Base-induced nitroalkene reaction

The Barton-Zard reaction refers to the base-induced reaction of nitroalkenes 1 with alkyl a-isocyanoacetates 2 to afford pyrroles 3. Solvents used are THF or alcohols (or mixtures) and the reaction often proceeds at room temperature. 

The mechanism is presumed to involve a pathway related to those proposed for other base-catalyzed reactions of isocyanoacetates with Michael acceptors. Thus base-induced formation of enolate 9 is followed by Michael addition to the nitroalkene and cyclization of nitronate 10 to furnish 11 after protonation. Loss of nitrous acid and aromatization affords pyrrole ester 12. 

The regioselective addition of nitryl iodide to alkenes, followed by base-induced elimination, gives nitroalkenes. Nitryl iodide is generally prepared by the reaction of AgN02 and iodine. 

Base-induced reaction of nitroalkenes with alkyl a-isocyanoacetates to afford pyrroles. 

Chiral dienophiles, e.g. enol ethers and enamines, allow to conduct these hetero Diels-Alder reactions in a highly stereoselective manner. In an exemplary transformation described by Backvall et al. the nitrone 4-50 was formed as a single diastereomer upon treatment of the chiral enamine 4-48 with the nitroalkene 4-49 which was generated in situ from the seleno compound 4-47 [387]. Interestingly, the enamine 4-48 did not only act as dienophile, it also catalysed the initial base induced elimination of PhSeH from 4-47 (Fig. 4-11). 

The Barton-Zard reaction refers to the base-induced reaction of nitroalkenes with alkyl a-isocyanoacetates to afford pyrroles. Solvents used are THF or alcohols (or mixtures), and the reaction often proceeds at room temperature. The Barton-Zard pyrrole synthesis is similar both to the van Leusen pyrrole synthesis that uses Michael acceptors and TosMIC and to the Montforts pyrrole synthesis that uses a,P unsaturated sulfones and alkyl a-isocyanoacetates. An alternative to the use of the reactive nitroalkenes is their in situ generation from P-acetoxy nitroalkanes, which are readily prepared via the Henry reaction between an aldehyde and a nitroalkane followed by acetylation. 

DBU IS most widely employed as the base m the Barton-Zard reaction Stronger nonionic bases such as PrMeNCH-,CH-j,N and the phosphazene base Csiipplied by Flukai are more effective to induce pyrrole formadon in the reaction of nitroalkenes v/ith isocyano esters than DBU Sterically hindered nitroalkenes are converted into the corresponding pyrroles using these bases, as shovm in Eq 10 35, but DBU is not effective in this transformation... 

An approach based on samarium diiodide-promoted reactions of the iminoketone 279 with aldehydes provides access to a series of substituted or fused pyrroles bearing at least two phenyl groups, for instance, the system 280 (Equation 86) <2001T4881>. In an alternative lanthanide-catalyzed route, a series of pyrroles were constructed from imines and nitroalkenes in the presence of Sm(fPrO)3 <1999T13957>. A set of 1-dimethylaminopyrroles have also been obtained by TiCU-induced reactions between 2-acetoxypropanal hydrazones with silyl enol ethers <1995TL8007>. 

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