Fluorogenic Strain‐Promoted Alkyne–Diazo Cycloadditions

Fluorogenic reactions, in which non‐ or weakly fluorescent reagents produce highly fluorescent products, are attractive for detecting a broad range of compounds in the fields of bioconjugation and material sciences. Herein, we report that a dibenzocyclooctyne derivative modified with a cyclopropenone moiety (Fl‐DIBO) can undergo fast strain‐promoted cycloaddition reactions under catalyst‐free conditions with azides, nitrones, nitrile oxides, as well as mono‐ and disubstituted diazo‐derivatives. Although the reaction with nitrile oxides, nitrones, and disubstituted diazo compounds gave cycloadducts with low quantum yield, monosubstituted diazo reagents produced 1H‐pyrazole derivatives that exhibited an approximately 160‐fold fluorescence enhancement over Fl‐DIBO combined with a greater than 10 000‐fold increase in brightness. Concluding from quantum chemical calculations, fluorescence quenching of 3H‐pyrazoles, which are formed by reaction with disubstituted diazo‐derivatives, is likely due to the presence of energetically low‐lying (n,π*) states. The fluorogenic probe Fl‐DIBO was successfully employed for the labeling of diazo‐tagged proteins without detectable background signal. Diazo‐derivatives are emerging as attractive reporters for the labeling of biomolecules, and the studies presented herein demonstrate that Fl‐DIBO can be employed for visualizing such biomolecules without the need for probe washout.     

Boronic Acid Catalysis for Mild and Selective [3+2] Dipolar Cycloadditions to Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids

Herein, the concept of boronic acid catalysis (BAC) for the activation of unsaturated carboxylic acids is applied in several classic dipolar [3+2] cycloadditions involving azides, nitrile oxides, and nitrones as partners. These cycloadditions can be used to produce pharmaceutically interesting, small heterocyclic products, such as triazoles, isoxazoles, and isoxazolidines. These cycloadducts are formed directly and include a free carboxylic acid functionality that can be employed for further transformations, thereby avoiding prior masking or functionalization. In all cases, BAC provides faster reactions, under milder conditions, with much improved product yields and regioselectivities. In some instances, such as triazole formation from the reaction of azides with 2‐alkynoic acids, catalysis with ortho‐nitrophenylboronic acid circumvents the undesirable product decarboxylation observed when using thermal activation. By using NMR spectroscopic studies, the boronic acid catalyst was shown to provide activation by a LUMO‐lowering effect in the unsaturated carboxylic acid, likely via a monoacylated hemiboronic ester intermediate.     

Exploring the Border between Concerted and Two‐Step Pathways of 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions of Organic Azides to Cyclic Ketene N,X‐Acetals. – Synthesis and 15N‐NMR Spectra of Zwitterions and Spirocyclic Cycloadducts

Cyclic ketene N,X‐acetals 1 are electron‐rich dipolarophiles that undergo 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions with organic azides 2 ranging from alkyl to strongly electron‐deficient azides, e.g., picryl azide ( 2L ; R¹=2,4,6‐(NO₂)₃C₆H₂) and sulfonyl azides 2M – O (R¹=XSO₂; cf. Scheme 1). Reactions of the latter with the most‐nucleophilic ketene N,N‐acetals 1A provided the first examples for two‐step HOMO(dipolarophile)–LUMO(1,3‐dipole)‐controlled 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions via intermediate zwitterions 3 . To set the stage for an exploration of the frontier between concerted and two‐step 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions of this type, we first describe the scope and limitations of concerted cycloadditions of 2 to 1 and delineate a number of zwitterions 3 . Alkyl azides 2A – C add exclusively to ketene N,N‐acetals that are derived from 1H‐tetrazole (see 1A ) and 1H‐imidazole (see 1B , C ), while almost all aryl azides yield cycloadducts 4 with the ketene N,X‐acetals (X=NR, O, S) employed, except for the case of extreme steric hindrance of the 1,3‐dipole (see 2E ; R¹=2,4,6‐(^tBu)₃C₆H₂). The most electron‐deficient paradigm, 2L , affords zwitterions 16D , E in the reactions with 1A , while ketene N,O‐ and N,S‐acetals furnish products of unstable intermediate cycloadducts. By tuning the electronic and steric demands of aryl azides to those of ketene N,N‐acetals 1A , we discovered new borderlines between concerted and two‐step 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions that involve similar pairs of dipoles and dipolarophiles: 4‐Nitrophenyl azide ( 2G ) and the 2,2‐dimethylpropylidene dipolarophile 1A (R, R=H, ^tBu) gave a cycloadduct 13 H , while 2‐nitrophenyl azide ( 2 H ) and the same dipolarophile afforded a zwitterion 16A . Isopropylidene dipolarophile 1A (R=Me) reacted with both 2G and 2 H to afford cycloadducts 13G , J ) but furnished a zwitterion 16B with 2,4‐dinitrophenyl azide ( 2I) . Likewise, 1A (R=Me) reacted with the isomeric encumbered nitrophenyl azides 2J and 2K to yield a cycloadduct 13L and a zwitterion 16C , respectively. These examples suggest that, in principle, a host of such borderlines exist which can be crossed by means of small structural variations of the reactants. Eventually, we use ¹⁵N‐NMR spectroscopy for the first time to characterize spirocyclic cycloadducts 10 – 14 and 17 (Table 6), and zwitterions 16 (Table 7).     

