Cycloadditions fulvenes

Due to the high conformational demands which are imposed on higher-order cycloadditions, fulvenes, heptafulvenes and tropones have been mostly applied in uncatalyzed [6 + 4] cycloadditions. The scope of metal-promoted cycloadditions, however, is much broader due to the preorganized orientation of the reactants which are both co-ordinated to the metal center. 

Cycloaddition of 4-acylsubstituted fulvene 425 with the imine 427 in boiling toluene gave the tricyclic pyrroline 428. Treatment of 426 with 427 and subsequent reaction of the product 429 with malononitrile gave 428 (86S908) (Scheme 72). 

The formation of the tricarbonylchromium-complexed fulvene 81 from the 3-dimethylamino-3-(2 -trimethylsilyloxy-2 -propyl)propenylidene complex 80 and 1-pentyne also constitutes a formal [3+2] cycloaddition, although the mechanism is still obscure (Scheme 17) [76]. The rf-complex 81 must arise after an initial alkyne insertion, followed by cyclization, 1,2-shift of the dimethylamino group, and subsequent elimination of the trimethylsilyloxy moiety. Particularly conspicuous here are the alkyne insertion with opposite regioselectivity as compared to that in the Dotz reaction, and the migration of the dimethylamino functionality, which must occur by an intra- or intermo-lecular process. The mode of formation of the cyclopenta[Z ]pyran by-product 82 will be discussed in the next section. 

The unconventional structure of fulvenes with a unique C=C bond conjugation leads to unusual cycloaddition reactions with other unsaturated systems. For example, alkenylcarbene complexes react with fulvenes leading to indanone or indene derivatives which can be considered as derived from a [6S+3C] cycloaddition process [118] (Scheme 72). The reaction pathway is well explained by an initial 1,2-addition of the fulvene to the carbene carbon followed by [1,2]-Cr(CO)5-promoted cyclisation. 

The study of the cycloaddition behavior of l,l-dichloro-2-neopentylsilene, C Si =CHCH2Bu (2) [3], reveals the high polarity of the Si=C bond and a strong electrophilicity. The [4+2] cycloaddition reactions with anthracene (3), cyclopentadiene (4) and fulvenes (5) proceed as expected surprising, however, the Diels-Alder reactions with dienes are of lower activity, like naphthalene (6) and furans (7). 

The various transitions of triafulvenes to pentafulvenes achieved by addition of electron-rich double bonds is complemented by the reaction of triafulvenes with ynamines and yndiamines299, which gives rise to 3-amino fulvenes 539. This penta-fulvene type deserves some interest for its merocyanine-like inverse polarization of the fulvene system and its formation is reasonably rationalized by (2 + 2) cycloaddition of the electron-rich triple bond to the triafulvene C /C2 bond (probably via the dipolar intermediate 538) ... 

Hong and coworkers have investigated the cycloaddition chemistry of fulvenes with a wide variety of alkenes and alkynes in great detail [191]. As one example, the reaction of 6,6-dimethylfulvene with benzoquinone is shown in Scheme 6.92. Under microwave conditions in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 120 °C, an unusual hetero-[2+3] adduct was formed in 60% yield, the structure of which was determined by X-ray crystallography. The adduct is a structural analogue of the natural products aplysin and pannellin and differs completely from the reported thermal (benzene, 80 °C) Diels-Alder cycloaddition product of the fulvene and benzoquinone (Scheme 6.92) [191]. 

Scheme 6.92 Thermal versus microwave-assisted Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions of fulvenes with benzoquinones.

Scheme6.241 Azadiene Diels—Alder cycloaddition of fulvenes.

A general hetero-Diels-Alder cycloaddition of fulvenes with azadienes to furnish tetrahydro-[l]pyrindines has been described by Hong and coworkers (Scheme 6.241 see also Scheme 6.92) [424]. A solution of the azadiene and fulvene (1.2 equivalents) precursors in chlorobenzene was heated under open-vessel microwave irradiation for 30 min at 125 °C to provide the target compounds in excellent yields and with exclusive regio- and diastereoselectivity. Performing the reactions under conventional conditions or under microwave irradiation in different solvents provided significantly reduced yields. 

Photolysis of the triazepine products produces 2,2-dimethylpropanenitrile and the corresponding pyrazole in quantitative yield <1997BSF927>. Reaction of sydnone 89 with fulvene 91 proceeds by [ji4s + jt6s]-cycloaddition followed by spontaneous loss of carbon dioxide and a molecule of dimethylamine or acetic acid from the pseudo-azulene , cyclopentaMpyridazine 92 (Equation 9) <1996CC1011, 1997T9921>. 

The gas-phase reactions of the fulvene radical cation with neutral 1,3-butadiene, alkenes and 2-propyl iodide have been investigated by Russell and Gross131a using ICR mass spectrometry. Unlike ionized benzene, ionized fulvene undergoes no C—C coupling with 2-propyl iodide. On the basis of deuterium and 13C labelling, the reaction of ionized fulvene with 1,3-butadiene was suggested to occur by [6 + 4] cycloaddition to yield tetrahydroazulene radical cations. Cycloadditions of neutral fulvene were also studied in this work. 

These phenomena can be illustrated by the cycloaddition reactions of fulvenes with electron-deficient a-pyrones. In general, the Diels-Alder reactions of electron-deficient dienes such as 458 with 6-alkyl substituted fulvenes favor addition across one of the endocyclic... 

Niggli and Neuenschwander294 studied the reaction of fulvene (461) with cyclopen-tadiene. The main product fraction consisted of three 1 1 adducts, as illustrated in equation 138. Diels-Alder Adducts 462 and 463 resulted from attack of cyclopentadiene at the endocyclic and exocyclic double bonds of fulvene, respectively. The formation of 464 was rationalized by a [6 + 4] cycloaddition reaction followed by two [1,5] hydrogen shifts. It was stated that due to the absence of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups on both triene and diene, fulvene may have reacted via its HOMO as well as its LUMO. 

