Cyclization acids

It was not fully realized until my breakthrough using superacids (vide infra) that, to suppress the deprotonation of alkyl cations to olefins and the subsequent formation of complex mixtures by reactions of olefins with alkyl cations, such as alkylation, oligomerization, polymerization, and cyclization, acids much stronger than those known and used in the past were needed. 

Allylic carbonates are most reactive. Their carbonylation proceeds under mild conditions, namely at 50 C under 1-20 atm of CO. Facile exchange of CO2 with CO takes place[239]. The carbonylation of 2,7-octadienyl methyl carbonate (379) in MeOH affords the 3,8-nonadienoate 380 as expected, but carbonylation in AcOH produces the cyclized acid 381 and the bicyclic ketones 382 and 383 by the insertion of the internal alkene into Tr-allylpalladium before CO insertion[240] (see Section 2.11). The alkylidenesuccinate 385 is prepared in good yields by the carbonylation of the allylic carbonate 384 obtained by DABCO-mediated addition of aldehydes to acrylate. The E Z ratios are different depending on the substrates[241]. 

Cyclic tetrafluoro ethers are also the main or sole products of the sulfur tctrafluoridc fluorination of phthalic and pyromellitic acids, or their anhydrides, possessing two bulky ortho substituents (e.g., CF3. N02, Br. Cl or even Me). These substituents create steric crowding which pushes two neighboring carboxylic acid groups towards each other and forces cyclization acid anhydrides and difluoro lactones are the intermediates and they may be isolated from reactions carried out under sufficiently mild conditions. Thus, reaction of 3,6-bis(trifluoromcthyl)bcn-zcnc-1,2-dicarboxylic acid (4) with sulfur tctrafluoridc at ambient temperature results in dehydration to give exclusively the corresponding cyclic anhydride 5 at 60"C a mixture of the anhydride 5, 3,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)phthaloyI difluoride (6) and 3,3-difluoro-4,7-bis(trifluoro-methyl)isobenzofuran-l(3//)-one (7) is obtained, but at 200"C the final product, 1,1,3,3-tct-rafluoro-4,7-bis(trifluoromethyl)-l,3-dihydroisobenzofuran (8), is formed as the sole product.137... 

Whereas other methods of cyclizing acids such as (1) to 4-ketotetrahydroquin-olines (2) had required protection of the secondary amino hydrogen by tosylation, Koo found that with PPA cyclization can be effected directly in one step. 

Borsche-Drechsel cyclization. Acid-catalyzed rearrangement of cyclohexanone phenylhy-drazone to tetrahydrocarbazole. Subsequent oxidation yields carbazole. 

The same group used a ketal tether as an alternative connecting group in the synthesis of the 1,4-linked C-disaccharide 236 [85 b]. Tebbe methylenation of acetate 237 provided the corresponding enol ether 238, which upon treatment with alcohol 235 in the presence of CSA at -40°C in acetonitrile, furnished linked disaccharide 239 in 81% yield. Subsequent radical cyclization, acidic hydrolysis of the tether and peracetylation provided the D-mannose-containing C-disaccharide 236 as the major product in 35% yield from 239 (Scheme 10-75). Cyclization was not completely stereoselective and a small amount of the )8-C-manno isomer was also isolated (a/)3 10 1). This result is in contrast to similar studies on tether-directed /J-C-mannoside syntheses (vide infra) where a much shorter tether attached to the axial 2-hydroxyl group forces obtention of the desired P-configuration. 

Ladder polymers (double-stranded polymer). A polymer comprising chains made up of fused rings. Examples are cyclized (acid-treated) rubber and polyimidazopyrrolone. 

Although PPA is the cyclizing acid used commercially, other acidic agents like benzoyl chloride in nitrobenzene and acid chlorides hke PCI5, POCI3, AICI, SiCh, or hydrofluoric acid have been used successfully in this cyclization reaction. 

