A novel and facile stereocontrolled synthetic method for polyhydro-quinolines and pyridopyridazines via a diene-transmissive Diels-Alder reaction involving inverse electron-demand hetero Diels-Alder cycloaddition of cross-conjugated azatrienes

Cross-conjugated azatrienes bearing an electron-withdrawing sulfonyl or benzoyl group on the nitrogen atom underwent, on heating or in the presence of a Lewis acid (TMSOTf), an initial inverse electron-demand hetero Diels-Alder reaction with electron-rich dienophiles (vinyl ether, vinyl thioether, and allenyl ether) to produce 1:1 cycloadducts with high endo selectivity. The initial cycloadducts thus obtained underwent a second Diels-Alder reaction stereoselectively on the newly formed diene unit with electron-deficient dienophiles to give the crossed bis-cycloadducts, octahydroquinolines, with high diastereo-π-facial selectivity. The N-sulfonylazatrienes tethering an ortho-cinnamyloxyphenyl dienophile at the triene terminal underwent an initial intramolecular hetero Diels-Alder reaction of the inverse electron-demand type. The subsequent second Diels-Alder reaction of the formed mono-cycloadducts completed the diene-transmissive hetero Diels-Alder protocol to give benzopyrano[3,4-c]quinolines in a highly stereoselective manner.     

A novel and efficient stereo-controlled synthesis of hexahydroquinolinones via the diene-transmissive hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of cross-conjugated azatrienes with ketenes and electrophilic dienophiles

The diene-transmissive hetero-Diels-Alder (DTHDA) reactions of cross-conjugated azatrienes (divinylimines or penta-1,4-dien-3-imines) having an N-aryl, N-alkyl, or N-dimethylamino substituent have been examined. The initial reaction of the azatrienes with diphenylketene at room temperature yielded β-lactams of [2+2] cycloadducts, which upon heating underwent [1,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement to produce the formal [4+2] cycloadducts. The reaction of N-phenylazatriene with dimethylketene or dichloroketene produced the [2+2] cycloadducts only, while the reaction of N-(dimethylamino)azatriene with dichloroketene gave the [4+2] cycloadduct without heating. When the [2+2] cycloadduct has two different vinyl substituents at C-4 of the β-lactam ring, the regioselectivity of the rearrangement depends on steric factors and the electronic demand of the substituents. The second Diels-Alder reaction of the initial [4+2] cycloadducts with electron-deficient dienophiles (TCNE, N-phenylmaleimide) stereoselectively yielded hexahydroquinolinone derivatives. Similarly, a tandem intermolecular-intramolecular mode of the aza-DTHDA reactions produced tetracyclic nitrogen-containing heterocycles in a regio- and stereoselective manner.