Selective ring-opening of nonactivated amino aziridines by thiols and unusual nucleophilic substitution of a dibenzylamino group

[Reaction: see text]. The reaction of chiral 2-(1-aminoalkyl)aziridines 1 with different thiols, in the presence of BF3*Et2O, is reported. The obtained products were dependent on the structure of the starting amino aziridines 1. Thus, enantiopure (2S,3S)-2-(alkylthio)alkane-1,3-diamines 2 were obtained from aziridines with C-2 substituents with lower steric congestion and partially racemized (2S,3S)-2,3-bis(alkylthio)alkan-1-amines 3 (ee = 56-66%) from aziridines with larger C-2 subtituents. In both cases, the opening of the nonactivated aziridine ring at C-2 took place with retention of configuration and proceeded with regio- and stereoselectivity at C-2. In the synthesis of 3, 2 equiv of thiol reacts with 1 and the opening of aziridine ring at C-2 was followed by an unusual displacement of the dibenzylamino group by a second equivalent of thiol. The regiochemistry and relative configuration of compounds 3 was established by single-crystal X-ray analysis. A mechanism is proposed to explain the results obtained.     

Cycloaddition/Ring opening reaction sequences of N-alkenyl aziridines: influence of the aziridine nitrogen on stereoselectivity

The cycloaddition of (Z)-7-(prop-1-enyl)-7-azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane with dimethyl acetylene dicarboxylate (DMAD) was reported previously to proceed with complete stereoselectivity. Quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP) were used to evaluate the mechanism of the cyclization process, and it was discovered that a stepwise pathway is preferred. The subsequent electrocyclic ring opening reaction of the cyclobutene was also studied, and it was found that ring opening to the "methyl-in" dienamine is preferred to the "methyl-out" product by some 4-5 kcal/mol.     

Anti versus syn opening of epoxides derived from 9-(3-deoxy-beta-D-glycero-pent-3-enofuranosyl)adenine with Me3Al: factors controlling the stereoselectivity

Upon epoxidation with dimethyldioxirane, the 2',5'-bis-O-silyl derivatives of 9-(3-deoxy-beta-D-glycero-pent-3-enofuranosyl)adenine gave the respective "3',4'-up" epoxides exclusively. Reaction between these epoxides and Me3Al was investigated in detail. It was found that the stereoselectivity of epoxide ring opening (anti versus syn) varied significantly upon changing the amount of Me3Al, the solvent, the O-silyl protecting group, and the reaction temperature. A possible reaction mechanism is proposed.     

Synthesis of enantiopure imidazolines through a Ritter reaction of 2-(1-aminoalkyl)aziridines with nitriles

The Ritter reaction of enantiopure 2-(1-aminoalkyl)aziridines 1 with different nitriles afford enantiopure tetrasubstituted imidazolines 2. The opening of the aziridine ring takes place with total regio- and stereoselectivity. A mechanism to explain the described addition reaction is proposed. [reaction: see text]     

Regio- and stereochemically controlled formation of hydroxamic acid containing anti- or syn-1,4-cycloalkenols from acylnitroso-derived Diels-Alder adducts

Treatment of acylnitroso hetero Diels-Alder cycloadducts 2 with iron(III) or copper(II) in an alcohol solvent induces ring opening to afford predominantly monocyclic anti-1,4-hydroxamic acids 3. However, treatment of cycloadducts 2 with copper(II) in toluene reverses the stereoselectivity of the ring opening to afford syn-1,4-hydroxamic acids 4. These regio- and stereoselective processes separately provide anti-1,4- and syn-1,4-disubstituted cyclopentenes while regenerating a hydroxamic acid moiety, thus enhancing the chemical versatility of the Diels-Alder cycloadducts.     

A Stereoselective [3+1] Ring Expansion for the Synthesis of Highly Substituted Methylene Azetidines

The reaction of rhodium‐bound carbenes with strained bicyclic methylene aziridines results in a formal [3+1] ring expansion to yield highly substituted methylene azetidines with excellent regio‐ and stereoselectivity. The reaction appears to proceed through an ylide‐type mechanism, where the unique strain and structure of the methylene aziridine promotes a ring‐opening/ring‐closing cascade that efficiently transfers chirality from substrate to product. The resultant products can be elaborated into new azetidine scaffolds containing vicinal tertiary‐quaternary and even quaternary‐quaternary stereocenters.     

