Aldehydes from nitronic acids

The well-known Robinson-Schbpf reaction has been applied to the synthesis of JZ-adaline (107) from ketoglutaric acid (457), ammonium chloride, and keto-aldehyde (458) (Scheme 58) 338). The second synthesis of starts with nitrone 459 462). Reaction of 459 with pentylmagnesium bromide gave a hydroxylamine (460) which was oxidized to yield a mixture of nitrones 461 and 462. Without separation of the nitrones (461 and 462), successive treatments with allylmagnesium bromide and then mercuric oxide gave a mixture of desired nitrones 466 and 467 and by-product 468. Nitrones 466 and 467 are capable of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and, on heating in chloroform, 466 and 467... 

Because the nitrogen in nitro compounds is at the highest oxidation state, nitro compounds can be oxidized only in the carbon chain to which the nitro group is attached. The oxidation of primary and secondary nitro compounds in the form of their nitronic acids in alkaline medium by potassium permanganate represents a variation of the Nef reaction and gives the same products aldehydes from primary nitro compounds and ketones from secondary nitro compounds (equation 484) [867],... 

This route has been widely exploited because of the availability of a-amino azomethine compoimds from natural (S)-a-amino acids, through the corresponding a-amino aldehydes, which are configurationally stable provided that the amino function is suitably protected. Moreover, some a-amino acids are available with the R configuration and a number of enzymatic and chemical transformations have been described for the preparation of optically active unnatural a-amino acids. Overall, the route suffers from the additional steps required for protection/deprotection of the amino function and, in the case of hydrazones and nitrones, cleavage of the N - N or N - O bond. 

On the other hand, following the same sequences from the differently protected serine-derived nitrone 168, through the formation of hydroxylamines 169, C2 epimers of carboxylic acid and aldehydes are obtained, i.e., (2S,3R)-170 and (2S,3R)-171. Moreover, the syn adducts 164 were exclusively obtained in the addition of Grignard reagents to the nitrone 163, whereas the same reactions on nitrone 168 occurred with a partial loss of diastereoselectivity [80]. Q, j6-Diamino acids (2R,3S)- and (2R,3R)-167 can also be prepared from the a-amino hydroxylamines 164 and 169 by reduction, deprotection and oxidation steps. The diastereoselective addition of acetylide anion to N,N-dibenzyl L-serine phenyhmine has been also described [81]. 

Similarly, chiral nitrones (61a—c) and (62a—c) were obtained from the corresponding a-amino aldehydes (209, 210), nitrones (63a,b) from p-amino-a-hydroxy aldehydes (211), and chiral nitrones (64) and (65) from IV-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl (/V-Fmoc) amino acids and /V-Fmoc-dipeptides (Fig. 2.6) (212). 

Since then, optically active a-aminophosphonates have been obtained by a variety of methods including resolution, asymmetric phosphite additions to imine double bonds and sugar-based nitrones, condensation of optically active ureas with phosphites and aldehydes, catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation, and 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. These approaches have been discussed in a comprehensive review by Dhawan and Redmore.9 More recent protocols involve electrophilic amination of homochiral dioxane acetals,10 alkylation of homochiral imines derived from pinanone11 and ketopinic acid,12 and alkylation of homochiral, bicyclic phosphonamides.13... 

In 2002, Kiindig et al. [23, 24] developed catalytic DCR between diaryl nitrones and a,(3-unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of Binop-F iron and ruthenium complexes as chiral Lewis-acid catalysts (Scheme 6). The corresponding cycloadducts were obtained in good yields with complete endo selectivity and up to 94% ee. The isoxazolidine products were obtained as a mixture of regioi-somers in molar ratios varying from 96 4 to 15 85. Experimental and computational data show that the regioselectivity correlates directly with the electronic properties of the nitrone. 

Vasella has applied the concept of anomeric anion stabilization by a nitro group to the /3-D-JV-acetyl-D-glucosamine derivative 177, available in four steps from N-acetyl-n-glucosamine [52] (Scheme 39). Reaction of the tetraethylammonium nitronate derived from 177 with aldehyde 178 provides anti-179 which then undergoes stereoselectively reduction (see Sect. 2.2.1) to provide -C-glycoside 180, intermediate in a synthesis of N-acetyl-neuraminic acid. 

Typically, oc,0-unsaturated esters, a,0-unsaturated aldehydes and a,0-unsaturated nitriles are poor acceptors for the Lewis acid catalyzed silylallylation procedure, but they are excellent acceptors for the complementary fluoride ion mediated allylation procedure (cf. Volume 4, Chapter 1.2, Section 1.2.2.1.7). Other suitable acceptors include 1,4-quinones,70 a,0-unsaturated acyl cyanides (162),718 silyl ot,0-enoates (163)71b and nitroalkenes (Scheme 26) 72 reduction (titanium(III) trichloride) of the intermediate nitronates arising from nitroalkene allylation affords y,8-enones (166). 