Efficient synthesis of 3,5‐functionalized isoxazoles and isoxazolines via 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions of 1‐propargyl‐ and 1‐allylbenzotriazoles

3‐Aryl‐5‐(benzotriazol‐1‐ylmethyl)‐ 10a‐f and 3‐p‐methoxyphenyl‐5‐(α‐benzotriazol‐1‐yl‐α‐ethoxymethyl)‐isoxazole (13) were prepared in high yields by 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions of 1‐propargyl‐benzotriazole (5) and (α‐ethoxypropargyl)benzotriazole (8), respectively, with nitrite oxides 3a‐f (prepared in situ from benzohydroximoyl chlorides 2a‐f). The benzotriazol‐1‐ylmethyl moiety was further elaborated by sequential lithiation and reaction with aldehydes, alkyl halides and Michael acceptors. Similar 1,3‐cycloadditions using 1‐allylbenzotriazole (6) and 1‐(α‐ethoxyallyl)benzotriazole (7) afforded 3,5‐substituted isoxazolines 11b, f and 12 in excellent yields.     

Amine‐Urea‐Mediated Asymmetric Cycloadditions between Nitrile Oxides and o‐Hydroxystyrenes by Dual Activation

The first example of asymmetric 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions between nitrile oxides and o ‐hydroxystyrenes, mediated by cinchona‐alkaloid‐based amine‐ureas is reported. The method is based on a dual activation involving both LUMO and HOMO activations. In addition to the stoichiometric asymmetric induction, a catalytic amount of amine‐urea enables the cycloadditions to proceed in an enantioselective manner. Computational studies strongly support the HOMO activation of o ‐hydroxystyrenes and LUMO activation of nitrile oxides by hydrogen‐bonding interactions with the Brønsted acid/base bifunctional catalyst.     

Highly Enantioselective Intramolecular 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition: A Route to Piperidino‐Pyrrolizidines

Enantioselective catalytic intermolecular 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions are powerful methods for the synthesis of heterocycles. In contrast, intramolecular enantioselective 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions are virtually unexplored. A highly enantioselective synthesis of natural‐product‐inspired pyrrolidino‐piperidines by means of an intramolecular 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition with azomethine ylides is now reported. The method has a wide scope and yields the desired cycloadducts with four tertiary stereogenic centers with up to 99 % ee. Combining the enantioselective catalytic intramolecular 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition with a subsequent diastereoselective intermolecular 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition yielded complex piperidino‐pyrrolizidines with very high stereoselectivity in a one‐pot tandem reaction.     

Catalytic Asymmetric 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition of β‐Fluoroalkylated α,β‐Unsaturated 2‐Pyridylsulfones with Nitrones for Chiral Fluoroalkylated Isoxazolidines and γ‐Amino Alcohols

2‐Pyridylsulfone‐ and fluoroalkylated group‐activated olefins underwent highly efficient diastereo‐ and enantioselective 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions across various aromatic and aliphatic nitrones in the presence of a chiral Ni^II/bis(oxazoline) catalyst. The process was tuned by 4 Å molecular sieves, chiral bis(oxazoline) ligands, reaction solvents, and temperature. A wide array of optically pure fluoroalkylated isoxazolidines were obtained, thus facilitating the asymmetric synthesis of an enantioenriched α‐trifluoromethylated γ‐amino alcohol in gram‐scale and a trifluoromethylated derivative of 1,3‐oxazinan‐2‐one with potential pharmaceutical interest. A stereochemical model, based on the absolute configuration of one adduct and some control experiments, was postulated to account for the observed endo‐ and enantioselectivity.     

The Huisgen Reaction: Milestones of the 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition

The concept of 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions was presented by Rolf Huisgen 60 years ago. Previously unknown reactive intermediates, for example azomethine ylides, were introduced to organic chemistry and the (3+2) cycloadditions of 1,3‐dipoles to multiple‐bond systems (Huisgen reaction) developed into one of the most versatile synthetic methods in heterocyclic chemistry. In this Review, we present the history of this research area, highlight important older reports, and describe the evolution and further development of the concept. The most important mechanistic and synthetic results are discussed. Quantum‐mechanical calculations support the concerted mechanism always favored by R. Huisgen; however, in extreme cases intermediates may be involved. The impact of 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions on the click chemistry concept of K. B. Sharpless will also be discussed.     

