Regioselectivity of the 1,3‐Oxathiolane Formation in the Lewis Acid‐Catalyzed Reaction of Thioketones with Asymmetrically Substituted Oxiranes

The reactions of the aromatic thioketone 4,4′‐dimethoxythiobenzophenone ( 1 ) with three monosubstituted oxiranes 3a – c in the presence of BF₃⋅Et₂O or SnCl₄ in dry CH₂Cl₂ led to the corresponding 1 : 1 adducts, i.e., 1,3‐oxathiolanes 4a – b with R at C(5) and 8c with Ph at C(4). In addition, 1,3‐dioxolanes 7a and 7c , and the unexpected 1 : 2 adducts 6a – b were obtained (Scheme 2 and Table 1). In the case of the aliphatic, nonenolizable thioketone 1,1,3,3‐tetramethylindane‐2‐thione ( 2 ) and 3a – c with BF₃⋅Et₂O as catalyst, only 1 : 1 adducts, i.e. 1,3‐oxathiolanes 10a – b with R at C(5) and 11a – c with R or Ph at C(4), were formed (Scheme 6 and Table 2). In control experiments, the 1 : 1 adducts 4a and 4b were treated with 2‐methyloxirane ( 3a ) in the presence of BF₃⋅Et₂O to yield the 1 : 2 adduct 6a and 1 : 1 : 1 adduct 9 , respectively (Scheme 5). The structures of 6a , 8c , 10a , 11a , and 11c were confirmed by X‐ray crystallography (Figs. 1 – 5). The results described in the present paper show that alkyl and aryl substituents have significant influence upon the regioselectivity in the process of the ring opening of the complexed oxirane by the nucleophilic attack of the thiocarbonyl S‐atom: the preferred nucleophilic attack occurs at C(3) of alkyl‐substituted oxiranes (O−C(3) cleavage) but at C(2) of phenyloxirane (O−C(2) cleavage).     

Reaction of Optically Active Oxiranes with Thiofenchone and 1‐Methylpyrrolidine‐2‐thione: Formation of 1,3‐Oxathiolanes and Thiiranes

The SnCl₄‐catalyzed reaction of (?)‐thiofenchone (=1,3,3‐trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane‐2‐thione; 10 ) with (R)‐2‐phenyloxirane ((R)‐ 11 ) in anhydrous CH₂Cl₂ at ?60° led to two spirocyclic, stereoisomeric 4‐phenyl‐1,3‐oxathiolanes 12 and 13 via a regioselective ring enlargement, in accordance with previously reported reactions of oxiranes with thioketones (Scheme 3). The structure and configuration of the major isomer 12 were determined by X‐ray crystallography. On the other hand, the reaction of 1‐methylpyrrolidine‐2‐thione ( 14a ) with (R)‐ 11 yielded stereoselectively (S)‐2‐phenylthiirane ((S)‐ 15 ) in 56% yield and 87–93% ee, together with 1‐methylpyrrolidin‐2‐one ( 14b ). This transformation occurs via an S_N2‐type attack of the S‐atom at C(2) of the aryl‐substituted oxirane and, therefore, with inversion of the configuration (Scheme 4). The analogous reaction of 14a with (R)‐2‐{[(triphenylmethyl)oxy]methyl}oxirane ((R)‐ 16b ) led to the corresponding (R)‐configured thiirane (R)‐ 17b (Scheme 5); its structure and configuration were also determined by X‐ray crystallography. A mechanism via initial ring opening by attack at C(3) of the alkyl‐substituted oxirane, with retention of the configuration, and subsequent decomposition of the formed 1,3‐oxathiolane with inversion of the configuration is proposed (Scheme 5).     

