Conjugate acceptors reacting with

We have just seen how one conjugate addition can be followed by a second leading to a six-membered ring. If instead the product 53 of the first conjugate addition reacts with a second molecule of the Michael acceptor, this could be the start of polymerisation. 

Van Leusen and co-workers also demonstrated the utility of dilithio-tosylmethyl isocyanide (dilithio-TosMIC) to extend the scope of the application. Dilithio-TosMIC is readily formed from TosMIC and two equivalents of n-butyllithium (BuLi) in THF at -70"C. Dilithio-TosMIC converts ethyl benzoate to oxazole 14 in 70% yield whereas TosMIC monoanion does not react. In addition, unsaturated, conjugated esters (15) react with dilithio-TosMIC exclusively through the ester carbonyl to provide oxazoles (16). On the other hand, use of the softer TosMIC-monoanion provides pyrroles through reaction of the carbon-carbon double bond in the Michael acceptor. 

Enamines react with acceptor-substituted alkenes (Michael acceptors) in a conjugate addition reaction for example with o ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds or nitriles such as acrylonitrile 8. With respect to the acceptor-substituted alkene the reaction is similar to a Michael addition ... 

As in the case of addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles to activated dienes (Section HA), organocopper compounds are the reagents of choice for regio- and stereoselective Michael additions to acceptor-substituted enynes. Substrates bearing an acceptor-substituted triple bond besides one or more conjugated double bonds react with organocuprates under 1,4-addition exclusively (equation 51)138-140 1,6-addition reactions which would provide allenes after electrophilic capture were not observed (cf. Section IV). 

Vitamin B12 reacts with alkyl halides to form a cobalt (III) alkyl intermediate. Irradiation with visible light leads to the expulsion of a carbon-centered radical and a cobalt (II) species. The latter is easily reduced at —0.8 V to reconvert it to a cobalt (I) intermediate that reenters the catalytic cycle by reacting with a second molecule of the halide. The radical is capable of undergoing a number of interesting transformations, including conjugate addition to a Michael acceptor. The example illustrated in Scheme 9 provided a straightforward route to ester... 

Compound 59a reacted with arylhydrazines to give complex mixtures as shown in Scheme 53 (70G745). The reaction presumably goes via an electron transfer process in which the diazo compound serves as electron acceptor. Similar reactions leading to even more complex mixtures were also observed with hydroxylamine, hydrazo compounds, and conjugate indole derivatives (70G757). 

The most reactive Michael acceptors, such as alkylidene malonates, gem-dicyanoalkenes and nitroalkenes, react with a-halozinc esters in a conjugate fashion. Beautiful examples were offered by two stereocontrolled conjugate additions to piperidinone 102 and pyrro-lidinone 104 leading to optically active bicyclic lactams 103147 (equation 60) and 105 (equation 61)148. With these electron-poor alkenes a Grignard two-step protocol is to be adopted in order to avoid the single electron transfer reactions from the metal to the Michael acceptor, which should afford olefin dimers. The best solvent is found to be a... 

Both the cis- and the trans-disubstituted spiranes resulted, in different ratios, depending on the reaction conditions. Clearly, the trans spiranes are chiral. The first conjugate addition to the Michael acceptors 75a-c is intermolecular in nature and defines the sense of chirality at the first chiral center. Subsequent intramolecular ring closure to the spiranes 76 defines the cis or trans configuration of the product. When cyclohexane-1,3-dione (74a) was reacted with dibenzalacetone (75a) in the presence of ca 5 mol% (—)-quinine (3a, Scheme 4.3), a 2.5 1 trans/cis mixture resulted, with the trans isomer 76 having optical purity of ca 30% (Scheme 4.37) [61] (the absolute configuration of the predominant enantiomer was not assigned). 

The compounds that we are now calling dienophiles were the stars of Chapters 10, 23, and 29 where we called them Michael acceptors as they were the electrophilic partners in conjugate addition reactions. Nucleophiles always add to the (3 carbon atoms of these alkenes because the product is then a stable enolate. Ordinary alkenes do not react with nucleophiles. 

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