Syntheses of stereodefined β-alkylidene-γ-lactones and substituted β, γ-unsaturated δ-lactones

1-Trimethylsilyl-1,3-diyne derived trans-bis(trimethylstannyl) enynes undergo stepwise transmetallation with methyllithium to furnish the corresponding enynyllithium reagents. The application, in various orders, of a sequence of transmetallation-protonation-alkylation-hydroxyalkylation-hydroboration-oxidation reactions provides a novel approach to stereo-defined β-alkylidene γ-lactones and β, γ-unsaturated δ-lactones.     

Cycloaddition reactions of sulfonylisothiocyanates with β,β-disubstituted enamines

Sulfonylisothiocyanates 1 and β,β-dimethylenamines 2 react to yield the dipoles 3. In nonpolar solvents an equilibrium exists between 3 and the thietanes 4. The free activation enthalpy for the ring closure 3→4 was obtained from the temperature dependent NMR spectra in liquid sulfur dioxide. Protonation of 3 with perchloric acid leads to the salts 8 which, as indicated by ΔG^≠-values obtained from NMR spectra, are also capable of ring closure.     

Preparation of Protected β2‐ and β3‐Homocysteine, β2‐ and β3‐Homohistidine,and β2‐Homoserine for Solid‐Phase Syntheses

The Ser, Cys, and His side chains play decisive roles in the syntheses, structures, and functions of proteins and enzymes. For our structural and biomedical investigations of β‐peptides consisting of amino acids with proteinogenic side chains, we needed to have reliable preparative access to the title compounds. The two β³‐homoamino acid derivatives were obtained by Arndt–Eistert methodology from Boc‐His(Ts)‐OH and Fmoc‐Cys(PMB)‐OH (Schemes 2–4), with the side‐chain functional groups' reactivities requiring special precautions. The β²‐homoamino acids were prepared with the help of the chiral oxazolidinone auxiliary DIOZ by diastereoselective aldol additions of suitable Ti‐enolates to formaldehyde (generated in situ from trioxane) and subsequent functional‐group manipulations. These include OH→O^tBu etherification (for β²hSer; Schemes 5 and 6), OH→STrt replacement (for β²hCys; Scheme 7), and CH₂OH→CH₂N₃→CH₂NH₂ transformations (for β²hHis; Schemes 9–11). Including protection/deprotection/re‐protection reactions, it takes up to ten steps to obtain the enantiomerically pure target compounds from commercial precursors. Unsuccessful approaches, pitfalls, and optimization procedures are also discussed. The final products and the intermediate compounds are fully characterized by retention times (t_R), melting points, optical rotations, HPLC on chiral columns, IR, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analyses, and (in some cases) by X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis.     

[3+3] Cyclization reactions of β-nitroenamines and β-enaminonitriles with α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid chlorides

New indolizidines, quinolizidines, and octahydro-pyrido[1,2-a]azepines of lactam type were synthesized from 2-nitromethylene-pyrrolidine, -piperidine, and -hexahydroazepine, respectively, by [3+3] cyclizations with α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid chlorides. In the case of quinolizidines, a double bond migration was observed, and explained in terms of amidity percentage. Cyanomethylene-pyrrolidine gave indolizidines of lactam type, while transformations of 1-cyanomethylene-tetrahydoisoquinoline resulted in lactams as well as ketones, when simple open-chain acid chlorides or cinnamoyl chloride were used, respectively.     

Kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of NO3 radicals with a series of alkynes,haloalkenes, and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

Rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of NO₃ radicals with a series of alkynes, haloalkenes, and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes have been determined at 298 ± 2 K using a relative rate technique. Using rate constants for the reactions of NO₃ radicals with ethene and propene of (1.1 ± 0.5) × 10^?16 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 and (7.5 ± 1.6) × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, respectively, the following rate constants (in units of 10^?16 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1) were obtained: acetylene, ≤0.23; propyne, 0.94 ± 0.44; vinyl chloride, 2.3 ± 1.1; 1,1-dichloroethene, 6.6 ± 3.1; cis-1,2-dichloroethene, 0.75 ± 0.35; trans-1,2-dichloroethene, 0.57 ± 0.27; trichloroethene, 1.5 ± 0.7; tetrachloroethene, <0.4; allyl chloride, 2.9 ± 1.3; acrolein, 5.9 ± 2.8; and crotonaldehyde, 41 ± 9. The atmospheric implications of these data are discussed.     

