Hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of alpha-aryl-beta-monohalo-alpha-nitrosoethylenes: diastereoselective synthesis of 6-substituted 3-aryl-4-halo-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,2-oxazines.

Treatment of alpha-aryl-beta-bromo(or chloro)-alpha-nitrosoethylene, prepared in situ from alpha-monobromo(or chloro)ketoximes and sodium carbonate in ether at rt, with allytrimethylsilane afforded exclusively trans-(4S,6S)- and trans-(4R,6R)-3-aryl-4-halo-6-(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,2-oxazines 10 albeit in low yields. Similar treatment of beta-halo-alpha-nitrosoethylenes with ethyl vinyl ether, however, gave single stereoisomers, i.e., cis-(4S,6S)- and cis-(4R,6R)-6-ethoxy-4-halo-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,2-oxazines 11, in moderate to good yields. The result is in contrast to the reported predominant formation of trans-11a by a radical reaction. On the other hand, similar reactions with tert-butyl vinyl ether at 30 degrees C gave diastereomeric mixtures of cis-(4S,6S)-, cis-(4R,6R)-, trans-(4S,6R)-, and trans-(4R,6S)-6-(tert-butoxy)-4-halo-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,2-oxazines 12. In contrast to compounds 11, the major isomers have (4S,6R) and (4R,6S) configurations. The tendency of a 4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction is consistent with that observed in the Diels-Alder reaction with inverse-electron demand. The stereochemistries of compounds 10-12 were assigned on the basis of the (1)H NMR coupling constants, which were unambiguously determined by the decoupling experiments. All reactions leading to compounds 10-12 proceed with very high regioselectivity. Diastereoselectivity and high regioselectivity are understood in terms of the frontier orbital method. It has been found that cis-12g is isomerized to a mixture of stereoisomers in favor of the trans-isomer in the presence of HClO(4) (72%) in CHCl(3) at rt.