Liu and colleagues295,296 studied the cycloaddition reactions between electron-deficient 8,8-disubstituted heptafulvenes 466 and electron-rich 6,6-disubstituted fulvenes. The substituted heptafulvene reacted as the trienophile in this case. Only when 6,6-dimethylfulvene (465) and heptafulvenes 466a-b were used as the triene and trienophiles, respectively,... 

Nair and coworkers have described the [8 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of 2H-cyclohep-ta[fr]furan-2-ones such as 521 in several reports311. The reactions of 521 with alkenes yield azulene derivatives upon extrusion of carbon dioxide. Table 30 summarizes the results of the reactions between 521 and some 6,6-disubstituted fulvenes 522 (equation 151)311b. In the case of 6,6-dialkyl fulvenes 522a-c, the [8 + 2] cycloadducts 523 were the major adducts obtained, the Diels-Alder adducts 524 only being formed in trace amounts. 

Cyclopentyl isoxazolidine cycloadduct 324 was prepared by intramolecular nitrone cycloaddition by Baldwin et al. (280,281,352,353) as part of studies toward a total synthesis of pretazettine (Scheme 1.69). Related adducts have been prepared elsewhere (354—356) including fluorine-substituted carbocycles (357) and the adducts prepared by lOAC by Shipman and co-workers (333,334) who demonstrated their potential as a route to aminocyclopentitols (Scheme 1.66, Section 1.11.2). Such bicyclic structures have been prepared in rather unique intermolecular fashion by Chandrasekhar and co-workers (357a) from the cycloaddition of C,N-diphenyl nitrone to fulvene (325). 

Kato et al. (119) explored reactions of fulvenes with a variety of mesoionic heterocycles. Unfortunately, reactions of miinchnone 38 with several fulvenes afforded complex mixtures in each case, and no identifiable products were reported, although Friedrichsen and co-workers (120-122) previously reported the reaction between mtinchnones and fulvenes to give cycloadducts. Kato et al. (123) also studied the cycloaddition reactions of tropone with several mesoionic heterocycles. Despite heroic efforts, the reaction of tropone with miinchnone 38 was complex and could not be unraveled. However, as described later, the reaction of tropone with isomtlnchnones was successful. Wu et al. (124) effected the cycloaddition between a miinchnone and fullerene-60 (Ceo) to give the corresponding dihydropyrrole in excellent yield. 

Kato et al. (151,152) explored the chemistry of 2-ferf-butylMvenes with isomiinchnones, as well as with several other mesoionic compounds, in a novel approach to pseudo-hetero-azulenes. Thus, isomtinchnone 51a, generated as before in situ from A-benzoylphenylglyoxyanilide 253 with triethylphosphite, reacts with 2-ferf-butyl-6-(dimethylamino)fulvene to give the [47i+6ti] adduct diphenylcyclo-penta[c]pyran in low yield. Likewise, reaction of 51a with dimethylfulvene gave a mixture of two adducts, one of which arises from a [47i+2ti] cycloaddition. 

Many attempts were made to synthesize the diazaazulene derivative 4,7-diphenyl-5,6-diazaazulene 34. A directed synthesis of diazaazulene 34 by [6+4] cycloaddition of fulvenes with 1,2,4,5-tetrazenes when attempted with 2-cyclopenta-dienyliden-l,3-dioxolane led to the formation of cyclopcnta[z/ pyridazines via a [4+2] cycloaddition pathway <2001TH1>. 

The cobalt(I)-catalysed 6 + 2-cycloadditions of cyclooctatetraene with monosubsti-tuted alkynes produced monosubstituted bicyclo[4.2.2]deca-2,4,7,8-tetraenes in good yields.185 The 6 + 3-cycloaddition of fulvenes (145) with 3-oxidopyrylium betaines (144) formed 5-8 fused oxa-bridged cyclooctanoids (146,147), which can be manipulated by cycloaddition reactions to produce key intermediates (148,149) for the synthesis of fused cyclooctanoid natural products e.g. lancifodilactones (Scheme 38).186,187... 

The catalyst Col2(dppe)-Zn/ZnI2 catalyses the 6 + 2-cycloaddition of cyclohepta-triene with terminal alkynes to afford 7-alkylbicyclo[4.2.1]nona-2,4,7-trienes in good yields 239 The intermolecular 6 + 3-cycloaddition of fulvenes (213) with 3-oxidopy-rylium betaines (212) yields (214), which, after a 1,5-hydrogen shift, yields the 5,8-fused oxabridged cyclooctanoids (215). This methodology can be used for the preparation of fused cyclooctanoid natural products such as dactylol and precapnella-diene (Scheme 60).240... 

Several reactions might be possible in certain systems. For example, the thermal reaction of fulvene with butadiene can potentially proceed through three different Woodward-Hoffmann-allowed supra-supra cycloadditions ... 

Applying Paddon-Row s method to the second reaction, and taking into account all four FOs, suggests that the 6 + 4 cycloaddition is the most favorable reaction (having an interaction energy of 0.546/ ) followed by the 4 + 2 wherein the fulvene acts as a diene (interaction energy 0.359/ ) and finally 4 + 2 where the fulvene provides the di-enophile component (interaction energy 0.284/ ). Nonetheless, experiments prove that this last compound is the main product. 

A [4+6] cycloaddition is involved in the formation of cyclopcnta[r] thiopyrans from the mesoionic diphenyldithio-liumolate and a fulvene (Equation 121) <1996CC1011>. 

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