Cycloaddition 2//-azirines

In an effort to develop enantioselective methods for azirine cycloadditions, azirine 87 was added to chiral diene 99 <1998TL7579, 2003TL6561>. Diene 99 has previously shown facial selectivity in Diels-Alder reactions with a number of dienophiles. Reaction of Z equiv of azirine 87 with 99 provides aziridine 100 in excellent yield as a single isomer (Equation 24). 

We became interested in this area of chemistry because we wished to prepare some new and highly electrophilic 2//-azirines with potential for use as dienophiles in the Diels-Alder reaction. Vinyl azides appeared to be the most promising precursors. Previously there had been only one report of the cycloaddition of 2H-azirines to a simple diene (cyclopentadiene) although highly activated dienes such as tetraphenylcyclopentadie-none and 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran had been used to intercept some transient 2H-azirines. Our investigations led to the preparation of several new 2ff-azirines. Cycloaddition reactions with these provided access to some novel fused-ring aziridines. An outline of the results is included in Sections 6.2 and 6.3. 

The ring opening of 2//-azirines to yield vinylnitrenes on thermolysis, or nitrile ylides on photolysis, also leads to pyrrole formation (B-82MI30301). Some examples proceeding via nitrile ylides are shown in Scheme 92. The consequences of attempts to carry out such reactions in an intramolecular fashion depend not only upon the spatial relationship of the double bond and the nitrile ylide, but also upon the substituents of the azirine moiety since these can determine whether the resulting ylide is linear or bent. The HOMO and second LUMO of a bent nitrile ylide bear a strong resemblance to the HOMO and LUMO of a singlet carbene so that 1,1-cycloadditions occur to carbon-carbon double bonds rather than the 1,3-cycloadditions needed for pyrrole formation. The examples in Scheme 93 provide an indication of the sensitivity of these reactions to structural variations. 

A similar regiospecific [2 -I- 2] cycloaddition across a C=S group occurred when benzoyl isothiocyanate (436) and 2,3-diphenyl-1-azirine were heated in refiuxing benzene for 12 hours. The product obtained was shown to be (438) and an intermediate such as (437) could also be involved in this cycloaddition (74JOC3763). In contrast, thiobenzoyl isocyanate added in a [4-1-2] fashion, and after ring expansion gave a thiadiazepine derivative. 

Photolysis of 2,3-diphenyl-A -azirine (442) generates benzonitrile ylide (443). Irradiation in the presence of ethyl cyanoformate resulted in a mixture of the oxazoline (444) and the imidazole (445) by 1,3-dlpolar cycloaddition to the carbonyl and nitrile group, respectively (72HCA919). 

Whereas the cycloaddition of arylazirines with simple alkenes produces A -pyrrolines, a rearranged isomer can be formed when the alkene and the azirine moieties are suitably arranged in the same molecule. This type of intramolecular photocycloaddition was first detected using 2-vinyl-substituted azirines (75JA4682). Irradiation of azirine (54) in benzene afforded a 2,3-disubstituted pyrrole (55), while thermolysis gave a 2,5-disubstituted pyrrole (56). Photolysis of azirine (57) proceeded similarly and gave 1,2-diphenylimidazole (58) as the exclusive photoproduct. This stands in marked contrast to the thermal reaction of (57) which afforded 1,3-diphenylpyrazole (59) as the only product. 

Nitrile ylides derived from the photolysis of 1-azirines have also been found to undergo a novel intramolecular 1,1-cycloaddition reaction (75JA3862). Irradiation of (65) gave a 1 1 mixture of azabicyclohexenes (67) and (68). On further irradiation (67) was quantitatively isomerized to (68). Photolysis of (65) in the presence of excess dimethyl acetylenedicar-boxylate resulted in the 1,3-dipolar trapping of the normal nitrile ylide. Under these conditions, the formation of azabicyclohexenes (67) and (68) was entirely suppressed. The photoreaction of the closely related methyl-substituted azirine (65b) gave azabicyclohexene (68b) as the primary photoproduct. The formation of the thermodynamically less favored endo isomer, i.e. (68b), corresponds to a complete inversion of stereochemistry about the TT-system in the cycloaddition process. 

