Heterodienophiles—V : A stereochemical study of aldimine-diene cycloadditions

A study has been made of exo/endo ratios in the formation of azabicyclics via cycloadditions of cyclopenta- or cyclohexa-1,3-diene with N-carbethoxy and N-p -toluenesulfonyl trichloromethyl imines, N-p-toluenesulfonyl trifluoromethyl imine, and N-phenyl-5-methoxyhydantoin. For N-carbethoxy imines both thermal and acid catalyzed cycloadditions were investigated with acid catalysis being notably evident. Cyclic Z-imines afford endo adducts while acyclic imines afford exo/endo mixtures.     

Cyclic vinyl p-tolyl sulfilimines as chiral dienophiles: Diels-Alder reactions with furan and acyclic dienes

The dienophilic behavior of the sulfilimine 2, synthesized from (Z)-3-p-tolylsulfinylacrylonitrile 1, in its Diels-Alder reactions with furan and acyclic dienes has been investigated. A complete pi-facial selectivity for 2, opposite to that observed from its precursor 1, is the main feature of all these cycloadditions. Moreover, the high exo selectivity observed in reactions of 2 with furan (not observed for 1) contrasts with the almost complete endo selectivity with other cyclic and acyclic dienes. Additionally, the opposite regioselectivities obtained for 2 with Dane's diene and 1-substituted butadienes (not observed for 1) are also noteworthy. This behavior allows dienophiles 1 and 2 to be considered as complementary precursors from a synthetic point of view.     

The role of the sulfinyl group on the course of the reactions of 3-p-tolylsulfinylfuran-2(5H)-ones with nitrones. synthetic uses of cycloreversion processes

[reaction: see text] The reaction of enantiopure 3-p-tolylsulfinylfuran-2(5H)-ones (2a and 2b) with cyclic (4) and acyclic (6) nitrones afforded furoisoxazolidines (5 and 7) in high yields under mild conditions. The reactivity of the dipolarophile was dramatically enhanced by the sulfinyl group, which modulated the pi-facial selectivity (it was complete for reactions from 2b, yielding only the anti adducts) and was the main controller of the endo/exo selectivity. Cycloreversion processes from the resulting sulfinyl furoisoxazolidines proceeded readily and were to be considered to account for an improvement in the selectivity (facial and endo/exo) and even for an inversion of it when the composition of the reaction mixtures obtained under kinetic and thermodynamic conditions were quite different.     

Mechanistic insights on the site selectivity in successive 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions to meso-tetraarylporphyrins

A DFT study on site selectivity in successive 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of meso-tetraarylporphyrins with azomethine ylide and N-methylnitrone has been carried out. The calculation of the thermodynamic stability of both ylide and nitrone-derived adducts reveals that bacteriochlorins are more stable and have stronger aromatic character than isobacteriochlorins. Calculations of whole reaction pathways show that cycloadditions of azomethine ylide on porphyrin and its derived chlorin are irreversible and hence kinetically controlled. Solvent influence on the site selectivity of this reaction has also been considered, and appears to be decisive in controlling the site selectivity. In contrast, cycloadditions of nitrone over porphyrin and chlorin are clearly reversible, pointing to a thermodynamic control of these reactions.     

Atropisomerism-induced facial selectivity in nitrile oxide cycloadditions with 5-methylenehydantoins

N-Aryl 5-methylenehydantoins underwent nitrile oxide cycloaddition with benzonitrile oxide to give 5-spiro isoxazoline adducts with complete regioselectivity. Atropisomerism around the N-aryl bond also led to facial selectivity in these cycloadditions.     

Facial selectivity induced by N-aryl atropisomerism in benzonitrile oxide cycloadditions with 4-methylene-2-oxazolidinones

N-Aryl 4-methylene-2-oxazolidinones, prepared via the corresponding O-propargyl carbamates, underwent nitrile oxide cycloaddition with benzonitrile oxide to give 5-spiro isoxazoline adducts with complete regioselectivity. Steric hindrance by atropisomerism around the N-aryl bond induced facial selectivity in these cycloadditions.     

