Diazo cyclization

Alkene epoxidation 35 Diazo cyclization 22 Intramolecular C-H insertion by nitrene 8,153... 

As part of our group s continuing involvement with the chemistry of azomethine ylides, we became interested in examining the cyclization of a-diazo substituted N-containing heteroaromatic systems as a method for ylide generation. Aside from the above examples using pyridines96 and isoquinolines,105 little was known about the diazo cyclization process with N-heteroaromatic systems when we initiated our work in this... 

Diazo Coupling Reactions. Alkylphenols undergo a coupling reaction with dia2onium salts which is the basis for the preparation of a class of uv light stabilizers for polymers. The interaction of orxv i -nitrobenzenediazonium chloride with 2,4-di-/ r2 -butylphenol results in an azo-coupled product (30). Reduction of the nitro group followed by m situ cyclization affords the benzottiazole (31) (19). 

Cyclization of the diazo compound (108) with a copper catalyst affords the clavulanic acid derivatives (110) and (111), possibly via rearrangement of the sulfur ylide (109) (80H(14)1999). Similar reactions have been reported in the recent literature (80H(14)1967, 81H(16)1305, 80TL31). 

TABLE III. Alkynylpyrazoles Prepared by Cyclization of Alkynes with Diazo Compounds [68CB3700 68LA113 88JOM247 91ZOB2286]. 

The diazo function in compound 4 can be regarded as a latent carbene. Transition metal catalyzed decomposition of a diazo keto ester, such as 4, could conceivably lead to the formation of an electron-deficient carbene (see intermediate 3) which could then insert into the proximal N-H bond. If successful, this attractive transition metal induced ring closure would accomplish the formation of the targeted carbapenem bicyclic nucleus. Support for this idea came from a model study12 in which the Merck group found that rhodi-um(n) acetate is particularly well suited as a catalyst for the carbe-noid-mediated cyclization of a diazo azetidinone closely related to 4. Indeed, when a solution of intermediate 4 in either benzene or toluene is heated to 80 °C in the presence of a catalytic amount of rhodium(n) acetate (substrate catalyst, ca. 1000 1), the processes... 

Cyclization of the diazo compounds 1 a or 1 b, obtained from 2,4,6-trimethylpyrylium tetra-fluoroborate and ethyl diazoacetate or dimethyl diazomethanephosphonate, respectively, thus gives 1//-1,2-diazepines 2, which are stabilized by hydrogen bonding.71... 

Electrocyclization of certain a,/ y,<5-unsaturated diazo compounds, in which one of the double bonds is embedded in an aromatic ring, affords benzodiazepines. The diazoalkenes 1, produced by heating the sodium salts of the corresponding tosylhydrazoncs, can undergo two kinds of cyclization, [1,5] to yield 3//-pyrazoles, and [1,7] to give diazepines. 

Cyclizations of doubly unsaturated diazo compounds containing a thiophene ring within rather than at the end of the diene system to yield thicnodiazepines have also been reported. Thus, thermolysis of the sodium salt 7 gives the l//-thieno[3,2-r/]-2,3-diazepine 9. The intermediate 8 rearranges to the more stable product 9 by a symmetry allowed [1,5] shift of hydrogen.14,1... 

Cyclization to the eight-membered lactams 8 is the key step in the synthesis of other 1,5-diazo-cine derivatives.1 In the first step methylation of amides 6 with diazomethane is nonselective, providing the 0-methylated derivatives 7, which are used for the cyclization, and also the (V-methylated derivatives, which are formed as byproducts. 

Cyclization of methyl (4R)-3-(2-diazo-3-oxobutanoyl)-thiazolidine-4-carboxylate (675) under basic conditions afforded 676 (91CC924). The reaction proceeded with retention of configuration and the structure was established by X-ray analysis (Scheme 140). 

Clear evidence in favor of 6.75 being an intermediate came, however, from stereochemistry. If the indazole cyclization takes place at a chiral carbon atom in the exposition of the alkyl group in 6.78, the stereochemistry of the 3-i/-indazole 6.79 can indicate whether the 5-diazo-6-methylene-l,3-cyclohexadiene 6.75 is an intermediate or whether, on the other hand, deprotonation and cyclization are synchronous. In the first case a racemic indazole 6.79 is expected. In the case of a synchronous reaction, however, a stereospecific product, probably with retention of the chirality at Ca, should be observed. 

The experiment was carried out with (i )-(-)-2[l-(methoxycarbonyl)ethyl]benzene-diazonium chloride (6.80). The product, methyl 3-methyl-3-//-indazole-3-carboxylate (6.81), was racemic. With regard to the inconclusive H/D exchange experiments one therefore has to conclude that the cyclization of the diazo-methylene intermediate 6.75 is faster than the rate of deuterium incorporation. 

