Alcohols, allylic with aziridines

A definite improvement in the synthesis of A -methoxy aziridines was achieved by substituting boron trifluoride with trimethylsilyl triflate and diethyl ether with dichloromethane"9. In this way, the A -methoxy aziridines were obtained in good yields from a variety of linear and cyclic alkenes, e.g., 6-8. For comparison, the aziridine 8 was obtained in 50% yield by using boron trifluoride- diethyl ether complex in dichloromethane. Complex product mixtures were obtained with allyl and crotyl alcohols and with cyclohexenone. Further transformation of the A -methoxy aziridines into the N-H aziridines was possible using sodium/ ammonia reduction, e.g., 9. 

The commonest of these for oxirane opening are amines and azide ion [amide ions promote isomerization to allylic alcohols (Section 5.05.3.2.2)]. Reaction with azide can be used in a sequence for converting oxiranes into aziridines (Scheme 49) and this has been employed in the synthesis of the heteroannulenes (57) and (58) (80CB3127, 79AG(E)962). 

Aziridine lactone 235 (Scheme 3.87) underwent ring-opening with allyl alcohol to give a 53% yield of a-amino lactone 236, which was successfully transformed to the unnatural enantiomer of polyoxamic acid (—)-237 [32],... 

The metal catalyst is not absolutely required for the aziridination reaction, and other positive nitrogen sources may also be used. After some years of optimization of the reactions of alkenes with positive nitrogen sources in the presence of bromine equivalents, Sharpless et al. reported the utility of chloramine-T in alkene aziridinations [24]. Electron-rich or electron-neutral alkenes react with the anhydrous chloramines and phenyltrimethylammonium tribromide in acetonitrile at ambient temperature, with allylic alcohols being particularly good substrates for the reaction (Schemes 4.18 and 4.19). 

The (3-elimination of epoxides to allylic alcohols on treatment with strong base is a well studied reaction [la]. Metalated epoxides can also rearrange to allylic alcohols via (3-C-H insertion, but this is not a synthetically useful process since it is usually accompanied by competing a-C-H insertion, resulting in ketone enolates. In contrast, aziridine 277 gave allylic amine 279 on treatment with s-BuLi/(-)-spar-teine (Scheme 5.71) [97]. By analogy with what is known about reactions of epoxides with organolithiums, this presumably proceeds via the a-metalated aziridine 278 [101]. 

Table 12.4 Bromine-catalyzed aziridination of allylic alcohols with anhydrous TsNCINa. a]...

The stereochemistry of the first step was ascertained by an X-ray analysis [8] of an isolated oxazaphospholidine 3 (R = Ph). The overall sequence from oxi-rane to aziridine takes place with an excellent retention of chiral integrity. As the stereochemistry of the oxirane esters is determined by the chiral inductor during the Sharpless epoxidation, both enantiomers of aziridine esters can be readily obtained by choosing the desired antipodal tartrate inductor during the epoxidation reaction. It is relevant to note that the required starting allylic alcohols are conveniently prepared by chain elongation of propargyl alcohol as a C3 synthon followed by an appropriate reduction of the triple bond, e. g., with lithium aluminum hydride [6b]. 

The asymmetric oxidation of organic compounds, especially the epoxidation, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, aziridination, and related reactions have been extensively studied and found widespread applications in the asymmetric synthesis of many important compounds. Like many other asymmetric reactions discussed in other chapters of this book, oxidation systems have been developed and extended steadily over the years in order to attain high stereoselectivity. This chapter on oxidation is organized into several key topics. The first section covers the formation of epoxides from allylic alcohols or their derivatives and the corresponding ring-opening reactions of the thus formed 2,3-epoxy alcohols. The second part deals with dihydroxylation reactions, which can provide diols from olefins. The third section delineates the recently discovered aminohydroxylation of olefins. The fourth topic involves the oxidation of unfunc-tionalized olefins. The chapter ends with a discussion of the oxidation of eno-lates and asymmetric aziridination reactions. 

Stereoselective addition of allyl metal reagents to various functionalities is an important reaction in organic synthesis [32, 33]. The allylation of epoxides and aziridines with allyltin reagent is catalyzed by Lewis acids. Even though many Lewis acids have been reported to catalyze this reaction, Bi(OTf)3 is distinct because it avoids the formation of byproducts and is also environmentally more compatible. It catalyzes the reaction of aryl epoxides with tetraallyltin to afford the corresponding homoallyllic alcohol [34]. 

Asymmetric epoxidation, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, and aziridination reactions have been reviewed.62 The use of the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation method for the desymmetrization of mesa compounds has been reviewed.63 The conformational flexibility of nine-membered ring allylic alcohols results in transepoxide stereochemistry from syn epoxidation using VO(acac)2-hydroperoxide systems in which the hydroxyl group still controls the facial stereoselectivity.64 The stereoselectivity of side-chain epoxidation of a series of 22-hydroxy-A23-sterols with C(19) side-chains incorporating allylic alcohols has been investigated, using m-CPBA or /-BuOOH in the presence of VO(acac)2 or Mo(CO)6-65 The erythro-threo distributions of the products were determined and the effect of substituents on the three positions of the double bond (gem to the OH or cis or trans at the remote carbon) partially rationalized by molecular modelling. 

The nitrogen heterocycles, aziridines, can be made by displacement of an alcohol by an amine after activation. In their synthesis of the antitumour and antibiotic compound 30, whose active region is the aziridine, J. P. Michael and group opened the cyclic sulfite 28 with azide ion. Reaction occurred at the allylic position and with inversion. Activation of the alcohol as a mesylate gave 29 and reduction of the azide to an amine was followed by base-catalysed cyclisation, again with inversion.4... 

Although the reaction in Scheme 10 is a highly efficient procedure, a two-step process was required to prepare aziridines from olefins. Two more convenient methods for the one-step aziridination using CT were discovered by the authors in 1998, one of which involves the iodine-catalyzed aziridination of unfunctionalyzed olefins with CT trihydrate [7b] (Scheme 11). The bromine-catalyzed aziridination of unfunctionalyzed olefins and allylic alcohols with anhydrous CT was reported at the same time [7c], though in this case phenyltrimethylammonium tribromide (PTAB), and not Br2, was used as a catalyst (Scheme 12). These two reactions are applicable to a wide range of olefins, and are considered to proceed by almost the same pathway. 

All types of electrophiles have been used with 2-lithio-l,3-dithiane derivatives, including alkyl halides, sulfonates, sulfates, allylic alcohols, arene-metal complexes, epoxides, aziridines, carbonyl compounds, imines, Michael-acceptors, carbon dioxide, acyl chlorides, esters and lactones, amides, nitriles, isocyanates, disulfides and chlorotrialkylsilanes or stannanes. The final deprotection of the dithioacetal moiety can be carried out by means of different types of reagents in order to regenerate the carbonyl group by heavy metal coordination, alkylation and oxidation184 or it can be reduced to a methylene group with Raney-nickel, sodium or LiAIII4. 

Kawahata and Goodman utilized a chiral aziridine 166 as a simple precursor for the synthesis of / -aminoacids <1999TL2271>. The chiral aziridine is prepared in five steps from the corresponding allylic alcohol via a Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation. A one-electron reduction of aziridine 166 with SmG provided the ring-opened aziridine. Protection of the resulting amine as the BOC-derivative provided a 1.6 1 mixture of the BOC-amino ester diaster-eomers 167a and 167b in 66% yield (Equation 50). 

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