Carboxylic imidazolides

Oxazolines have also been obtained from aziridines and carboxylic imidazolides via iV-acylaziridinesJ1271 Isomerization of the Af-acylaziridines can be achieved by heating with a catalytic amount of tetrabutylammonium iodide or bromide. The transformation can be carried out as a one-pot reaction in quantitative yield (solvents THF, CHC13, benzene) with a wide spectrum of substituents R (R = H, alkyl, c-C6Hi i, C6H5,3-pyridyl). 

C iH FjNO, J254S3-3I-0) see Dolasetron mesilate indole-3-carboxylic acid imidazolide (CiiHoNjO 99445-26-S) see Tropisetron (S)-indoline-2-carboxylic acid (QjH.jNOj 79815-20-6) see Perindopril ( )-2-(lH-indol-5-yl)-A -methylethenesulfonamide (CiiHijNjOjS 98623-49-5) see Naratriptan 5-(3-indolylmcthyl)hydantoin (Ci2H N,02 21753-16-2) see L-Tryptophan... 

A similar mechanism was postulated for the Ca " -dependent inactivation of Ca -ATPase by ATP-imidazolidate [380] that results in intramolecular crosslinking with the formation of a new protein band of 125 kDa. In both cases the reactive carboxyl group was suggested to be the phosphate acceptor Asp351. 

In addition to acyl halides and acid anhydrides, there are a number of milder and more selective acylating agents that can be readily prepared from carboxylic acids. Imidazolides, the (V-acyl derivatives of imidazole, are examples.115 Imidazolides are isolable substances and can be prepared directly from the carboxylic acid by reaction with carbonyldiimidazole. 

To complete the synthesis of finasteride, carboxylic acid 17 in lOml(gTHF)"1 was activated with CDI (1.02equiv) to form the acyl imidazolide 18 (Scheme 3.11). Without isolation, the acyl imidazolide was reacted with 4.6equiv of t-BuNHMgBr heating to reflux in THF for 18h to give finasteride in 98% yield [9]. 

Scheme 3.11 Preparation of finasteride from carboxylic acid 16 via the acyl imidazolide.

Fig. 1—2. Hammett diagram for the hydrolysis of imidazolides of aromatic carboxylic acids in water/ tetrahydrofuran (3 1) at 21 °C.[91...

The preparation of imidazolides by acylation of imidazole with acid chlorides is sometimes limited by the inaccessibility or instability of the required acid chlorides (e.g., formyl chloride, highly unsaturated acid chlorides, etc.) or by side-reactions in the case of multifunctional systems. For these reasons and due to the availability of an easy and convenient procedure involving very mild conditions, imidazolides today are usually prepared directly from the corresponding carboxylic acids with jV -carbonyldiimida-zole (CDI) or one of its analoga (see page 16). Use of these reagents has become more and more the preferred method for activation of carboxylic acids to azolides and their further transacylation to esters, amides, peptides, etc. (see subsequent Chapters). 

Preparation of Imidazolides from Carboxylic Acids Using AyV -Carbonyldiimidazole (CDI)... 

A V -Carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) is prepared in a convenient and safe procedure from phosgene and imidazole as a non-toxic crystalline compound (m.p. 116-118 °C).[5],[6] It reacts almost quantitatively at room temperature or by short and moderate heating with an equimolar quantity of a carboxylic acid in tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, or similar inert solvents within a few minutes to give the corresponding carboxylic acid imidazolide, which is formed under release of carbon dioxide, together with one equivalent of readily separable and recyclable imidazole.Thus, this reaction leads under very mild conditions to the activation of a carboxylic acid appropriate for transacylation onto a nucleophile with an alcohol to an ester, with an amino compound to an amide or peptide, etc. 

