Azabrendanes. III. Synthesis of stereoisomeric exo‐ and endo‐5‐acylaminomethyl‐exo‐2,3‐epoxybicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes and their reduction by lithium aluminum hydride

A number of stereoisomeric N‐[aryl(alkyl, cycloalkyl)carbonyl]‐exo(endo)‐5‐aminomethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐2‐enes have been synthesized from bicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐2‐en‐exo(endo)‐5‐carbonitrile via reduction of the latter by lithium aluminum hydride and subsequent reactions of the resulting amines with aryl(alkyl, cycloalkyl)carbonyl chlorides and anhydrides. The direction of reaction of amides with peroxy acids does not depend on orientation of substituents in the bicyclic fragment: that is, for both exo‐ and endo‐isomers the epoxidations are completed by the formation of N‐[aryl(alkyl, cycloalkyl)carbonyl]‐exo(endo)‐5‐aminomethyl‐exo‐2,3‐epoxybicyclo[2.2.1] heptanes. The reduction of stereoisomeric epoxides by lithium aluminium hydride proceeds in different directions; that is, isomers with an exo‐oriented amido group form the substituted exo‐5‐alkylaminomethyl‐exo‐2,3‐epoxybicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes and the reactions of epoxides of endo‐amides are accompanied by intramolecular cyclization and completed by the formation of N‐[aryl(alkyl, cycloalkyl)]‐exo‐2‐hydroxy‐4‐azatricyclo[4.2.1.0^3,7]nonanes. The structures and stereochemical homogenity of the products have been confirmed by the analysis of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra, correlation spectroscopy, and nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy experiments. We discuss the behavior of epoxides and provide an analysis of the coefficients of the atomic orbitals in the molecular orbital–linear combination of atomic orbitals equation (AM1 method). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 12:119–130, 2001