Aziridines => triazolines

Photodecomposition of A -l,2,3-triazolines gives aziridines. In cyclohexane the cis derivative (304) gives the cis product (305), whereas photolysis in benzene in the presence of benzophenone as sensitizer gives the same ratio of cis- and trans-aziridines from both triazolines and is accounted for in terms of a triplet excited state (70AHC(ll)i). A -Tetrazo-lines are photolyzed to diaziridines. 

The photolytic and thermolytic decomposition of azides in the presence of olefins has been applied to aziridine synthesis. However, only a limited number of steroid aziridines have been prepared in this manner. The patent literature reports the use of cyanogen azide at ca. 50° for 24 hours in ethyl acetate for the preparation of an A-nor- and a B-norsteroidal aziridine. The addition is believed to proceed via a triazoline. The reaction of cholest-2-ene with ethyl azidoformate takes place in a nonselective manner to produce a mixture of substances, including C—H insertion products. 

When unacylated azides are used as nitrene precursors, the first reaction with an alkene is a cydoaddition, generating the corresponding 1,2,3-triazoline, which often eliminates N2 under the fierce reaction conditions to give an aziridine product (Scheme 4.9 ). 

In many instances, however, the intermediate triazoline can be isolated and separately converted into the aziridine, often with poor stereoselectivity. The first practical modification to the original reaction conditions generated the (presumed) nitrenes by in situ oxidation of hydrazine derivatives. Thus, Atkinson and Rees prepared a range of N-amino aziridine derivatives by treatment of N-aminophthali-mides (and other N-aminoheterocydes) with alkenes in the presence of lead tetraacetate (Scheme 4.10) [7]. 

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]. 

Pyrazolines (51) can be converted to cyclopropane and N2 on photolysis""" or pyroiysis. The tautomeric 2-pyrazolines (52), which are more stable than 51 also give the reaction, but in this case an acidic or basic catalyst is required, the function of which is to convert 52 to 51." In the absence of such catalysts, 52 do not react/ In a similar manner, triazolines (53) are converted to aziridines." Side reactions are frequent with both 51 and 53, and some substrates do not give the reaction at all. However, the reaction has proved synthetically useful in many cases. In general, photolysis gives better yields and fewer side reactions than pyrolysis with both 51 and 53. S/Z-Pyrazoles" " (54) are stable to heat, but in some cases can be converted to... 

Dipolar cycloaddition of azides with olefins provides a convenient access to triazolines, cyclic imines, and aziridines and hence is a valuable technique in heterocyclic synthesis. For instance, tricyclic -lactams 273 - 276 have been synthesized using the intramolecular azide-olefin cycloaddition (lAOC) methodology (Scheme 30) [71]. 

The overall pathway for the conversion of the unsaturated azido ether 281 to 2,5-dihydrooxazoles 282 involves first formation of the dipolar cycloaddition product 287, which thermolyzes to oxazoline 282 or is converted by silica gel to oxazolinoaziridine 288. While thermolysis or acid-catalyzed decomposition of triazolines to a mixture of imine and aziridine is well-documented [71,73], this chemoselective decomposition, depending on whether thermolysis or exposure to silica gel is used, is unprecedented. It is postulated that acidic surface sites on silica catalyze the triazoline decomposition via an intermediate resembling 289, which prefers to close to an aziridine 288. On the other hand, thermolysis of 287 may proceed via 290 (or the corresponding diradical) in which hydrogen migration is favored over ring closure. 

Addition of carbethoxynitrenes to olefinic double bonds occurs readily. Addition of both the singlet and the triplet species can take place, the former stereospecifically, the latter not 49>. Additions of sulphonyl nitrenes to double bonds have not been demonstrated except in two instances in which metals were present. The reason is that either addition of the starting sulphonyl azide to the double bond occurs to give a triazoline that loses nitrogen and yields the same aziridine as would have been obtained by the direct addition of the nitrene to the olefin, or the double bond participates in the nitrogen elimination and a free nitrene is never involved 68>. The copper-catalyzed decomposition of benzenesulphonyl azide in cyclohexene did give the aziridine 56 (15%), which was formulated as an attack by the sulphonyl nitrene-copper complex on the double bond 24>. 

Photoelimination of nitrogen from 1,2,3-triazolines has been widely used as a synthetic route to aziridines the reaction has been reviewed.355 Recent applications include the formation of a new valence isomer (425) of azepine from the triazoline 426,356 and conversion of the triazoline 427 into the aziridine 428, a process with potential as a synthetic route to mitomycins.357... 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions to unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds have been known for quite some time and have become an important part of strategies for organic synthesis of many compounds (Smith and March, 2007). The 1,3-dipolar compounds that participate in this reaction include many of those that can be drawn having charged resonance hybrid structures, such as azides, diazoalkanes, nitriles, azomethine ylides, and aziridines, among others. The heterocyclic ring structures formed as the result of this reaction typically are triazoline, triazole, or pyrrolidine derivatives. In all cases, the product is a 5-membered heterocycle that contains components of both reactants and occurs with a reduction in the total bond unsaturation. In addition, this type of cycloaddition reaction can be done using carbon-carbon double bonds or triple bonds (alkynes). 

Diethyl azidomethanephosphonate 228 reacts with norbornadiene at room temperature to give triazoline 229 in 86% yield. When heated at 60°C, derivative 229 decomposes with elimination of cyclopentadiene to provide (1,2,3-triazol-l-yl)methanephosphonate 230 in 74% yield. However, when it is left at room temperature for an extended period of time, triazoline 229 undergoes slow conversion to aziridine 231 with elimination of nitrogen (Scheme 30)... 