Studies of Diastereoselectivity in Diels-Alder Reactions of (S)S-4a,5,8,8a-Tetrahydro-5,8-methane-2-(p-tolylsulfinyl)-1,4-naphtho- quinones with Cyclopentadiene

The title compounds 6 and 7 have proved to be adequate rigid models to evaluate the ability of the sulfinyl group to control the diastereoselectivity of the [4 + 2] cycloadditions of cyclopentadiene on the ene-dione moiety. The results of thermal and Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions allowed us to establish that both reactivity and endo/exo selectivity were modulated by the presence of the sulfinyl group, the endo-anti-endo or the exo-anti-endo bisadducts being obtained as major products depending on experimental conditions. The role of the association between the SOTol group and several Lewis acids (BF(3).OEt(2), Eu(fod)(3), ZnBr(2)), which shifted the conformational equilibrium around the C-S bond, was used to explain the stereochemical course of the cycloadditions mainly controlled by steric factors. The synthesis of the exo-anti-endo bisadduct 5 was described for the first time.     

1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions Leading to the Synthesis of New 2,3,5‐Triaryl‐4H,2,3,3a,5,6,6a‐hexahydropyrrolo[3,4‐d]isoxazole‐4,6‐diones

Cycloaddition of C,N‐diphenylnitrones 1 to N‐aryl maleimides 2 afforded two diastereomeric isoxazolidines with high selectivity. The structure and steric configuration of the adducts have been assigned on the basis of ¹H NMR, ¹H NMR COSY, ¹³C NMR and IR spectroscopy. The π–π stacking interactions between maleimide's and nitrone's aromatic rings during the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition were assumed to control the exo–endo selectivity of the reaction. Thus, the exo–endo ratio depends upon the position of the substituent present on the C‐phenyl ring of the C,N‐diphenylnitrones.     

Synthesis and Diels-Alder reactions of 4-vinylimidazoles

[structure in text] The synthesis of several 4-vinylimidazoles via Stille cross-coupling reactions of the corresponding protected 4-iodoimidazoles with tributylvinylstannane is described. These heterocyclic dienes are shown to be effective partners in the Diels-Alder reaction, providing adducts in good yield and exhibiting useful levels of isomer selectivity and stereoselectivity (endo/exo).     

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition reactions of 1,3,4-oxadiazin-6-ones with nitrile oxides

2,5-Diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazin-6-ones 1 gave with nitrile oxides 2 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives 4 . When mesitonitrile oxide 2a was used, bis-adducts 3 were also formed. The cycloadditions showed a remarkable site selectivity towards one carbon nitrogen double bond. The structure of both adducts was fully characterized by X-ray analysis.     

Diels-Alder reactions of 3-substituted coumarins in water and under high-pressure condition. An uncatalyzed route to tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones

[reaction: see text] Diels-Alder reactions of 3-substituted coumarins 1a-g with methyl-1,3-butadienes 2a-c carried out in water alone and in CH2Cl2 under 9 kbar pressure are reported. In aqueous medium satisfactory results were obtained by operating at 150 degrees C, whereas under high pressure the cycloadditions were complete at 60-70 degrees C with excellent yields (85-95%). The reactions with isoprene (2b) always resulted in the exclusive formation of para cycloadducts, whereas with (E)-piperylene (2c) only ortho products were detected. The cycloaddition of 3-phenylsulfonylcoumarin (1a) with (E)-piperylene (2c) allowed the endo adduct to be obtained exclusively, whereas 3-carboxycoumarin (1b) reacted with 2c to give a mixture of the corresponding endo/exo adducts in a 58:42 ratio in water and in a 45:55 ratio under high-pressure condition.     

Alpha'-hydroxy enones as achiral templates for Lewis acid-catalyzed enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions

alpha'-Hydroxy enones react with dienes in the presence of (S,S)-[Cu(tBu-box)](OTf)2 or (S,S)-[Cu(tBu-box)](SbF6)2 (2 to 10 mol %) to afford the corresponding Diels-Alder adducts in high yield and selectivity. Isomeric ratios (regioselectivity, endo/exo or cis/trans) of up to >99:1 and ee values of up to >99% are obtained. Significantly, difficult dienes such as isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl butadiene and piperylene behave satisfactorily. Subsequent oxidative cleavage of the ketol in the resulting cycloadducts by treatment with cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) yields the corresponding enantiopure carboxylic acids. Alternatively, carbonyl addition and subsequent diol cleavage with CAN produces the corresponding ketone adducts.     

