Cyclic nitronates nitroalkene cycloaddition

High-pressnre promoted cycloadditions of nitroalkenes and enol ethers eliminate the nse of Lewis acids fEq 8 106 "Thus, even sterically hmdered nitroalkenes react with 2,3-thhydro-furan to give the exo cyclic nitronates stereoselecdvely without using Lewis acids... 

Nitro compounds have been converted into various cyclic compounds via cycloaddition reactions. In particular, nitroalkenes have proved to be useful in Diels-Alder reactions. Under thermal conditions, they behave as electron-deficient alkenes and react with dienes to yield 3-nitrocy-clohexenes. Nitroalkenes can also act as heterodienes and react with olefins in the presence of Lewis acids to yield cyclic alkyl nitronates, which undergo [3+2] cycloaddition. Nitro compounds are precursors for nitrile oxides, alkyl nitronates, and trialkylsilyl nitronates, which undergo [3+2]cycloaddition reactions. Thus, nitro compounds play important roles in the chemistry of cycloaddition reactions. In this chapter, recent developments of cycloaddition chemistry of nitro compounds and their derivatives are summarized. 

Alkyl and silyl nitronates are, in principle, /V-alkoxy and /V-silyloxynitrones, and they can react with alkenes in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions to form /V-alkoxy- or /V-silyloxyisoxaz.olidine (see Scheme 8.25). The alkoxy and silyloxy groups can be eliminated from the adduct on heating or by acid treatment to form 2-isoxazolines. It should be noticed that isoxazolines are also obtained by the reaction of nitrile oxides with alkenes thus, nitronates can be considered as synthetic equivalents of nitrile oxides. Since the pioneering work by Torssell et al. on the development of silyl nitronates, this type of reaction has become a useful synthetic tool. Recent development for generation of cyclic nitronates by hetero Diels-Alder reactions of nitroalkenes is discussed in Section 8.3. 

Recently, Denmark and coworkers have developed a new strategy for the construction of complex molecules using tandem [4+2]/[3+2]cycloaddition of nitroalkenes.149 In the review by Denmark, the definition of tandem reaction is described and tandem cascade cycloadditions, tandem consecutive cycloadditions, and tandem sequential cycloadditions are also defined. The use of nitroalkenes as heterodienes leads to the development of a general, high-yielding, and stereoselective method for the synthesis of cyclic nitronates (see Section 5.2). These dipoles undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. However, synthetic applications of this process are rare in contrast to the functionally equivalent cycloadditions of nitrile oxides. This is due to the lack of general methods for the preparation of nitronates and their instability. Thus, as illustrated in Scheme 8.29, the potential for a tandem process is formulated in the combination of [4+2] cycloaddition of a donor dienophile with [3+2]cycload-... 

The simplest nitroalkene, nitroethene, undergoes Lewis acid-promoted [4+2] cycloaddition with chiral vinyl ethers to give cyclic nitronates with high diastereoselectivity. The resulting cyclic nitronates react with deficient alkenes to effect a face-selective [3+2] cycloaddition. A remote acetal center controls the stereochemistry of [3+2] cycloaddition. This strategy is applied to synthesis of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (+)-macronecine and (+)-petasinecine (Scheme 8.33).165... 

Synthesis of Six-membered Cyclic Nitronates by the [4 + 2]-cycloaddi-tion Reaction The [4 + 2]-cycloaddition reaction of conjugated nitroalkenes (42) with olefins (43) is the most powerful and widely used method for the synthesis of six-membered cyclic nitronates (35) (Scheme 3.38). 

Intramolecular [3+ 2]-cycloaddition of six-membered cyclic nitronates was extensively studied by Prof. Denmark and coworkers for the tandem [4 + 2] [3 + 2] -cycloaddition reactions of nitroalkenes. Detailed considerations of this problem were summarized in two reviews (394a, b). Most data were comprehensively discussed in Reference 394b. It is unnecessary to repeat this information however, it is worthwhile to briefly review the available data. 

This approach has been comprehensively described in Reference 99 and two monographs 427 and 428. Hence, we will not consider this approach in detail, the more so that selected aspects of [4+ 2]-cycloaddition reactions of conjugated nitroalkenes with olefins were discussed in Section 3.2.1.2.2.2. Many concerned with the synthesis of six-membered cyclic nitronates, many problems of [3+ 2]-cycloaddition of six-membered cyclic nitronates were also considered above (see Sections 3.4.3.1.4 and 3.4.3.3). 

If nitroalkenes are employed as heterodienes in hetero Diels-Alder reactions instead of nitrosoalkenes, cyclic nitrones are formed. These cycloadducts undergo numerous subsequent reactions, and especially the combination of this hetero Diels-Alder reaction with a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is an extremely powerful tool for the synthesis of polycyclic alkaloids. This domino [4+ 2]/[3+ 2] cycloaddition chemistry has been comprehensively reviewed by Denmark and Thorarensen very recently, and this review also covers many hetero Diels-Alder reactions of nitroalkenes being not part of this sequential transformation [5]. Therefore the present article will focus on some selected examples which might highlight the advanced state of the art concerning stereocontrol of these reactions. On the other hand, an insight shall be given into the multitude of polycyclic structures accessible by means of nitroalkene cycloaddition chemistry. 

Cyclic nitrones generated by [4+ 2]-cycloaddition of nitroalkenes undergo various, synthetically very valuable reactions. Thus, Denmark et al. have developed an elegant access to different enantiopure, 3- and 3,4-substituted pyrrolidine derivatives by reductive ring contraction of the cyclic nitrone resulting from a hetero Diels-Alder reaction [389,390]. Upon reaction of -2-nitrostyrene 4-51 with the chiral enol ether 4-52 in the presence of the bulky Lewis acid MAPh (4-53), three diastereomeric cycloadducts 4-54, 4-55 and 4-56 were formed. Hydrogenolysis of the main product 4-54 yielded the desired pyrrolidine 4-57 in excellent optical purity and allowed nearly quantitative recovery of the chiral auxiliary (Fig. 4-12) [391]. It is noteworthy that the nature of the Lewis acid catalyst, especially its steric demand, decisively influences the stereochemical course of such cycloadditions [392]. 

