Cycloaddition concerted mechanism

A versatile method for the synthesis of a variety of five-membered heterocycles and their ring-fused analogs involves the reaction of a neutral 47r-electron-3-atom system with a 27T-electron system, the dipolarophile, which is usually electron deficient in nature. Available evidence, e.g. retention of dipolarophile stereochemistry in the product and solvent polarity exerting only a moderate influence on the reaction, indicates that the cycloaddition proceeds via a concerted mechanism 63AG(E)565, 63AG(E)633, 68JOC2291) and may be represented in general terms by the expression in Scheme 8. 

The mechanism of the cycloaddition of phenyl azide to norbornene has been shown to involve a concerted mechanism with a charge imbalance in the transition state (199). In a similar manner the cycloaddition of phenyl azide to enamines apparently proceeds by a concerted mechanism (194, 194a). This is shown by a rather large negative entropy of activation (—36 entropy units for l-(N-morpholino)cyclopentene in benzene solvent at 25°C), indicative of a highly ordered transition state. Varying solvents from those of small dielectric constants to those of large dielectric constants has... 

The major developments of catalytic enantioselective cycloaddition reactions of carbonyl compounds with conjugated dienes have been presented. A variety of chiral catalysts is available for the different types of carbonyl compound. For unactivated aldehydes chiral catalysts such as BINOL-aluminum(III), BINOL-tita-nium(IV), acyloxylborane(III), and tridentate Schiff base chromium(III) complexes can catalyze highly diastereo- and enantioselective cycloaddition reactions. The mechanism of these reactions can be a stepwise pathway via a Mukaiyama aldol intermediate or a concerted mechanism. For a-dicarbonyl compounds, which can coordinate to the chiral catalyst in a bidentate fashion, the chiral BOX-copper(II)... 

Honk et al. concluded that this FMO model imply increased asynchronicity in the bond-making processes, and if first-order effects (electrostatic interactions) were also considered, a two-step mechanisms, with cationic intermediates become possible in some cases. It was stated that the model proposed here shows that the phenomena generally observed on catalysis can be explained by the concerted mechanism, and allows predictions of the effect of Lewis acid on the rates, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity of all concerted cycloadditions, including those of ketenes, 1,3-dipoles, and Diels-Alder reactions with inverse electron-demand [2],... 

Most Diels-Alder reactions, particularly the thermal ones and those involving apolar dienes and dienophiles, are described by a concerted mechanism [17]. The reaction between 1,3-butadiene and ethene is a prototype of concerted synchronous reactions that have been investigated both experimentally and theoretically [18]. A concerted unsymmetrical transition state has been invoked to justify the stereochemistry of AICI3-catalyzed cycloadditions of alkylcyclohexenones with methyl-butadienes [12]. The high syn stereospecificity of the reaction, the low solvent effect on the reaction rate, and the large negative values of both activation entropy and activation volume comprise the chemical evidence usually given in favor of a pericyclic Diels-Alder reaction. 

Several other types of addition reactions of alkenes are also of importance and these are discussed elsewhere. Nucleophilic additions to electrophilic alkenes are covered in Section 2.6 and cycloadditions involving concerted mechanisms are encountered in Sections 6.1 to 6.3. Free radical addition reaction are considered in Chapter 11. 

Cycloaddition reactions result in the formation of a new ring from two reactants. A concerted mechanism requires that a single transition state, and therefore no intermediate, lie on the reaction path between reactants and adduct. The most important example of cycloaddition is the Diels-Alder (D-A) reaction. The cycloaddition of alkenes and dienes is a very useful method for forming substituted cyclohexenes.1... 

Eq. 17 is meant to represent the possibility for a concerted formation of oxetane product. A problem that always exist in cycloadditions is the question of whether the reaction takes place by a two-step biradical reaction pathway or through a concerted mechanism. Such questions have not even been resolved for purely thermal reactions. 4> A recent speculation on this point proposes almost universal concertedness for all cycloaddition reactions. 79> In that work, mixed stereochemistry in the products of [2+2] cycloaddition reactions is generally attributed to a mixture of two concerted reactions, suprafacial-suprafacial, and supra-facial-antarafacial. It will be seen later that the PMO calculations generally do not support this idea. A mixture of biradical and concerted reactions is in better agreement with experimental facts. 

