Dienophiles acrylonitrile

The in situ generation of the <, /3-unsaturated sulfine 24 via thermolytic retro Diels-Alder reaction of its dimer and subsequent reactions with the representative dienophiles, acrylonitrile and styrene, provided a regioiso-meric mixture of Diels-Alder products in modest yields [Eq. (19)]. 

This reaction appears to be generally applicable to dienophiles. Acrylonitrile or fumaronitrile react with triethyl phosphite in ethanol to provide the corresponding j -cyanophosphonate esters (44% and 55%, respectively). Ethyl propiolate, triethyl phosphite, and ethanol furnish diethyl 2-carbethoxy-l-ethoxyethylphosphonate, which most probably arises by addition of ethanol to an intermediate species rather than to reactant or product. Reaction of crotonaldehyde with triethyl phosphite in phenol provides the diphenyl acetal of jS-(diethoxyphosphinyl) butyraldehyde (36) (82%). Substitution of ethanol for phenol in this reaction results in a somewhat lower yield (59%) of the corresponding diethyl acetal as well as a 19% yield of the ethyl enol ether of this same aldehyde. 

Donor substituents on the vinyl group further enhance reactivity towards electrophilic dienophiles. Equations 8.6 and 8.7 illustrate the use of such functionalized vinylpyrroles in indole synthesis[2,3]. In both of these examples, the use of acetyleneic dienophiles leads to fully aromatic products. Evidently this must occur as the result of oxidation by atmospheric oxygen. With vinylpyrrole 8.6A, adducts were also isolated from dienophiles such as methyl acrylate, dimethyl maleate, dimethyl fumarate, acrolein, acrylonitrile, maleic anhydride, W-methylmaleimide and naphthoquinone. These tetrahydroindole adducts could be aromatized with DDQ, although the overall yields were modest[3]. 

Although hexafluoro-l,3-butadiene is better known for its [2+2] reactions, its Diels-Alder reactions, particularly with electron-deficient alkenes such as acrylonitrile and perfluoropropene, are not unknown [9] The first report of a Diels-Alder reaction is with an acetylenic dienophile Although the major product of Us reaction with phenylacetylene is its [2+2] adduct, a 3 5% yield of products of a Diels-Alder reaction is also observed [123] (equation 103)... 

Woodward and Hoffmann pointed out that the Diels-Alder reaction involved bonding overlap of the highest-occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) on the diene and the lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) on the dienophile. Display the HOMO for 2-methoxybutadiene. Where is it localized Display the LUMO for acrylonitrile. Where is it localized Orient the two fragments such that the HOMO and LUMO best overlap (A clearer picture is provided by examining-the HOMO map for 2-methoxybutadiene and the LUMO map for acrylonitrile.) Which product should result ... 

Compare electrostatic potential maps for the following Diels-Alder transition states cyclopentadiene+ethene, cyclopentadiene+acrylonitrile and cyclopentadiene+ tetracyanoethylene, with those of reactants cyclopentadiene, ethene, acrylonitrile and tetracyanoethylene. Are electrons transferred from diene to dienophile in the transition states (relative to reactants) or vice versa For which reaction is the transfer the greatest The least Quantify your conclusion by measuring the total charge on the diene and dienophile components in the three transition states. 

Simultaneously examine the HOMO of 1-methylcyclo-pentadiene (the diene) and the LUMO of acrylonitrile (the dienophile). Orient the two on screen such that they are disposed for Diels-Alder addition, i.e. 

The ability of 1,2 (or l,6)-dihydropyridines to undergo a Diels-Alder reaction with dienophiles such as methyl vinyl ketone, methyl acrylate, and acrylonitrile has been utilized in the synthesis of polyfunctional isoquinuclidine as a key intermediate in the synthesis of aspidosperma- and iboga-type alkaloids (66JA3099). 

Dihydropyridines 28 behave as enamines and undergo [2 - - 2] cycloaddition reactions with dienophiles such as acrylonitrile (29) and dimethyl acetylenedicar-boxylate (32). For instance, A -alkyl-l,4-dihydropyridine 28 reacts with 29 to give... 

