Chiral ruthenium Lewis acid-catalyzed nitrile oxide cycloadditions

The synthesis of the chiral ligand (R,R)-BIPHOP-F is detailed. Its coordination to a cationic cyclopentadienyl ruthenium fragment generates [Ru (acetone)(R,R)-BIPHOP-F)Cp][SbF₆], a transition metal Lewis acid that catalyzes the [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition reaction between aryl nitrile oxides and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to give chiral 2-isoxazolines with yields of 43-98% and asymmetric purity of 60-93% ee. The stereochemistry of the major enantiomer is S, consistent with an approach of the nitrile oxide to the C_α-Si face of the enal in the anti-s-trans conformation in the catalyst site.     

Stable nitrile oxide dipolar cycloadditions in pure water

A systematic study on the behaviour of stable 2,4,6-trimethyl-3,5-dichlorobenzonitrile oxide versus a number of mono-, bi- and trisubstituted dipolarophiles in water was pursued obtaining simple as well as annulated isoxazolines. Reaction conditions changed with the dipolarophilic species, according to their solubility in water and the degree of substitution of the reactive carbon-carbon multiple bond. The presence of sodium dodecylsulfate was also tested as potential micellar catalyst.     

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.     

Formation of functionalized cyclic ethers by intramolecular nitrile oxide cycloadditions

The reaction of O-trimethylsilyl α-bromo aldoximes with unsaturated alcohols produces oximino ethers which can be readily oxidized with sodium hypochlorite. The transient nitrile oxide intermediate formed undergoes spontaneous cyclization affording fused isoxazolines. MM2 calculations help rationalize the observed stereoselectivity.     

The effect of ionic liquids on the outcome of nitrile oxide cycloadditions

Nitrile oxide cycloadditions between benzonitrile oxide and a series of alkenes were investigated in ionic liquids and molecular solvents. The regioselectivity of the process alters on changing solvent type, with the steric requirements of the reaction being increased in ionic liquids. The rate of the cycloaddition process was found to be faster in ionic liquid solvents, and a concomitant increase in the rate of dimerisation of the nitrile oxide starting material was also observed.     

Stereoselectivity of nitrile oxide cycloadditions to chiral allylic fluorides: experiment and theory

The cycloadditions of nitrile oxides with new and previously studied allylic fluorides were examined. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions were also investigated theoretically with density functional theory (B3LYP) based transition-state modelling. The predictions provided reasonable agreement with experiment, indicating that both steric and electronic effects have important influences on the stereoselectivities of these reactions.     

Stereoselective syntheses of epothilones A and B via nitrile oxide cycloadditions and related studies

The expedient and fully stereocontrolled synthesis of epothilones A and B are described. The routes described make extensive study of nitrile oxide cycloadditions as surrogates for aldol addition reactions and have led to the realization of a highly convergent synthesis based on the Kanemasa hydroxyl-directed nitrile oxide cycloaddition. As well, our synthetic efforts have led to the development of new reaction methodologies and served as the proving ground for several modern methods for asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation.     

Phenylsulfonyl as a directing group for nitrile oxide cycloadditions and mCPBA epoxidations

An unexpected selectivity trend in the nitrile oxide cycloaddition and epoxidation reactions of 4,4-disubstituted cyclopentenes is reported. A variety of facially distinct, ‘X-’ and ‘Y-substituted’ cyclopentenes were investigated.     

Mechanism of cooperative catalysis in a lewis Acid promoted nickel-catalyzed dual C-h activation reaction

The mechanism of cooperativity offered by AlMe(3) in a Ni-catalyzed dehydrogenative cycloaddition between substituted formamides and an alkyne is investigated by using DFT(SMD(toluene)/M06/6-31G**) methods. The preferred pathway is identified to involve dual C-H activation, with first a higher barrier formyl C(sp(2))-H oxidative insertion followed by benzylic methyl C(sp(3))-H activation. The cooperativity is traced to be of kinetic origin as evidenced by stabilized transition states when AlMe(3) is bound to the formyl group, particularly in the oxidative insertion step.     

Stereoconvergent and stepwise 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of nitrile oxides and nitrile imines

The first example of stereoconvergent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides and nitrile imines with E/Z isomeric mixture of electron-deficient olefins is reported, delivering isoxazolines and pyrazolines bearing two vicinal stereogenic tertiary and trifluoromethylated quaternary carbon centers with perfect regioand diastereoselectivities. The possibility of concerted cycloaddition/epimerization sequence under basic condition to form the thermodynamically stable diastereomers is excluded th...     

