Addition Reactions of Imines and Iminium Ions

Imines and iminium ions are nitrogen analogs of carbonyl compounds, and they undergo nucleophilic additions like those involved in aldol condensations. The reactivity order is C=NR C=0 [C=NR2] + [C=OH] +. Because iminium ions are more reactive than imines, condensations involving imines are frequently run under acidic conditions where the imine is protonated. 

Visual models, additional information and exercises on Proline-Catalyzed Aldol Reactions can be found in the Digital Resource available at Springer.com/carey-sundberg. 

Addition of enols, enolates, or enolate equivalents to imines or iminium ions provides an important route to (3-amino ketones. 

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SECTION 2.2. ADDITION REACTIONS OF IMINES AND IMINIUM IONS... 

The direct observation of this reaction is difficult because of the small equilibrium constant for imine formation. This type of reaction is therefore commonly studied by trapping the imine as it is formed with hydroxylamine, which reacts rapidly to form an oxime. Because the equilibrium constant for formation of the imine between methyl amine and acetone is so small, the equilibrium is established very rapidly. (The observed rate constant for a reaction proceeding to an equilibrium position is larger than the first-order rate constant for the forward reaction [7].) Thus the addition of methylamine and acetone to an aqueous solution results in the establishment of an equilibrium concentration of imine (and iminium ion) in several seconds. In several studies described below wherein reactions subsequent to imine formation occur, it is common to find a presumption of rapid imine equilibria prior to the slower o-proton abstraction or decarboxylation events that occur subsequently. 

R. A. Batey in Boronic acids preparation and applications in organic synthesis and medicine (D. Hall, Ed.). Wiley-VCH Verlag GmhH, Weinheim, Germany, 2005, pp. 279-304. NucleophUic addition reactions of aryl and alkenylboronic acids and their derivatives to imines and iminium ions. 

Nucleophilic Addition Reactions of Aryl and Alkenylboronic Acids and Their Derivatives to Imines and Iminium Ions... 

The Exterior Frontier Orbital Extension (EFOE) model has been applied to predict r-facial selectivity in nucleophilic additions to imines and iminium ions of the cyclohexanone, tropinone, and adamantan-2-one systems." A review of the EFOE model," and other references to its use, are described later under Regio-, Enantio-, and Diastereo-selective Aldol Reactions. 

The reductive couphng of imines can follow different pathways, depending on the nature of the one-electron reducing agent (cathode, metal, low-valent metal salt), the presence of a protic or electrophihc reagent, and the experimental conditions (Scheme 2). Starting from the imine 7, the one-electron reduction is facihtated by the preliminary formation of the iminiiim ion 8 by protonation or reaction with an electrophile, e.g., trimethylsilyl (TMS) chloride. Alternatively, the radical anion 9 is first formed by direct reduction of the imine 7, followed by protonation or reaction with the electrophile, so giving the same intermediate a-amino radical 10. The 1,2-diamine 11 can be formed from the radical 10 by dimerization (and subsequent removal of the electrophile) or addition to the iminium ion 8, followed by one-electron reduction of the so formed aminyl radical. In certain cases/conditions the radical 9 can be further reduced to the carbanion 12, which then attacks the... 

Iminium ions are intermediates in a group of reactions that form ,( -unsaturated compounds having structures corresponding to those formed by mixed aldol addition followed by dehydration. These reactions are catalyzed by amines or buffer systems containing an amine and an acid and are referred to as Knoevenagel condensations,2U The reactive electrophile is probably the protonated form of the imine, since it is a more reactive electrophile than the corresponding carbonyl compound.212... 

Clerici and Porta reported that phenyl, acetyl and methyl radicals add to the Ca atom of the iminium ion, PhN+Me=CHMe, formed in situ by the titanium-catalyzed condensation of /V-methylanilinc with acetaldehyde to give PhNMeCHMePh, PhNMeCHMeAc, and PhNMeCHMe2 in 80% overall yield.83 Recently, Miyabe and co-workers studied the addition of various alkyl radicals to imine derivatives. Alkyl radicals generated from alkyl iodide and triethylborane were added to imine derivatives such as oxime ethers, hydrazones, and nitrones in an aqueous medium.84 The reaction also proceeds on solid support.85 A-sulfonylimines are also effective under such reaction conditions.86 Indium is also effective as the mediator (Eq. 11.49).87 A tandem radical addition-cyclization reaction of oxime ether and hydrazone was also developed (Eq. 11.50).88 Li and co-workers reported the synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives and amines via the addition of simple alkyl halides to imines and enamides mediated by zinc in water (Eq. 11.51).89 The zinc-mediated radical reaction of the hydrazone bearing a chiral camphorsultam provided the corresponding alkylated products with good diastereoselectivities that can be converted into enantiomerically pure a-amino acids (Eq. 11.52).90... 

In Section 7.7.2 we met enamines as products from addition-elimination reactions of secondary amines with aldehydes or ketones. Enamines are formed instead of imines because no protons are available on nitrogen for the final deprotonation step, and the nearest proton that can be lost from the iminium ion is that at the P-position. 

The vinylogous Mannich reaction of 2 silyloxy furans and imines may also be catalyzed through chiral Brpnsted acids, as shown by Akiyama et al. [10]. Previously, Akiyama [11] and Terada [12] had independently discovered that 3,3 substituted BINOL based phosphoric acids were excellent Bronsted acids for a broad range of mainly imine addition reactions via protonation of the imines and in situ formation of chiral iminium contact ion pairs. Using the slightly modified phosphoric acid 28 as catalyst carrying additional iodine substituents in the 6,6 positions, the y amino substituted butenolides 27 were obtained in excellent enantioselectivity and variable diastereoselectivity (Table 5.4). 

The characteristic feature of the Ugi reaction s is the a-addition of an iminium ion (40) and the anion X of a suitable acid HX to an isocyanide, followed by a spontaneous rearrangement of the a-adduct (41) into a stable oi-aminocarboxamide derivative (42).2n 6. 6.37 Carbonyl compounds (4) and amines (43), or their condensation products, such as the imines, en-amines and aminals, in combination with the acid HX are generally the source of the iminium ion (40) and the anion. 

Although this review concerns those reactions catalyzed by iminium ion formation, it is important to note that there are enzymatic reactions that could logically be catalyzed by iminium ion formation but which are not. Yeast aldolase, for example, is the best known case [26] (see Ch. 6). This enzyme is metal ion dependent, does not demonstrate the loss activity in the presence of both substrate and borohydride, and is sensitive to inhibition by EDTA. The reaction catalyzed by this enzyme is identical to that catalyzed by the imine-forming enzyme, and even has evolved to exhibit the same retention stereochemistry. Another example is A -3-oxosteroid reductase which is responsible for the NADPH-dependent reduction of the enone double bond to the corresponding dihydrosteroid [124]. Even though iminium ion formation would increase the reactivity of this substrate toward the -hydride addition, a demonstrated lack of the required oxygen exchange proves that this does not occur. 

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