The transformation of carboxylic acids with CDI into imidazolides has a wide range of applicability. CDI reacts with aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic carboxylic acids under very mild conditions, and these reactions are not affected by the presence of functional groups unless the latter are strongly nucleophilic and themselves react with CDI in such cases a reversible protection of the functional groups is necessary. The reaction of CDI also works in such specific cases as trifluoro- and trichloroacetic acids, leading to the very reactive Af-trifluoro- and N-trichloroacetylimidazoles. 1 111... 

With carboxylic acids there was no activation to carboxylic acid imidazolides observed. Reaction with p-toluenesulfonic acid in boiling tetrahydrofuran did not yield the />-toluenesulfonic acid imidazolide, but rather the double p-toluene sulfonate, from which A -sulfonyldiimidazole can be released again quantitatively with imidazole or aniline. Only from the melt of water-free p-toluenesulfonic acid and AyV -sulfonyldiimidazole at 90 °C p-toluenesulfonic imidazolide (m.p. 75.5-77 °C 87% yield) could be obtained1201 (see also Section 10.1.1). 

Of great preparative potential with respect to the activation of carboxylic acids to imidazolides is A -oxalyldiimidazole, which reacts with carboxylic acids or their sodium or lithium salts under release of CO and CO2 to give imidazolides in excellent yield.[23]... 

Table 2-1. Various carboxylic acid imidazolides prepared by the use of AyV -carbonyldiimid-azole (CDI), V /V -thiocarbonyldiimidazole (Im-CS-Im) and A -sulfinyldiimidazole (Im-SO-Im).

Table 2-1 lists some examples of carboxylic acid imidazolides of various structures prepared by the use of A -carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), A -thiocarbonyldiimidazole (Im-CS-Im), and A -sulfinyldiimidazole (Im-SO-Im). Independent of the specific method applied, the data in Table 2-1 show that reasonable yields of imidazolides and diimidazolides are quite general, irrespective of various substituents and of steric factors. The rather mild reaction conditions also permit the formation of imidazolides of highly unsaturated systems. As a further advantage, it should be mentioned that almost all imidazolides are crystalline compounds, which can be conveniently handled. Melting points are therefore included for the imidazolides listed in Table 2—1. 

The reaction of a carboxylic acid with N,Af -carbonyldiimidazolellH33 (abbreviated as CDI), forming an imidazolide as the first step followed by alcoholysis or phenolysis of the imidazolide (second step), constitutes a synthesis of esters that differs from most other methods by virtue of its particularly mild reaction conditions.t41,[5] It may be conducted in two separate steps with isolation of the carboxylic acid imidazolide, but more frequently the synthesis is carried out as a one-pot reaction without isolation of the intermediate. Equimolar amounts of carboxylic acid, alcohol, and CDI are allowed to react in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran, benzene, trichloromethane, dichloromethane, dimethylformamide, or nitromethane to give the ester in high yield. The solvents should be anhydrous because of the moisture sensitivity of CDI (see Chapter 2). Even such unusual solvent as supercritical carbon dioxide at a pressure of 3000 psi and a temperature of 36-68 °C has been used for esterification with azolides.[6]... 

The second step, nucleophilic attack of an alcohol or phenol on the activated carboxylic acid RCOIm (carboxylic acid imidazolide), is usually slow (several hours), but it can be accelerated by heating[7] or by adding a base[8] [9] such as NaH, NaNH2, imidazole sodium (ImNa), NaOR, triethylamine, diazabicyclononene (DBN), diazabicycloimdecene (DBU), or /7-dimethylaminopyridine to the reaction mixture (see Tables 3—1 and 3—2). This causes the alcohol to become more nucleophilic. Sodium alcoholate applied in catalytic amounts accelerates the ester synthesis to such an extent that even at room temperature esterification is complete after a short time, usually within a few minutes.[7H9] This catalysis is a result of the fact that alcoholate reacts with the imidazolide very rapidly, forming the ester and imidazole sodium. 