Predicting reactivity and stereoselectivity in the Nazarov reaction: a combined computational and experimental study

The Nazarov reaction of pentadienyl cations generated by protonation of either dienones or alkoxytrienes has been examined in detail both experimentally and by DFT calculations. In particular, calculations at the B3LYP/6‐311G** level of theory accurately predicted, and accounted for, the outcome of the Brønsted acid catalyzed electrocyclization of 4π‐electron systems in which one of the double bonds involved in the process was embedded in N‐ and S‐heterocyclic rings. Calculations showed that both heteroatoms are capable of accelerating the ring closure by stabilizing the partial positive charge which develops at C‐6 (C‐2) in the transition state, with S‐heterocyclic derivatives being more reactive than the corresponding N‐containing compounds. In general, pentadienyl cations generated by protonation of alkoxytrienes were expected to react faster than those obtained by protonation of the corresponding dienones, as the latter were stabilized by a hydrogen bond. The presence of a substituent on the heterocyclic ring significantly affects the stereoselectivity (torquoselectivity) only in the case of the N‐heterocyclic derivatives, in which a 2‐alkyl group is axially oriented, providing the cis‐2,5‐disubstituted isomer only. Instead, with substituted S‐heterocyclic compounds, the anticipated torquoselectivity was very low and, in fact, a 3:1 diastereomeric mixture between the trans and cis products was experimentally found after ring closure. For this study, the synthesis of the appropriate N‐ and S‐containing dienones and alkoxytrienes was realized to evaluate the predictivity power of the DFT computations, which was very good in all of the cases examined, both in terms of reactivity and stereoselectivity. The consistency observed between computational and experimental results, therefore, shows the usefulness of DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6‐311G** level of theory as a robust instrument for the prediction of reactivity and stereoselectivity in the Nazarov electrocyclic reaction.     

Atomistic insights into the inhibition of cysteine proteases: first QM/MM calculations clarifying the stereoselectivity of epoxide-based inhibitors

Due to their important role in many diseases, cysteine proteases represent new promising drug targets. An important class of cysteine-protease inhibitors is derived from the naturally occurring compound E64, possessing an epoxysuccinyl moiety as warhead. Experimental studies show stereoselectivity concerning the inhibition potency, e.g., a trans-configured epoxide ring is essential for inhibition, and furthermore, in most cases, the ( S, S)-configured inhibitors have a higher inhibition potency than their ( R, R)-counterparts. However, the underlying effects are not fully understood. In this work, such effects are investigated by classical molecular dynamics simulations and combined quantum mechanics/molecular modeling (QM/MM) calculations for the E64c-cathepsin B complex. Our computations reveal that the hydrogen bonding network between the enzyme and the E64c (or its derivatives) determines the stereoselectivity of the subsequent ring opening reaction by governing the distance between the attacking thiolate and the attacked C2 atom of the epoxide ring. For the ( S, S)-configuration, a strong network can be realized which enables a close contact between the reacting centers, so that the irreversible step becomes very efficient. The ( R, S)-configuration ( cis-configuration) can only form networks in which the two reacting centers are so far away from each other that the irreversible step can hardly happen. The ( R, R)-configuration is in between, less optimal than the ( S, S)-configuration but much better than the ( R, S)-configuration. Exceptions where the ( R, R)-configurations shows higher potency than the ( S, S) ones are also explained.     

Hydrogen-bonding catalysis and inhibition by simple solvents in the stereoselective kinetic epoxide-opening spirocyclization of glycal epoxides to form spiroketals

Mechanistic investigations of a MeOH-induced kinetic epoxide-opening spirocyclization of glycal epoxides have revealed dramatic, specific roles for simple solvents in hydrogen-bonding catalysis of this reaction to form spiroketal products stereoselectively with inversion of configuration at the anomeric carbon. A series of electronically tuned C1-aryl glycal epoxides was used to study the mechanism of this reaction based on differential reaction rates and inherent preferences for S(N)2 versus S(N)1 reaction manifolds. Hammett analysis of reaction kinetics with these substrates is consistent with an S(N)2 or S(N)2-like mechanism (ρ = -1.3 vs ρ = -5.1 for corresponding S(N)1 reactions of these substrates). Notably, the spirocyclization reaction is second-order dependent on MeOH, and the glycal ring oxygen is required for second-order MeOH catalysis. However, acetone cosolvent is a first-order inhibitor of the reaction. A transition state consistent with the experimental data is proposed in which one equivalent of MeOH activates the epoxide electrophile via a hydrogen bond while a second equivalent of MeOH chelates the side-chain nucleophile and glycal ring oxygen. A paradoxical previous observation that decreased MeOH concentration leads to increased competing intermolecular methyl glycoside formation is resolved by the finding that this side reaction is only first-order dependent on MeOH. This study highlights the unusual abilities of simple solvents to act as hydrogen-bonding catalysts and inhibitors in epoxide-opening reactions, providing both stereoselectivity and discrimination between competing reaction manifolds. This spirocyclization reaction provides efficient, stereocontrolled access to spiroketals that are key structural motifs in natural products.     