For the ordinary Diels-Alder reaction the dienophile preferentially is of the electron-poor type electron-withdrawing substituents have a rate enhancing effect. Ethylene and simple alkenes are less reactive. Substituent Z in 2 can be e.g. CHO, COR, COOH, COOR, CN, Ar, NO2, halogen, C=C. Good dienophiles are for example maleic anhydride, acrolein, acrylonitrile, dehydrobenzene, tetracya-noethylene (TCNE), acetylene dicarboxylic esters. The diene preferentially is of the electron-rich type thus it should not bear an electron-withdrawing substituent. 

Earle and coworkers [54] have performed Diels-Alder reactions in neutral ionic liquids. The results of reactions of cyclopentadiene with dimethyl maleate, ethyl acrylate and acrylonitrile are reported in Table 6.10. The cycloadditions proceeded at room temperature in all of the ionic liquids tested, except [BMIMJPF4, and gave almost quantitative yields after 18-24h. The endo/exo selectivity depends on dienophile. No enantioselectivity was observed in the [BMIM] lactate reaction. 

On the other hand, the use of a-cyclodextrin decreased the rate of the reaction. This inhibition was explained by the fact that the relatively smaller cavity can only accommodate the binding of cyclopentadiene, leaving no room for the dienophile. Similar results were observed between the reaction of cyclopentadiene and acrylonitrile. The reaction between hydroxymethylanthracene and N-ethylmaleimide in water at 45°C has a second-order rate constant over 200 times larger than in acetonitrile (Eq. 12.2). In this case, the P-cyclodextrin became an inhibitor rather than an activator due to the even larger transition state, which cannot fit into its cavity. A slight deactivation was also observed with a salting-in salt solution (e.g., quanidinium chloride aqueous solution). 

The formation of 9-104 proceeds through several equilibrium steps, but the process has been shown to be highly efficient when dienophiles such as maleimides 9-103, acetylene dicarboxylates 9-105, maleic anhydride (9-107) or acrylonitrile (9-108) are present in the reaction mixture. Thus, the formed butadienes 9-104 are trapped in a [4+2] cycloaddition and thereby the equilibria are shifted to the product side. The cycloadducts 9-102, 9-106, 9-109 and 9-110 are formed in good to excellent yields with high diastereoselectivity. 

The Deng group identified QN-derived thiourea 121 and QD -derived thiourea 124 to be also efficient promoters of enantio- and diastereoselective Diels-Alder reactions between the 2-pyrone diene 3-hydroxypyran-2-one and the dienophiles fumaronitrile, maleonitrile as well as acrylonitrile, while various C9-hydroxy acylated and alkylated (dihydro)cupreines and (dihydro)cupreidines failed for the same reactions under identical conditions (e.g., 97% yield, 15% ee, 64 36 endoxxo) [289], Catalysts 121 and 124 (5mol% loading), however, produced the corresponding Diels-Alder adducts 1-3 with synthetically useful enantioselectivities (85-... 

Scheme 6.133 Adducts of the 121- and 124-catalyzed stereoselective Diels-Alder reactions between the 3-hydroxypyran-2-one and the dienophiles flimaronitrile, maleonitrile, and acrylonitrile.

The potential activation of different Lewis acid catalysts and their load effect when used in combination with this solvent were explored, in order to determine the improvement of rates and selectivity to the endo and exo isomers. The list of Lewis acid catalysts included Li(OTf), Li(NTf2), Znl2, AICI3, BF3, HOTf, HNTf2, Ce(0Tf)4 5H20, Y(OTf)3, Sc(OTf)3, Sc(NTf2) and a blank without any Lewis acid. The reaction conditions were as follows 2.2 mmol of cyclopentadiene + 2.0 mmol of dienophile + 0.2 mol% of catalyst in 2 mL [hmim][BF4]. When no catalyst was added, the two ketones (R =Me-C=0 R2 = R3 = H and Ri=Et-C=0 R2 = R3 = H) showed modest activity ( 50% in 1 h) with endojexo selectivity = 85/15. Whereas acrolein showed modest activity (59% conversion in 2 h), methacrolein and crotonaldehyde were inert without a Lewis acid catalyst. Acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate underwent low conversions in 1 h (16-17%) whereas, N-phenylmaleimide, maleic anhydride and 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone showed complete reaction in 5 min with high endo isomer yields. 

