N-acyliminium ion cyclization

The stereoselective synthesis of hexahydro-pyrroloisoquinolines with a quaternary carbon stereocenter is described. The presented methodology employs the addition of a Grignard reagent to the carbonyl group of imide 1, derived from l-tartaric acid, followed by acetylation and BF₃·Et₂O induced cyclization. The acetylation-cyclization sequence can be run either as a one-pot process, or stepwise in a selected solvents. The crucial step, an acid-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction via an N-acyliminium ion offers high stereoselectivity, which has been shown to be strongly dependent on the size of the R¹ substituents and the reaction conditions, that is, choice of solvent, amount of a Lewis acid, temperature, and concentration of the substrate. Based on the results observed, participation of solvent in the cyclization, via an N-acyliminium cation is proposed.     

Stereoselectivity in reactions of atropisomeric lactams and imides

A range of reactions of cyclic lactam systems is described in which an atropisomeric C-N axis controls the stereochemical outcome of ring substitution or addition. In the case of enantiopure menthol adducts, substitution via N-acyliminium intermediates occurred with essentially complete control. However, the range of nucleophiles that participate in the reaction is very limited and at present the removal of the N-aryl substituent is problematic. A six-membered enamide is of moderate configurational stability and the axis exerts synthetically useful levels of control over enolate alkylations of the system. A novel Lewis acid mediated enamide arylation process was identified.     

Total synthesis of suaveoline and norsuaveoline via intramolecular oxazole-olefin Diels-Alder reaction

Total synthesis of two Rauwolfia alkaloids, suaveoline (1) and norsuaveoline (2), has been achieved through a highly stereoselective route starting from l-tryptophan methyl ester (9) and exploiting the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of the oxazole-olefin 16.     

On the non-classical course of Polonowski reactions of N-benzylmorpholine-N-oxide (NBnMO)

The Polonowski reaction of NBnMO (4) afforded tropone (10) and the novel isoindole 11 besides the expected products benzaldehyde and acetmorpholide, in a temperature-dependent ratio. The reaction proceeded via two primary carbenium-iminium ion intermediates, an exo-centered species 5 which underwent a benzylium-tropylium type rearrangement, and a ring-centered species 6, which reacted further to isoindole 11 by intramolecular electrophilic substitution. The experimental findings were in good agreement with DFT computational data.