Benzoquinone, cycloaddition reactions

Cycloaddition reactions of o-benzoquinones with formation of bi- and tetracyclic systems including 2,3-dihydrobenzo[d]dioxine fragment 96SL1143. 

The discovery that Lewis acids can promote Diels-Alder reactions has become a powerful tool in synthetic organic chemistry. Yates and Eaton [4] first reported the remarkable acceleration of the reactions of anthracene with maleic anhydride, 1,4-benzoquinone and dimethyl fumarate catalyzed by aluminum chloride. The presence of the Lewis-acid catalyst allows the cycloadditions to be carried out under mild conditions, reactions with low reactive dienes and dienophiles are made possible, and the stereoselectivity, regioselectivity and site selectivity of the cycloaddition reaction can be modified [5]. Consequently, increasing attention has been given to these catalysts in order to develop new regio- and stereoselective synthetic routes based on the Diels-Alder reaction. 

Scheme 6.92 Thermal versus microwave-assisted Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions of fulvenes with benzoquinones.

I.3.4.2. Intermolecular Cycloaddition at C=X or X=Y Bonds Cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides to double bonds containing heteroatoms are well documented. In particular, there are several reviews concerning problems both of general (289) and individual aspects. They cover reactions of nitrile oxides with cumulene structures (290), stereo- and regiocontrol of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of imines and nitrile oxides by metal ions (291), cycloaddition reactions of o-benzoquinones (292, 293) and aromatic seleno aldehydes as dipolarophiles in reactions with nitrile oxides (294). 

A synthesis of novel spirodioxazole systems by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of 3,5-di-ferf-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone with aromatic nitrile oxides has been described (Scheme 1.31). Though yields are high (80%-100%), the regios-electivity is low, the regioisomer ratio 181 182 being dependent on the Ar nature (349). 

The nature of the substituents on the allene can have an impact on the outcome of a [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction, as was illustrated by the Lewis acid catalyzed cycloadditions of l-thioaryl-3,3-dimethylallene (24) and 1 -methyl- 1-trimethylsilylallene to various 2-alkoxy-p-benzoquinones 25 (e.g. equation 8)17. The reactions were considered to proceed via carbocation intermediates formed by nucleophilic attack of the thioallene on the Lewis acid activated quinone. At lower temperatures, these carbocations closed to cyclobutanes 26, whereas at higher temperatures, the thermodynamically more stable benzofurans 27 were formed. 

The Diels Alder reaction, involving the [4 + 2]-cycloaddition of an unsaturated group (di-enophile) to a 1,3-diene, has been studied for the synthesis of ladder polymers, such as the reaction of 2-vinyl-l,3-butadiene with benzoquinone [Bailey, 1972] (Eq. 2-247). Related polymerizations are those utilizing the [2 + 2]-cycloaddition reaction [Dilling, 1983]. While [4 + 2]-cycloaddition reactions are thermally induced, [2 + 2]-cycloaddition reactions are... 

As part of an extensive study of the 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of cyclic nitrones, Ali et al. (392-397) found that the reaction of the 1,4-oxazine 349 with various dipolarophiles afforded the expected isoxazolidinyloxazine adducts (Scheme 1.78) (398). In line with earlier results (399,400), oxidation of styrene-derived adduct 350 with m-CPBA facilitated N—O cleavage and further oxidation as above to afford a mixture of three compounds, an inseparable mixture of ketonitrone 351 and bicyclic hydroxylamine 352, along with aldonitrone 353 with a solvent-dependent ratio (401). These workers have prepared the analogous nitrones based on the 1,3-oxazine ring by oxidative cleavage of isoxazolidines to afford the hydroxylamine followed by a second oxidation with benzoquinone or Hg(ll) oxide (402-404). These dipoles, along with a more recently reported pyrazine nitrone (405), were aU used in successful cycloaddition reactions with alkenes. Elsewhere, the synthesis and cycloaddition reactions of related pyrazine-3-one nitrone 354 (406,407) or a benzoxazine-3-one dipolarophile 355 (408) have been reported. These workers have also reported the use of isoxazoles with an exocychc alkene in the preparation of spiro[isoxazolidine-5,4 -isoxazolines] (409). 

Diels-Alder reactions with furans constitute a major class of cycloaddition reactions, which have been used for the preparation of a variety of new compounds. Some examples will be given in this section. A one-pot stereoselective synthesis of tricyclic -y-lactones was achieved via Diels-Alder reactions of 2-methoxyfuran with masked o-benzoquinones, which are in turn available from the corresponding 2-methoxyphenols <99CC713>. 

The cycloaddition reactions of 368 (X = CO) with 7V-phenylmaleimide, p-benzoquinone, dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, and tetracyanoethylene afforded [4 + 2]-cycloadducts with endo-stereochemistry ethyl acrylate gave two isomers (probably endo and exo). l,4-Dihydro-l,4-oxidonaph-thalene (19) yielded the endo-exo isomer. The Diels-Alder reaction of 368 (X = SO2) with ethyl acrylate gave a mixture of isomers, from which the higher melting product could be isolated in pure form. ... 