A good example for which experimental data are available, involves activation energies for Diels-Alder cycloadditions of different cyanoethylenes as dienophiles with cyclopentadiene, relative to the addition of acrylonitrile with cyclopentadiene as a standard. 

When 39 was trapped with unsymmetrical dienophiles such as acrylonitrile a mixture of regioisomers was obtained with some selectivity for 6-substituted benzothiazoles 41 over 5-substituted benzothiazoles 42 <98EJOC2047>. 

The pioneer work on this subject using simple 1-azadienes is due to Ghosez et al. (82TL3261 85JHC69) they succeeded in reacting 1-azadienes as 47r-electron components in Diels-Alder cycloadditions. Thus, l-dimethylamino-3-methyl-l-azabuta-l,3-diene (a,/3-unsaturated hydrazone) 54 did undergo [4 + 2] cycloaddition to typical electron-poor dienophiles, e.g., methyl acrylate, dimethyl fumarate, acrylonitrile, maleic anhydride, and naphthoquinone, producing pyridine derivatives 55-57 (Scheme 14). 

For a review of the Diels-Alder reaction with acrylonitrile, see Butskus Russ. Chem. Rev. 1962, 31, 283-294. For a review of letracyanoethylene as a dienophile. see Ciganek Linn Webster, in Rappoport. Ref. 588 pp. 449-453. 

A synthesis of the antitumor agent elliptidne has utilized the indolyl-substituted oxazole (351) as a key intermediate (77JOC2039). Diels-Alder reaction of (351) with acrylonitrile in acetic acid afforded a pyridinecarbonitrile (352) which was reacted with methyllithium, and the ketimine salt was hydrolyzed and cyclized to ellipticine (353 Scheme 76). Other Diels-Alder reactions of this type, particularly intramolecular cycloadditions of oxazoles with alkenic dienophiles should provide rapid access to a variety of alkaloid systems. 

The kinetics of high-pressure cycloaddition reactions of tropone with dienophiles and enophiles have been reviewed.254 The Diels-Alder reaction of 9,10-dimethylanthracene with acrylonitrile has been investigated at high pressure in acetonitrile and in ethereal solutions of lithium perchlorate.255 The combination of high pressure and a solution of lithium perchlorate in diethyl ether is an excellent reaction rate accelerator in 4 + 2-cycloaddition reactions.256... 

The reaction with dienophiles of the sulfur-substituted 3-vinylpyrrole, generated in situ by the alkylation of the 3-thioacetylpyrrole, has also been utilized to obtain indoles. Reactions with dimethyl maleate, dimethyl fumarate, methyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, and acrolein gave the corresponding cycloadducts which were directly transformed to the corresponding indoles by treatment with DDQ (91CPB489). 

Ghosez and co-workers used standard electron-poor dienophiles (quinone, acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate, maleic anhydride) for their experiments, hence the choice of donor substituents to increase the electron density of the azadiene (Alder s rule). However, the intrinsically electron-deficient diene can only be made sufficiently nucleophilic by the presence of exceptionally good donors. The oxygen lone pair is relatively low-lying (a+ 2/3), so it does not confer sufficient reactivity for the oxime to react. AMI calculations validate this qualitative reasoning the oxime B HOMO lies at -9.47 eV versus -8.56 eV for A s HOMO. 

Check that the rule (the nonsubstituted atom has the highest HOMO coefficient in electron-rich and the highest LUMO coefficient in electron-poor dienophiles) is general, using examples in the MO Catalog in the Appendix (enol, propene, acrolein, styrene, acrylonitrile). 

---