Highly Efficient Ultrasonic‐Assisted CuCl‐Catalyzed 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions in Water: Synthesis of Coumarin Derivatives Linked with 1,2,3‐Triazole Moiety

By introducing ultrasound irradiation into “on water” CuCl‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar Huisgen cycloaddition, the reaction efficiencies were notably promoted toward a wide variety of applicable azides and alkynes at room temperature, and a series of coumarin derivatives linked with 1,2,3‐triazole moiety were synthesized using the optimized conditions.     

Preparation and characterization of 1,2,3‐triazole‐cured polymers from endcapped azides and alkynes

Fourteen commercial polyols have been characterized by GPC, NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. From these, eight corresponding tosylates, six nitrate esters, seven mesylates, 13 alkynes, and 14 azides have been prepared and all these derivatives have been fully characterized. Five alkyne monomers and eight azide monomers were also prepared. Twelve alkynes and 13 azides (functionality 2–4) were combined in 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions under neat conditions to prepare triazole‐cured polymers, avoiding any heavy metal catalyst. Characterization by NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and gel permeation chromatography indicated triazole polymers 14 , 22 , 23 , 28 , and 30 with degrees of polymerization of 17–28 to be the best candidates for future work. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 238–256, 2008     

One‐pot synthesis of precise polyisoxazoles by click polymerization: Copper (I)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides with alkynes

This article reports a new one‐pot method for polymer preparation, which involves double click chemistry. In one pot, two click reactions take place sequentially by adding the reactants step by step. The first click reaction is to produce the monomer for the second click reaction for polymerization. The click polymerization differs from the general click polymerization with the reaction of diazides and dialkynes. Nitrile oxides, produced in situ by the first click reaction of the formation of aldoxime, instead azides, avoiding the poisonousness and explosiveness of azides and being much safer and easy to operate. And 3,5‐disubstitute polyisoxazoles are produced by the copper(I)‐catalyzed the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides with alkynes in high yields by our one‐pot method. The resulting polyisoxazoles agree well with the structural assignment obtained by the ¹H NMR and IR analyses, with high molecular weights, narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n < 1.2) and high regioregularity. The poor solubility of these polymers is found to be caused by their crystallization. Improvement of solubility is achieved by modifying the structures of alkyne monomers. All the polymers are thermally stable, losing little of their weights when heated to ～350 °C. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Regio‐ and stereoselective synthesis of isoxazolidine derivatives by asymmetric 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of chiral nitrones with 1‐propene‐1,3‐sultone

Asymmetric 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions of chiral nitrones to 1‐propene‐1,3‐sultone ( 1 ) were investigated. Chiral nitrones 6a‐e reacted with sultone 1 in toluene at 90 °C for 24‐36 h to give the corresponding isoxazolidines in moderate yields with high regioselectivities and stereoselectivities. The diastereoselectivity of this reaction varied with the choice of dipolarophile and the steric demands of nitrones. When sultone 1 was allowed to react chiral nitrone 6e , a much better diastereoselectivity of up to 5.1:1 was observed.     

1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of 2-thio-3-chloroacrylamides with nitrile oxides and nitrones

1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of 2-thio-3-chloroacrylamides with nitrile oxides and nitrones is described. A series of novel isoxazolines are isolated from the nitrile oxide cycloadditions, whilst the isoxazolines generated from the nitrone cycloadditions undergo further ring opening to yield piperidines.     

Kinetic study of copper(I)‐catalyzed click chemistry step‐growth polymerization

Oligomers and polymers containing triazole units were synthesized by the copper(I)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition step‐growth polymerization of four difunctional azides and alkynes. In a first part, monofunctional benzyl azide was used as a chain terminator for the polyaddition of 1,6‐diazidohexane and α,ω‐bis(O‐propargyl)diethylene glycol, leading to polytriazole oligomers of controlled average degree of polymerization (DP_n = 3–20), to perform kinetic studies on low‐viscosity compounds. The monitoring of the step‐growth click polymerization by ¹H NMR at 25, 45, and 60 °C allowed the determination of the activation energy of this click chemistry promoted polyaddition process, that is, E_a = 45 ± 5 kJ/mol. The influence of the catalyst content (0.1–5 mol % of Cu(PPh₃)₃Br according to azide or alkyne functionalities) was also examined for polymerization kinetics performed at 60 °C. In a second part, four high molar mass polytriazoles were synthesized from stoichiometric combinations of diazide and dialkyne monomers above with p‐xylylene diazide and α,ω‐bis(O‐propargyl)bisphenol A. The resulting polymers were characterized by DSC, TGA, SEC, and ¹H NMR. Solubility and thermal properties of the resulting polytriazoles were discussed based on the monomers chemical structure and thermal analyses. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5506–5517, 2008     