Mild,Efficient and Selective Opening of Epoxides with Alcohols Catalyzed by Ceric(IV) Ammonium Nitrate

Commercially available Ceric(IV) Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) catalyzes nucleophilic ring opening of epoxides in primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols under mild conditions. The corresponding β-alkoxy-alcohols were obtained with high regio and stereoselectivity in high yields.     

Bromenium‐Catalysed Tandem Ring Opening/Cyclisation of Vinylcyclopropanes and Vinylcyclobutanes: A Metal‐Free [3+2+1]/[4+2+1] Cascade for the Synthesis of Chiral Amidines and Computational Investigation

We present a detailed study of a [3+2+1] cascade cyclisation of vinylcyclopropanes (VCP) catalysed by a bromenium species (Br^δ+? X^δ?) generated in situ, which results in the synthesis of chiral bicyclic amidines in a tandem one‐pot operation. The formation of amidines involves the ring‐opening of VCPs with Br? X, followed by a Ritter‐type reaction with chloramine‐T and a tandem cyclisation. The reaction has been further extended to vinylcyclobutane systems and involves a [4+2+1] cascade cyclisation with the same reagents. The versatility of the methodology has been demonstrated by careful choice of VCPs and VCBs to yield bicyclo[4.3.0]‐, ‐[4.3.1]‐ and ‐[4.4.0]amidines in enantiomerically pure form. On the basis of the experimental observations and DFT calculations, a reasonable mechanism has been put forth to account for the formation of the products and the observed stereoselectivity. We propose the existence of a π‐stabilised homoallylic carbocation at the cyclopropane carbon as the reason for high stereoselectivity. DFT studies at B3LYP/6‐311+G** and M06‐2X/6‐31+G* levels of theory in gas‐phase calculations suggest the ring‐opening of VCP is initiated at the π‐complex stage (between the double bond and Br? X). This can be clearly perceived from the solution‐phase (acetonitrile) calculations using the polarisable continuum model (PCM) solvation model, from which the extent of the ring opening of VCP was found to be noticeably high. Studies also show that the formation of zero‐bridge bicyclic amidines is favoured over other bridged bicyclic amidines. The energetics of competing reaction pathways is compared to explain the product selectivity.     

Substituent effects on the ring opening of 2-aziridinylmethyl radicals

[reaction: see text] Substituent effects on the ring-opening reactions of 2-aziridinylmethyl radicals were studied systematically for the first time utilizing the ONIOM(QCISD(T)/6-311+G(2d,2p):B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)) method. It was found that various substituents on the nitrogen atom had a relatively small effect on the ring opening of the 2-aziridinylmethyl radical. A pi-acceptor substituent at the C(1) position reduced the energy barrier for C-C cleavage dramatically, but it increased the energy barrier for C-N cleavage significantly at the same time. When the C(1) substituent is alkyl, the ring opening should always strongly favor the C-N cleavage pathway, regardless of whether the N substituent is alkyl, aryl, or COR. When the C(1) substituent is CHO (or CO-alkyl, CO-aryl, or CO-OR but not CO-NR(2)), the ring opening strongly favors the C-C cleavage pathway, regardless of whether the N substituent is alkyl, aryl, or COR. When the C(1) substituent is aryl (or alkenyl or alkynyl), the ring opening should favor the C-C cleavage pathway if the N substituent is alkyl or COR. If both the C(1) substituent and the N substituent are aryl, the ring opening should proceed via both the C-C and C-N cleavage pathways. The solvent effect on the regioselectivity of the ring opening of the 2-aziridinylmethyl radicals was found to be very small. The substituent effects on C-C cleavage could be explained successfully by the spin-delocalization mechanism. For the substituent effects on C-N cleavage, an extraordinary through-bond pi-acceptor effect must be taken into account. Furthermore, studies on bicyclic 2-aziridinylmethyl radicals showed that the ring strain could also affect the regiochemistry of the ring-opening reactions.     

