Subject Diels-Alder reaction

Under the usual conditions their ratio is kinetically controlled. Alder and Stein already discerned that there usually exists a preference for formation of the endo isomer (formulated as a tendency of maximum accumulation of unsaturation, the Alder-Stein rule). Indeed, there are only very few examples of Diels-Alder reactions where the exo isomer is the major product. The interactions underlying this behaviour have been subject of intensive research. Since the reactions leadirig to endo and exo product share the same initial state, the differences between the respective transition-state energies fully account for the observed selectivity. These differences are typically in the range of 10-15 kJ per mole. ... 

In order to be able to provide answers to these questions, a Diels-Alder reaction is required that is subject to Lewis-acid catalysis in aqueous media. Finding such a reaction was not an easy task. Fortunately the literature on other Lewis-acid catalysed organic reactions in water was helpful to some extent... 

The mechanism of the carbo-Diels-Alder reaction has been a subject of controversy with respect to synchronicity or asynchronicity. With acrolein as the dieno-phile complexed to a Lewis acid, one would not expect a synchronous reaction. The C1-C6 and C4—C5 bond lengths in the NC-transition-state structure for the BF3-catalyzed reaction of acrolein with butadiene are calculated to be 2.96 A and 1.932 A, respectively [6]. The asynchronicity of the BF3-catalyzed carbo-Diels-Alder reaction is also apparent from the pyramidalization of the reacting centers C4 and C5 of NC (the short C-C bond) is pyramidalized by 11°, while Cl and C6 (the long C-C bond) are nearly planar. The lowest energy transition-state structure (NC) has the most pronounced asynchronicity, while the highest energy transition-state structure (XT) is more synchronous. 

The mechanism for the catalytic enantioselective carbo-Diels-Alder reaction of N-alkenoyl-l,3-oxazolidin-2-one 4 with, e.g., cyclopentadiene 2 catalyzed by chiral TADDOL-Ti(IV) complexes 6 has been the subject for several investigations and especially, the structure of the intermediate for the reaction has been subject to controversy. The coordination of 4 to 6 can give five diastereomeric complexes A, B], B2, C], and C2, as outlined in Fig. 8.8. 

The cycloadducts formed from the Diels-Alder reaction of 3-amino-5-chloro-2(17/)-pyrazinones with methyl acrylate in toluene are subject to two alternative modes of ring transformation yielding either methyl 6-cyano-l,2-dihydro-2-oxo-4-pyridinecarboxylates or the corresponding 3-amino-6-cyano-l,2,5,6-tetrahydro-2-oxo-4-pyridinecarboxylates. From the latter compounds, 3-amino-2-pyridones can be generated through subsequent loss of HCN <96 JOC(61)304>. Synthesis of 3-spirocyclopropane-4-pyridone and furo[2,3-c]pyridine derivatives can be achieved by the thermal rearrangement of nitrone and nitrile oxide cycloadducts of bicyclopropylidene <96JCX (61)1665>. 

Recently, water-tolerating Lewis acid has been used to catalyze various Diels-Alder reactions in aqueous media. An important aspect of the Diels-Alder reaction is the use of Lewis acids for the activation of the substrates. While most Lewis acids are decomposed or deactivated in water, Bosnich reported that [Ti(Cp )2(H20)2]2+ is an air-stable, water-tolerant Diels-Alder catalyst.35 A variety of different substrates were subjected to the conditions to give high yields and selectivity (Eq. 12.6). 

The design and application of chiral, non-racemic Lewis acids for the asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction has recently been a subject of considerable interest.9 Several methods have been developed in many laboratories1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 but catalysts are still needed that are more efficient in governing the stereochemical course of the cycloaddition reaction. 

More interesting is the use of nonpolar solvents (e. g. xylene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, hydrocarbons), because these are transparent to MW and absorb them only weakly. They therefore enable specific absorption by the reactants. If these reactants are polar, energy transfer occurs from the reactants to the solvent and the results might be different under the action of MW and A. This effect seems to be clearly dependent on the reaction and is, therefore, the subject of controversy. In xylene under reflux, for example, no MW-specific effects were observed for the Diels-Alder reaction [5] whereas important specific effects were described for aryldiazepinone synthesis [33]. 