Protoadamantanone has been prepared by the nitrous acid deamination of 2-amino-l-adamantanol (77%), by aprotic diazo-tization of endo-7-aminomethylbicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-3-one in benzene with an equivalent amount of acetic acid (67%), and by thermolysis of 1-adamantyl hypohalites followed by base-promoted cyclization of the resulting halo ketones (32-37%)." In spite of low and erratic yields, the last reaction sequence has provided the most convenient route to the protoadamantanes, since the other two approaches require lengthy syntheses of the starting materials. 

There are two important rhodium-catalyzed transformations that are broadly used in domino processes as the primary step. The first route is the formation of keto carbenoids by treatment of diazo keto compounds with Rh11 salts. This is then followed by the generation of a 1,3-dipole by an intramolecular cyclization of the keto carbenoid onto an oxygen atom of a neighboring keto group and an inter- or intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. A noteworthy point here is that the insertion can also take place onto carbonyl groups of aldehydes, esters, and amides. Moreover, cycloadditions of Rh-carbenes and ring chain isomerizations will also be discussed in this section. 

Diazo compounds 107 were heated to reflux in the presence of a rhodium catalyst giving rise to the carbene followed by intramolecular cyclization to give the diastereomeric pairs of ylides 5 and 108 (Equation 22) <2006T1459>. 

In an intramolecular version of ketocarbenoid a-C/H insertion, copper-promoted decomposition of l-diazo-3-(pyrrol-l-yl)-2-propanone (258a) or l-diazo-4-(pyrrol-l-yl)-2-butanone (258b) resulted in quantitative formation of the respective cycli-zation product 259 242 >. The cyclization 260 -> 261, on the other hand, is a low-yield reaction which is accompanied by olefin formation. The product ratio was found to vary with the copper catalyst used, but the total yield never exceeded 35 % 243>. 

Some functionalized thiophenes have been investigated in order to assess the scope of ylide-derived chemistry. As already mentioned, 2-(hydroxymethyl)thiophene still gives the S-ylide upon Rh2(OAe)4-catalyzed reaction with dimethyl diazomalonate 146 but O/H insertion instead of ylide formation seems to have been observed by other workers (Footnote 4 in Ref. 2S4)). From the room temperature reaction of 2-(aminomethyl)thiophene and dimethyl diazomalonate, however, salt 271 was isolated quite unexpectedly 254). Rh2(OAc)4, perhaps deactivated by the substrate, is useless in terms of the anticipated earbenoid reactions. Formation of a diazo-malonic ester amide and amine-catalyzed cyclization to a 5-hydroxytriazole seem to take place instead. 

Intramolecular C/H insertion by copper-catalyzed decomposition of a-diazoketones provides a convenient cyclization procedure which is limited, however, to diazo compounds which allow energetically favorable realization of the transition state leading to the cyclized product. 

Intramolecular cyclopropanation is a useful method for construction of [n.l.0]-bicyclic compounds.17-21 225 275 As a matter of course, alkenyl and diazo groups of the substrate are connected by a linker and the transition-state conformation of intramolecular cyclization is influenced by the length and the shape of the linker. Thus, the enantioselectivity of the reaction often depends upon the substrates used. Use of a catalyst suitably designed for each reaction is essential for achieving high enantioselectivity. 

For the cyclization of a vinylogue of diazo ester, the copper complex (102) bearing a biphenyl fc(oxazoline) ligand was found to be the catalyst of choice (Scheme 75).278... 

Perez-Pietro et al. have introduced the dirhodium complex (105) with a unique o/7/io-metalated arylphosphine ligand. The complex is an efficient catalyst for the cyclization of alkenyl diazo ketones (Scheme 7S).288 289... 

Our studies of ( )-kinamycin F (6) motivated the development of a three-step sequence for synthesis of the diazofluorene function, comprising fluoride-mediated coupling, palladium-mediated cyclization, and diazo transfer. Our synthesis also features the strategic use of substrate bias to establish the trans- 1,2-diol of the target. 

In an alternative approach to annulation across the indole 2,3-tt system, Padwa and coworkers have reported approaches to the pentacyclic and hexacyclic frameworks of the aspidosperma and kopsifoline alkaloids respectively that involve as the key step a Rh(II)-promoted cyclization-cycloaddition cascade <06OL3275, 06OL5141>. As illustrated in their approach to ( )-aspidophytine 150, Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed cyclization of a diazo ketoester 148 affords a carbonyl ylide dipole that undergoes [3+2]-cycloaddition across the indole 2,3-tt bond to generate 149 <06OL3275>. 

A different method of generating pyrazoles was reported by Aggarwal et al. and is shown in Scheme 47 [90]. Reaction of diazo compound 176 (derived from benzaldehyde 165) with an alkynylbenzene enabled cyclization to pyrazole 177. 

Doyle s rhodium(n) carboxamidate complexes are undisputedly the best catalysts for enantioselective cyclizations of acceptor-substituted carbenoids derived from diazo esters and diazoacetamides, displaying outstanding regio- and stereocontrol.4 These carboxamidate catalysts consist of four classes of complexes pyrrolidinones... 

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