Cycloaddition to Alkenes

Nitronates derived from primary nitroalkanes can be regarded as a synthetic equivalent of nitrile oxides since the elimination of an alcohol molecule from nitronates adds one higher oxidation level leading to nitrile oxides. This direct / -elimination of nitronates is known to be facilitated in the presence of a Lewis acid or a base catalyst [66, 72, 73]. On the other hand, cycloaddition reactions of nitronates to alkene dipolarophiles produce N-alkoxy-substituted isoxazolidines as cycloadducts. Under acid-catalyzed conditions, these isoxazolidines can be transformed into 2-isoxazolines through a ready / -elimination, and 2-isoxazolines correspond to the cycloadducts of nitrile oxide cycloadditions to alkenes [74]. 

Photoelimination of nitrogen from 1-pyrazolines has also been employed in the synthesis of tricyclo[3.2.1.02,4]oct-6-ene,338 prismane,339 quadri-cyclane,340 snoutene ,341 and marasmic acid.342 The trimethylenemethanes 414 have been prepared by photolysis of azoalkanes 415 and characterized spectroscopically.343 Dimerization and cycloaddition to alkenes of these biradicals have been reported.344... 

Like unsaturated ketones, a,0-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives, e.g. lactones and anhydrides, undergo cycloadditions to alkenes. As for the preparative conditions (direct irradiation or sensitized experiments) these compounds are situated somewhere in between enones on the one side and olefins on the other. 

Cycloreversion of four-membered metallacycles is the most common method for the preparation of high-valent titanium [26,27,31,407,599-606] and zirconium [599,601] carbene complexes. These are usually very reactive, nucleophilic carbene complexes, with a strong tendency to undergo C-H insertion reactions or [2 -F 2] cycloadditions to alkenes or carbonyl compounds (see Section 3.2.3). Figure 3.31 shows examples of the generation of titanium and zirconium carbene complexes by [2 + 2] cycloreversion. 

Fischwick has detailed a rapid synthetic approach to the imidazole based y-lactam alkaloid, (+/—) cynometiine (67), isolated from the stem bark of Cynometra hankei, and which has been shown to be a potential analgesic (16). Cesium fluoride induced formation of the ylide, from precursor 68, followed by cycloaddition to alkene 69 furnished the required adduct 70 in 71% yield as a 4 1 diastereomeric mixture in favor of the desired isomer. Deprotection of the thioketal followed by NaBH4 reduction delivered the desired racemic product (Scheme 3.17). 

The chemistry of nitrile oxides, in particular their application in organic synthesis, has been continuously developed over the past two decades and represents the main theme of this chapter. The parent compound, fulminic acid (formonitrile oxide), has been known for two centuries, and many derivatives of this dipole have been prepared since that time. Several simple and convenient methods for the preparation of nitrile oxides have evolved over the years. Dehydrochlorination of hydroximoyl chlorides was first introduced by Werner and Buss in 1894 (1). A convenient synthesis of isoxazoles was reported by Quilico et al. (2 ), and then the discovery of nitrile oxide cycloadditions to alkenes was subsequently noted by the same group (5). 

The alkoxy-inside model was further adapted in order to rationahze the stereoselectivities of nitrile oxide cycloadditions to alkenes that possess other allylic substituents. In the reaction of a-chiral alkenes (124) or allylic diphe-nylphosphane oxides (161) (Table 6.7), it was suggested that the largest group (L, diphenylphosphinoyl substituent) was anti, the medium sized group (M, alkyl or alkoxy substituent) was on the inside and the smallest group (S, hydrogen) was... 

The transition state of singlet carbene cycloaddition to alkenes involves an electrophilic approach of the vacant p orbital to the n bond of alkenes. By contrast, the first step of the triplet addition process may involve the in-plane a orbital of the carbene. As in the case of C—H insertion (see Section 5.1), the difference in the transition structure between the singlet and triplet cycloaddition becomes important in the intramolecular process, especially when approach to a double bond is restricted by ring strain. Direct photolysis of ( )-2-(2-butenyl)phenyldiazomethane (99) in the presence of methanol gives l-ethenyl-l,la,6,6fl-tetrahydrocycloprop [fljindene [100, 29%, (E/Z)= 10 1] and l-(2-butenyl)-2-(methoxymethyl)benzene (101, 67%). Triplet-sensitized photolysis results in a marked increase in the indene (52%, EjZ) = 1.3.T) at the expense of the ether formation (4%) (Scheme 9.30). On the other hand, direct photolysis of phenyldiazomethane in an equimolar mixture of... 

Allenyl cations generated from silver dehalogenations6 or acid-catalyzed dehydration of prop-2-yn-l-ols7 also undergo cycloaddition to alkenes under mild conditions. 