When the chain between the azirine ring and the alkene end is extended to three carbon atoms, the normal mode of 1,3-intramolecular dipolar cycloaddition occurs. For example, irradiation of azirine (73) gives A -pyrroline (74) in quantitative yield 77JA1871). In this case the methylene chain is sufficiently long to allow the dipole and alkenic portions to approach each other in parallel planes. 

The 27T-electrons of the carbon-nitrogen double bond of 1-azirines can participate in thermal symmetry-allowed [4 + 2] cycloadditions with a variety of substrates such as cyclo-pentadienones, isobenzofurans, triazines and tetrazines 71AHC(13)45). Cycloadditions also occur with heterocumulenes such as ketenes, ketenimines, isocyanates and carbon disulfide. It is also possible for the 27r-electrons of 1-azirines to participate in ene reactions 73HCA1351). 

Diphenylisobenzofuran has been reported to react with azirine (75) in refluxing toluene to give cycloadduct (81), the primary product of a [4 + 2] cycloaddition (72JOC2508, 74JOC2031). ... 

The interaction of diazomethane with 1-azirines was the first example of a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with this ring system (64JOC3049, 68JOC4316). 1,3-Dipolar addition produces the triazoline adduct (87). This material can exist in equilibrium with its valence tautomer (88), and allylic azides (89) and (90) can be produced from these triazolines by ring cleavage. 

Aziridines, e.g. (91), undergo thermal ring opening in a conrotatory manner to generate azomethine ylides. These azomethine ylides are 47r-components and can participate in [4 + 2] cycloadditions with 1-azirines acting as the 27r-component 73HCA1351). 

A variety of 1-azirines are available (40-90%) from the thermally induced extrusion (>100 °C) of triphenylphosphine oxide from oxazaphospholines (388) (or their acyclic betaine equivalents), which are accessible through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides (389) to alkylidenephosphoranes (390) (66AG(E)1039). Frequently, the isomeric ketenimines (391) are isolated as by-products. The presence of electron withdrawing functionality in either or both of the addition components can influence the course of the reaction. For example, addition of benzonitrile oxide to the phosphorane ester (390 = C02Et) at... 

Azirine, trans-2-methyl-3-phenyl-racemization, 7, 33, 34 1-Azirine, 2-phenyl-reactions, 7, 69 with carbon disulfide, S, 153 1-Azirine, 3-vinyl-rearrangements, 7, 67 Azirines, 7, 47-93 cycloaddition reactions, 7, 26 fused ring derivatives, 7, 47-93 imidazole synthesis from, 5, 487-488 photochemical addition reactions to carbonyl compounds, 7, 56 photolysis, 5, 780, 7, 28 protonated... 

Diels-Alder cycloaddition of 2/f-azirines 23 with cyclopentadienones provides 3//-azepines 25 in excellent yields by electrocyclic ring opening, with concomitant loss of carbon monoxide, of the initially formed, nonisolable cycloadducts 24, followed by a [1,5]-H shift in the resulting 2//-azepines.31 108... 

The 3//-azepines obtained by cycloaddition of azirines to cyclopentadienones (see Section 3.1.1.1.2.) are thought to arise from the initially formed 2/7-azepines by [1,5]-H suprafacial sigmatropic shifts.31-108 In contrast, 1/Z-azepine 9 results from the thermal rearrangement of the nonisolable 2//-azepine-2-carboxylate 8.13 Presumably, the 1 //-azepine is stabilized, relative to the 3//-isomer, by intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the NH and the adjacent ester group. 

Azcpincs under acid conditions reportedly117-225 yield aniline derivatives although ring contraction to pyridines is more usual. Thus, highly substituted 3//-azepines, e.g. 28, with a vacant 7-position, formed by cycloaddition of 2//-azirines with cyclopentadienones, on heating in acetic acid isomerize rapidly to the correspondingly substituted anilines 29.117... 