3-nitrocoumarins as dienophiles in the Diels-Alder reaction in water. An approach to the synthesis of nitrotetrahydrobenzo[c]chromenones and dihydrodibenzo[b,d]furans

The [4 + 2] cycloadditions of 3-nitrocoumarin (1a), 6-chloro-3-nitrocoumarin (1b), and 6-, 7-, and 8-hydroxy-3-nitrocoumarins (1c, 5, and 6) with (E)-piperylene (7), isoprene (8), 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene (9), 2-methoxy-1,3-butadiene (10), 2,3-dimethoxy-1,3-butadiene (11), and cyclopentadiene (12) were investigated in aqueous medium, in organic solvent and under solventless conditions. The reactions performed in water occurred in heterogeneous phase but were faster than those executed in toluene or dichloroethane (DCE). 1a-c, 5, and 6 behaved as 2pi components in the Diels-Alder cycloadditions with 7-10 and 12, and exo adducts were preferentially or exclusively produced. Surprisingly 1a, behaved as a 4pi component in the cycloaddition in water with 11 and 4-substituted 3-nitrochromanones 20 and 21 were isolated. The cycloadditions of hydroxy-3-nitrocoumarins 1c, 5, and 6 with 1,3-diene 9 did not work in water or in organic solvent, but did work under solventless conditions. Nitrotetrahydrobenzo[c]chromenones 13-16, 24, and 25, originating from the normal electron-demand Diels-Alder reactions, were converted into dihydrodibenzo[b,d]furans 27-31 in water, via one-pot Nef-cyclodehydration reactions.     

A practical route to enantiopure, highly functionalized seven-membered carbocycles and tetrahydrofurans: concise synthesis of (+)-nemorensic Acid

Highly diastereoselective thermal [5C+2C] intramolecular pyrone-alkene cycloadditions can be achieved by introducing a homochiral p-tolylsulfinyl group at a suitable position of the alkene. The resulting adducts can be readily desulfinylated to give optically active 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane derivatives. Interestingly, switching from a sulfinyl to a sulfonimidoyl group allows one to reverse the direction of the diastereofacial selectivity and thereby produces oxa-bridged carbocyclic systems enantiomeric to those obtained from the sulfinyl precursors. Cleavage of the oxa-bridge on the desulfurated adducts yields highly functionalized seven-membered carbocyclic derivatives in enantiopure form. Alternative cleavage of the seven-membered carbocycle provides enantiomerically enriched tetrahydrofurans. We have exploited this reaction pathway for the synthesis of the naturally occurring enantiomer of nemorensic acid.     

Influence of Ag(I) and Li(I) Catalysts for 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions of Azomethine Ylides. Reversal of the Stereochemistry

The 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of ester stabilised azomethin ylides to aryl-nitro olefines catalysed by Li(I) gave products of different stereoselectivity than those arising from processes catalysed by Ag (I). The cycloadditions involve the stereospecific generation of dipoles. The formation of products with reverse stereochemistry when using different metal salt catalysts is caused by the differences in endo and exo approaches of nitro-ethylene compounds.     

Remote substituent effects in ruthenium-catalyzed [2+2] cycloadditions: an experimental and theoretical study

The effects of a remote substituent on the regioselectivity of ruthenium-catalyzed [2+2] cycloadditions of 2-substituted norbornenes with alkynes have been investigated experimentally and theoretically using density functional theory. Most of the cycloadditions occurred smoothly at room temperature, giving the exo cycloadducts in excellent yields. Regioselectivities of 1.2:1 to 15:1 were observed with various substituents on the C-2 position of the norbornenes. Exo-C-2-substituents usually showed greater remote substituent effects on the regioselectivities of the cycloadditions than the corresponding endo-C-2-substituents. The regioselectivity of the cycloadditions with C-2 substituents containing an exocyclic double bond (sp2 hybridized carbon at C-2) are much higher than the cycloadditions with the exo and endo 2-substituted norbornenes. Theoretical studies predicted the same trends as experiment and matched the experimental product ratios well. The nature of the regioselectivity in this reaction is discussed. Different strengths of the pi(C5-C6)-->pi(C2-Y) or pi(C5-C6)-->sigma(C2-Y) orbital interactions in 2-substituted norbornenes result in different degrees of C5-C6 double bond polarization. Stronger C5-C6 polarization will increase the difference in the activation energies between the major and minor pathways and thus lead to greater regioselectivities.     

