Cycloaddition, 1,3-dipolar electron-deficient alkenes

Hetero Diels-Alder reactions using nitroalkenes followed by 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions provide a useful strategy for the construction of polycyclic heterocycles, which are found in natural products. Denmark has coined the term tandem [4+2]/[3+2] cycloaddition of nitroalkenes for this type of reaction. The tandem [4+2]/[3+2] cycloaddition can be classified into four families as shown in Scheme 8.31, where A and D mean an electron acceptor and electron donor, respectively.149 In general, electron-rich alkenes are favored as dienophiles in [4+2] cycloadditions, whereas electron-deficient alkenes are preferred as dipolarophiles in [3+2] cycloadditions. 

Azomethine ylides. The reaction of 1 with the oxime of an aldehyde results in an iminium salt 2. Desilylation of 2 (CsF) gives rise to an azomethine ylide (a) that undergoes 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with electron-deficient alkenes (equation I). 

Diazomethylene)phosphoranes 33 (Scheme 8.10), which represent another type of diazocumulenes (12) are easily obtained by the oxidative ylidation of the corresponding phosphanyl(trimethylsilyl)diazomethane with CCI4. The increased stability of these compounds as compared with diazocumulenes (R2C=C=N2) is probably due to the ylidic character of the P=C bond. These diazo compounds exhibit the expected dipolar reactivity toward electron-deficient alkenes, alkynes, phosphaalkenes, and heterocumulenes (12). Thus, 33 reacts with TCNE to form A -pyrazoline 35 (60). Furthermore, 33 could be converted into the phosphonio-borate-substituted diazo compound 34, which underwent subsequent cycloaddition with electron-deficient alkenes (e.g., 34 36) (61). 

Hu and co-workers reported a facile synthesis of pyrrolo[2,l-n]phthalazine 205 by a 13-dipolar cycloaddition of phthalazium N-ylides generated from 203 with electron deficient alkenes to give 204, followed by treating 204 with tetrakispyridine cobalt(II) dichromate [Py4Co(HCr04)2, TPCD] to complete the aromatization <00JHC1165>. 

Dipolarophiles D5. Electron-deficient alkenes based on acrolein and its analogs are widely used as dipolarophiles. To carry out asymmetrical 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions between various nitrones and acrolein, the bis-titanium catalyst (543) (Fig. 2.37) was used as the chiral Lewis acid (Table 2.22) (754a). 

Finally, the catalytic enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction has recently been developed to be a highly selective reaction of nitrones with electron-deficient alkenes activated by chiral Lewis acids. High levels of regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities can now be reached using catalysts 89 <2000JOC9080>, 90 <2002JA4968>, or 91 <2005JA13386> (Scheme 29). 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of benzonitrile oxides with tertiary cinnamides yield the 5-phenyl and 4-phenyl regioisomers in a reversal of the expected regioselectiv-ities shown with methyl cinnamate. Calculations have shown that steric factors are responsible for this reversal of regioselectivity." The 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of benzonitrile oxide with electron-rich and electron-poor dipolarophiles are accelerated by sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles. Phenyl nitrile ylides react with electron-deficient alkenes to produce five-membered -heterocycles where measured rate constants are between 4 x 10 and 7 x 10 lmoP ... 

Elsewhere, Heaney et al. (313-315) found that alkenyloximes (e.g., 285), may react in a number of ways including formation of cyclic nitrones by the 1,3-APT reaction (Scheme 1.60). The benzodiazepinone nitrones (286) formed by the intramolecular 1,3-APT will undergo an intermolecular dipolar cycloaddition reaction with an external dipolarophile to afford five,seven,six-membered tricyclic adducts (287). Alternatively, the oximes may equilibrate to the corresponding N—H nitrones (288) and undergo intramolecular cycloaddition with the alkenyl function to afford five,six,six-membered tricyclic isoxazolidine adducts (289, R = H see also Section 1.11.2). In the presence of an electron-deficient alkene such as methyl vinyl ketone, the nitrogen of oxime 285 may be alkylated via the acyclic version of the 1,3-APT reaction and thus afford the N-alkylated nitrone 290 and the corresponding adduct 291. In more recent work, they prepared the related pyrimidodiazepine N-oxides by oxime-alkene cyclization for subsequent cycloaddition reactions (316). Related nitrones have been prepared by a number of workers by the more familiar route of condensation with alkylhydroxylamines (Scheme 1.67, Section 1.11.3). 

