Cycloaddition reactions epoxide generation

The l,3-thiazole-5-thione (36) undergoes a regioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with a carbonyl ylide. The ylide is thermally generated by the electrocyclic ring opening of the epoxide (37) to give the spirocyclic adducts (38a and 38b) <97HCA1190>. 

A concerted [2 + 2] cycloaddition pathway in which an oxametallocycle intermediate is generated upon reaction of the substrate olefin with the Mn(V)oxo salen complex 8 has also been proposed (Scheme 1.4.5). Indeed, early computational calculations coupled with initial results from radical clock experiments supported the notion.More recently, however, experimental and computational evidence dismissing the oxametallocycle as a viable intermediate have emerged. In addition, epoxidation of highly substituted olefins in the presence of an axial ligand would require a seven-coordinate Mn(salen) intermediate, which, in turn, would incur severe steric interactions. " The presence of an oxametallocycle intermediate would also require an extra bond breaking and bond making step to rationalize the observation of trans-epoxides from dy-olefms (Scheme 1.4.5). 

Common reactions of the ylide include (i) [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic, propargylic, and allenic ylides (ii) [l,2]-shift (Stevens rearrangement) (iii) 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the ylide generated from carbonyl compounds or imines with dipolarophiles, usually G=G or C=C bonds and (iv) nucleophilic addition/elimination, leading to the formation of epoxides or cyclopropanes (Figure 2). 

Irradiation of carbene complexes in CO atmosphere generates the ketene 305 and its [2+2] cycloaddition to alkene gives the cyclobutanone 306 [93], Total synthesis of (+)-cerulenin (310) has been carried out by the formation of cyclobutanone 309 by cycloaddition of 307 to the double bond of 308 as the key reaction without attacking the triple bond. Then cyclobutanone 309 was converted to (+)-cerulenin (310) via regioselective Bayer-Villiger reaction of 309, and side-chain elongation using n-methallylnickel bromide, epoxidation and hydrolysis [94],... 

The palladium-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of vinylic oxirane 20a [42] and aziridine 20b [39] with the activated olefin 4a for the formation of five membered cyclic ether 21a and pyrrolidine derivative 21b has also been reported in our laboratories. The mechanistic issue is very much similar to that discussed in Scheme 9. Pd(0) catalyst added oxidatively to 20 to produce the 7r-allylpalladium complex 22. The Michael addition of a hetero nucleophile in 22 to the activated olefin 4a gives 23 which undergoes intramolecular nucleophilic attack on the inner 7r-allylic carbon atom to give the cy-clized products 21 and Pd(0) species is generated (Scheme 10). Similarly, the palladium-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of vinylic oxirane 20a with the N-losylimincs 24 is also known (Scheme 11) [43]. Intermolecular cycloaddition of vinyl epoxides and aziridines with the heterocumulenes such as isocyanates, carbodiimides and isothiocyanates is also known [44,45]. Alper et al. reported the regio- and enatioselective formation of the thiaolidine, oxathiolane, and dithiolane derivatives by the palladium-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 2-vinylthiirane with heterocumulenes [46]. 

A cycloaddition methodology has been exploited in the cation radical-mediated reactions between electron-rich chalcone epoxides 287 and A -aryl imines 286 using tris(4-bromophenyl)aminium hexachloroantimonate (TBPA -SbCle ) as the radical initiator to generate substituted 1,3-oxazolidines 288a and 288b in good yields (Equation 21) <2005SL161>. 

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