Cycloaddition of azides

A microwave-assisted three-component reaction has been used to prepare a series of 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles with complete control of regiose-lectivity by click chemistry , a fast and efficient approach to novel functionalized compounds using near perfect reactions [76]. In this user-friendly procedure for the copper(l) catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides and alkynes, irradiation of an alkyl halide, sodium azide, an alkyne and the Cu(l) catalyst, produced by the comproportionation of Cu(0) and Cu(ll), at 125 °C for 10-15 min, or at 75 °C for certain substrates, generated the organic azide in situ and gave the 1,4-disubstituted regioisomer 43 in 81-93% yield, with no contamination by the 1,5-regioisomer (Scheme 18). 

Dipolar cycloaddition of azides with olefins provides a convenient access to triazolines, cyclic imines, and aziridines and hence is a valuable technique in heterocyclic synthesis. For instance, tricyclic -lactams 273 - 276 have been synthesized using the intramolecular azide-olefin cycloaddition (lAOC) methodology (Scheme 30) [71]. 

Normally, copper-catalysed Huisgen cycloadditions work with terminal alkynes only. The formation of a Cu-acetylide complex is considered to be the starting point of the catalyst cycle. However, the NHC-Cu complex 18 was able to catalyse the [3-1-2] cycloaddition of azides 17 and 3-hexyne 23 (Scheme 5.6). 

Recently, Li et al. have reported an efficient 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides with electron-deficient alkynes without any catalysts at room temperature in water.128 The reaction has been applied successfully to the coupling of an azido-DNA molecule with electron-deficient alkynes for the formation of [l,2,3]-triazole heterocycle (Eq. 4.66). 

Another important click reaction is the cycloaddition of azides. The addition of sodium azide to nitriles to give l//-tetrazoles is shown to proceed readily in water with zinc salts as catalysts (Eq. 11.71).122 The scope of the reaction is quite broad a variety of aromatic nitriles, activated and nonactivated alkyl nitriles, substituted vinyl nitriles, thiocyanates, and cyanamides have all been shown to be viable substrates for this reaction. The reaction of an arylacetylene with an azide in hot water gave 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in high yields,123 while a similar reaction between a terminal aliphatic alkyne and an azide (except 111 - nitroazidobenzcnc) afforded a mixture of regioisomers with... 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides to alkynes is a versatile route to 1,2,3-tri-azoles. Different combinations of substituents on the azide and on the alkyne allow the preparation of diverse N-substitutcd 1,2,3-triazoles. Katritzky and Singh have described the synthesis of C-carbamoyl-1,2,3-triazoles by microwave-induced cydoaddition of benzyl azides to acetylenic amides (Scheme 6.220) [393]. Employing equimolar mixtures of the azide and alkyne under solvent-free conditions, the authors were able to achieve good to excellent isolated product yields by microwave heating at 55-85 °C for 30 min. In general, the triazole products were obtained as mixtures of regioisomers. Control experiments carried out under thermal (oil bath)... 

The reaction of 4-substituted furazans 190 and 192 with morpholinonitroethene gave the corresponding 1,2,3-triazoles 191 and 193 in high yields (Equations 36 and 37). It should also be mentioned that, in order to facilitate the cycloaddition of azide, the reaction was carried out in the presence of orthoformic ester for removal of morpholine from the reaction medium, otherwise decomposition of the starting azide occurs <2000CHE343>. 

In addition, the mechanism of the zinc-catalyzed [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition of azides and nitriles to form tetrazoles was examined <2003JA9983>. The energy barrier of the reaction is lowered by 5-6kcalmol 1 which corresponds to an acceleration of 3 1 orders of magnitude. The source of the catalytic activity seems to be the coordination of the Lewis acidic zinc halide to the nitrile, which is supported by model calculations. Also AICI3 was examined as another Lewis acid which catalyzes the reaction to a greater extent than ZnBr2-... 

The [3+2] cycloaddition of azides to double and triple bond systems has found considerable interest over the last couple of years. The reaction can either be performed under thermal conditions or by copper(i) catalysis <2001AG(E)2004, 2002AG(E)2596>. In an attempt to broaden the chemistry of such cycloaddition processes, Sharpless et al. reported the generation of tetrazole derivatives 61 by an intramolecular process (Scheme 12). In... 

Another route involves a palladium-copper-catalyzed tandem carbon-carbon formation/cycloaddition sequence (Equation 12) <2005TL8531>. Notably, cycloadditions of azide to the internal alkynes failed under click chemistry reaction conditions <2003DDT1128>. Cyclization under oxidative conditions has been reported from dithioacetal 163 (Equation 13) <1996TL3925>. The formation of 164 as a single diastereoisomer has been explained by stereoelectronic effects. 

Density functional theory methods using the hybrid B3LYP functionals have been performed to study geometries and energetics of several intramolecular [2+3] dipolar cycloadditions of azides to nitriles (Section 11.06.6.1) toward fused tetrazole formation, including tetrazoles 14 and 15 <2003JOC9076>. 