Cycloaddition reactions of dimethyl benzylidenemalonate 262 with azides provide triazolines 263. All compounds 263, except one with R = Ph, are stable in xylene at 110 °C. The phenyl derivative eliminates molecular nitrogen to give dimethyl l,3-diphenylaziridine-2,2-dicarboxylate 264. At elevated temperature, the aziridine system is not... 

Acyl azides 268, derived from furan, thiophene and selenophene, add slowly at room temperature to the strained double bond of 5-methylenebicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene. Two regioisomeric triazolines, 269 and 270, which form in the first step, are unstable and decompose with elimination of nitrogen to provide aziridine derivatives 271. Products 271 are isolated in good yield (73-85%). It is worthy to note that not only the terminal, unstrained double bond in the starting material, 5-methylenebicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene, is unaffected, but also the typical dipolarophiles like esters of crotonic, propiolic and byt-2-ynoic acids do not react with azides 268 under these conditions (Scheme 39) <2002J(P1)1420>. 

In molecules containing two cyclobutenes, addition of organic azides 26 yielded two adducts, e.g. reaction with 50 with benzyl azide 56 produced the cr-isomer 57a in which the (V-benzyl substituents were sy -aligned and the C2-isomer 57b in which they were anti-orientated (Scheme 7). The structure of syn-isomer 57a was confirmed by X-ray (Figure 2). The fact that both isomers yielded the same fns-aziridine 58 upon photolysis made separation of the individual triazoline isomers unnecessary. 

Ejection of dinitrogen from the triazoline adducts to form the related aziridines was promoted by ultraviolet irradiation (300 nm, benzene) and usually proceeded in excellent yield. An exception was found in the irradiation of the triazoline substrate 59, where cleavage of the cyclobutane ring occurred as the dominant reaction pathway to form the pyridazino norbomadiene 61 (and secondary photoproducts derived therefrom), together with the triazole-4,5-diester 62. A role for the pyridazine ring and the 2-pyridyl substituents in stabilising the diradical intermediate 60 has been proposed for this abnormal outcome (Scheme 8). 

Finally (pathway e, Scheme 5.56), triazoline 103 formed by cyclo addition of azide to glycal 1 can be photolytically converted into a 1,2-aziridine intermediate 104, from which 2-benzylamino-2-deoxy-P-glucosides can be formed on addition of an alcohol and catalytic scandium triflate [176]. 

It has been reported by R.Scheiner that phenylazide forms triazoline compounds by 1,3-cyclic addition to unsaturated olefines such as n-butylethylene and norbornen(9 ). These triazolines are decomposed photochemically or thermally to give imine compounds and aziridine as is shown in scheme 1. These facts suggest that phenylazide may react with 3-methyl-1-butene to give triazoline in a similar reaction to that with norbomen. 

When, phenylazide and 3-methyl-1-butene are mixed in benzene and kept standing for a couple of days, triazoline is formed and it gives aziridine by thermal or photodecomposition. However, when the mixture is irradiated as soon as they are mixed, the aziridine which is found in the solution is the one formed, not by the decomposition of the triazoline but, by direct photochemical reaction of phenylnitrene with 3-methy1-1-butene. 

A -triazoline ( ) were unsatisfactory. When ( ) was heated in benzene solution the aziridine ( was the major product (51%). 

The structure was determined by Dr K.J. McCullough by X-ray crystallography, At room temperature, dissolved in dichloromethane, the azide ( ) decomposed slowly ( 50% after 7 days) to give low yields of aziridine ( ) and triazoline ( ). 

Most A -l,2,3-triazolines are thermally unstable, and often undergo decomposition to aziridines, anils, and other products. In some cases, A -1,2,3-triazolines initially formed by cycloaddition cannot be isolated due to spontaneous decomposition <82JOC5042,89JCS(P )2235, 90JCS(P1)2971, 91TL2457>. 

The synthetic applications of substituted 1,2,3-triazole 1-oxides and 1,2,3-triazolium-l-imides in the preparations of 1,2,3-triazines, 1,3,4,5-oxo- and -thia-triazines, and 1,2,3,5-tetrazines have been discussed in Section 4.01.4.12. Conversions of 1,2,3-triazolines into aziridines either thermally or photochemically were described in detail in CHEC-I <84CHEC-1(5)691 > and in a review <84AHC(37)217>. Some recent developments are discussed in Section 4.01.5. 

Elimination of N2 from triazolines 83 occurred thermally ( 20 °C) as well as photochemically. Depending on the substituent pattern and the method used, different products were obtained, such as aziridines 84a and 84b, oximines 85, and 1,3-oxazoles 86 (143). 

Diazoamides of type 300 rapidly cyclize to form aziridines 302 (342) (Scheme 8.73). It is conceivable that this reaction proceeds through a 1,2,3-triazoline intermediate 301, which is the consequence of a LUMO(dipole)— HOMO(dipolarophile) controlled intramolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition. Some remarkable steric effects were encountered for this cyclization. While the piperidine derivative [300, = ( 112)4] readily cyclized by diazo group transfer at... 

Clerici and co-workers (28) reported an intermolecular cycloaddition of azides with the isothiazole dioxides 136 to give the triazolines 137 further heating of cycloadduct 137, just above its melting point, resulted in the extmsion of nitrogen to give the aziridine 138 (Scheme 9.28). 

---