Alkenes aziridines from

The thermolytic preparation by De Shong et al. (74) of azomethine ylides from aziridines and their intermolecular reactions are the first examples of singly stabilized ylides of this type. However, the protocol has been further extended to include intramolecular processes. Aziridines tethered to both activated and unactivated alkenes were subjected to flash vacuum thermolysis generating cycloadducts in moderate-to-excellent yields. While previously singly activated alkenes had furnished low material yields via an intermolecular process, the intramolecular analogue represents a major improvement. Typically, treatment of 222 under standard conditions led to the formation of 223 in 80% yield as a single cis isomer. Similarly, the cis precursor furnished adduct 224 in 52% yield, although as a 1 1 diastereomeric mixture (Scheme 3.77). 

For the aziridination of 1,3-dienes, copper catalysis gave better yields of A-tosyl-2-alkenyl aziridines with 1,3-cyclooctadiene, 1,4-addition occurred exclusively (50%) [46]. Good results were also obtained on rhodium catalysed decomposition of PhI=NNs (Ns = p-nitrophenylsulphonyl) with some alkenes the aziridination was stereospecific, whereas with chiral catalysts asymmetric induction (up to 73% ee) was achieved. However, cyclohexene gave predominantly (70%) a product derived from nitrene insertion into an allylic carbon-hydrogen bond [47]. 

From aziridines. N-Tosylaziridines, easily obtained by aziridination of the corresponding alkenes, can be opened by selenolate reagents and furnish, after straightforward N-alkylation, radical precursors suitable for the preparation of pyrrolidine derivatives [12]. The preparation of octahydro-lff-indole 24 is shown in Eq. (4). A competing process involving radical azi-doselenenylation of alkenes has also been developed and will be discussed later (Sect. 5.2). 

Chiral azomethine ylides were prepared and used for the preparation of ferrocenyl-substituted pyrrolidines <2002TA2099>. Other enantiopure azomethine ylides were produced from aziridines by thermolysis <2001T71> and an enantiopure nitrile oxide was trapped by alkenes <2001GH629>. 

In 1983, Groves demonstrated the stoichiometric aziridination of alkenes from a manganese-imido complex generated in situ from an isolable (porphyrin)man-ganese-nitrido intermediate (Scheme 1) [4]. This reactivity has recently been exploited with success by DuBois, Carreira and coworkers in the context of (salen)manganese-derived systems for the amination of enol ether derivatives (Scheme 2) [5,6,7,8]. Although not isolated, aziridine intermediates are probably involved in these reactions. 

The obtained azomethine ylides (M = Ag(I), Li(I), T1(I), Ti(IV)) have been reacted with electron-deficient alkenes. Reversal of regioselectivity was demonstrated by appropriate choice of the Lewis acid. Rate acceleration was achieved by addition of strong bases. Alternatively azomethine ylides are obtained from aziridines by thermolysis or photolysis. ... 

In contrast to carbonyl azides, photolysis and thermolysis of azidoformates (RO-CO-N3, R=Alkyl, Aryl) yield mainly products derived from capmre of the nitrenes (RO-CO-jvj) 108,142 146 Carbethoxy azide 42 has been studied most extensively. Formation of products characteristic of reactions of carbethoxynitrene M3 have been observed by thermolysis and photolysis of azide 42 " and by -elimination of arysulfonate ion from N-(p-nitrobenzenesulfonyloxy) urethane. " The reaction of M3 with cis and trans-4-methyl-2-pentene was studied as a function of alkene concentration. At large alkene concentrations, aziridination is stereospecific, but upon dilution of the alkene, the stereospecificity is lost. The triplet nitrene M3 also reacts with the olefins, but non-stereospecifically, presumably through intermediate biradical formation (Scheme 11.21). These results are completely analogous to studies of carbenes in which a stereospedlic singlet intermediate is produced initially, and subsequently relaxes to a less selective, lower eno gy triplet intermediate. ... 