A Highly Stereoselective Synthesis of (E,E)-1,5-Dienes

Several representative 1,5-dienes were synthesized, with a high degree of regioselectivity, by a series of nitrone cycloadditions and subsequent deamination of the adducts.     

Diels-Alder Addition of Dicyclopentadiene with Cyclopentadiene in Polar Solvents

Diels-Alder addition of dicyclopentadiene and cyclopentadiene in polar solvents has been studied to produce tricyclopentadiene（TCPD） that is a potential high-density fuel precursor. GC and MS analysis shows that the adducts contain two isomers, namely exo- and endo-TCPD. Theoretical simulation shows that although the transition state of endo-TCPD has a lower activation energy, exo-TCPD is thermodynamically preferred. Polar solvents can accelerate the reaction rate and improve the exo/endo ratio of TCPD because the transition state of exo-TCPD has a higher polarity than that of endo-TCPD. The solvent effect follows the order of polarity： benzyl methanol〉cyclohexanone〉toluene. The conversion rises when the temperature ranges from 120 to 150 ℃, but the selectivity of TCPD slightly decreases. Increasing the pressure can improve the conversion but the exo/endo ratio of TCPD is unchanged. The apparent kinetics in different solvents was determined via nonlinear regression. The activation energies are 99.47, 101.15, and 107.32 kJ/mol for benzyl methanol, cyclohexanone, and toluene, respectively. The optimal reaction conditions are as follows： benzyl methanol as solvent, temperature 150 ℃, and pressure 900 kPa. After an 11-hour reaction, a conversion of 58.0%, a TCPD selectivity of 95.7%, and an exo/endo ratio of 1/5.3 has been obtained.     

First asymmetric cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides to vinyl sulfoxides and furan-2(5H)-ones

The Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed reactions of o-(methoxycarbonyl)-alpha-diazoacetophenone with enantiomerically pure 5-ethoxy-3-p-tolylsulfinylfuran-2(5H)-ones 1a and 1b afford 4,10-epoxybenzo[4,5]cyclohepta[1,2-c]furan-3,9-diones 6a and 6b, in good or moderate yields and in a completely regioselective way. The pi-facial selectivity is complete for 1a, which only yields anti-6a adducts, and very high for 1b. The endo stereoisomers are favored with respect to the exo ones in both reactions. The sulfinyl group significantly increases the reactivity of the dipolarophile as it has been demonstrated by studying the behavior of 5-methoxyfuran-2(5H)-one (3).     

Synthesis of highly branched sulfur-nitrogen heterocycles by cascade cycloadditions of [1,2]dithiolo[1,4]thiazines and [1,2]dithiolopyrroles

We report the synthesis of some new polysulfur-nitrogen heterocycles by cascade cycloadditions to readily available polycyclic 1,2-dithiole-3-thiones. Thus, treatment of bis[1,2]dithiolopyrrole dithione 1 with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) or dibenzoylacetylene (DBA) gave the 1:4 adducts 2a,b and 3a. On the other hand, cycloaddition of bis[1,2]dithiolo[1,4]thiazine dithiones 4a-d with the same dipolarophiles gave the 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4 adducts 5a-c, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, and 10a,c,d selectively in fair to high yields. Reaction conditions were crucial for achievement of selectivity in thermal reactions. Catalysis by scandium triflate was used in the reaction of 4a and 2 equiv of DMAD. Treatment of the [1,2]dithiolo[1,4]thiazine dithione 11 with DBA gave the 1:2, 1:3 (two isomers), and 1:4 adducts 12-14 and 15a-d selectively. Cyclic voltammetry of selected examples showed irreversible processes that were not influenced by peripheral groups bonded to the heterocyclic system.