Regio‐ and Stereoselective 1,3‐Oxathiolane Formation in the Reaction of Thiolactones with Optically Active Oxiranes

The reactions of 3H‐isobenzofuran‐1‐thione ( 1 ) with (S)‐2‐methyloxirane ( 2 ) and (R)‐2‐phenyloxirane ( 6 ) in the presence of SiO₂ in anhydrous CH₂Cl₂ led to two pairs of diastereoisomeric spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolanes, i.e., 3 and 4 with a Me group at C(5′), and 7 and 8 with a Ph group at C(4′), respectively (Schemes 2 and 3). In both cases, 3H‐isobenzofuran‐1‐one ( 5 ) was formed as a main product. The analogous reactions of 3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐[1]benzopyran‐2‐thione ( 9 ) and 3,4,5,6‐tetrahydro‐2H‐pyran‐2‐thione ( 14 ) with 2 and 6 yielded four pairs of the corresponding diastereoisomeric spirocyclic compounds 10 and 11, 12 and 13, 15 and 16 , and 18 and 19 , respectively (Schemes 4–7). In the reaction of 14 with 6 , the 1,3‐oxathiolane 20 with a Ph group at C(2) was also formed. The structures of 3, 7, 8, 10, 19 , and 20 were established by X‐ray crystallography (Figs. 1–4). In contrast to the thiolactones 1, 9 , and 14 , the thioesters 21a – 21d did not react with (R)‐2‐phenyloxirane ( 6 ) either in the presence of SiO₂ or under more‐drastic conditions with BF₃?Et₂O or SnCl₄ (Scheme 8). The results show that spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolanes can be prepared from thiolactones with oxiranes. The nucleophilic attack of the thiocarbonyl S‐atom at the SiO₂‐activated oxirane ring proceeds with high regio‐ and stereoselectivity via an S_N2‐type mechanism.     

1,3‐Thiazolidine‐dicarboxylates from Thioketones and Thermally Generated Azomethine Ylides

The reaction of 9H‐fluorene‐9‐thione ( 1 ) with the cis‐ and trans‐isomers of dimethyl 1‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)aziridine‐2,3‐dicarboxylate (cis‐ and trans‐ 2 , resp.) in xylene at 110° yielded exclusively the spirocyclic cycloadduct with trans‐ and cis‐configurations, respectively (trans‐ and cis‐ 3 , resp.; Scheme 1). Analogously, less‐reactive thioketones, e.g., thiobenzophenone ( 5 ), and cis‐ 2 reacted stereoselectively to give the corresponding trans‐1,3‐thiazolidine‐2,4‐dicarboxylate (e.g., trans‐ 8 ; Scheme 2). On the other hand, the reaction of 5 and trans‐ 2 proceeded in a nonstereoselective course to provide a mixture of trans‐ and cis‐substituted cycloadducts. This result can be explained by an isomerization of the intermediate azomethine ylide. Dimethyl 1,3‐thiazolidine‐2,2‐dicarboxylates 14 and 15 were formed in the thermal reaction of dimethyl aziridine‐2,2‐dicarboxylate 11 with aromatic thioketones (Scheme 3). On treatment of 14 and 15 with Raney‐Ni in refluxing EtOH, a desulfurization and ring‐contraction led to the formation of azetidine‐2,2‐dicarboxylates 17 and 18 , respectively (Scheme 4).     

1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions of α‐Diazo Ketones Derived from N‐Protected (S)‐Proline with Aromatic and Cycloaliphatic Thioketones

Enantiomerically pure α‐oxo diazo compounds derived from (S)‐proline were used for 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition with aryl and hetaryl thioketones, as well as with cycloalkanethiones. Whereas the reactions with hetaryl thioketones in boiling THF yield α,β‐unsaturated ketones via a cascade of cycloaddition, 1,3‐dipolar electrocyclization, and desulfurization, the analogous reactions with thiobenzophenone and cycloalkanethiones result in the formation of 1,3‐oxathiole derivatives. In the latter case, the 1,5‐dipolar electrocyclization of the intermediate thiocarbonyl ylide is the key step of the reaction sequence. In all cases, the isolated products are optically active, i.e., the multistep processes occur with retention of the stereogenic center incorporated via the use of (S)‐proline as the precursor of the diazo compounds.     