The observation that the transition state volumes in many Diels-Alder reactions are product-like, has been regarded as an indication of a concerted mechanism. In order to test this hypothesis and to gain further insight into the often more complex mechanism of Diels-Alder reactions, the effect of pressure on competing [4 + 2] and [2 + 2] or [4 + 4] cycloadditions has been investigated. In competitive reactions the difference between the activation volumes, and hence the transition state volumes, is derived directly from the pressure dependence of the product ratio, [4 + 2]/[2 + 2]p = [4 + 2]/[2 + 2]p=i exp —< AF (p — 1)/RT. All [2 + 2] or [4 + 4] cycloadditions listed in Tables 3 and 4 doubtlessly occur in two steps via diradical intermediates and can therefore be used as internal standards of activation volumes expected for stepwise processes. Thus, a relatively simple measurement of the pressure dependence of the product ratio can give important information about the mechanism of Diels-Alder reactions. 

When reacted with electron-rich enamines f ,)-R12N-CH=CH-Me, stable azomethine ylides 214 <1999T9515> undergo regioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions giving rise to tetrahydropyrrolizines 215 as mixtures of cis- and trans-isomers with poor diastereoselectivity, which is an argument in favor of a two-step instead of a concerted mechanism (Scheme 51) <1999T9535>. 

The well-known Diels-Alder reaction [95,104-106] is a standard method for forming substituted cyclohexenes through the thermally allowed 4s + 2s cycloaddition of alkenes and dienes. In particular, the reaction between ethene and 1,3-butadiene to yield cyclohexene is the prototype of a Diels-Alder reaction (Scheme 28.4). It is now well recognized that this reaction takes place via a synchronous and concerted mechanism through an aromatic boatlike TS [105]. 

Af-Acyliminium ions are known to serve as electron-deficient 4n components and undergo [4+2] cycloaddition with alkenes and alkynes.15 The reaction has been utilized as a useftil method for the construction of heterocycles and acyclic amino alcohols. The reaction can be explained in terms of an inverse electron demand Diels-Alder type process that involves an electron-deficient hetero-diene with an electron-rich dienophile. Af-Acyliminium ions generated by the cation pool method were also found to undergo [4+2] cycloaddition reaction to give adduct 7 as shown in Scheme 7.16 The reaction with an aliphatic olefin seems to proceed by a concerted mechanism, whereas the reaction with styrene derivatives seems to proceed by a stepwise mechanism. In the latter case, significant amounts of polymeric products were obtained as byproducts. The formation of polymeric byproducts can be suppressed by micromixing. 

A different mode of cycloaddition occurs with 7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]-heptadiene derivatives, in which the nucleophilicity of the nitrogen atom determines the point of attachment of the electrophilic dienophile. The addition depicted in 87, which may occur in two steps via a zwitterionic intermediate rather than by a concerted mechanism, accounts for the structures (88) of 1 2 adducts obtained with A-methyl- or A-benzyl-pyrrole and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate. At a higher temperature the reaction with A-methylpyrrole also afforded the indole tetraester... 

The complete stereoselectivity of the reaction, however, is difficult to reconcile with a two-step process. This earlier controversy, however, has long since been resolved. For example, when considering results of the cycloaddition of p-nitrobenzonitrile oxide with cis- and trani-l,2-dideuterioethylene (111), the experiments clearly established that, within experimental limits of detection, the reaction is > 98% stereoselective. If diradical intermediates were operative, significant scrambling of configuration should be observed in the products. These and other results confirm a concerted mechanism for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction (15). 