Copper‐catalyzed Synthesis of N‐alkylated 2‐(4‐substituted‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐1‐yl)‐1H‐indole‐3‐carbaldehyde by Step‐wise and One‐pot Three‐component Huisgen's 1,3‐dipolar Cycloaddition Reaction

An efficient method for the synthesis of N‐alkylated 2‐(4‐substituted‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐1‐yl)‐1H‐indole‐3‐carbaldehyde has been developed starting from oxindole and indole using Huisgen's 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of organic azides to alkynes. The effect of catalysts and solvent on these reactions has been investigated. Among all these conditions, while using CuSO₄·5H₂O, DMF was found to be the best system for this reaction. It could also be prepared in a one‐pot three‐component manner by treating equimolar quantities of halides, azides, and alkynes. The Huisgen's 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction was performed using CuSO₄·5H₂O in DMF with easy work‐up procedure.     

Pyrene‐Excimers‐Based Antenna Systems

A series of dendrimeric compounds bearing pyrene units were synthesized to afford light‐harvesting antennae based on the formation of intramolecular excimers. The synthetic plan profited from the efficiency of the Huisgen reaction, the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of azides and terminal alkynes, which allowed ready assembly of the different building blocks. The three molecular antennae obtained, of increasing generation, revealed efficient energy transfer both in solution and in the solid state.     

Brønsted Acid‐Catalyzed Three‐Component 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions of 1,2‐Disubstituted Alkynes with Aldehyde‐Generated Azomethine Ylides

The first 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions (1,3‐DCs) of 1,2‐disubstituted alkynes with aldehyde‐generated azomethine ylides have been established, leading to the efficient synthesis of poly‐substituted 2,5‐dihydropyrroles.The Brønsted acid‐catalyzed three‐component 1,3‐DCs of but‐2‐ynedioates, aldehydes, and diethyl 2‐aminomalonate tolerate a wide range of substrates, offering structurally diverse poly‐substituted 2,5‐dihydropyrroles in high yields. This protocol not only provides an easy and efficient approach to poly‐substituted 2,5‐dihydropyrroles but also greatly enriches the chemistry of 1,3‐DCs, especially alkyne‐involved 1,3‐DCs.     

Metal-free sequential [3 + 2]-dipolar cycloadditions using cyclooctynes and 1,3-dipoles of different reactivity

Although metal-free cycloadditions of cyclooctynes and azides to give stable 1,2,3-triazoles have found wide utility in chemical biology and material sciences, there is an urgent need for faster and more versatile bioorthogonal reactions. We have found that nitrile oxides and diazocarbonyl derivatives undergo facile 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with cyclooctynes. Cycloadditions with diazocarbonyl derivatives exhibited similar kinetics as compared to azides, whereas the reaction rates of cycloadditions with nitrile oxides were much faster. Nitrile oxides could conveniently be prepared by direct oxidation of the corresponding oximes with BAIB, and these conditions made it possible to perform oxime formation, oxidation, and cycloaddition as a one-pot procedure. The methodology was employed to functionalize the anomeric center of carbohydrates with various tags. Furthermore, oximes and azides provide an orthogonal pair of functional groups for sequential metal-free click reactions, and this feature makes it possible to multifunctionalize biomolecules and materials by a simple synthetic procedure that does not require toxic metal catalysts.     

Synthesis of Some Novel Class of Regioselective Spiro Isoxazolidine Derivatives via 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition Reaction of N‐Benzyl‐C‐fluoro‐substituted Phenyl Nitrones in Ionic Liquid

Synthesis of some new class of regioselective spiro isoxazolidine derivatives have been described using N‐benzyl‐C‐fluoro substituted‐phenyl nitrones with new dipolarophiles via 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction in ionic liquid. The novel spiro cycloadducts found to exhibit good synthetic potentiality as they could be converted into synthetically more important spiro 1,3‐amino alcohols. Simple reaction methodology, noninvolvent of catalysts, good to excellent yields, and greener approaches are the important features noticed in this syntheses.     

Well‐controlled polymerization of 2‐azidoethyl methacrylate at near room temperature and click functionalization

A functional monomer with a pendant azide moiety, 2‐azidoethyl methacrylate (AzMA), was polymerized via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization with excellent control over the molecular weight distribution (PDI = 1.05–1.15). The subsequent copper‐catalyzed Huisgen 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions of phenyl acetylene with polyAzMA was achieved at room temperature with high conversion. The resulting functional polymer exhibited identical ¹H NMR and IR spectra with the polymer of the same molecular structure but prepared by a prefunctionalization approach, confirming the retention of the azide side chains during the RAFT polymerization of AzMA. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4300–4308, 2007