Ramamoorthy et al. (444) found that a-phenyl-A-(4-methylphenyl)nitrone can be the guest molecule in inclusion complexes with a p-cyclodextrin host in 1 1 and 1 2 ratios (guest/host), and that the latter undergoes a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with electron-deficient alkenes. In more recent work, they have formed 1 1 inclusion complexes of the bowl-shaped p-cyclodextrin 383 with (3-nitrostyrene 381 or 1-nitrocyclohexene 382, which leave the alkene moiety exposed (Fig. 1.9) (445). Complexes 381 and 382 undergo cycloaddition reaction with ot-phenyl-A-(4-methylphenyl)nitrone in the solid state after thorough homogenization (60 °C, 3 h) to give the 4-substituted products exclusively in 80 and 85% yield, respectively. 

Weinreb and co-workers (16) reported a high-pressure-induced 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of alkyl and phenyl azides with electron-deficient alkenes at ambient temperature. As a representative example, phenyl azide underwent cycloaddition with methyl crotonate (69) at 12 kbar to give the triazoline 70 (43%) and the p-amino diazoester 71 (53%). The high-pressure conditions resulted in high yield and a shorter reaction time (Scheme 9.16). 

Molander and Hiersemann (60) reported the preparation of the spirocyclic keto aziridine intermediate 302 in an approach to the total synthesis of (zb)-cephalotax-ine (304) via an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of an azide with an electron-deficient alkene (Scheme 9.60). The required azide 301 was prepared by coupling the vinyl iodide 299 and the aryl zinc chloride 300 using a Pd(0) catalyst in the presence of fni-2-furylphosphine. Intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the azido enone 301 in boiling xylene afforded the desired keto aziridine 302 in 76% yield. Hydroxylation of 302 according to Davis s procedure followed by oxidation with Dess-Martin periodinane delivered the compound 303, which was converted to the target molecule (i)-cephalotaxine (304). 

Suga et al. (197) reported the first stereocontrolled 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of carbonyl ylides with electron-deficient alkenes using a Lewis acid catalyst. Carbonyl ylides are highly reactive 1,3-dipoles and cannot be isolated. They are mainly generated through transition metal carbenoid intermediates derived in situ from diazo precursors by treatment with a transition metal catalyst. When methyl o-(diazoacetyl)benzoate is treated with A-methylmaleimide at reflux... 

Husson and co-workers (84) investigated the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of acyclic chiral azomethine ylides derived from (—)-Af-cyanomethyl-4-phenyl-l,3-oxazoli-dine with electron-deficient alkenes, and in some cases de >95% were obtained. 

Other chiral azomethine ylide precursors such as 2-(ferf-butyl)-3-imidazolidin-4-one have been tested as chiral controllers in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions (89). 2-(ferf-Butyl)-3-imidazolidin-4-one reacted with various aldehydes to produce azomethine ylides, which then were subjected to reaction with a series of different electron-deficient alkenes to give the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition products in moderate diastereoselectivity of up to 60% de. 

Other 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of chiral azomethine ylides with Cgo (98) and reactions of chiral azomethine ylides derived from l-benzyl-4-phenyl-2-imidazoline with different electron-deficient alkenes have been performed (99). 

The use of chiral azomethine imines in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with alkenes is limited. In the first example of this reaction, chiral azomethine imines were applied for the stereoselective synthesis of C-nucleosides (100-102). Recent work by Hus son and co-workers (103) showed the application of the chiral template 66 for the formation of a new enantiopure azomethine imine (Scheme 12.23). This template is very similar to the azomethine ylide precursor 52 described in Scheme 12.19. In the presence of benzaldehyde at elevated temperature, the azomethine imine 67 is formed. 1,3-Dipole 67 was subjected to reactions with a series of electron-deficient alkenes and alkynes and the reactions proceeded in several cases with very high selectivities. Most interestingly, it was also demonstrated that the azomethine imine underwent reaction with the electronically neutral 1-octene as shown in Scheme 12.23. Although a long reaction time was required, compound 68 was obtained as the only detectable regio- and diastereomer in 50% yield. This pioneering work demonstrates that there are several opportunities for the development of new highly selective reactions of azomethine imines (103). 

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