Diphenylphosphinic mixed anhydrides have been utilized to form peptide bonds. Peptides are easier to isolate by this method than by employing 1,3-Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. These anhydrides are the method of choice for the formation of amides of 2-alkenoic acids (eq 1 ). Carbodiimide and acyl carbonate methods proved to be inferior. Primary amines result in better yields than secondary amines. This activation protocol can be employed to form thiol esters (eq 2) p-Amino acids are readily converted to p-lactams with chlorodiphenylphosphine oxide (eq 3). Secondary amines work best. This activation protocol has been utilized to convert acids to amines via a Curtius rearrangement. Phenols have been generated from diene acids, presumably via base-induced elimination of diphenylphosphinic acid from the mixed anhydrides to form ketenes which spontaneously cyclize. Acids have been converted to ketones via activation followed by reaction with organometallic reagents (eq 4)."... 

Carbanions stabilized by phosphorus and acyl substituents have also been frequently used in sophisticated cyclization reactions under mild reaction conditions. Perhaps the most spectacular case is the formation of an ylide from the >S-lactam given below using polymeric Hflnig base (diisopropylaminomethylated polystyrene) for removal of protons. The phosphorus ylide in hot toluene then underwent an intramolecular Wlttig reaction with an acetyl-thio group to yield the extremely acid-sensitive penicillin analogue (a penem I. Ernest, 1979). 

A regioselective aldol condensation described by Biichi succeeds for sterical reasons (G. Biichi, 1968). If one treats the diaidehyde given below with acid, both possible enols are probably formed in a reversible reaaion. Only compound A, however, is found as a product, since in B the interaction between the enol and ester groups which are in the same plane hinders the cyclization. BOchi used acid catalysis instead of the usual base catalysis. This is often advisable, when sterical hindrance may be important. It works, because the addition of a proton or a Lewis acid to a carbonyl oxygen acidifies the neighbouring CH-bonds. 

Chiral 2-oxazolidones are useful recyclable auxiliaries for carboxylic acids in highly enantioselective aldol type reactions via the boron enolates derived from N-propionyl-2-oxazolidones (D.A. Evans, 1981). Two reagents exhibiting opposite enantioselectivity ate prepared from (S)-valinol and from (lS,2R)-norephedrine by cyclization with COClj or diethyl carbonate and subsequent lithiation and acylation with propionyl chloride at — 78°C. En-olization with dibutylboryl triflate forms the (Z)-enolates (>99% Z) which react with aldehydes at low temperature. The pure (2S,3R) and (2R,3S) acids or methyl esters are isolated in a 70% yield after mild solvolysis. 

Cydopentane reagents used in synthesis are usually derived from cyclopentanone (R.A. Ellison, 1973). Classically they are made by base-catalyzed intramolecular aldol or ester condensations (see also p. 55). An important example is 2-methylcydopentane-l,3-dione. It is synthesized by intramolecular acylation of diethyl propionylsucdnate dianion followed by saponification and decarboxylation. This cyclization only worked with potassium t-butoxide in boiling xylene (R. Bucourt, 1965). Faster routes to this diketone start with succinic acid or its anhydride. A Friedel-Crafts acylation with 2-acetoxy-2-butene in nitrobenzene or with pro-pionyl chloride in nitromethane leads to acylated adducts, which are deacylated in aqueous acids (V.J. Grenda, 1967 L.E. Schick, 1969). A new promising route to substituted cyclopent-2-enones makes use of intermediate 5-nitro-l,3-diones (D. Seebach, 1977). 

A simple acid-catalyzed cyclization transforms i//-ionone into n-ionone (W. Kimel, 1957, 1958). Further treatment with protic acids transforms the tr-ionone to the thermodynamically more stable -ionone. 

