Amino ethers from aziridines

Carbon-Oxygen Bond Formation. CAN is an efficient reagent for the conversion of epoxides into /3-nitrato alcohols. 1,2-cA-Diols can be prepared from alkenes by reaction with CAN/I2 followed by hydrolysis with KOH. Of particular interest is the high-yield synthesis of various a-hydroxy ketones and a-amino ketones from oxiranes and aziridines, respectively. The reactions are operated under mild conditions with the use of NBS and a catalytic amount of CAN as the reagents (eq 25). In another case, N-(silylmethyl)amides can be converted to A-(methoxymethyl)amides by CAN in methanol (eq 26). This chemistry has found application in the removal of electroauxiliaries from peptide substrates. Other CAN-mediated C-0 bondforming reactions include the oxidative rearrangement of aryl cyclobutanes and oxetanes, the conversion of allylic and tertiary benzylic alcohols into their corresponding ethers, and the alkoxylation of cephem sulfoxides at the position a to the ester moiety. 

N-substituted aziridines were synthesized from the corresponding unsubstituted aziridine (12) or by ring closure of the corresponding 2-amino alcoholsulfate (13). The monomers were distilled from calciun hydride just before use. Triethyloxonium tetra-fluoroborate was synthesized as described by Heerwein (15) and was purified by several reprecipitations with ether, from its methylene chloride. Time-conversion curves for the polymerization of the propylenimine monomers and 1-methylazetidine were obtained by dilatometry, those for 1,3,3-trimethylazetidine by NMR spectroscopy. Polymerizations were carried out in such a way that the reaction mixture was always under an atmosphere of dry nitrogen. 

In a parallel study, Wipf and Fritch11041 have shown that also urethane-protected (Boc), and even amino acid segments, are tolerated as acyl compounds on the aziridine nitrogen. The best results were obtained with alkylcopper reagents derived from CuCN and an alkyl-lithium in the presence of boron trifluoride-diethyl ether complex. Some 6-alkylated compounds (11-15%) were isolated as well. This work was extended to a solid-phase procedure that resulted in resin-bound alkene isosteres that could immediately be used in further peptide synthesis.11051 For this purpose, the 2-nitrophenylsulfonyl (oNbs) group was used for nitrogen protection and aziridine activation. It could be readily cleaved with benzenethio-late, which was compatible with the acid-sensitive Wang linker used. 

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. 

The aziridine 12i has been derived from the trans amino alcohol 12h by the two-step, one-pot process i) selective protection of the amino functionality with trityl chloride and ii) mesylation of the hydroxyl in the presence of triethylamine. Under these conditions, the mesylate intermediate has been converted to aziridine 12i. Treatment of 12i with /-pentyl alcohol in the presence of 1.5 equiv of BF3-Et20 followed by acetylation of the crude product provides the ether 121. Finally, reduction of the azide functionality and saponification of the ester group in 121 give GS4071,12. 

Silyl cyanides react enantioselectively with such electrophiles as aldehydes, ketones, imines, activated azines, or,/ unsaturated carbonyl compounds, epoxides, and aziridines in the presence of chiral Lewis acid catalysts to give functionalized nitriles, versatile synthetic intermediates for hydroxy carboxylic acids, amino acids, and amino alcohols (Tables 3-6, 3-7, 3-8, and 3-9, Figures 3-6, 3-7, and 3-8, and Scheme 3-154). ° Soft Lewis acid catalytst, the reaction of epoxides with trimethylsilyl cyanide often leads to isonitriles, which are derived from silylisonitrile spiecies (Schemes 3-155 and 3-156). Soft Lewis base such as phosphine oxide also catalyzes the reaction and cyanohydrin silyl ethers of high ee s are isolated. 

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