A variety of dienes have been subjected to Diels-Alder reactions with (iS)-17 and (R)-28, giving almost pure single adducts in each case. Oxidative removal of the chiral auxiliary from the adduct provides the desired optically pure building blocks 23, 26, and 30. Subsequent conversions complete the synthesis of the desired natural products 5, 27, and 32 (Scheme 5-7).7... 

If the alkenes and acetylenes that are subjected to the reaction mediated by 1 have a leaving group at an appropriate position, as already described in Eq. 9.16, the resulting titanacycles undergo an elimination (path A) as shown in Eq. 9.58 [36], As the resulting vinyltitaniums can be trapped by electrophiles such as aldehydes, this reaction can be viewed as an alternative to stoichiometric metallo-ene reactions via allylic lithium, magnesium, or zinc complexes (path B). Preparations of optically active N-heterocycles [103], which enabled the synthesis of (—)-a-kainic acid (Eq. 9.59) [104,105], of cross-conjugated trienes useful for the diene-transmissive Diels—Alder reaction [106], and of exocyclic bis(allene)s and cyclobutene derivatives [107] have all been reported based on this method. 

When propargylamine 183 was subjected to a homologative allenylation (Crabbe reaction) at 100 °C, the resulting allene underwent a spontaneous Diels-Alder reaction to give the adduct 184. This intramolecular cycloaddition-oxidation sequence provided a simple route to indole alkaloids such as hippadine and ds-trikentrin B [148]. 

Mechanistic and theoretical studies of the Diels-Alder reaction have resulted in the characterization of this reaction as a concerted, although not necessarily synchronous, single-step process28-31 45. The parent reaction, the addition of 1,3-butadiene to ethylene yielding cyclohexene, has been the subject of an ongoing mechanistic debate. Experimental results supported a concerted mechanism, whereas results from calculations seemed to be dependent on the method used. Semi-empirical calculations predicted a stepwise mechanism, whereas ab initio calculations were in favor of a concerted pathway. At the end of the 80s experimental and theoretical evidence converged on the synchronous mechanism29-31. 

The formation of heterocycles by cycloaddition reactions of conjugated dienes is the subject of this chapter. Almost the entire account is devoted to the Diels-Alder reaction of dienes with heterodienophiles to yield six-membered ring compounds (equation 1). Many such reactions have been reported and there is a plethora of reviews. Somela p are general others are cited at appropriate places in the text. This account is highly selective, concentrating on recent work with particular regard to the stereochemistry of these processes. 

Another total synthesis of elisapterosin B (27), as well as colombiasin A (36) was reported by the Rychnovsky group [39]. The underlying concept of this approach was the proposed biosynthetic pathway shown in Scheme 8. Thus, the authors decided to prepare the putative metabolite 46 in 0-methylated form 128 and subject it to Lewis acid conditions in the hope that cyclization might occur to either 27 or 36, or both. The required precursor 128 would stem from an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction between diene 129 and quinone 130 (Scheme 20). 

Certain transition metal complexes can serve as templates for the synthesis of chelating NHC ligands. For example, 1-phenylphosphole complexes of pal-ladium(II) are attacked in a Diels-Alder reaction by 1-vinylimidazole. If 1,2-dichloroethane is used as the solvent the imidazole is alkylated in situ and then subjected to a spontaneous carbometallation reaction [Eq. (37)]. 

The trienes were then subjected to a formal Diels-Alder reaction using conditions developed by Gilbertson and others (Scheme 8.7) [34]. The propargyl tosylamide 40 and the propargyl ether 43 have both afforded the formal intramolecular Diels-Alder adducts 44 and 45 in high yield. To date, the formal cycloaddition of the siHcon-teth-ered alkyne 41 has not been affected and heating triene 42 led to a thermal Diels-Alder reaction to furnish cycloadduct 46, albeit in lower yield than the corresponding rhodium-catalyzed examples. 

Theoretically, the regioselectivity observed in photochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition of 56 with 1,1-dimethoxyethene is in good agreement with experimental results and has been explained on the basis of pertubational molecular orbital theory." Hartke and co-workers" described an interesting contrast in the reactivity of tropolones in an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction (Scheme 6.18). Thus, alkylation of 64a and 64b with 65 gave 66a and 66b, respectively, that were subjected to cyclization in refluxing toluene. Whereas 66a decomposed under the reaction conditions, 66b afforded 67b in high yield. 

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