By analogy with the formation of3//-azepines by cycloaddition of 2//-azirines withcyclopenta-dienones, l,3-diphenyl-2//-inden-2-one (58) and its dibenzo analog 60 enter into [4 + 2] cycloadditions with 27/-azirines to give 3//-2-benzazepines 59 and phenanthro[9,10-e]azepincs 61, respectively.96... 

Cycloaddition of azirines 5 to 1.2,4,5-tetrazines 6 is followed by loss of nitrogen and ring enlargement to yield 5//-1,2,4-triazepines 7, which tautomerize spontaneously by a [1,51-hydrogen shift to the 2/7-1,2,4-triazepines 8. The triazepinesare accompanied by variable amounts of pyrimidines and pyrazoles.335 - 338... 

Bis(trifluoromethyl)-substituted 1,3-heterodienes are a rich source of heterocycles through cycloadditions, for example, with ketenes (86CZ83) and azirines [89JFC(42)51] to give dioxazines and triazepines, respectively. 

There has been some investigation of auxiliary-controlled cycloadditions of azir-ines. Thus, camphor-derived azirine esters undergo cycloaddition with dienes, with poor diastereoselectivity [70]. The same azirines were also observed to react unselectively with phenylmagnesium bromide. Better selectivities were obtained when Lewis acids were used in the corresponding cycloaddition reactions of 8-phe-nylmenthyl esters of azirine 2-carboxylates (Scheme 4.48) [71]. The same report also describes the use of asymmetric Lewis acids in similar cycloadditions, but mediocre ees were observed. 

Oxazole formation can be envisaged as proceeding by three possible pathways 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a free ketocarbene to the nitiile (Path A), the formation and subsequent 1,5-cyclisation of a nitrile ylide (Path B) or the formation and subsequent rearrangement of a 2-acyl-2//-azirine (Path C) (Scheme 9). 

The highly strained and reactive 2iT-azirines have been extensively studied for various synthetic purposes, such as ring expansion reactions, cycloaddition reactions, preparation of functionalized amines and substituted aziridines. The older literature on azirines in synthesis has extensively been reviewed [69]. Concerning azirines with defined chirality only scarce information is available. Practically all reactions of azirines take place at the activated imine bond. Reduction with sodium borohydride leads to cz5-substituted aziridines as is shown in Scheme 48 [26,28]. 

Photolysis of the azirines 68 in the presence of DEAZD gives 1,2,4-triazolines (69, R = Et) via cycloaddition to the nitrile ylid.114 The nitrile ylid generated thermally from 70 gives 1,2,4-triazolines (69, R = Me, R1 = R2 = CF3) (Scheme 7).11S The cycloadditions proceed in good yield, and the triazolines 69 are readily converted into aromatic 1,2,4-triazoles. 

The first example of a [ 6 + 4] cycloaddition of a nitrile ylid has recently been reported104 irradiation of 3-phenyl-2,2-dimethyl-2i/-azirine (129) in the presence of 6,6-dimethylfulvene (130) in cyclohexane gave the [n6 + 4] adduct 131 together with the [ 4 + 2] adduct 132. 

Although highly reactive, 2/7-azirines are of considerable synthetic interest and serve as a source of the 3-fluoro-4//-l, 3-diazepines 86. Reaction of 80 with difluorocarbene in the presence of furfural gave 86, rather than the expected furfural-derived products 83. Rearrangement of the initial 1,3-dipolar intermediate 81 to 84 and then cycloaddition of 84 with 80 are proposed as key steps in the reaction the intermediate cycloadduct 85 gave 86 on base-induced elimination of HF. Nucleophilic displacement of the fluoro group in 86 provided access to further substituted 1,3-diazepines <06TL639>. 

The palladium-catalyzed trimethylenemethane reaction with tropanones was reported in 1987 by Trost and Seoane and is the first example of a [6 + 3]-cycloaddition.130 Chromium-mediated [6 + 3]-cycloadditions of two types have been described-one in which the chromium complex activates the six-carbon component and one in which the chromium complex activates the three-atom component. An example of the first type involves the reaction of a cycloheptatriene-Cr(CO)3 complex with azirines to give cyclic imines in moderate yields (Scheme 40).131... 

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