Carbamoyl nitroso dienophiles, derived from chiral pyrrolidines, have been generated and their reactivity with cyclohexa-diene investigated. Using (—)-fra/w-2,5-dimethylpyirolidine as the auxiliary, the [4 + 2] cycloadduct is isolated in 82% yield and with 98% diastereomeric excess (eq 10). Similarly, chiral ynamine dienophiles have been utilized in asymmetric [4 + 2] cycloadditions with a,p-unsaturated nitroalkenes to afford cyclic nitronic esters. The resulting esters subsequently undergo a rapid [1,31-rearrangement to afford chiral cyclic nitrones in moderate yield and high diastereoselectivity (eq 11)-... 

Denmark and Marcin showed that 2,2-disubstituted 1-nitroalkenes undergo facile MAD-promoted [4 -r 2] cycloaddition with n-butyl vinyl ether in toluene at 0 °C to give cyclic nitronates as anomeric mixtures in good yield [173]. This method is a promising route to the stereoselective synthesis of disubstituted pyrrolidines and can thus be applied to the synthesis of the biologically active pyrrolidine alkaloid, mesembrine (Sch. 134). 

The domino [4 + 2]/[3 - - 2] cycloaddition of an enol ether, a nitroalkene and a third alkene is a representative example of a multicomponent reaction in which a polycyclic N-containing system is formed in a single transformation [10, 11]. In this domino reaction, a nitroalkene reacts as a heterodiene with an electron-rich alkene such as an enol ether, in an inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction, to form a cyclic nitronate, which then reacts with another alkene in a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to produce a nitroso acetal (Scheme 9.4). 

Cycloaddition reactions represent another important area of nitro olefin chemistry. Typically, nitroalkenes react in normal-electron-demand [4 + 2] cycloadditions as highly activated dienophiles (2ji-components) and produce nitro-substimted cyclohexenes [53]. However, under certain conditions nitroalkenes can switch the mode of reactivity in cycloadditions (periselectivity) and behave as electron-poor heterodienes (47i-components). Nitroalkenes react as 471-partners with electron-rich dienophiles under Lewis-acid activation [19], high pressure [54], and even thermal activation in some cases [55-57]. The products of such cycloadditions are six-membered cyclic nitronates (see Scheme 16.2, for example), whose properties will be discussed later in this text. 

The Influence of Lewis Acids on the Reactivity and Stereoselectivity in [4+2] Cycloadditions of Nitroalkenes Nitroalkenes 8 engage in inverse-electron-demand [4 + 2] cycloadditions with electron-rich dienophiles 28 to provide cyclic nitronates 29 (Scheme 16.8) [19]. 

Nitronate Facial Selectivity in Intermolecular [3+2] Cycloadditions of Nitronates The majority of asymmetric dipolar cycloadditions of nitronates have been investigated in the context of the tandem [4 + 2]/[3 + 2] cycloadditions of nitroalkenes. With chiral, cyclic nitronates, the facial selectivity is primarily controlled by the steric environment that defines the diastereotopic faces of the nitronate. Nitronates obtained from [4 + 2] cycloadditions with vinyl ethers contain an acetal stereocenter that controls the approach of the dipolarophile. Nitronate 103 (Scheme 16.26) reacts with dimethyl maleate to produce predominantly nitroso acetal distal- QA through a distal approach of the dipolarophile [23]. The proximal approach provided the minor isomer with dr 7/l. Calculations suggest that the distal approach of the dipolarophile that leads directly to a chair-Uke conformation of the six-membered ring is slightly favored over the proximal approach [121]. 

Cyclic alkyl nitronates may be used in tandem [4+2]/[3+2] cycloadditions of nitroalkanes, and this reaction has been extensively studied by Denmark et al. (64,333-335). In recent work, they developed the silicon-tethered heterodiene-alkene 219 (Scheme 12.63). Steric hindrance and the fact that both the nitroalkene and the a,p-unsaturated ester in 219 are electron deficient renders the possibility of self-condensation. Instead, 219 reacts with the electron-rich chiral vinyl ether 220 in the presence of the catalyst 224 to form the intermediate chiral nitronate 221. The tandem reaction proceeds from 221 with an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to form 222 with 93% de. Further synthetic steps led to the formation of ( )-detoxinine 223 (333). A similar type of tandem reaction has also been applied by Chattopadhyaya and co-workers (336), using 2, 3 -dideoxy-3 -nitro-2, 3 -didehydrothymidine as the starting material (336). 

However, far the most powerful synthetical methodology involving cycloaddition chemistry of nitroalkenes is the combination of a hetero Diels-Alder reaction with a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the resulting nitrone. Up to six stereo-genic centers may be constructed in the course of this protocol, and a multitude of preparative options results from applying either intra- or intermolecular varieties of the single steps and from the different modes to connect the resulting cyclic entities (Fig. 4-13). 

Nitroalkenes 1 behave as heterodienes in [4+2] inverse electron demand cycloadditions with simple unactivated alkenes, enamines, or enol ethers (2) as dieno-philes. These reactions require the presence of a Lewis acid to enhance the reactivity of the nitroalkene and accelerate the process. The products obtained in such reactions are six-membered cyclic compounds called nitronates (3) (Scheme 22.1). These compounds can be used in turn, as 1,3-dipoles in [3+2] cycloaddition reactions. 

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