Since the imidazolide method proceeds almost quantitatively, it has been used for the synthesis of isotopically labeled esters (see also Section 3.2), and it is always useful for the esterification of sensitive carboxylic acids, alcohols, and phenols under mild conditions. This advantage has been utilized in biochemistry for the study of transacylating enzymes. A number of enzymatic transacylations (e.g., those catalyzed by oc-chymo-trypsin) have been shown to proceed in two steps an acyl group is first transferred from the substrate to the enzyme to form an acyl enzyme, which is then deacylated in a second step. In this context it has been shown[21] that oc-chymotrypsin is rapidly and quantitatively acylated by Af-fraw.s-cinnamoylimidazole to give /ra/w-cinnamoyl-a-chymotrypsin, which can be isolated in preparative quantities and retains its enzymatic activity (see also Chapter 6). 

Similarly applicable for ester syntheses as CDI is A AT -oxalyldiimidazole, which was first described in reference [109]. It has been used to convert not only carboxylic acids but also metal carboxylates into the corresponding imidazolides.[110] Typical reaction conditions for the reactions with oxalyldiimidazole are for the first step 1-2 h, 25-45 °C, and for the second step 4 h, room temperature if X = H if X = Li or Na, if 60 °C and DMF as solvent. In the latter case the resulting Lilm or Naim function as catalysts in the conversion of alcohol into the alcoholate. Results are given in Table 3— 3 [no]... 

A further example is given in reference [88] Selective esterification of retronecine, the dialcoholic component of a pyrolizidine alkaloid, by the imidazolide method was found to be superior to the acid chloride/pyridine method. Acylation of the 9-position of retronecine with tiglic acid, pivalic acid, isobutyric acid, and propionic acid was investigated concerning the steric requirement of the carboxylic acid. 

Preparation of Esters by Use of a Polymer-Supported Carboxylic Acid Imidazolide... 

Further acylations/selective acylations of carbohydrates are compiled in Table 3—11. The acylations are carried out either by using imidazolides prepared in situ from the carboxylic acid and CDI (method A), or by using the isolated carboxylic acid imidazolides (method B). 

Starch esters have been obtained by reactions of starch and carboxylic or sulfonic acid imidazolides in aqueous NaOH or nonaqueous solutions, as described in reference [226]. The esterification of dextran with butyric or palmitic acid using CDI in DMSO or formamide is discussed in reference [174]. 

By adding one equivalent of alcohol to CDI at room temperature with or without base it is possible to isolate the imidazole-iV-carboxylate, which then reacts with a second mole of ROH to yield the carbonate. As in the case of alcoholysis of imidazolides, the reaction can be accelerated so effectively with catalytic amounts of NaOC2H5 or ImNa that it takes place in most cases exothermically, even at room temperature. However, tert-butyl alcohol, even when in excess, affords with CDI and base catalysis at room temperature only the imidazole-N-tert-butylcarboxylate, obviously for steric reasons. At higher temperature the carbonic ester is formed. Mixed carbonates such as ethyl benzyl carbonate or ethyl terf-butyl carbonate can be prepared with two different alcohols added sequentially.C9],[229]... 

Amides are conveniently prepared by the azolide method, usually in two steps first by reaction of the free carboxylic acid at room temperature with CDI in a 1 1 molar ratio under elimination of C02 the carboxylic acid imidazolide is formed after C02 evolution has ceased an equimolar amount of amine is then added.[1]... 

The reaction of imidazolides of carboxylic acids with sulfamoyl compounds affords the corresponding acylsulfamoyl derivatives. 

A special case of amide formation was observed in the reaction of a furan-2-carboxylic acid with two moles of CDI and subsequent conversion with amines, hi this reaction, besides formation of the imidazolide, addition of imidazole also takes places.1-1411... 

The azolide method has also been used for the synthesis of polyamides and polyimides. These can be obtained by several routes First by condensation of two dihomofunctional components (dicarboxylic acid diimidazolides and diamines), secondly by condensation of a heterodifunctional compound (amino carboxylic acid and CDI), or through reaction on a polymer (for example, polymeric carboxylic acid imidazolides and amines). 

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