Regio- and stereoselective synthesis of tetrahydroindolysines,tetrahydropyridin-6-olates,and cyclopropanes from pyridinium ylides and unsaturated nitriles

The regio- and stereoselectivity of the reactions of pyridinium ylides with unsaturated nitriles are dependent on the electronic nature of the substituent in position 3 of the pyridine ring. The reaction of 1-carbamoylmethylide-3-cyanopyridinium with arylmethylenemalononitriles or arylmethylcyanoacetic esters proceeds regio- and stereoselectively with the formation of substituted 2-aryl-3-carbamoyl-6-cyano-2,3-trans- or 2,3-cis-1,2,3,8a-tetrahydroindolysines. The condensation of pyridinium 1-carbamoylmethylide with arylmethylenecyanoacetic ether leads to 4-aryl-2-oxo-3-(1-pyridinio)-5-cyano-3,4-trans-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridin-6-olates. The reaction of pyridinium (3-methylpyridinium) 1-carbamoylmethylide with arylmethylenemalononitriles results in the formation of 2-aryl-1,1-dicyano-3-carbamoyl-3-(1-pyridinio)- or (3-methyl-1-pyridinio)-1-propanides, which undergo stereoselective 1,3-transelimination with the formation of 3-aryl-1,1-dicyano-2-carbamoylcyclopropanes.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 146–155. January, 1991.