The achiral triene chain of (a//-rrans-)-3-demethyl-famesic ester as well as its (6-cis-)-isoiner cyclize in the presence of acids to give the decalol derivative with four chirai centres whose relative configuration is well defined (P.A. Stadler, 1957 A. Escherunoser, 1959 W.S. Johnson, 1968, 1976). A monocyclic diene is formed as an intermediate (G. Stork, 1955). With more complicated 1,5-polyenes, such as squalene, oily mixtures of various cycliz-ation products are obtained. The 18,19-glycol of squalene 2,3-oxide, however, cyclized in modest yield with picric acid catalysis to give a complex tetracyclic natural product with nine chiral centres. Picric acid acts as a protic acid of medium strength whose conjugated base is non-nucleophilic. Such acids activate oxygen functions selectively (K.B. Sharpless, 1970). 

The early Escherunoser-Stork results indicated, that stereoselective cyclizations may be achieved, if monocyclic olefins with 1,5-polyene side chains are used as substrates in acid treatment. This assumption has now been justified by many syntheses of polycyclic systems. A typical example synthesis is given with the last reaction. The cyclization of a trideca-3,7-dien-11-ynyl cyclopentenol leads in 70% yield to a 17-acetyl A-norsteroid with correct stereochemistry at all ring junctions. Ozonolysis of ring A and aldol condensation gave dl-progesterone (M.B. Gravestock, 1978 see p. 279f.). 

The synthesis described met some difficulties. D-Valyl-L-prolyl resin was found to undergo intramolecular aminoiysis during the coupling step with DCC. 70< o of the dipeptide was cleaved from the polymer, and the diketopiperazine of D-valyl-L-proline was excreted into solution. The reaction was catalyzed by small amounts of acetic acid and inhibited by a higher concentration (protonation of amine). This side-reaction can be suppressed by adding the DCC prior to the carboxyl component. In this way, the carboxyl component is "consumed immediately to form the DCC adduct and cannot catalyze the cyclization. 

First the protected oligopeptide is coupled with polymer-bound nitrophenol by DCC. N"-Deblocking leads then to simultaneous cycliiation and detachment of the product from the polymer (M. Fridkin, 1965). Recent work indicates that high dilution in liquid-phase cycli-zation is only necessary, if the cyclization reaction is sterically hindered. Working at low temperatures and moderate dilution with moderately activated acid derivatives is the method of choice for the formation of macrocyclic lactams (R.F. Nutt, 1980). 

With the catalysis of strong Lewis acids, such as tin(IV) chloride, dipyrromethenes may aiso be alkylated. A very successful porphyrin synthesis involves 5-bromo-S -bromomethyl and 5 -unsubstituted 5-methyl-dipyrromethenes. In the first alkylation step a tetrapyrrolic intermediate is formed which cyclizes to produce the porphyrin in DMSO in the presence of pyridine. This reaction sequence is useful for the synthesis of completely unsymmetrical porphyrins (K.M. Smith, 1975). 

The following acid-catalyzed cyclizations leading to steroid hormone precursors exemplify some important facts an acetylenic bond is less nucleophilic than an olelinic bond acetylenic bonds tend to form cyclopentane rather than cyclohexane derivatives, if there is a choice in proton-catalyzed olefin cyclizations the thermodynamically most stable Irons connection of cyclohexane rings is obtained selectively electroneutral nucleophilic agents such as ethylene carbonate can be used to terminate the cationic cyclization process forming stable enol derivatives which can be hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds without this nucleophile and with trifluoroacetic acid the corresponding enol ester may be obtained (M.B. Gravestock, 1978, A,B P.E. Peterson, 1969). 

A special problem arises in the preparation of secondary amines. These compounds are highly nucleophilic, and alkylation of an amine with alkyl halides cannot be expected to stop at any specifle stage. Secondary amides, however, can be monoalkylated and lydrolyzed or be reduced to secondary amines (p. 11 If.). In the elegant synthesis of phenyl- phrine an intermediate -hydroxy isocyanate (from a hydrazide and nitrous acid) cyclizes to pve an oxazolidinone which is monomethylated. Treatment with strong acid cleaves the cyclic irethan. 

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