How persistent is cyclopropyl upon nucleophilic substitution, and is frontside displacement possible? A model study

Quantum chemical model calculations (MP2/6-31G(d,p)) demonstrate that frontside nucleophilic substitution is not possible in the reaction between water and protonated cyclopropanol. Instead, ring opening occurs, in accordance with a well-known disrotary ring-opening mechanism. When the cyclopropane ring is embedded in a stabilizing bicyclic structure, as in protonated bicyclo[3.1.0]hexanol, the mechanistic landscape changes. In this case frontside nucleophilic substitution occurs, and has a potential energy barrier which is lower than that of the corresponding backside substitution, which implies that the stereochemical outcome of this gas-phase nucleophilic substitution reaction is uncoupled from its kinetic order. This and similar results challenge the traditional view that nucleophilic substitution reactions should be categorized as being either S(N)1 or S(N)2.     

用(R)-(+)-缩水甘油的亲核开环反应制备手性连二醇

以D-甘露醇为原料合成(R)-(+)-缩水甘油1。该环氧化合物的亲核开环反应为高立体选择性地(93%-96%e.e.)制备各种手性连二醇提供了一条简便途径。     

Ring opening of nonactivated 2-(1-aminoalkyl) aziridines: unusual regio- and stereoselective C-2 and C-3 cleavage

We have studied the ring opening of nonactivated amino aziridines 1 by water under acidic conditions. Depending on the acid used, amino aziridines are cleaved at C-3 or C-2 with high regioselectivity, and total stereoselectivity, affording chiral 2,3-diaminoalkan-1-ols 3 or 1,3-diaminoalkan-2-ols 4 in high yield.     

Salalen aluminium complexes and their exploitation for the ring opening polymerisation of rac-lactide

In this paper we report the first use of Al(III) salalen complexes for the ring opening polymerisation of rac-lactide. Polylactides with narrow polydispersities (PDIs range from 1.04-1.65) and moderate degrees of stereoselectivity were formed. Eight salalen Al(III) complexes have been prepared and fully characterised by solution-state NMR spectroscopy and, where appropriate, single crystal X-ray diffraction. With ligand 3H(2) either a monomeric or dimeric Al(III) species was formed, the dimeric species was favoured at low concentrations. The complexes were tested for the ring opening polymerisation of rac-lactide in toluene at 80 or 100 °C. Interestingly, various tacticities of polymer were formed, which were dependent upon the nature of the group bound to the amine nitrogen centre.     

Stereoselectivity and regioselectivity in nucleophilic ring opening in derivatives of 3-phenylisoxazolo[2,3-a]pyrimidine. Unpredicted dimerization and ring transformation. Syntheses of derivatives of pyrimidinylmethylamine, pyrimidinylmethylamino acid amides, and alpha-amino-2-pyrimidinylacetamides

The nucleophilic ring opening of the isoxazolone ring in 2-oxo-3-phenylisoxazolo[2,3-a]pyrimidine derivatives by optically active amino acid amides and ephedrine led to pyrimidinylmethylamino acid amides. Using amides of different L-amino acids and (-)-ephedrine resulted in different degrees of stereoselectivity. The degree of streoselectivity depended mostly on the nucleophile used. When applying hydroxy amines such as ephedrine, the attack via the secondary amino group was found as the favored regioselectivity. Upon replacement of the oxo group in position 2 in the phenylisoxazolo[2,3-a]pyrimidine system by an imino group, it was expected that the spontaneous decarboxylation that follows the ring opening would not take place, thus achieving amino acid amide derivatives of 2-pyrimidinylacetamide, which are closely related to pyrimidoblamic acid, an important constituent of Bleomycins, used in cancer therapy. However, by heating 5,7-dimethyl-2-imino-3-phenylisoxazolo[2,3-a]pyrimidine in solution, it underwent an unprecedented dimerization process that involved both the phenyl and the imino group. After protecting the imino group by acetylation, the ring opening by nucleophiles was possible, resulting in the formation of derivatives of 2-pyrimidinylacetamide. 2-Acetylimino-5,7-dimethyl-3-phenylisoxazolo[2,3-a]pyrimidine also underwent a ring transformation, yielding an interesting indolone derivative. Selectivity in ring opening and mechanisms of dimerization and ring transformation are discussed.     

Synthesis of a constrained polyfunctional bicyclic iminocyclitol scaffold from l-sorbose via a tandem sequence including stereoselective intramolecular Huisgen cycloaddition

The synthesis of a functionalized (azido, amino, and hydroxy) 8-oxa-3-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane framework and its conversion into a protected sugar amino acid and a tricyclic framework is described. The sequence includes a one-pot Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, with decomposition to an aziridine and subsequent ring opening by azide. The stereoselectivity observed in the Huisgen cycloaddition reaction is attributed to minimization of allylic strain.