Anionic rearrangement cyanide initiation

Scheme 61, yielded thiazole 200 as the major product, along with minor amounts of carbinol 201 [152]. On the other hand, treatment of the imine formed from 199 and p-methoxyphenylamine with catalytic tetrabutylammonium cyanide, produced suc-cinimide derivative 202. In both cases, the process is initiated by nucleophilic attack to the carbaldehyde C=0 (or azomethine s C=N) group, which is followed up by an anionic rearrangement. A variation of the above process using as catalysts /V-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) derived from base treatment of azolium, imidazo-lium, or triazolium salts, has also been developed to access gem-disubstituted succinimides [153, 154]. Unfortunately, an attempt of kinetic resolution of racemic 4-formyl (3-lactams by using chiral NHC resulted in moderate selectivities only [154]. 

Further information concerning the stereochemical properties of the rearrangement were evaluated by submitting rigid cyclohexane derivatives 254/255 to the reaction conditions. In 1975, House described the allylation of a cyclohexyl cyanide 248 [53]. The initial deprotonation with LDA led to a ketene imine anion 249, which was then treated with allyl bromide. Two potential paths rationalized the outcome an AT-allylation generated the intermediate ketene imines 250/251, which underwent aza-Claisen rearrangement to deliver the nitriles 252/253 alternatively, the direct C-allylation of249 produced the nitriles. 

Ring expansion of the bicyclic isothiazole (698) occurred upon treatment with cyanide ion to give the imidazo[l,2-c][l,3]thiazine (699). The mechanism involves initial ring opening by attack on sulfur, and then ring closure. The anion of methyl propiolate also causes the same type of rearrangement (79TL1281). 

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