Methods for direct alkene diamination, new & old

The 1,2-diamine moiety is a ubiquitous structural motif present in a wealth of natural products, including non-proteinogenic amino acids and numerous alkaloids, as well as in pharmaceutical agents, chiral ligands and organic reagents. The biological activity associated with many of these systems and their chemical utility in general has ensured that the development of methods for their preparation is of critical importance. While a wide range of strategies for the preparation of 1,2-diamines have been established, the diamination of alkenes offers a particularly direct and efficient means of accessing these systems. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of all methods of direct alkene diamination, metal-mediated or otherwise.     

Synthesis and derivatisation of N,N′-trisubstituted 1,2-diamines derived from (1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane

The synthesis of N,N′-trisubstituted 1,2-diamines can be achieved by simple reduction of an aminal derived from (1R,2R)-diaminocyclohexane. We comment on the scope and limitation of this reduction and discuss its application towards the synthesis of unsymmetrical N,N′-tetrasubstituted 1,2-diamines.     

Synthesis of N,N′-disubstituted cyclic 1,2-diamines derived from (1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane

The synthesis of N,N′-unsymmetrically tetrasubstituted cyclic 1,2-diamines derived from (1R,2R)-diaminocyclohexane is reported. We comment on the structural nature of these cyclic 1,2-diamines and discuss their characteristic features.     

Chiral relay in NHC-mediated asymmetric β-lactam synthesis II; asymmetry from NHCs derived from acyclic 1,2-diamines

The synthesis of a range of imidazolinium salts derived from acyclic 1,2-diamines, and an evaluation of the reactivity and asymmetric induction of the corresponding NHCs as catalysts for the asymmetric synthesis of β-lactams, is reported. An N-methyl-substituted NHC derived from (1R,2R)-1,2-diphenylethanediamine shows optimal reactivity and enantioselectivity in this series, in contrast to that observed with NHCs derived from (1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine.     

A novel one-pot pseudo-four-component isocyanide-based reaction: an unexpected approach for the synthesis of tetrahydrodiisoindoloquinoxalines and tetrahydrobenzodiisoindoloquinoxalines

A novel isocyanide based one-pot pseudo-four-component strategy for the synthesis of tetrahydrodiisoindoloquinoxaline and tetrahydrobenzodiisoindoloquinoxaline derivatives via the reaction of 1,2-diamines, 2-formylbenzoic acid, and an isocyanide at room temperature in good yields without using any catalyst and activation, is described.     

One-pot synthesis of quinoxaline-2-carboxylate derivatives using ionic liquid as reusable reaction media

The catalyst-free one-pot synthesis of quinoxaline-2-carboxylate is reported by the reaction of α-halo-β-ketoesters with 1,2-diamines using an ionic liquid as an environmentally benign solvent. The recovered ionic liquid was reused for four to five cycles. Moreover, the method is applicable for a variety of 1,2-diamines and α-halo-β-ketoesters.     

Zn-mediated catalytic photoreduction of aldimines. One-pot synthesis and separation of meso and d,l C2 symmetrical diamines

A new one-pot method for the synthesis and selective separation of 1,2-diamines is reported. The methodology, which involves the photoreduction of imines using catalytic amounts of zinc as a photosensitizer, allows the direct preparation and separation of meso and d,l compounds on a multigram scale.     

One-pot synthesis of 2-substituted quinoxalines using K10-montmorillonite as heterogeneous catalyst

An efficient one-pot synthesis of 2-substituted quinoxalines from 1,2-diamines and phenacyl bromides is developed using K10-montmorillonite (K10 clay) as a catalyst at 50 °C in acetonitrile medium. This method offers an easy route for the synthesis of substituted quinoxalines in high yields. A plausible mechanism is proposed in which quinoxalines are formed via dehydration–dehydrohalogenation–cyclization sequence. Further, the K10 clay catalyst is recovered by simple filtration and reused six times without any loss in its catalytic activity.     

Preparation of diamines by lithiation-substitution of imidazolidines and pyrimidines

The synthesis of chiral 1,2-diamines and 1,3-diamines was achieved from the unsubstituted diamines by way of N-tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) substituted imidazolidines (tetrahydroimidazoles) and pyrimidines (hexahydro-1,3-diazines), which were treated with sec-butyllithium to effect deprotonation alpha- to the N-Boc group, followed by addition of an electrophile to give substituted products that could be hydrolysed under acidic conditions to give the substituted 1,2- or 1,3-diamines. Use of the chiral ligand (-)-sparteine promoted asymmetric deprotonation of the imidazolidine substrates to give, after hydrolysis, enantiomerically enriched 1,2-diamines.     

Synthesis of α,ω-bis-1,5,3-dithiazepanes and their fungicidal properties

A procedure was developed for preparative synthesis of α,ω-bis-1,5,3-dithiazepanes by heterocyclization of aliphatic α,ω-diamines with N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylmethanediamine and 1,2-ethanedithiol. The fungicidal activity of 1,2-bis(1,5,3-dithiazepan-3-yl)ethane and 3,3′-(3,6-dioxaoctane-1,8-diyl)bis-1,5,3-dithiazepane toward microscopic fungi affecting agricultural plants was studied.     

Synthesis of new chiral cyclic 1,2-diamines and their evaluation as catalysts for enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions

The synthesis of new, enantiomerically pure cyclic 1,2-diamine structures was realized through a zinc promoted coupling of chiral bis-imines easily prepared starting from a chiral biphenyl dicarboxylic acid. The catalytic properties of such novel compounds were preliminarily studied; the trifluoroacetate salts of these chiral 1,2-diamines were shown to be able to catalyze the Diels-Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with good exo stereoselectivity and enantioselectivities up to 71%.     