Regio‐ and Stereoselectivity of the SiO2‐Catalyzed Reaction of Thiocamphor (=1,7,7‐Trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane‐2‐thione) with Optically Active Monosubstituted Oxiranes

The reactions of the enolizable thioketone (1R,4R)‐thiocamphor (=(1R,4R)‐1,7,7‐trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane‐2‐thione; 1 ) with (S)‐2‐methyloxirane ( 2 ) in the presence of a Lewis acid such as SnCl₄ or SiO₂ in anhydrous CH₂Cl₂ led to two diastereoisomeric spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolanes 3 and 4 with the Me group at C(5′), as well as the isomeric β‐hydroxy thioether 5 (Scheme 2). The analogous reactions of 1 with (RS)‐, (R)‐, and (S)‐2‐phenyloxirane ( 7 ) yielded two isomeric spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolanes 8 and 9 with Ph at C(4′), an additional isomer 13 bearing the Ph group at C(5′), and three isomeric β‐hydroxy thioethers 10, 11 , and 12 (Scheme 4). In the presence of HCl, the β‐hydroxy thioethers 5, 10, 11 , and 12 isomerized to the corresponding 1,3‐oxathiolanes 3 and 4 (Scheme 3), and 8, 9 , and 13 , respectively (Scheme 5). Under similar conditions, an epimerization of 3, 8 , and 9 occurred to yield the corresponding diastereoisomers 4, 14 , and 15 , respectively (Schemes 3 and 6). The structures of 9 and 15 were confirmed by X‐ray crystallography (Figs. 1 and 2). These results show that the Lewis acid‐catalyzed addition of oxiranes to enolizable thioketones proceeds with high regio‐ and stereoselectivity via an S_n 2‐type mechanism.     

Stereochemical Course of the Reaction between Thiocarbonyl Compounds and Oxiranes: Reaction with cis‐ and trans‐2,3‐Dimethyloxirane

The reactions of thiocarbonyl compounds with cis‐2,3‐dimethyloxirane ( 1a ) in CH₂Cl₂ in the presence of BF₃⋅Et₂O or SnCl₄ led to trans‐4,5‐dimethyl‐1,3‐oxathiolanes, whereas with trans‐2,3‐dimethyloxirane ( 1b ) cis‐4,5‐dimethyl‐1,3‐oxathiolanes were formed. With the stronger Lewis acid SnCl₄, the formation of side‐products was also observed. In the case of 1,3‐thiazole‐5(4H)‐thione 2 , these side‐products are the corresponding 1,3‐thiazol‐5(4H)‐one 5 and the 1 : 2 adduct 8 (Schemes 2 – 4). Their formation can be rationalized by the decomposition of the initially formed spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolane and by a second addition onto the C=N bond of the 1 : 1 adduct, respectively. The secondary epimerization by inversion of the configuration of the spiro‐C‐atom (Schemes 5 – 7) can be explained by a Lewis‐acid‐catalyzed ring opening of the 1,3‐oxathiolane ring and subsequent ring closure to the thermodynamically more stable isomer (Scheme 12). In the case of 2,2,4,4‐tetramethyl‐3‐thioxocyclobutanone ( 20 ), apart from the expected spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolanes 21 and 23 , dispirocyclic 1 : 2 adducts were formed by a secondary addition onto the C=O group of the four‐membered ring (Schemes 9 and 10).     

Triethylamine‐Catalyzed Efficient Synthesis of Oxathiolanes Containing a Highly Polarized Carbon‐Carbon Double Bond from Reaction of Malononitrile,Carbon Disulfide (CS2), and Oxiranes

An efficient synthesis of functionalized 2‐(1,3‐oxathiolan‐2‐ylidene)malononitriles containing a push‐pull C?C bond via a simple reaction between malononitrile, CS₂, and oxiranes in the presence of Et₃N is described (Scheme 1).     