Synthesis and hetero-Michael addition reactions of 2-alkynyl oxazoles and oxazolines

Stereoselective conjugate additions of alcohols, amines, thiols, and halides to C(2)-alkynyl oxazoles and oxazolines provide a versatile entry to heterocyclic building blocks.     

1, 3-Cycloadditions to Highly Substituted,Strained Double Bonds: Spiro β-lactams from α-methylidene-β-lactams by reactions with diphenylnitrilimine,acetonitrile oxide,nitrones, and diazomethane

Substituted dihydropyrazole-spiro-β-lactams and isoxazolidine-spiro-β-lactam derivatives are regio- and stereoselectively prepared by 1, 3-cydoadditions between substituted α-methylidene-β-lactams and diazomethane, nitrones, or the in-situ-prepared dipoles ‘diphenylnitrilimine’ and acetonitrile oxide. These reactions represent examples for 1, 3-cycloadditions to the highly substituted, strained double bonds of α-methylidene-β-lactams, and they need special experimental conditions as all reaction products are relatively unstable. Especially in solution, the reverse reaction is highly favoured. Regioselectivity and stereoselectivity of the reactions are elucidated mainly by NMR techniques such as 2D-INEPT, ATP, and NOE experiments.     

Synthesis of α‐alkenyl‐β‐hydroxy adducts by α‐addition of unprotected 4‐bromocrotonic acid and amides with aldehydes and ketones by chromium(II)‐mediated reactions

The regioselective and diastereoselective chromium(II)‐mediated reactions of 4‐bromocrotonic acid or amides with aldehydes and ketones can proceed without the need to protect protic sites to generate the respective α‐alkenyl‐β‐hydroxy adducts, i.e. formally the addition of the α‐anion of a carboxylic acid or amide to an oxo‐compound is featured. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CuI/amino acid catalysis in coupling and cyclization of β‐bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids with terminal alkynes leading to alkylidenefuranones

β‐Bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids are coupled and cyclized with terminal alkynes in DMF at 110°C in the presence of a catalytic amount of CuI and amino acid along with a base to give alkylidenefuranones in good yields. Similar reaction under microwave irradiation also gave alkylidenefuranones in higher yields. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mukaiyama addition of (trimethylsilyl)acetonitrile to dimethyl acetals mediated by trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate

(Trimethylsilyl)acetonitrile reacts smoothly with dimethyl acetals in the presence of stoichiometric trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) to yield β-methoxynitriles. The ideal substrates for this reaction are acetals derived from aromatic aldehydes. Elimination to the corresponding α,β-unsaturated nitriles is observed as the major product in the case of electron-rich acetals. A mechanistic hypothesis that includes isomerization of the silylnitrile to a nucleophilic N-silyl ketene imine is presented.     

Diastereoselective michael addition of nitrogen and sulfur-nucleophiles to α,β-unsaturated δ-thiolactams

5,6-Dihydropyridine-2-thiones 2 are synthesized from 5,6-dihydropyridin-2-ones 1 and Lawesson reagent. Stereoselective Michael-like addition of amines, methylhydrazine or functionalized thiols affords trans piperidine-2-thiones 5 with the corresponding heterosubstituent in position 4 as major products. The configuration of the adducts 5 was determined by nmr-techniques.     

β‐Peptide Conjugates: Syntheses and CD and NMR Investigations of β/α‐Chimeric Peptides,of a DPA‐β‐Decapeptide,and of a PEGylated β‐Heptapeptide

β³‐Peptides consisting of six, seven, and ten homologated proteinogenic amino acid residues have been attached to an α‐heptapeptide (all d‐ amino acid residues; 4 ), to a hexaethylene glycol chain (PEGylation; 5c ), and to dipicolinic acid (DPA derivative 6 ), respectively. The conjugation of the β‐peptides with the second component was carried out through the N‐termini in all three cases. According to NMR analysis (CD₃OH solutions), the (M)‐3₁₄‐helical structure of the β‐peptidic segments was unscathed in all three chimeric compounds (Figs. 2, 4, and 5). The α‐peptidic section of the α/β‐peptide was unstructured, and so was the oligoethylene glycol chain in the PEGylated compound. Thus, neither does the appendage influence the β‐peptidic secondary structure, nor does the latter cause any order in the attached oligomers to be observed by this method of analysis. A similar conclusion may be drawn from CD spectra (Figs. 1, 3, and 5). These results bode well for the development of delivery systems involving β‐peptides.     