The characteristics of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition mechanism of azides and other 1,3-dipoles (such as diazoalkanes, azo-methine imines, nitrones, nitrile imines, nitrile oxides) have been described in detail by Huisgen.191 19 According to the author, the addition of a 1,3-dipole (a b c) to a dipolarophile (d e) occurs by a concerted mechanism in which the two new a bonds are formed simultaneously although not necessarily at equal rates (32). As a consequence, a stereoselective cis addition is observed. Thus, the addition of p-methoxyphenyl azide to dimethyl fiynarate (33) yields l-(p-methoxyphenyl)-4,5-froiw-dicarbomethoxy-AMriazoline (34),194 and 4-nitrophenyl azide gives exclusively the respective cis-addition products 35 and 36 on addition to irons- and cis-propenyl propyl ether.196... 

The controversy between Huisgen and Firestone concerning the mechanism for 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is longstanding.9,11 For nitrile oxide cycloadditions, experimental data have been interpreted either as supportive of a concerted mechanism9 or in favor of a stepwise mechanism with diradical intermediates.11 Theory has compounded, rather than resolved, this problem. Ab initio calculations on the reaction of fulmonitrile oxide with acetylene predict a concerted mechanism at the molecular otbital level,12,13 but a stepwise mechanism after inclusion of extensive electron correlation.14 MNDO predicts a stepwise mechanism with a diradical intermediate.13 The existence of an extended diradical intermediate such as (4 Scheme 2) has been postulated by Firestone in order to account for the occasional formation of 1,4-addition products such as the oxime (5).11 Of course, the intermediates (4) and (5) for the Firestone mechanism do not correspond to the initial transition states in Firestone s theory. These are attained prior to the formation of, and at higher energy than, the intermediates. 

As in the case of the reaction between ketenes and imines, the [2+2] cycloaddition between isocyanates and alkenes [106, 107] can take place via concerted and stepwise mechanisms. However, with the exception of highly nucleophilic alkenes (vide infra), concerted mechanisms were postulated, since isocyanates are suitable candidates to act as antarafacial partners in thermal [2+2] cycloadditions (Fig. 1). Aside from the [n2s + n2J mechanism, in principle [n2s + (A + A) [108] and [A + (A + A s)] [109] mechanisms can be envisaged (Fig. 5). 

Oxidative additions are frequently observed with transition metal d8 systems such as iron(0), osmium(O), cobalt(I), rhodium(I), iridium(I), nickel(II), palladium(II) and platinum(II). The reactivity of d8 systems towards oxidative addition increases from right to left in the periodic table and from top to down within a triad. The concerted mechanism is most important and resembles a concerted cycloaddition in organic chemistry (Scheme 1.1). The reactivity of metal complexes is influenced by their... 

Allyl complexes of the type ri1-allyl-Fp are prepared by reaction of [Cp(CO)2Fe] Na+ with allyl halides or, alternatively, by deprotonation of [Ti2-alkene-Fp]+ complexes. The most important reaction of V-allyl-Fp complexes is the [3+ 2]-cycloaddition with electron-deficient alkenes [33]. The reaction proceeds via a non-concerted mechanism, to afford Fp-substituted cydopentanes (Scheme 1.10). 

It should be noted here that thymine photodimerization may occur by a non-concerted mechanism, involving free radical intermediates. Indeed, photoproducts other than cis-syn dimer, such as the next most abundant thymine dimer, so-called 6 4 adduct, were observed in irradiated DNA. However, the quantum yield of cis-syn photodimer formation (r/j 0.02) is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of the 6 4 adduct ( 0.0013) which in turn is an order of magnitude higher than the quantum yields for other thymine isomers [68]. This specificity can lead to the conclusion that the thymine photodimerization occurs predominantly via concerted 2 + 2 cycloaddition mechanism. A time-resolved study of thymine dimer formation demonstrated that thymine cyclobutane dimers are formed on a timescale of less than 200 nsec, while the 6 4 adduct is formed on a timescale of few milliseconds [69]. The delay in the formation of the latter was attributed to the mechanism of its formation through a reactive intermediate. 

---