The reaction of carbon atoms with A-unsubstituted aziridines leads to alkenes and hydrogen cyanide (72IA3455), probably via extrusion from the initially formed adduct (285). The fragmentation does not appear to be concerted, although this would be a symmetry-allowed process, since only about half the alkene formed retains the aziridine stereochemistry in the case of cM-2,3-dimethylaziridine. 

The mechanism of the reaction is unknown. The stereospecificity observed with (E)- and (Z)-l-methyl-2-phenylethylene points to a one-step reaction. The very low Hammett constant, -0.43, determined with phenylethylenes substituted in the benzene ring, excludes polar intermediates. Yields of only a few percent are obtained in the reaction of aliphatic alkenes with (52). In the reaction of cyclohexene with (52), further amination of the aziridine to aminoaziridine (99) is observed. Instead of diphenylazirine, diphenylacetonitrile (100) is formed from diphenylacetylene by NH uptake from (52) and phenyl migration. 

Oxaziridines unsubstituted at nitrogen as well as some iV-acylated oxaziridines offer synthetic potentialities due to their ability to transfer their nitrogen function to nucleophiles (Section 5.08.3.1.4). The simplicity of preparation of some aziridines from alkenes and the Spiro oxaziridine (S2) equals the simplicity of epoxidation. Aziridine (299), for example, is obtained by simple heating of indene with (52) in toluene (74KGS1629). 

As described in Section 2.3.2, vinylaziridines are versatile intermediates for the stereoselective synthesis of (E)-alkene dipeptide isosteres. One of the simplest methods for the synthesis of alkene isosteres such as 242 and 243 via aziridine derivatives of type 240 and 241 (Scheme 2.59) involves the use of chiral anti- and syn-amino alcohols 238 and 239, synthesizable in turn from various chiral amino aldehydes 237. However, when a chiral N-protected amino aldehyde derived from a natural ot-amino acid is treated with an organometallic reagent such as vinylmag-nesium bromide, a mixture of anti- and syn-amino alcohols 238 and 239 is always obtained. Highly stereoselective syntheses of either anti- or syn-amino alcohols 238 or 239, and hence 2,3-trans- or 2,3-as-3-alkyl-2-vinylaziridines 240 or 241, from readily available amino aldehydes 237 had thus hitherto been difficult. Ibuka and coworkers overcame this difficulty by developing an extremely useful epimerization of vinylaziridines. Palladium(0)-catalyzed reactions of 2,3-trons-2-vinylaziri-dines 240 afforded the thermodynamically more stable 2,3-cis isomers 241 predominantly over 240 (241 240 >94 6) through 7i-allylpalladium intermediates, in accordance with ab initio calculations [29]. This epimerization allowed a highly stereoselective synthesis of (E) -alkene dipeptide isosteres 243 with the desired L,L-... 

Although an efficient reaction, the Rees-Atkinson aziridination method suffers from two drawbacks the necessity for an N-phthalimido or N-quinazolinonyl substituent and the use of a highly toxic oxidant. Thus, recent efforts (especially in these green times) have focussed upon more benign methods for generation of the key nitrenoids. Yudin demonstrated the power of electrochemistry with a novel method that removes the need for an added metal oxidant, demonstrating an unusually and impressively broad substrate tolerance compared to many alkene aziridination reactions (Scheme 4.14) [10]. 

Another conceptually unique approach in alkene aziridination has come from Johnston s labs. These workers shrewdly identified organic azides as nitrene equivalents when these compounds are in the amide anion/diazonium resonance form. Thus, when a range of azides were treated with triflic acid and methyl vinyl ketone at 0 °C, the corresponding aziridines were obtained, in synthetically useful yields. In the absence of the Bronsted acid catalyst, cycloaddition is observed, producing triazolines. The method may also be adapted, through the use of unsaturated imi-des as substrates, to give anti-aminooxazolidinones (Scheme 4.25) [32]. 

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