Azaallylic anion

Closely related to the 1,4-additions of enolates are the reactions of 1- and 2-azaallyl anions. 

This method is complementary to the anti-selective Michael route to 3-substituted glutamates using 2-azaallyl anions derived from alkylidene protected glycine (see Section 1.5.2.4.1.1.). 

In general, metalated 2-azaallyl anions derived from imines of a-amino esters serve both as Michael donors and as 1,3-dipolar reagents the course of the reaction, as well as the stereochemical outcome depends upon the base and the reaction conditions82,83. 

When 2,2-dimethylpropanal is used to prepare the azomethine moiety, the corresponding azaallyl anion may be obtained when l,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene/lithium bromide is used as base. The subsequent addition to various enones or methyl ( )-2-butenoate proceeds with anti selectivity, presumably via a chelated enolate. However, no reaction occurs when triethylamine is used as the base, whereas lithium diisopropylamide as the base leads to the formation of a cycloadduct, e.g., dimethyl 5-isopropyl-3-methyl-2,4-pyrrolidinedicarboxylate using methyl ( )-2-butenoate as the enone84 89,384. 

Table 5. 3-Substituted Glutamates from the Addition of 2-Azaallyl Anions to Enones84...

Ethyl (bornylideneamino)acetate (2) and the imines of (-)-(lf ,2, 5 )-2-hydroxy-3-pinanone and glycine, alanine and norvaline methyl esters were particularly successful as Michael donors. The chiral azaallyl anions, derived from these imines by deprotonation with lithium diisopropylamide in THF at — 80 C, add to various a,/i-unsaturated esters with modest to high diastereoselectivity (see Section 1.5.2.4.2.2.5.). Thus, starting with the imine 2, (R1 = CH,) and ethyl ( )-2-butcnoate, the a,/i-dialkylated glutamate derivative 3 is obtained as a single diastercomer in 90% yield91-92. 

Table-3. List of Azaallyl Anions Used in the Present Work...

Heteroaromatic Annulation with Cyclic Azaallyl Anions Synthesis of Bridgehead Nitrogen Heterocycles... 

The azaallyl anions 85.11-85.17 derived from cyclic nitrogen heterocycles generally react with 6 to afford the corresponding bridgehead nitrogen heterocycles. Some of the examples studied by our group are described below. 

Azaallyl anion cycloadditions (13, 163).4 Nonstabilized 2-azaallyl anions (1) are readily generated by transmetallation of N-(trialkylstannyl)methylimines, prepared as shown in equation I, with a base such as butyl- or methyllithium. The... 

Recently, cyclohepta[6]pyrrol-4-one derivatives were obtained as byproducts in the 1-azaazulene synthesis from 2-chlorotropone and 1-(diphenylphosphinyl)azaallyl anions [93H(36)2247],... 

The (—)-sparteine-complex of l-(2-pyridyl)-l-(trimethylsilyl)methyllithium is monomeric and shows, according to an X-ray analysis, an almost planar methine group. The lithium cation is placed in a -fashion above the plane of the azaallyl anion moiety. 

The use of lithium amides to metalate the a-position of the N-substituent of imines generates 2-azaallyl anions, typically stabilized by two or three aryl groups (Scheme 11.2) (48-62), a process pioneered by Kauffmann in 1970 (49). Although these reactive anionic species may be regarded as N-lithiated azomethine ylides if the lithium metal is covalently bonded to the imine nitrogen, they have consistently been discussed as 2-azaallyl anions. Their cyclization reactions are characterized by their enhanced reactivity toward relatively unactivated alkenes such as ethene, styrenes, stilbenes, acenaphtylene, 1,3-butadienes, diphenylacetylene, and related derivatives. Accordingly, these cycloaddition reactions are called anionic [3+2] cycloadditions. Reactions with the electron-poor alkenes are rare (54,57). Such reactivity makes a striking contrast with that of N-metalated azomethine ylides, which will be discussed below (Section 11.1.4). 

Note that Pearson has extended the classical anionic [3 + 2] cycloadditions to allow the generation of nonstabilized 2-azaallyl anions, and has successfully applied this methodology to the held of alkaloid total synthesis. A key discovery was that (2-azaallyl)stannanes are capable of undergoing tin-lithium exchange to generate the nonstabilized anions (63-76), which can be trapped either intramole-cularly or intermolecularly with unactivated alkenes to produce pyrrolidines, often in a stereoselective fashion. Thus, a variety of 2-azaallyl anions are accessible by his method. A few examples of Pearson s contributions are illustrated in Scheme 11.3 (70,76). 

N-Unsubstituted azomethine ylides may be generated thermally (79), and the N-metalated, 2-azaallyl anion versions may be generated by action of nonmetalhc bases such as l,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) on certain imines (80). Although they are assumed to show similar chemical properties, these two species usually show different reaction patterns, as shown in Scheme 11.7, where the regio-and stereoselectivities of the cycloadditions are quite different (24,78-80). Metala-tion of (alkylideneamino)acetonitriles can be performed with metallic bases other than LDA. Thus, butyllithium, ethylmagnesium bromide, and magnesium bromide-diisopropylamide are also effective (78). The N-magnesioazomethine... 

Azaallyl anions, generated by treatment of arylmethylidene(arylmethylamines) with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA), react with 2-halogenopyridines to give a variety of substituted [l,7]naphthyridines (Scheme 47) <1995J(P1)2643>. 

The deprotonation of Af-alkyl imines 1 with LDA to give 2-azaallyl anions 2 is a well-known reaction34 At least one stabilizing substituent R2 such as phenyl35 or alkoxycarbonyl36 at the carbon atom is necessary to achieve the deprotonation. The deprotonation of iV-benzylimines, which contain no acidic a-protons in the R1 group proceeds under relatively mild conditions37-38. 

The 2-azaallyl anions 2 obtained were used for 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions mostly to give five-membered rings 3, but reaction with electrophiles at the former A-alkyl carbon atom to give 4 has also been described. 

Kolb and Barth 229) synthesized oc-substituted optically active amines or amino acids (223). Again the authors employed a derivative of naturally occurring (S)-proline, namely (—)-(S)-l-dimethoxymethyl-2-methoxymethyl-pyrrolidine (221) as chiral auxiliary agent. The metalation of the amidines (160) leads to azaallyl anions homologous with (222). After alkylation and hydrolysis, the desired a-substituted amines and amino acids, respectively, are obtained with some stereoselectivity. 

Heating /V-lithioaziridines provides 2-azaallyl anions, which undergo concerted cycloaddition reactions with certain alkenes and other anionophiles (Scheme 39) (74AG(E)627, B-88MI101-02). 

Figure 15.2. Formation of pyrrolidines by cycloaddition of 2-azaallyl anions to alkenes.

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