The reaction of ethyl azidoformate (93) with tetramethylallene yielded triazoline 94 and oxazoline 95 [88]. The triazoline 94 was formed by [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of azide 93 to the allene. The oxazoline 95 may result from [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of car-bethoxynitrene (96), which is formed from 93 by nitrogen evolution, to the allene or by the [2 +1] addition of the nitrene and subsequent rearrangement. 

CuO Nanostructures of Variable Shapes as an Efficient Catalyst for [3+2] Cycloaddition of Azides with Terminal Alkyne... 

The thermal cycloaddition of azides to acetylenes is the most versatile route to 1,2,3-triazoles, because of the wide range of substituents that can be incorporated into the acetylene and azide components. The accepted mechanism for the reaction is a concerted 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The rates of addition of phenyl azide to several acetylenes have been measured the rates of formation of the aromatic triazoles are not appreciably different from the rates of cycloaddition to the corresponding olefins, indicating that the transition-state energy is not lowered significantly by the incipient generation of an aromatic system. 

The cycloaddition of azides to C=C and C=C bonds has become the most important and versatile synthetic route to a wide range of 1,2,3-triazoles and triazolines, and is discussed in detail... 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of equimolar amounts of enamide and aryl azide at room temperature, over a period of time (3 days to 10 months), affords the A -1,2,3-triazolines (733) as stable crystalline products (Equation (63)). In refluxing ethanol, however, the reaction yields the corresponding triazoles as the major product with loss of the amides <92JOC3075>. 5-Amino-1-aryl-1,2,3-triazolines (e.g., (734)-(735)) are readily prepared from the [3 -I- 2] cycloaddition of azides to... 

Further disadvantage of the alkyne-azide cycloaddition is the lack of regiospecificity. On the other hand, cycloadditions of azides to alkenes are, in most cases, regioselective and afford 1,5-disubstituted triazolines . Therefore, the regioselective cycloaddition of an azide to an alkene, followed by aromatization (see Section 4.01.5.3.1) is an alternative method for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles. 

Since the discovery of triazole formation from phenyl azide and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in 1893, synthetic applications of azides as 1,3-dipoles for the construction of heterocychc frameworks and core structures of natural products have progressed steadily. As the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides was comprehensively reviewed in the 1984 edition of this book (2), in this chapter we recount developments of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of azides from 1984 to 2000, with an emphasis on the synthesis of not only heterocycles but also complex natural products, intermediates, and analogues. 

De Kimpe and Boeykens (22) reported synthesis of the p-lactam derivatives 107 via cycloaddition of azides with 2-methyleneazetidines (104) (Scheme 9.22). Because of electronic control, the intermolecular cycloaddition of the azide with the enamine double bond resulted in the formation of the triazoline intermediate 105, ring opening and rearrangement of which gave the imino lactam 107. Although all attempts to convert compound 107 to the corresponding p-lactam 108 under acidic conditions were unsuccessful, under basic conditions compound 107 was converted into the p-amino amides 109. 

The stereoselective intermolecular cycloaddition of azides to chiral cyclopenta-none enamines was reported, but both product yields and enantiomeric excesses (ee) were low (24) (Scheme 9.24). Ethyl azidoformate (115) and A-mesyl azido-formamimidate (116) underwent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with the monosubsti-tuted chiral enamine 114 to give products 117 and 118 in low yields with ee of 24 and 18%, respectively. Intermolecular cycloaddition of the A-mesyl azidoforma-mhnidate 116 with the disubstituted C2-symmetric chiral enamine 119 proceeded with good diastereoselectivity to give compound 120 in 18% yield. On cleavage of the enamine unit, compound 120 afforded 118 with low ee. 

Clerici and co-workers (28) reported an intermolecular cycloaddition of azides with the isothiazole dioxides 136 to give the triazolines 137 further heating of cycloadduct 137, just above its melting point, resulted in the extmsion of nitrogen to give the aziridine 138 (Scheme 9.28). 

A general synthesis of functionalized 1,2,3-triazolyl acylsilanes (160) was based on the intermolecular cycloaddition of azides 159 with the alkynyl acylsilane 158 (Scheme 9.32) (32). The resulting triazolyl acylsilanes (160) were smoothly converted into their corresponding aldehydes 161 upon treatment with sodium hydroxide in ethanol. 

The synthesis of the 2-triazolylpyrimido[l,2,3-cti]purine-8,10-diones 172 and 173 was achieved using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides with the terminal... 

Pearson et al. (40) observed an unprecedented low-temperature [3 + 2] or [3 + 3] cycloaddition of azides with allylic carbocations, yielding triazolines or dihydro-triazolines (Scheme 9.40). When the hydroxy azide 182 was treated with SnC at —78 °C, a diastereomeric mixture of crystalline triazohnes 183 was obtained. A... 

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