The intramolecular nitrone-alkene cycloaddition reaction of monocyclic 2-azetidinone-tethered alkenyl(alkynyl) aldehydes 211, 214, and 216 with Ar-aIkylhydroxylamincs has been developed as an efficient route to prepare carbacepham derivatives 212, 215, and 217, respectively (Scheme 40). Bridged cycloadducts 212 were further transformed into l-amino-3-hydroxy carbacephams 213 by treatment with Zn in aqueous acetic acid at 75 °C. The aziridine carbaldehyde 217 may arise from thermal sigmatropic rearrangement. However, formation of compound 215 should be explained as the result of a formal reverse-Cope elimination reaction of the intermediate ct-hydroxy-hydroxylamine C1999TL5391, 2000TL1647, 2005EJ01680>. 

As reported in Figure 2.5, nitroolefins (26), easily obtained by nitroaldol condensation between 5-nitro ketones (24) and aldehydes (25), are converted directly into the spiroketals (29) by reduction with sodium boronhydride in methanol. The one-pot reduction-spiroketalization of nitroalkenes (26) probably proceeds via the nitronate (27) that by acidification is converted into carbonyl derivatives, which spontaneously cyclize to emiketals (28). Removal of the tetrahydropyranyl group, by heating the acidic mixture during the workup, affords, in a one-pot reaction from (26), the desired spiroketals in 64-66% overall yields. The spiroketalization of (26)-(29b) proceeds in high ( )-diastereoselectivity. 

The classic Krohnke aldehyde synthesis results from the displacement of pyridinium salts aromatic nitroso compounds to give nitrones which are hydrolyzed to aldehydes.Phenacyl bromide reacts with pyridine and then nitrosobenzene to give phenylglyoxal in 76% yield after acid hy lysis. The pyridinium salts in these reactions must be activated in some way toward displacement to effect efficient conversions. 

Kobayashi et al. found that lanthanide triflates were excellent catalysts for activation of C-N double bonds —activation by other Lewis acids required more than stoichiometric amounts of the acids. Examples were aza Diels-Alder reactions, the Man-nich-type reaction of A-(a-aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles with silyl enol ethers, the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones to alkenes, the 1,2-cycloaddition of diazoesters to imines, and the nucleophilic addition reactions to imines [24], These reactions are efficiently catalyzed by Yb(OTf)3. The arylimines reacted with Danishefsky s diene to give the dihydropyridones (Eq. 14) [25,26], The arylimines acted as the azadienes when reacted with cyclopentadiene, vinyl ethers or vinyl thioethers, providing the tet-rahydroquinolines (Eq. 15). Silyl enol ethers derived from esters, ketones, and thio-esters reacted with N-(a-aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles to give the /5-amino carbonyl compounds (Eq. 16) [27]. The diastereoselectivity was independent of the geometry of the silyl enol ethers, and favored the anti products. Nitrones, prepared in situ from aldehydes and N-substituted hydroxylamines, added to alkenes to afford isoxazoli-dines (Eq. 17) [28]. Addition of diazoesters to imines afforded CK-aziridines as the major products (Eq. 18) [29]. In all the reactions the imines could be generated in situ and the three-component coupling reactions proceeded smoothly in one pot. 

D-Glucose ([52], Fig. 9) has served as an intriguing educt for preparation (31) of the Corey lactone equivalent [59] (32). The iodo compound [53] was readily available from glucose in four steps. Reductive fragmentation, induced by zinc in ethanol, gave the unsaturated aldehyde [54]. Reaction with N-methylhydroxylamine was followed by a spontaneous nitrone cycloaddition to provide the oxazolidine [55]. Catalytic reduction of the N-O bond was accompanied by the unexpected loss of tosylate and aziridine formation. Olefin formation from [56] via the N-oxide and chain extension gave acid [57]. lodolactonization and tri-n-butyltin hydride reduction in the standard fashion led to lactone [58]. After saponification of the benzoates, stereoselective epoxide formation gave epoxy lactone [59]. 

The a-hydrogens of nitroalkanes are appreciably acidic due to resonance stabilization of the anion [CH3NO2, 10.2 CH3CH2NO2, 8.5]. The anions derived from nitroalkanes give typical nucleophilic addition reactions with aldehydes (the Henry-Nef tandem reaction). Note that the nitro group can be changed directly to a carbonyl group via the Nef reaction (acidic conditions). Under basic conditions, salts of secondary nitro compounds are converted into ketones by the pyridine-HMPA complex of molybdenum (VI) peroxide. Nitronates from primary nitro compounds yield carboxylic acids since the initially formed aldehyde is rapidly oxidized under the reaction conditions. 

Addition to C=N. Chiral amines are synthesized by Grignard reaction of f-butanesulfinamdes. ° An access to p-branched a-amino acids involves addition of RMgX to 2W-azirene-2-carboxylic esters." Nitrones derived from serine and chiral ot-amino aldehydes (thence the amino acids) are sources of a,P-diamino acids and 1,2-diamines, respectively. 

Asymmetric 1,3-DC of ynolates with a nitrone derived from Gamer s aldehyde afforded 5-isoxazolidinones in good yields and with high diastereoselectivity. The adducts were alkylated and converted to enantiopure P-amino acids, P-lactams and y-lactams <05TA2821>. 

The cyclisation of nitrones derived from tryptamines is a similar process and can be carried out enanti-oselectively using a chiral Lewis acid."° A similar enantioselective intermolecular process is the copper-catalysed reaction of indoles with tosyl-imines of aromatic aldehydes. "... 

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