Separation-friendly Mitsunobu reactions: a microcosm of recent developments in separation strategies

The Mitsunobu reaction is famous for its scope and power, but infamous for its separation headaches. Typically, the target product is enticed away from the reagent-derived byproducts by careful chromatography. The use of polymer-bound Mitsunobu reagents solves only half of the problem, because polymer-bound diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) and phosphine reagents cannot be employed simultaneously. This article classifies, compares, and contrasts various emerging strategies for product isolation in Mitsunobu reactions. Because so many different strategies have been used, the Mitsunobu reaction is a microcosm for the new field of strategy level separations.     

Synthesis of N,N-Diethylbenzamides via a Nonclassical Mitsunobu Reaction

The use of the Mitsunobu reaction for the synthesis of N,N-diethylbenzamides affords ortho-, meta-, and para-substituted benzamides containing both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups. While the preparation of numerous functional groups has been efficiently demonstrated employing the Mitsunobu reaction, our methodology represents the first application of the Mitsunobu reaction for the construction of benzamides using benzoic acid and amine starting materials. Moreover, this synthetic transformation is believed to proceed via a nonclassical mechanism involving the existence of an acyloxyphosphonium ion.

[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® for the following free supplemental resource(s): Full experimental and spectral details.]     

Applications of Mitsunobu Reaction in total synthesis of natural products

The Mitsunobu Reaction allows the conversion of primary and secondary alcohols to esters, phenyl ethers, thioethers and some other compounds. The nucleophile employed should be acidic, since one of the reagents, diethylazodicarboxylate (DEAD) must be protonated during the course of the reaction, preventing from the formation of unwanted side products. In this review, we try to focus on the scope and preparative synthetic applications of Mitsunobu reaction as a key step in the total synthesis of biologically active natural products.     

Tetrazine Assists Reduction of Water by Phosphines: Application in the Mitsunobu Reaction

Reaction of 3,6‐disubstituted‐1,2,4,5‐tetrazines with water and PEt₃ forms the corresponding 1,4‐dihydrotetrazine and OPEt₃. Thus PEt₃, as a stoichiometric reductant, reduces water, and the resulting two reducing equivalents serve to doubly hydrogenate the tetrazine. A variety of possible initial interactions between electron‐deficient tetrazine and electron‐rich PR₃, including a charge transfer complex, were evaluated by density functional calculations which revealed that the energy of all these make them spectroscopically undetectable at equilibrium, but one of these is nevertheless suggested as the intermediate in the observed redox reaction. The relationship of this to the Mitsunobu reaction, which absorbs the components of water evolved in the conversion of alcohol and carboxylic acid to ester, with desirable inversion at the alcohol carbon, is discussed. This enables a modified Mitsunobu reaction, with tetrazine replacing EtO₂CN=NCO₂Et (DEAD), which has the advantage that dihydrotetrazine can be recycled to tetrazine by oxidation with O₂, something impossible with the hydrogenated DEAD. For this tetrazine version, a betaine‐like intermediate is undetectable, but its protonated form is characterized, including by X‐ray structure and NMR spectroscopy.     

Mitsunobu Reaction: A Versatile Tool for PEG End Functionalization

The Mitsunobu reaction can be efficiently used for the transformation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) terminal OH group(s) into a variety of functions. In comparison to more classical approaches of PEG functionalization, the main advantage of the Mitsunobu reaction attains to the fact that in one step, with no detrimental effect on PEG integrity (e.g., chain cleavage). Here, its quantitative conversion is demonstrated into derivatives that, either directly or after deprotection, are amenable to (bio)conjugation reactions: azides (Huisgen cycloaddition), aldehydes, primary amines (Schiff base formation and reduction), thiols, and N‐oxymaleimide (Michael‐type addition). Therefore this reaction is proposed as a general tool for the preparation of functionalities for the purpose of PEGylation, and more generally for (bio)conjugation purposes.

     

The Mitsunobu reaction in the chemistry of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds. The formation of heterocyclic systems (review)

Methods for the design of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic systems involving the formation of C-N bonds under the conditions of the Mitsunobu reaction are discussed. Dedicated to Afanasi Andreevich Akhrem on his 95th birthday. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 347–385, March, 2008.     

Diels-Alder reactions II: The Reaction Mechanism

The possible mechanisms of the preparatively so productive Diels-Alder reactions are discussed critically on the basis of experimental data. Although most of the facts can be explained readily by a synchronous mechanism, a number of problems remains.     

Mitsunobu Reaction: A Powerful Tool for the Synthesis of Natural Products: A Review

The Mitsunobu reaction plays a vital part in organic chemistry due to its wide synthetic applications. It is considered as a significant reaction for the interconversion of one functional group (alcohol) to another (ester) in the presence of oxidizing agents (azodicarboxylates) and reducing agents (phosphines). It is a renowned stereoselective reaction which inverts the stereochemical configuration of end products. One of the most important applications of the Mitsunobu reaction is its role in the synthesis of natural products. This review article will focus on the contribution of the Mitsunobu reaction towards the total synthesis of natural products, highlighting their biological potential during recent years.     

Synthesis of Carbocyclic Pyrimidine Nucleosides Using the Mitsunobu Reaction: O2‐ vs. N1‐Alkylation

The Mitsunobu reaction is an important tool in carbocyclic nucleoside chemistry for the direct coupling of alcohols with heterocyclic bases under mild conditions. Chemical evidences for an unusual competitive O²‐ vs. N¹‐alkylation of 3‐substituted pyrimidines is presented.     