The stereochemistry with respect to the ketene iminium salt in cases of monosubstituted or unsymmetrically disubstituted derivatives in cycloadditions to alkenes show differences from the ketene counterpart. In contrast to ketene cycloadditions of monosubstituted ketenes with alkenes where the substituent in the bicyclic derivative ends up in the endo position, the cycloaddition of two monosubstituted ketene iminium salts with cyclopentene and cyclohexenc gives the e.wp-substituted derivatives 4.6... 

Cydohexenones.2 This enone undergoes photochemical [2 + 2]cycloaddition to alkenes. The products, obtained in high yield, can be converted into cydohexenones in two steps. An example is formulated in equation (1). The regioselectivity of the cycloaddition depends on both sleric and electronic factors.1... 

Table 4. Fluorinated Cyclopropenes from Cycloadditions to Alkenes...

Considerable variation is also possible in the carbonyl function, and in addition to simple aldehydes and ketones, acetyl cyanide,292 diethyl oxomalonate,293 diethyl oxalate,294 and ethyl cyanoformate 295 [Eq. (77)] will all undergo cycloaddition to alkenes to form the corresponding oxetanes. Oxetanes are also formed in certain circumstances from both a,j8-unsaturated aldehydes298 and acetylenic ketones.297... 

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the use of carbonyl ylides as 1,3-dipoles for total synthesis.127-130 Their dipolar cycloaddition to alkenic, alkynic and hetero multiple bonded dipolaro-philes has been well documented.6 Methods for the generation of carbonyl ylides include the thermal and photochemical opening of oxiranes,131 the thermal fragmentation of certain heterocyclic structures such as A3-l,3,4-oxadiazolines (141) or l,3-dioxolan-4-ones132-134 (142) and the reaction of carbenes or car-benoids with carbonyl derivatives.133-138 Formation of a carbonyl ylide by attack of a rhodium carbenoid... 

Allylic nitro compounds containing a suitable dipolarophile undergo Diels-Alder cycloaddition to alkenes in the presence of tin(lV) chloride affording cyclic nitronic esters (Scheme 16).26 Nitronic ester (59) could not be isolated but spontaneously cyclized to the 5,5-fiised cyclic product (60), isolated in 68% yield. The nitronic esters (61a) and (61b) were isolated from the Diels-Alder reaction and could be separated. Heating (61a) in refluxing benzene afforded the 5,6-fused dipolar cydization product (62a) in 93% (68% overall) yield (61b) likewise afforded (62b) in 62% (11% overall) yield. Either (62a) or (62b) could be converted to the tricyclic lactam (63) by catalytic hydrogenolysis followed by lactamiza-... 

A systematic study of the photochemistry of thiones has been undertaken.356 Not surprisingly, cycloaddition to alkenes to give thietans is one pathway that commonly occurs. The reactions appear to be wavelength dependent, and stereospecific addition takes place via the S2 excited state and nonstereospecific addition via the T, state. The photoaddition of... 

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],... 

Cycloadditions are ring-forming addition reactions in which the product, the so-called cycloadduct, possesses an empirical formula that corresponds to the sum of the empirical formulas of the starting material and the reagent. All one-step cycloadditions take place with cis-selectivity. Three-, four-, five-, or six-membered can be produced by cycloadditions to alkenes (Figure 3.10). 

There is a striking difference between the photochemical reactivity of oc,(3-unsaturated enones and the corresponding ynones. Whereas many cyclic enones undergo [2+2] cycloaddition to alkenes at the C=C double bond of the enone (probably from the triplet nn state) to yield cyclobutanes, acyclic enones easily deactivate radiationless by rotation about the central C-C single bond. Ynones on the other hand behave much more like alkyl-substituted carbonyl compounds and add to (sterically less encumberd) alkenes to yield oxetanes (Sch. 11) [38,39]. The regioselectivity of the Paterno-Biichi reaction is similar to that of aliphatic or aromatic carbonyl compounds with a preference for primary attack at the less substituted carbon atom (e.g., 41 and 42 from the reaction of but-3-in-2-one 40 with... 

In these C-H insertion reactions, the similarity with cyclopropane formation by intramolecular cycloadditions to alkenes is clear, and the mechanisms mirror one another quite closely. As with the cyclopropanation reactions, the path of the reaction differs according to whether the carbene is a singlet or triplet. Singlet carbenes can insert in a concerted manner, with the orbitals overlapping constructively provided the carbene approaches side-on. 

Cycloaddition to alkenes. This ketene adds regioselectively to alkenes, even tet-rasubstituted ones, with preservation of the stereochemistry of the alkene to afford 2-chloro-2-cyanocyclobutanones in good yield. 

The Meyer reaction is generally not of rtujor synthetic significarwe. It is observed when a nitro compound is exposed to strong acid. In diis way, carboxylic acids are obtained from primary nitro compounds. The reaction is thought to involve nitrile oxides and hydroxamic acids (RCONHOH) as intermediates. The latter can be isolated by avoiding heat, and the former have been trapped by 1,3-di-polar cycloaddition to alkenes and alkynes. ... 

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