Azetidines, ring opening

Finally, a diastereoselective intramolecular azetidine ring-opening/ring-closing sequence has been described from optically enriched 92 (unknown absolute stereochemistry) to furnish spirocyclopropyl y-lactams 93 in good yields and diastereoselectivities and with a total transfer of chirality (Scheme 5.32) [105, 106]. 

Scheme 532 Intramolecular azetidine ring-opening/ring-closing sequence.

Nocquet, P.-A., Hazelard, D., Compain, P. (2011). Synthesis of spirocyclo-propyl yl ctams by a highly stereoselective tandem intramolecular azetidine ring-opening/closing cascade reaction. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2011,6619-6623. 

The same group of Japanese authors studied the photochemical reaction of fluorinated quinoxalines. Photochemical cycloadditions with quinoxaline derivative 1294 occurred and C=N double of the diazine ring, leading to the formation of azetidine derivatives (Scheme 299). The presence of trifluoromethyl group in the molecule of 1294 activated the substrate towards cycloaddion, so that even electron-deficient methyl methacrylate was introdnced in the reaction [797], In the case of ethyl vinyl ether as the alkene, the addnct 1296 also as in a case with 1289 was not stable and underwent azetidine ring-opening npon action of the solvent. Ketene was also successfully introduced in [2+2] cycloaddition with trifiuoromethyl-substituted quinoxaline derivatives [797]... 

Polyamines can also be synthesized by cationic ring-opening polymerization of ethyleneimines (aziridines), trimethyleneimines (azetidines), and 2-oxazolines. 

The electrophilicity of alane is the basis for its selective reaction with the amide group. Alane is also useful for reducing azetidinones to azetidines. Most nucleophilic hydride reducing agents lead to ring-opened products. DiBAlH, A1H2C1, and A1HC12 can also reduce azetinones to azetidines.100... 

P-Lactams have been used as a synthon for the preparation of a vast array of compounds. It has been reported that the reduction of 4-(haloalkyl)azetidin-2-ones with LiAlhL is a powerful method for the synthesis of stereodefined aziridines and azetidines <06OL1101>. However, reduction of 4-(haloalkyl)azetidin-2-ones with chloroalane afforded 2-(haloalkyl)azetidines, which were rearranged to 3,4-cw-disubstituted pyrrolidines and piperidines 32 <060L1105>. During these rearrangements, bicyclic azetidinium intermediates were formed which were ring opened by halides. The synthesis of a peptide-... 

A novel route to 3,4-disubstituted piperidines 206 via ring transformation of 2-(haloalkyl)azetidines 207 is shown below. During these reactions, bicyclic azetidinium intermediates are formed and then ring opened by a variety of nucleophiles generating stereospecific substituted piperidines in excellent yields <06OLl 105>. 

A number of nitramine-nitrate explosives have been prepared by Millar and co-workers from the action of dinitrogen pentoxide on aziridines and azetidines (Section 5.8). Millar and co-workers used their aziridine ring-opening nitration methodology (Section 5.8.1) to synthesize the high performance melt-castable nitramine-nitrate explosive known as Tris-X... 

Some of the more important monomers whose ring opening polymerisations have been induced by stable cation salts include, 1,4-epoxides, notably tetra-hydrofuran (20,112,113), 1,2-epoxides (114), 1,3-episulphides (thietans) (33,53), 1,2-episulphides (thiiranes) (53), azetidines (115,116), aziridines (117), the cyclic formals, 1,3-dioxolan (23,54, 118-120), and 1,3-dioxepan (118,119), trioxane (121,122) and more recently lactones (123). Aldehydes (124) may also be included since these molecules can be regarded as the smallest possible oxygen hetero-... 

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