Kinetics of the reactions of cyclopropane derivatives. V. The gas-phase unimolecular reactions of 1 α-chloro-2α,3α-dimethylcyclopropane and 1α-chloro-2α,3β-dimethylcyclopropane

Thermolysis of the “all-cis” compound 1α-chloro-2α,3α-dimethylcyclopropane (A) at 550–607 K and 6–115 torr is a first-order homogeneous non-radical-chain process giving penta-1,3-diene (PD) and HCl as products. The Arrhenius parameters are log₁₀A(sec^?1) = 13.92 ± 0.08 and E = 199.6 ± 0.9 kJ/mol. The isomer with trans-methyl groups, 1α-chloro-2α,3β-dimethylcyclopropane (B) reacts by two parallel first-order processes giving as observed products trans-4-chloropent-2-ene (4CP) and PD + HCl, with log₁₀A(sec^?1) = 14.6 and 13.8, respectively, and E = 199.5 and 190.2 kJ/mol, respectively. The 4CP undergoes secondary decomposition to PD + HCl (as investigated previously). Comparison of the results for compounds (A) and (B) with those for other gas-phase and solution reactions leads to the conclusion that the gas-phase thermolyses proceed by rate-determining ring opening to form olefins which may decompose further by thermal or chemically activated reactions, and that the ring opening is a semiionic electrocyclic reaction in which alkyl groups in the 2,3-positions trans to the migrating chlorine semianion move apart, with appropriate consequences for the rate of reaction and the stereochemistry of the products.     

Tandem epoxysilane rearrangement/Wittig-type reactions using γ-phosphinoyl- and γ-phosphonio-α,β-epoxysilane

Reaction of γ-phosphinoyl- and γ-phosphonio-α,β-epoxysilane with a base followed by addition of a ketone or an aldehyde afforded dienol silyl ether derivatives via a tandem process that involves base-induced ring opening of the epoxide, Brook rearrangement, and Wittig-type reaction.     

Enantioselective Syntheses of Substituted γ‐Butyrolactones

The previously described chiral 2‐acyloxathianes 5 (Scheme I) are used in two different enantioselective syntheses of γ‐butyrolactones. In one synthesis, Grignard addition, cleavage and reduction to carbinols RR'C(OH)CH₂OH is followed by tosylation, malonate homologation, lactonization, and removal of the carbomethoxy group to give optically active γ‐lactones. A modification of this synthesis (Scheme I) leads to optically active α‐methylene‐γ‐lactones. In the second synthesis, reaction of a bromomagnesium enolate with ketones 5 leads to β‐hydroxyesters, which, by appropriate sequences of reduction and cleavage (Scheme II) are converted to optically active α‐ or β‐hydroxy‐γ‐lactones.     

Syntheses of Racemic and Scalemic cis‐Chrysanthemic Acid from β,γ‐Unsaturated Cyclohexanol

2,2,5,5‐Tetramethylcyclohexane‐1,3‐dione is a valuable starting‐material precursor of cis‐chrysanthemic acid. The (1S)‐stereoisomer is a precursor of pyrethrin I, the most active natural insecticide from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium, whereas the (1R)‐stereoisomer is efficiently transformed to deltamethrin, the most active commercially available pyrethroid insecticide. Several intermediates have been identified and used with variable success for that purpose.     

Condensation of α- and β-acetylnaphthalene with dimethy1 β,β-dimethyl glutarate

α- and β-Acetylnaphthalenes condensed with dimethyl β,β-dimethyl glutarate in the presence of sodium hydride to give the corresponding half-esters, the E-isomers 2a and 2b being predominant. The structure and configuration of the half-esters were characterized by chemical and spectroscopic means.