1,3‐Dehydro‐o‐Carborane: Generation and Reaction with Arenes

Like the importance of benzyne, witnessed in modern arene chemistry for decades, 1,2‐dehydro‐o‐carborane (o‐carboryne), a three‐dimensional relative of benzyne, has been used as a synthon for generating a wide range of cage, carbon‐functionalized carboranes over the past 20 years. However, the selective B functionalization of the cage still represents a challenging task. Disclosed herein is the first example of 1,3‐dehydro‐o‐carborane featuring a cage C? B bond having multiple bonding characters, and is successfully generated by treatment of 3‐diazonium‐o‐carborane tetrafluoroborate with non‐nucleophilic bases. This presents a new methodology for simultaneous functionalization of both cage carbon and boron vertices.     

Asymmetric Reaction of Simple Nitro Compounds with Chiral 1,3‐Oxazolidin‐2‐ones

The chiral oxazolidinone 1 (=[(3aS,6R,7aR)‐tetrahydro‐8,8‐dimethyl‐2‐oxo‐4H‐3a,6‐methano‐1,3‐benzoxazol‐3‐yl](oxo)acetaldehyde) was found to react stereoselectively with simple nitro compounds in the presence of Al₂O₃ or Bu₄NF?3 H₂O (TBAF) as catalysts, affording the diastereoisomeric nitro alcohols 3 – 6 with good asymmetric induction. When Al₂O₃ was used, the (S)‐configuration at the center bearing the OH group was generated, with the relative syn‐configuration for the major diastereoisomers. In the case of the nitro‐aldol reaction catalyzed by TBAF, an opposite asymmetric induction was found for two nitro compounds. In contrast to 1 , compound 12 (=((4R,5S)‐4‐methyl‐2‐oxo‐5‐phenyl‐1,3‐oxazolidin‐3‐yl)(oxo)acetaldehyde), a derivative of Evans auxiliary, gave rise to poor asymmetric induction in Henry reactions.     

FeCl3‐Catalyzed Addition of 1,3‐Dicarbonyl Compounds to Aromatic Olefins

A direct, intermolecular addition of 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds to styrenes in the presence of FeCl₃ as an inexpensive and disposable catalyst has been developed for the straightforward and practical synthesis of arylated diketones and ketoesters. The reactions proceed under mild conditions for most substrates (50–80 °C), and no strong acid or base is required. The synthetic value of the method is demonstrated by 15 examples, including the synthesis of the current pharmaceutical drug warfarin in one step and 42 % yield from commercially available substrates.     

5‐Morpholino‐1,2,3,4‐thiatriazole as a Sulfur‐Transfer Reagent in the Reactions with Thioketones

The thermal decomposition of 5‐morpholino‐1,2,3,4‐thiatriazole ( 7 ), which leads to the extrusion of an active form of sulfur, in the presence of different thioketones is described. The interception of the S‐atom by the C?S bond leads to in situ formation of an elusive thiocarbonyl S‐sulfide of type 5 . This intermediate is a prone 1,3‐dipole, which undergoes effectively [2+3] cycloadditions with thioketones to yield 1,2,4‐trithiolane derivatives in a regioselective manner. Unexpectedly, 3,3‐dichloro‐2,2,4,4‐tetramethyl‐3‐thioxocyclobutanone ( 1c ) does not lead to the expected symmetrical 1,2,4‐trithiolane. This result can be explained by the reduced stability of the corresponding thiosulfine 5c . Three‐component reactions, which were carried out in the presence of equimolar amounts of two different thioketones, result in the formation of ‘mixed’ 1,2,4‐trithiolanes of type 8 .     

Reaction of tellurium tetraiodide with 2,3‐dihydro‐1,3‐diisopropyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene

2,3‐Dihydro‐1,3‐diisopropyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene 1 (Carb, R¹ = ⁱPr, R² = Me) reacts with TeI₄ to give the carbene adduct CarbTeI₂ ( 3 ). The crystal structure of 3 consists of T‐shaped monomeric fragments linked by weak Te. I interactions to form infinite helical chains. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:316–319, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20090     

FeCl3-Mediated Reaction of 1,4-Dilithio-1,3-dienes with Alkynes Affording Benzene Derivatives

Unactivated alkynes reacted with 1,4-dilithio-1,3-diene derivatives in the presence of FeCl3 affording substituted benzene derivatives via a formal[4 2] cycloaddition.