Cycloaddition reactions azomethine imines

Finally, fully reduced heterocycles have been prepared either from a sequential azomethine imine cycloaddition-palladium-mediated cyclization process <2003T4451>, or from the reaction of A-( l-benzotriazolylalkyU-AyV-disubstitutcd hydrazine with methyl vinyl ether <1997JOC8210>. 

The use of chiral azomethine imines in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with alkenes is limited. In the first example of this reaction, chiral azomethine imines were applied for the stereoselective synthesis of C-nucleosides (100-102). Recent work by Hus son and co-workers (103) showed the application of the chiral template 66 for the formation of a new enantiopure azomethine imine (Scheme 12.23). This template is very similar to the azomethine ylide precursor 52 described in Scheme 12.19. In the presence of benzaldehyde at elevated temperature, the azomethine imine 67 is formed. 1,3-Dipole 67 was subjected to reactions with a series of electron-deficient alkenes and alkynes and the reactions proceeded in several cases with very high selectivities. Most interestingly, it was also demonstrated that the azomethine imine underwent reaction with the electronically neutral 1-octene as shown in Scheme 12.23. Although a long reaction time was required, compound 68 was obtained as the only detectable regio- and diastereomer in 50% yield. This pioneering work demonstrates that there are several opportunities for the development of new highly selective reactions of azomethine imines (103). 

Azomethine imine cycloadditions provide access to pyrazolidines, pyrazolines and pyrazoles. Intramolecular cyclizations were first reported in 1970.78 The main method for generation of azomethine im-ines involves reaction of a 1,2-disubstituted hydrazine with an aldehyde or an aldehyde precursor. 

The answer to this dilemma was provided by Huisgen et al. (1962 a, 1962 b) by the cycloaddition reaction of C-methyl-A-phenylsydnone (6.10) with styrene, which yields, via the bicyclic intermediate 6.11 and elimination of CO2, 4,5-dihydro-5-methyl-l,3-diphenyl-li/-pyrazole (6.12). As mentioned briefly in Section 6.2 (Table 6-1, footnote a), sydnones are cyclic azomethine imines. As Huisgen (1968) demonstrated later, sydnone and azomethine imine cycloadditions are kinetically very similar with respect to solvent effects and in the sequence of reactivity with a series of 11 dipolarophiles. 

The azomethine imines exhibit the typical cycloaddition behavior expected of 1,3-dipolar species [fSJ] Numerous [3+2] cycloaddition reactions have been performed [201 204] Tetracyanoethylene adds to azomethine imines across the nitnle function instead of the C=C double bond This reaction is a rare example of this type of periselectivity [208] (equation 47)... 

Dipolar [3 + 2] cycloadditions are one of the most important reactions for the formation of five-membered rings [68]. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction is frequently utihzed to obtain highly substituted pyrroHdines starting from imines and alkenes. Imines 98, obtained from a-amino esters and nitroalkenes 99, are mixed together in an open vessel microwave reactor to undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to produce highly substituted nitroprolines esters 101 (Scheme 35) [69]. Imines derived from a-aminoesters are thermally isomerized by microwave irradiation to azomethine yhdes 100,... 

Dipolar cycloaddition reaction of suitable dipolarophiles to azomethine imines is a well-known method leading to the pyrazolo[l,2-tf]pyrazole ring system and the methodology was duly reviewed in CHEC-II(1996) <1996CHEC-II(8)747>. During the covered period, some new applications have appeared. 

High levels of asymmetric induction (97-74% ee) along with high diastereoselectivity (>99 1-64 36) were reported for asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of fused azomethine imines 315 and 3-acryloyl-2-oxazolidinone 709 leading to 711 using a chiral BINIM-Ni(n) complex 710 as a chiral Lewis acid catalyst (Equation 100) <20070L97>. 

The reaction of phenylazoalkenes 424 with an excess of potassium thiocyanate in acetic acid produces the cycloadducts 425 that undergo further [3+2]-cycloaddition reaction with thiocyanic acid at the azomethine imine function giving rise to the bicyclic product imidazo[l,5-3][triazole]-2,5-dithiones 41 (Equation 87) <1998SL786>. 

The [3+2] cycloaddition has also been shown to be effective in the reaction of azomethine imines 32 with a,P-unsaturated aldehydes by Chen and co-workers [70], A survey of seven catalysts revealed some interesting trends, with the diarylprolinol derivative 31 giving the highest yields and selectivities (40-95% yield endo. exo 1 4.3-1 49 77-96% ee for exo) with short reaction times (5-24 h) and low catalyst loading (10 mol%) (Scheme 11). The reaction was particularly sensitive to the amount of water present in the reaction medium and the choice of co-acid. This phenomenon is a reoccurring theme in many of the publications in the area of iminium ion catalysis and, as yet, no general explanation has been proposed to account for these observations. 

The reaction of 410 with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate yields 411 (78TL1291). Since 410 can be represented as the azomethine ylide 412 or the azomethine-imine ylide 413, this result may indicate that the azomethine ylide is more reactive in cycloadditions with acetylenes than azomethine-imine ylide s. 

Stanovnik and co-workers (100,101) systematically investigated the cycloaddition reactions of diazoalkanes with unsaturated nitrogen heterocycles, such as azolo-[l,5-fl]pyridines, pyridazin-3(2/7)-ones, and [fo]-fused azolo- and azinopyridazines. The Stanovnik group have studied the further transformations of the products and reviews of this chemistry are available. In a typical example, the reaction of 6-chlorotetrazolo[l,5-/7]pyridazine (37) with 2-diazopropane yields the NH,NH-dihy-dro-pyrazolo[4,3-(i]tetrazolo[l,5-/7]pyridazine 38 (102) (Scheme 8.11). The latter substrate reacts with acetone to produce an azomethine imine 39 that thermally rearranges to give the fused dihydro-1,2-diazepine 40. The azomethine imine obtained with glucose can be trapped with methyl acrylate to furnish the C-nucleoside 41 (103). 

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). 

The reaction mechanism proposed for the LiBr/NEta induced azomethine ylide cycloadditions to a,p-unsaturated carbonyl acceptors is illustrated in Scheme 11.10. The ( , )-ylides, reversibly generated from the imine esters, interact with acceptors under frontier orbital control, and the lithium atom of ylides coordinates with the carbonyl oxygen of the acceptors. Either through a direct cycloaddition (path a) or a sequence of Michael addition-intramolecular cyclization (path b), the cycloadducts are produced with endo- and regioselectivity. Path b is more likely, since in some cases Michael adducts are isolated. 

Cyclobut[f]thiophene is a poor dipolarophile and requires prolonged reaction times to produce the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition product 84 on reaction with diazomethane (Equation 44) <1999J(P1)605>. Reactions with nitrile imines or azomethine imines fail to provide cycloadducts. 

Compounds 332a, b possess an azomethine imine structure and should undergo cycloaddition reactions.4208 Although dimerization of 332b has not been observed,335 dipolarophiles yield cycloadducts 444 and Michael adducts 445.420a The structure of the product obtained from methyl propiolate, an unsymmetrical acetylene, has been studied by NMR and shown to be 446.420b... 

---