Methylquinoxaline also undergoes a novel cycloaddition reaction with two equivalents of tetrachloro-l,2-benzoquinone129 (see Section III,A) with formation of a quinoxaline-orange type product. The reaction probably proceeds by initial formation of the quaternary salt 231 which by elimination of HC1, followed by protonation and dehydration, leads to the cyclized product 232. This on reaction with a further equivalent of tetrachloro-l,2-benzoquinone at the C=N function gives the final yellow compound 117. 

The cycloaddition reaction (333)+ (334) — (335) illustrates the preparation of tetrahydro-quinoxalines from o-benzoquinone diimines. 

Olefinic double bonds substituted with one or more electron-withdrawing groups show significant dipolarophilic activity in cycloaddition reactions with organic azides,43,276-278 similar to the electron-rich double bonds of enamines and enol ethers the reactivity is less pronounced in azide additions compared to that observed in diazomethane reactions.7 The first triazolines reported resulted by the action of aryl azides on benzoquinones.1,279-281 As a rule, stereospecific cis additions occur,32 which are usually unidirectional except in the case of methacrylic derivatives67 and certain alkenes bearing... 

Cyclocondensations of NADH analogues with / ara-benzoquinone are described in [368, 369]. For example, upon addition of dihydropyridine 338 to an acetonitrile solution of 339 in the presence of scandium trifluoromethane-sulfonate, the cycloaddition reaction occurs efficiently at room temperature, yielding cycloadduct 340 [368] (Scheme 3.113). This reaction passes via formation of a complex between azine and scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate. 

Molecular electrostatic potentials have been used to explain the regioselectivity exhibited in the Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions between 1-trimethylsilyloxy-butadiene and the quinones 5-formyl-8-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, 5-methoxy-7-methyl-1,4-phenanthrenequinone, and 5,6,7-trimethyl-1,4-phenanthrenequinone.128 The intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of masked o-benzoquinones (123) with a variety of dienes provides adducts (124) which rearrange to functionalized ris-decal ins (125) with complete stereocontrol of up to five stereocentres. This methodology ... 

The reaction of the 2,3-ethylenic bond of 1,4-benzo- and naphthoquinones yields the cycloadducts 80 (Equation 23) <2005CC2366>. The ionization potential of 1,4-naphthoquinone (9.5 eV) is lower than that of 1,4-benzoquinone (10.11 eV), and therefore the cycloaddition reaction of 1,4-naphthoquinone proceeds faster. 

Recently, the reaction of masked ortho-benzoquinone [92] with C60 was tested [93]. The [4+2] cycloaddition reaction of such electron-deficient dienes with fullerenes resulted in the formation of highly functionalized bicyclo [2.2.2] octenone-fused fullerenes. The reactants were generated in situ by the oxidation of the readily available 2-methoxy phenols with hypervalent iodine agents. For the several different masked ortho-benzoquinones that were tested, it was found that the yield of the cycloadducts depends on the nature of the starting materials and the reaction conditions. Other Diels-Alder reactions of such electron-deficient dienes with electron-poor fullerenes involved tropones [94], 1,3-butadienes substituted with electron-withdrawing groups [95], and 2-pyrone [96]. 

Diels-Alder reactions. The laboratories of Breslow and of Grieco have reported that water can enhance the rate of Diels-Alder reactions of dienes that possess carboxylic acid or similar hydrophilic groups (12, 314). Liotta et al. have examined solvent effects on cycloaddition reactions of benzoquinones with dienes substituted with a relatively hydrophobic group, and report significant rate enhancement in ethylene glycol relative to benzene (26 1) or even to reactions in the absence of a solvent. They attribute the solvent effect to aggregation of the diene and the quinone. 

The Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction of 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone with methyl (ii)-3,5-hexadienoate, carried out in toluene as solvent, gives only traces of the cycloadduct shown in Eq. (5-160), even after seven days. However, when the solvent is changed to water and sodium ( )-3,5-hexadienoate is used as the diene, 77 cmol/mol of the desired cycloadduct is obtained after one hour and esterification with diazomethane [714] f Again, hydrophobic interactions between diene and dienophile in the aqueous medium seem to be responsible for this remarkable and synthetically useful rate acceleration. 

The Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction occurs most rapidly if the alkene component, or dienophile ("diene lover"), has an electron-withdrawing substituent group. Thus, ethylene itself reacts sluggishly, but propenal, ethyl propenoate, maleic anhydride, benzoquinone, proiicnenitrile, and similar compounds are highly reactive. Note also that alkyncs, such as methyl propynoate, can act as Diels-Alder dienophiles. 

By using a stoichiometric amount of the chiral titanium reagent prepared by mixing chiral diol, Titanium IV) Chloride, and titanium tetraisopropoxide, the asymmetric [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of 1,4-benzoquinones and styrenes gives the corresponding cyclobutane derivatives with high optical purity. These rearrange to 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran derivatives on mild acid treatment (eq 13). ... 

---