Bioinspired Intramolecular Diels–Alder Reaction: A Rapid Access to the Highly‐Strained Cyclopropane‐Fused Polycyclic Skeleton

A bioinsipred gold‐catalyzed tandem Diels–Alder/Diels–Alder reaction of an enynal and a 1,3‐diene, forming the highly‐strained benzotricyclo[3.2.1.0^2,7]octane skeleton, was reported. In contrast, a Diels–Alder/Friedel–Crafts tandem reaction occurred instead when silver salts were used as the catalyst. Although both reactions experienced the similar Diels–Alder reaction of a pyrylium intermediate with a 1,3‐diene, they have different reaction mechanisms. The former proceeded with a stepwise Diels–Alder reaction, while the latter one with a concerted one.     

exo‐Selective Asymmetric Diels–Alder Reaction Catalyzed by Diamine Salts as Organocatalysts

An organocatalyst formed from a binaphthyl‐substituted diamine and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid exhibited unprecedented levels of exo selectivity in the Diels–Alder reaction of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes with cyclopentadiene. A novel axially chiral diamine was also designed as an organocatalyst for an asymmetric variant of this reaction, in which the desired cycloadducts were formed with high diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities. The highest diastereoselectivity observed was greater than 20:1 in favor of the exo cycloadduct in the asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction of crotonaldehyde with cyclopentadiene.     

Fourfold Diels–Alder Reaction of Tetraethynylsilane

A series of ethynylated silanes, including tetraethynylsilane, was treated with tetraphenylcyclopentadienone at 300 °C under microwave irradiation to give the aromatized Diels–Alder adducts as sterically encumbered mini‐dendrimers with up to 20 benzene rings. The sterically most congested adducts display red‐shifted emission through intramolecular π–π interactions in the excited state.     

1,4‐Cyclohexadienes—Easy Access to a Versatile Building Block via Transition‐Metal‐Catalysed Diels–Alder Reactions

1,4‐Cyclohexadiene derivatives are easily accessed via transition‐metal cycloadditions of 1,3‐dienes with alkynes. The mild reaction conditions of several transition‐metal‐catalysed reactions allows the incorporation of various functional groups to access functionalised 1,4‐cyclohexadienes. The control of the regiochemistry in the intermolecular cobalt‐catalysed Diels–Alder reaction is realised utilising different ligand designs. The functionalised 1,4‐cyclohexadiene derivatives are valuable building blocks in follow‐up transformations. Finally, the oxidation of the 1,4‐cyclohexadienes can be accomplished under mild conditions to generate the corresponding arene derivatives.     

The Diels–Alder Reaction in Total Synthesis

The Diels–Alder reaction has both enabled and shaped the art and science of total synthesis over the last few decades to an extent which, arguably, has yet to be eclipsed by any other transformation in the current synthetic repertoire. With myriad applications of this magnificent pericyclic reaction, often as a crucial element in elegant and programmed cascade sequences facilitating complex molecule construction, the Diels–Alder cycloaddition has afforded numerous and unparalleled solutions to a diverse range of synthetic puzzles provided by nature in the form of natural products. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Alder's birth, selected examples of the awesome power of the reaction he helped to discover are discussed in this review in the context of total synthesis to illustrate its overall versatility and underscore its vast potential which has yet to be fully realized.     

Organic Chemistry of Graphene: The Diels–Alder Reaction

Herein, by using dispersion‐corrected density functional theory, we investigated the Diels–Alder chemistry of pristine and defective graphene. Three dienes were considered, namely 2,3‐dimethoxy‐1,3‐butadiene (DMBD), 9‐methylanthracene (9MA), and 9,10‐dimethylanthracene (910DMA). The dienophiles that were assayed were tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and maleic anhydride (MA). When pristine graphene acted as the dienophile, we found that the cycloaddition products were 47–63 kcal mol^?1 less stable than the reactants, thus making the reaction very difficult. The presence of Stone–Wales translocations, 585 double vacancies, or 555‐777 reconstructed double vacancies did not significantly improve the reactivity because the cycloaddition products were still located at higher energy than the reactants. However, for the addition of 910DMA to single vacancies, the product showed comparable stability to the separated reactants, whereas for unsaturated armchair edges the reaction was extremely favorable. With regards the reactions with dienophiles, for TCNE, the cycloaddition product was metastable. In the case of MA, we observed a reaction product that was less stable than the reactants by 50 kcal mol^?1. For the reactions between graphene as a diene and the dienophiles, we found that the most‐promising defects were single vacancies and unsaturated armchair edges, because the other three defects were much‐less reactive. Thus, we conclude that the reactions with these above‐mentioned dienes may proceed on pristine or defective sheets with heating, despite being endergonic. The same statement also applies to the dienophile maleic anhydride. However, for TCNE, the reaction is only likely to occur onto single vacancies or unsaturated armchair edges. We conclude that the dienophile character of graphene is slightly stronger than its behavior as a diene.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Tandem Hydroamination/Formal Aza‐Diels–Alder Reaction of Homopropargyl Amino Esters: A Combined Computational and Experimental Mechanistic Study

A tandem gold‐catalyzed hydroamination/formal aza‐Diels–Alder reaction is described. This process, which employs quaternary homopropargyl amino ester substrates, leads to the formation of an intrincate tetracyclic framework and involves the generation of four bonds and five stereocenters in a highly diastereoselective manner. Theoretical calculations have allowed us to propose a suitable mechanistic rationalization for the tandem protocol. Additionally, by studying the influence of the ligands on the rate of the gold‐catalyzed reactions, it was possible to establish optimum conditions in which to perform the process with a variety of substituents on the amino ester substrates. Notably, the asymmetric version of the tandem reaction was also evaluated.     

Direct Access to Multifunctionalized Norcamphor Scaffolds by Asymmetric Organocatalytic Diels–Alder Reactions

A general organocatalytic cross‐dienamine activation strategy to produce chiral multifunctionalized norcamphor compounds having a large diversity in substitution pattern is presented. The strategy is based on a Diels–Alder reaction of an amino‐activated cyclopentenone reacting with most common classes of electron‐deficient olefins, such as nitro‐, ester‐, amide‐, and cyano‐substituted olefins, chalcones, conjugated malononitriles, CF₃‐substituted enones, and fumarates. The corresponding norcamphor derivatives are formed in good yield, excellent enantioselectivities, and with complete diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that quaternary stereocenters and spiro norcamphor compounds can be formed with high stereoselectivity. The present development provides a simple, direct, and efficient approach for the preparation of important norcamphor scaffolds.     

Cascade Olefin Isomerization/Intramolecular Diels–Alder Reaction Catalyzed by N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes

The addition of an N‐heterocyclic carbene to the carbonyl group of an α,β,γ,δ‐unsaturated enol ester affords a hemiacetal azolium intermediate that enables a cascade olefin isomerization/Diels–Alder reaction, for which mechanistic studies implicate Lewis base catalysis. Preliminary studies into the utility of the products have been undertaken with reductive and oxidative cleavage, giving materials for potential use in complex‐target synthesis.