Azomethine oxides, cycloaddition

As a part of a program directed toward the synthesis of the potent topisomerase I inhibitors, the lamellarins (e.g., 153 and 154), Porco has reported the silver triflate-catalyzed tandem cycloisomerization-azomethine ylide cycloaddition of 155 (Scheme 2.42).75 The postulated mechanism of this intriguing and highly efficient process is shown in Scheme 2.43. Silver-catalyzed addition of the imine nitrogen to the alkyne results, on subsequent deprotonation, in the formation of an azomethine ylide 160. This ylide participates in [3+2] cycloaddition with the alkyne component leading to formation of a dehydropyrrole 161. Finally, oxidation by adventitious oxygen leads to formation of the product 162. 

A number of complex heterocycles have been assembled using dipolar cycloadditions (Fig. 6). The Affymax group [32] published an approach to the synthesis of tetrasubsti-tuted pyrrolidines by the reaction of azomethine ylids with electron-deficient olefins. A similar approach was described by researchers at Monsanto however, the aldehyde component was bound to the resin instead of the amino acid [33]. Kurth and co-workers [34] described a route to 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans using a nitrile oxide cycloaddition as the key reaction. Mjalli et al. [35] synthesized highly substituted pyrroles using the dipolar cycloaddition of intermediate 5 with mono- or disubstituted acetylenes. 

The attacks of heterocyclic A -oxides, e.g. of pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, phenanthridine, etc., on activated alkynes (RC CR R = R = COOMe R = Ph, R = COOEt R = Ph, R = CN) pose similar problems . An acyclic intermediate has been postulated but is rarely detected. Some of the possibilities are illustrated in equation (126) . If the open intermediate is formed, then the paths to the ylid and the 2-substituted quinoline in equation (126) seem simple enough, but several possible mechanisms can lead to the 3-substituted products . Other workers regard the reaction of the nitrone (or azomethine oxide) with alkyne as simple cycloadditions - which yield 2,3-dihydro-l,2-oxazoles since these are often unstable, only decomposition products may be found (equation 127). The construction of the indolizine skeleton initiated by a similar process has been reviewed (equation 128). ... 

Like other 1,3-dipoles, azomethine ylides were mostly utilized in the ring construction of five-membered nitrogen heteroaromatics by a sequence of cycloadditions to acetylenes and formal oxidation. Thus, azomethine ylides were employed as the synthetic equivalents of nitrile ylides. Other synthetic applications of azomethine ylides, especially the intended utilization of stereochemical characteristics of the azomethine ylide cycloadditions, were quite rare. 

Cycloadditions were found to be first-order reactions with respect to both 1,3-dipole and dipolarophile, in all cases so far investigated. There are some limits to kinetic studies of these reactions, as many 1,3-dipoles are very reactive substances. While aryl azides, diazoalkanes, some classes of azomethine imines (for instance sydnones), and some classes of azomethine oxides (nitrones) are stable and isolable, azomethine ylides are usually unstable, an exception being represented by a mesoionic oxazolone that has been used for kinetic investigations benzonitrile oxide has a very limited stability, although some substituted derivatives are stable for long periods nitrile imines are not commonly isolable because of their strong tendency to dimerise. 1,3-Dipoles of... 

Both nitrile oxide (eq 3) and silyl nitronate (eq 4) cycloadditions are highly diastereoselective processes. The use of either approach enables access to A -isoxazolines in good yield. Unfortunately, the corresponding nitrone cycloadditions are only slightly selective (dr = 78 22) The enantiomeric sultam was implemented effectively in azomethine ylide cycloadditions to gain access to bridged p)rrolidines with high levels of diastereos-election (eq 5). ... 

Dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azomethine ylides to alkynes or alkenes followed by oxidation is one of the standard methods for the preparation of pyrroles.54 Recently, this strategy has been used for the preparation of pyrroles with CF3 or Me3Si groups at the (3-positions.55 Addition of azomethine ylides to nitroalkenes followed by elimination of HN02 with base gives pyrroles in 96% yield (Eq. 10.48).56... 

From the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides to azomethines (imines) 291... 

Aldimines, Ketimines, and Related Compounds as Dipolarophiles Reactions of aldimines with nitrile oxides proceed readily to give 1,2,4-oxadiazolines independently of the nature of substituents both in dipole and dipolarophile molecules. 1,2,4-Oxadiazolines were prepared by the regiospe-cihc 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides with fluoro-substituted aldimines (295). Phosphorylnitrile oxides gave with azomethines, PhCH NR, phosphory-lated 1,2,4-oxadiazolines 129 (296). Expected 1,2,4-oxadiazolines were also obtained from azomethines, derived from 4-formylcoumarine (179) and 1,3-diphenylpyrazole-4-carbaldehyde (297). 

Cycloaddition (13,326).2 The azomethine ylide (a) generated with LDA from trimethylamine oxide adds stereoselectively to the dihydronaphthalenes 1 to provide the benzisoindoiines 2, of use as a-adrenergic agents in therapy. 

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