Beyond azide-alkyne click reaction: easy access to 18F-labelled compounds via nitrile oxide cycloadditions

Radiofluorinated 4-fluorobenzonitrile oxide and N-hydroxy-4-fluorobenzimidoyl chloride rapidly react with different alkenes and alkynes under mild conditions. These cycloadditions are suitable for the preparation of low-molecular weight radiopharmaceuticals and, in a strain-promoted variant, can enable easy labelling of sensitive biopolymers.     

1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of cyclopentadienones with nitrile TV-oxides

The cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides with several substituted cyclopentadienones leads to the formation of condensed mono-isoxazolines (3α,5-bis-substituted-6,6α-diphenyl-3αH,4H,6αH-cyclopenta[2,3-d]isoxazol-4-ones) and in some cases to bis-isoxazoline derivatives as minor products. The cycloaddition to mono-adducts is regioselective and only one regioisomer is formed, which can be predicted after consideration of the frontier molecular orbitals of the reacting species. The spectral data of the isoxazolines 3–7 are examined, whereas their structure was fully characterized by X-ray analysis.     

Intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of aliphatic nitrile oxides

Treatment of functionalized 1-chloro-oximes ( 3c and 4a,b ) with triethylamine originates nitrile oxides ( 1c and 2a,b ) which undergo an intramolecular cycloaddition providing fused-ring isoxazole derivatives ( 7c and 8a,b ). The latter reaction was not observed for one substrate ( 2c ).     

Diastereoselective nitrile oxide cycloadditions to chiral allyl ethers derived from 1,1-dithio-3-buten-2-ols

Highly diastereoselective cycloaddition of nitrile oxides to the title compounds gives masked polyfunctional products amenable to a variety of synthetic elaboration; an entry to enantiomerically pure derivatives is described.     

Intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of norbornadiene-tethered nitrile oxides.

Efficient routes to the synthesis of norbornadiene-tethered nitrile oxides have been developed, and their intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions were studied. The cycloadditions occurred in good yields for a variety of substrates and were found to be highly regio- and stereoselective, giving single regio- and stereoisomers in most cases.     

Activation of nitriles by hydrogen bonding in cycloadditions with nitrile oxides

The dipolarophilic activity of aromatic nitriles in cycloaddition with benzonitrile oxides is remarkably enhanced by ortho-acylamino substituents. The activation depends upon the solvent and can be ascribed to a hydrogen bond which assists cycloaddition.     

Molecular sieve 4 Å generates nitrile oxides from hydroximoyl chlorides. Development of catalyzed enantioselective nitrile oxide cycloadditions to monosubstituted alkenes

The effective generation of nitrile oxide 1,3-dipoles from hydroximoyl chlorides can be achieved with powdered molecular sieves 3 Å and 4 Å as mild solid bases. Rate of nitrile oxide generation depends upon the choice of reaction solvents, among which alcohols are the best media. A catalytic process is achieved by use of a catalytic amount of amine in the presence of MS 4 Å leading to the amine-catalytic generation of nitrile oxides. This new synthetic method can be applied to the catalytic enantioselective nitrile oxide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with monosubstituted alkenes.     

Reversal of regioselectivity and enhancement of rates of nitrile oxide cycloadditions through transient attachment of dipolarophiles to cyclodextrins

The reactions of nitrile oxides with monosubstituted dipolarophiles, such as propiolamide, typically afford proportionally 80 % or more of the 3,5-disubstituted cycloadducts. By contrast, the reactions of 6(A)-deoxy-6(A)-propynamido-beta-cyclodextrin with 4-tert-butylbenzonitrile oxide and 4-phenylbenzonitrile oxide afford >90 % and approximately 85 % of the corresponding 3,4-disubstituted isoxazoles, respectively. As well as reversing the regioselectivity, the cyclodextrin increases the rates of these cycloadditions. The extent of the acceleration is up to more than three orders of magnitude for the production of the cycloadduct preferred by the cyclodextrin, but even the rate of reaction to give the less favored regioisomer is increased. With 6(A)-deoxy-6(A)-propynamido-beta-cyclodextrin, the cycloadducts are not easily separated from the cyclodextrin, as the amide bond is not readily cleaved. In comparison, the regioselectivity of the cycloadditions of 4-tert-butylbenzonitrile oxide with acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and crotonic acid is also altered by formation of the corresponding cyclodextrin esters, by factors of 500, >10, and >100, respectively. The rates of cycloaddition are also increased by up to 475 times, and in these cases the products of cycloaddition are readily released from the cyclodextrin through ester hydrolysis. Incorporating these processes into a reaction cycle, acylation of beta-cyclodextrin with p-nitrophenyl acrylate and subsequent treatment first with 4-tert-butylbenzonitrile oxide and then with base, the latter to catalyze ester hydrolysis and regenerate the beta-cyclodextrin, affords proportionally fivefold more of the 3,4-disubstituted isoxazoline than is produced directly from acrylic acid.