Alkaloids carbonyl ylide cycloadditions

Lycorine is an alkaloid that has attracted attention from both the synthetic community and pharmacologists. Prior synthetic approaches have included inter-and intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition. Based on a similar retrosynthetic disconnection, Padwa and co-workers (106,109) chose to use a push-pull carbonyl ylide cycloaddition with a disubstituted pyrrolidinone core to generate a tricyclic substrate. The major difference for this synthetic smdy was the availability of a labile proton a to the carbonyl moiety (Scheme 4.53). 

Mejia-Oneto JM, Padwa A (2006) Application of the Rh(II) cyclization/cycloadditi(Hi cascade for the total synthesis of (H—)-aspidophytine. Org Lett 8 3275-3278 Mejia-Oneto JM, Padwa A (2008) Total synthesis of the alkaloid (+—)-aspidophytine based on carbonyl ylide cycloaddition chemistry. Helv Chim Acta 91 285-302 Hong X, France S et al (2006) Cycloaddition protocol for the assembly of the hexacyclic framework associated with the kopsifoline alkaloids. Org Lett 8 5141-5144 Hong X, France S et al (2007) A dipolar cycloaddition approach toward the kopsifoline alkaloid framework. Tetrahedron 63 5962-5976... 

Keywords 13-Dipoles Alkaloids Asymmetric synthesis Azides Azomethine imines Azomethine ylides Carbonyl ylides Cycloaddition Mesoionic systems Nitrile oxides Nitrones... 

In an alternative approach to annulation across the indole 2,3-tt system, Padwa and coworkers have reported approaches to the pentacyclic and hexacyclic frameworks of the aspidosperma and kopsifoline alkaloids respectively that involve as the key step a Rh(II)-promoted cyclization-cycloaddition cascade <06OL3275, 06OL5141>. As illustrated in their approach to ( )-aspidophytine 150, Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed cyclization of a diazo ketoester 148 affords a carbonyl ylide dipole that undergoes [3+2]-cycloaddition across the indole 2,3-tt bond to generate 149 <06OL3275>. 

Mejla-Oneto and Padwa have explored intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of push-pull dipoles across heteroaromatic jr-systems induced by microwave irradiation [465]. The push-pull dipoles were generated from the rhodium(II)-cata-lyzed reaction of a diazo imide precursor containing a tethered heteroaromatic ring. In the example shown in Scheme 6.276, microwave heating of a solution of the diazo imide precursor in dry benzene in the presence of a catalytic amount of rhodium I) pivalate and 4 A molecular sieves for 2 h at 70 °C produced a transient cyclic carbonyl ylide dipole, which spontaneously underwent cydoaddition across the tethered benzofuran Jt-system to form a pentacyclic structure related to alkaloids of the vindoline type. 

In more recent work, Chiu and co-workers [167, 168] have reported an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition approach toward the pseudolaric acids 85, in which the di-polarophile is an unactivated 1,1-disubstituted alkene. Hence, treatment of the diazo ketone 86 with catalytic Rh2(OAc)4 furnished a mixture of tricyclic products 87 and 88 in nearly equal proportions (Scheme 19.13). The synthesis of 2-pyridones [169] and their application to the ipalbidine core [170] has been described. The pentacyclic skeleton of the aspidosperma alkaloids was prepared via the cycloaddition of a push-pull carbonyl ylide [171]. The dehydrovindorosine alkaloids 89 have also been investigated, in which the a-diazo-/ -ketoester 90 undergoes a facile cycloaddition to furnish 91 in... 

Padwa has reported an approach to the ring system of the ribasine alkaloids 98 [174], using an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the a-diazo ketone 99 to produce the pentacyclic skeleton 100 (Scheme 19.17). Wood [175] used an intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a carbonyl ylide for the total synthesis of ( )-epoxysorbicilli-nol 101 (Scheme 19.18). The key cycloaddition in this approach is the conversion of 102 to the natural product core 103, which sets the substitution pattern around the entire ring system in a single step. 

Padwa and co-workers (60,106,107) have been highly active in using carbonyl ylides for the synthesis of a number of bioactive alkaloids (Scheme 4.51). In an approach to the aspidosperma alkaloids, a push-pull carbonyl ylide was used to generate a bicyclic ylide containing a tethered indole moiety. This strategy ultimately allowed for the synthesis of the dehydrovindorosin skeleton (108). Starting from a quaternary substimted piperidone (200), elaboration of the 3-carboxylic acid provided p-ketoester amide 201. Addition of the indole tethered side chain provided a very rapid and efficient method to generate the cycloaddition precursor 203. 

Thus far, in the alkaloid series discussed, the nitrogen atom has always been part of the core of the alkaloid strucmre, rather than acting in a dipolarophilic manner in the cycloaddition of the carbonyl ylide. Recently, Padwa et al. (117) addressed this deficiency by conducting model studies to synthesize the core of ribasine, an alkaloid containing the indanobenzazepine skeleton with a bridging ether moiety (Scheme 4.57). Padwa found that indeed it was possible to use a C = N 7i-bond as the dipolarophile. In the first generation, a substimted benzylidene imine (219) was added after formation of the putative carbonyl ylide from diazoketone 218. The result was formation of both the endo and exo adduct with the endo adduct favored in an 8 1 ratio. This indicates that the endo transition state was shghtly favored as dictated by symmetry controlled HOMO—LUMO interactions. 

Muthusamy S, Gunanathan C et al (2004) Regioselective synthesis of mono- and bis-decahy-drobenzocarbazoles via tandem reactions of a-diazo ketones. Tetrahedron 60 7885-7897 Nambu H, Hikime M et al (2009) Asymmetric approach to the pentacyclic skeleton of aspidosperma alkaloids via enantioselective intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides catalyzed by chiral dirhodium(II) carboxylates. Tetrahedron Lett 50 3675-3678... 

Chapter 4 concerns the cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides generated from diazo carbonyl compounds and rhodium or copper catalysts. In this framework chemoselective and enantioselective transformations leading to the formation of various heterocycles such as tetrahydrofurans, oxazolidines, mesoionic and bicyclic compoxmds, alkaloids, and other natural products are described. 

Padwa extensively studied a collection of innovative applications of [l,3]-di-polar cycloadditions involving carbonyl ylides [58]. The sequence in which 38 is converted into the aspidosperma alkaloid 40 serves as a striking example (Scheme 18.10) [60]. Treatment of the diazoketone 38 with Rh2(OAc)4 leads to the formation of a putative ylide 39, which captures the electron-rich... 

An intramolecular allyl silane/N-sulfonyl iminium ion cyclization has also been used as a pivotal step in an approach to the tricyclic core of the unique marine alkaloid sarain A [46]. The starting material was aziridine ester 129 (Scheme 25) which was elaborated to amide 130. An important step in the synthetic strategy was thermolysis of 130 to an azomethine ylide, which underwent stereospecific intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with the Z-alkene to produce bicyclic lactam 131 [47]. This compound was then elaborated into allyl silane 132. It was then possible to replace the lactam N-benzyl functionality with a tosyl moiety, leading to 133, and subsequent reduction of the carbonyl group afforded the desired cyclization precursor a-hydroxy sulfonamide 134. Exposure of 134 to ferric chloride promoted cyclization to a single stereoisomeric tricyclic amino alkene 136 having the requisite sarain A nucleus. It is believed that the intermediate N-sulfonyl iminium ion cyclizes via the conformation shown in 135. 

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