Acetylene chemistry,part 32: Alkinylation and cyclic rearrangement of theophylline with unsaturated alcohols by Mitsunobu reaction

Summary The reaction of theophylline (1) with 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol and 1-butyn-3-ol under Mitsunobu conditions gave the respective 9-substituted derivatives 9-[2-(2-methyl-3-butynyl)]-theophylline (2) and 9-[2-(3-butynyl)]-theophylline (3). On reaction with 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, theophylline yielded in addition to the 9-[2-(2-methyl-3-butenyl)]-theophylline (4), two more cyclic products, identified as 1,5,5a,8-tetrahydro-1,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2H-pyrrolo[1,2-e]purine-2,4(3H)-dione (5) and 8a,9-dihydro-1,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1H-pyrrolo[2,1-f]purine-2,4(3H,6H)-dione (7).

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Acetylenchemie, 32. Mitt.: Alkinylierung und cyclische Umlagerung von Theophyllin mit ungesättigten Alkoholen mittels Mitsunobu-Reaktion

Zusammenfassung Die Reaktion von Theophyllin (1) mit 2-Methyl-3-butin-2-ol und 1-Butin-2-ol unter Mitsunobu-Bedingungen führte zu den 9-substituierten Derivaten 9-[2-(2-Methyl-3-butinyl)]-theophyllin (2) bzw. 9-[2-(3-Butinyl)]-theophyllin (3). Bei der Reaktion mit 2-Methyl-3-buten-2-ol ergab Theophyllin außer 9-[2-(2-Methyl-3-butenyl)]-theophyllin (4) noch zwei weitere cyclisierte Produkte, die als 1,3,8,8-Tetramethyl-1,5,5a,8-tetrahydro-pyrrolo[1,2-e]purin-2,4(3H)-dion (5) und 1,3,6,6-Tetramethyl-8a,9-dihydro-1H,6H-pyrrolo[2,1-f]purin-2,4-dion (7) identifiziert wurden.

     

Design,Synthesis, and Application of a Chiral Sulfinamide Phosphine Catalyst for the Enantioselective Intramolecular Rauhut–Currier Reaction

A novel class of chiral sulfinamide phosphine catalysts (Xiao‐Phos) are reported, which can be easily prepared from inexpensive commercially available starting materials. The Xiao‐Phos catalysts showed good performance in enantioselective intramolecular Rauhut–Currier reactions, generating α‐methylene‐γ‐butyrolactones in high yields with up to 99 % ee under mild conditions. Moreover, kinetic resolution and parallel kinetic resolution were also observed with the use of two different substituted racemic precursors.     

Structural Effects in the Mitsunobu Reaction of Calix[4]arene with Benzylic and Allylic Alcohols [1]

A study of the Mitsunobu reaction involving calix[4]arene and a series of benzylic and allylic alcohols reveals the structural effect of the alcohol component on the distribution between Oand C-alkylation of the phenol component in the formation of aryl alkyl ethers and p-alkylated phenols, respectively.     

A Versatile Methodology for the Synthesis of α,β‐Unsaturated 3‐Iminophosphines

Phorteen phine phosphines : Fourteen new α,β‐unsaturated β‐chloroimines were synthesized from inexpensive ketones by using the Vilsmeier–Haack reagent followed by Schiff‐base condensation. Each imine was subsequently converted to an α,β‐unsaturated 3‐iminophosphine through either late‐metal‐catalyzed phosphorus–carbon cross‐coupling or through an addition–elimination sequence (see scheme). This high‐yield protocol serves as a general means to produce α,β‐unsaturated 3‐iminophosphines.

     

Separation tagging with cyclodextrin-binding groups: Mitsunobu reactions with bis-(2-(1-adamantyl)ethyl) azodicarboxylate (BadEAD) and bis-(1-adamantylmethyl) azodicarboxylate (BadMAD)

A new method for separation tagging with cyclodextrin-binding groups is introduced and is exemplified in the context of the Mitsunobu reaction with adamantyl tags. HPLC experiments showed that molecules containing adamantyl groups were especially well retained on Sumichiral OA7500 β-methylated cyclodextrin bonded silica columns relative to many other types of molecules. Two new Mitsunobu reagents, bis-(1-adamantylmethyl) azodicarboxylate (BadMAD) and bis-(2-(1-adamantyl)ethyl) azodicarboxylate (BadEAD), were prepared, used in typical Mitsunobu reactions and separated with both β-methylated cyclodextrin bonded silica and standard silica.     

N-(ethoxycarbonyl)ferrocenecarboxamide: Synthesis and use as the pronucleophile in the Mitsunobu reaction

The title compound has been synthesized in the reaction of ferrocene with ethoxycarbonyl isocyanate in methanesulfonic acid. It has been found that it undergoes N-alkylation with benzyl alcohols under classical Mitsunobu conditions (PPh₃/DEAD). However, in the reaction with cholesterol and stigmasterol O-alkylation with inversion of configuration occurred (confirmed by hydrolysis of the product obtained from cholesterol to epicholesterol). The structure of the product obtained from p-nitrobenzyl alcohol was determined by X-ray diffraction.     

Quinones as Dienophiles in the Diels–Alder Reaction: History and Applications in Total Synthesis

In the canon of reactions available to the organic chemist engaged in total synthesis, the Diels–Alder reaction is among the most powerful and well understood. Its ability to rapidly generate molecular complexity through the simultaneous formation of two carbon? carbon bonds is almost unrivalled, and this is reflected in the great number of reported applications of this reaction. Historically, the use of quinones as dienophiles is highly significant, being the very first example investigated by Diels and Alder. Herein, we review the application of the Diels–Alder reaction of quinones in the total synthesis of natural products. The highlighted examples span some 60 years from the landmark syntheses of morphine (1952) and reserpine (1956) by Gates and Woodward, respectively, through to the present day examples, such as the tetracyclines.