(-)-Menthol as a source of new N,N-diamine ligands for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation

The synthesis of new chiral N-monotosylated-1,2-diamines based on the (-)-menthol skeleton is presented. The elimination of HCl from neomenthyl chloride obtained from an Appel reaction led to p-menth-3-ene in excellent yield. Further functionalization of the double bond in p-menth-3-ene with chloramine-T gave the corresponding N-tosylaziridines, which upon reaction with sodium azide and subsequent reduction of the azide functional group, formed the 1,2-diamine system. The synthesized chiral ligands proved effective in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones and an endocyclic imine.     

Condensation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-(2-vinyloxyethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine with carbonyl compounds

Condensation of N-(2-vinyloxyethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine with aromatic aldehydes gave mixtures of 2-aryl-1-(2-vinyloxyethyl)imidazolidines and N-arylmethylidene-N′-(2-vinyloxyethyl)ethane-1,2-diamines in an overall yield of 79–84%, while analogous condensation with cyclic and acyclic ketones resulted in the formation of only the corresponding Schiff bases (yield 53–83%).     

Metal free synthesis of quinoxalines from alkynes via a cascade process using TsNBr2

A metal free protocol for the synthesis of quinoxalines from alkynes has been developed. The reaction was carried out by treating alkynes with TsNBr₂ in presence of O-phenylenediamines in a mixture of acetonitrile and water (9:1). This one-pot reaction proceeds via an oxidative transformation of alkynes to α,α-dibromoketones in presence of TsNBr₂ and eventually to quinoxalines in presence of 1,2-diamines in a cascade process.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed Alkene Difunctionalization with Nitrenes

The Rh^II‐catalyzed oxyamination and diamination of alkenes generate 1,2‐amino alcohols and 1,2‐diamines, respectively, in good to excellent yields and with complete regiocontrol. In the case of diamination, the intramolecular reaction provides an efficient method for the preparation of pyrrolidines, and the intermolecular reaction produces vicinal amines with orthogonal protecting groups. These alkene difunctionalizations proceed by aziridination followed by nucleophilic ring opening induced by an Rh‐bound nitrene generated in situ, details of which were uncovered by both experimental and theoretical studies. In particular, DFT calculations show that the nitrogen atom of the putative [Rh]₂=NR metallanitrene intermediate is electrophilic and support an aziridine activation pathway by N ??? N=[Rh]₂ bond formation, in addition to the N ??? [Rh]₂=NR coordination mode.     

Convenient Way to the Synthesis of Polycyclic Fused Benzimidazole Derivatives with a Bridgehead Nitrogen Atom

Effective synthesis was developed for 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrido- and pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-7,8-diamines that underlie the preparation of new polyazaheterocycles: pyrido[1,2-а]imidazo[4,5-f]-benzimidazole, 7Н-pyrido[1,2-а]imidazo[4,5-f]benzotriazole, pyrido[1,2-а]imidazo[4,5-g]quinoxaline.     

N-Cyanomethyl-β-chloroamines: a convenient source of aziridinium ions

N-Cyanomethyl-β-chloroamines smoothly react with a range of alcohols or amines to give regio- and stereoselectively 1,2-aminoethers or 1,2-diamines. The reaction proceeds through the formation of an intermediate aziridinium ion. The N-cyanomethyl group can then be cleaved easily.     

Synthesis of new mono-N-tosylated diamine ligands based on (R)-(+)-limonene and their application in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones and imines

A synthetic procedure leading to the preparation of a new family of enantiopure mono-N-tosylated-1,2-diamines derived from (R)-(+)-limonene is described. (+)-Limonene was transformed into the appropriate N-tosyl derivative using N-tosylaziridination based on chloramine-T trihydrate. Subsequent ring opening by sodium azide afforded the corresponding isomeric azides. Finally, reduction of the azide function gave enantiomerically pure mono-N-tosylated-1,2-diamines. The ligands obtained proved to be effective in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation protocol on aromatic ketones and imines.     

An efficient chemoenzymatic method to prepare optically active primary-tertiary trans-cycloalkane-1,2-diamines

Optically active trans-N-Boc-cyclopentane- and cyclohexane-1,2-diamines (7) were prepared by a chemoenzymatic method from the corresponding (±)-trans-N,N-diallylcycloalkane-1,2-diamine. These mono-carbamates 7 (ee=99%) were used as the starting materials in the syntheses of different vicinal primary-tertiary diamines. Thus, by means of a simple three-step sequence involving a reductive-amination of an aromatic aldehyde with 7, N-methylation and finally, cleavage of the Boc group, several trans-N-(arylmethyl)-N-methylcyclopentane- and cyclohexane-1,2-diamines were obtained in high yields.     

One-pot synthesis of imidazolines from aldehydes: detailed study about solvents and substrates

Imidazolines were prepared in one-pot operation from aldehydes and diamines through oxidation of aminal intermediates by NBS. This method could be applied to various aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes and N-nonsubstituted and N-monosubstituted 1,2-diamines. Furthermore, it was found that CH₂Cl₂ could be altered to TBME, a more environmentally friendly solvent, in the reaction using N-nonsubstituted 1,2-diamines. The reaction conditions were very mild and chemoselective.