1.2- Dihydroisoquinolines oxidation

Bischler-Napieralski reaction of 139 to a 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline, oxidation, dehydrogenation and reduction of the nitro to the amino function gave 140 which was subjected to a Pschorr reaction (Scheme 49). Quaternization was accomplished by methyl iodide to furnish the isoquinolininium salt 141 which underwent an ether cleavage on heating a solid sample or benzene or DMF solution to Corunnine (127) (73TL3617). 

Isoquinoline can be reduced quantitatively over platinum in acidic media to a mixture of i j -decahydroisoquinoline [2744-08-3] and /n j -decahydroisoquinoline [2744-09-4] (32). Hydrogenation with platinum oxide in strong acid, but under mild conditions, selectively reduces the benzene ring and leads to a 90% yield of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinoline [36556-06-6] (32,33). Sodium hydride, in dipolar aprotic solvents like hexamethylphosphoric triamide, reduces isoquinoline in quantitative yield to the sodium adduct [81045-34-3] (25) (152). The adduct reacts with acid chlorides or anhydrides to give N-acyl derivatives which are converted to 4-substituted 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines. Sodium borohydride and carboxylic acids combine to provide a one-step reduction—alkylation (35). Sodium cyanoborohydride reduces isoquinoline under similar conditions without N-alkylation to give... 

Asymmetric nucleophilic addition of dialkylzinc to 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline 1-oxides 98YGK11. 

It is noteworthy that quick and effective formation of diaryl nitrones can be achieved through oxidation of diaryl imines with Oxone (potassium peroxy-monosulfate) in such media as aqueous solution of NaHCC>3 in acetonitrile or acetone. When oxidized under such conditions, dialkyl or monoaryl imines give oxaziridines (17). Oxidation of 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline (9) with Oxone initially leads to the formation of oxaziridine (10) which is easily transformed into the corresponding 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline A-oxide (11) upon treatment with catalytic amounts of p-toluenesulfonic acid (Scheme 2.4) (18). 

I.2. Oxidation of Amines Oxidation of primary amines is often viewed as a particularly convenient way to prepare hydroxylamines. However, their direct oxidation usually leads to complex mixtures containing nitroso and nitro compounds and oximes. However, oxidation to nitrones can be performed after their conversion into secondary amines or imines. Sometimes, oxidation of secondary amines rather than direct imine oxidation seems to provide a more useful and convenient way of producing nitrones. In many cases, imines are first reduced to secondary amines which are then treated with oxidants (26). This approach is used as a basis for a one-pot synthesis of asymmetrical acyclic nitrones starting from aromatic aldehydes (Scheme 2.5) (27a) and 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline-2-oxides (27b). 

The /V -hydroxylamino compounds (404) and (405), obtained from the reaction of tert-butyl acetate with 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline-A-oxide or 5,5-dimethyl-pyrroline-/V-oxide, when boiled in methylene chloride in the presence of triphenylphosphine, carbon tetrachloride and triethylamine, are transformed to (1,2,3,4- tetrahydroisoquinolin-l-ilidene) acetate (406) or (pyrrolidin-2-ilidene) acetate (407) (Scheme 2.181) (645). 

Treatment of 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline-2-oxides (730) with DMAD in toluene at room temperature gave the corresponding isoxazolo[3,2-a]isoquinolines (731). On heating in toluene, they were converted to the corresponding ylides (732) in high yields (Scheme 2.304) (27b). 

In this route a dihydroisoquinoline (58) is N alkylated with a highly functionalized o -bromoacetophenone (59) to give a quaternary salt (60), which is treated with base and cyclizes to a pyrroloisoquinoline (60). The pyrrole nucleus is then formylated under Vilsmeier-Haack conditions at position 5 and a proximate mesylated phenolic group is deprotected with base to yield a pen-tasubstituted pyrrole (61). Subsequent oxidative cyclization of this formylpyr-role produces the 5-lactone portion of lamellarin G trimethyl ether (36). This sequence allows for rapid and efficient analog synthesis as well as the synthesis of the natural product. 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline N-oxides 75 with 71b and 32 proceeded regioselectively to give diastereomeric mixtures of isoxa-zolidines 76 and 77 [75]. 

The same rhodium precursor, (S Rh,/ c)-[(Tl -C5Me5)Rh (l )-Prophos (H20)] (SbFg)2, promotes the reaction between the nitrones A-benzylideneaniline A-oxide or 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline A-oxide with other enals different from methacrolein (Scheme 10). The cycloadducts were prepared with excellent regioselec-tivity, perfect endo selectivity, and enantiomeric excesses up to 94% [35]. 

Reaction of pure (5ir,/ c)-9 with nitrones IV or V followed by the addition of an excess of n-Bu4NBr (Scheme 21) gives the corresponding 3,5-crt(io-isoxazolidines in quantitative yield. Table 5 collects the ee values obtained for the two nitrones. Comparison of the results of Table 5 with those of Table 4 indicates that, whereas a mixture of epimers complex 9 (67% / ir,/ c/33% 5ir,/ c, molar ratio) reacts with nitrones 2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine /V-oxide (IV) or 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline... 

The system Ru2(OAc) Cl/O2/toluene/50°C oxidisedR CH NHR to imines R CH=NR converted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline to the 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline with isoquinoline, and 6,7-dimethoxy-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline to 6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydro-iso-qninoline (cf. mech. Ch. 1) [18], Such oxidations were also catalysed by TPAP/NMO/PMS/CH3CN, e.g. the conversion of indoline to indole (in which indoline nndergoes a donble-bond shift and aromatisation), and the oxidation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroqninoline to 3,4-dihydroquinoline (Fig. 5.1, Table 5.1) [19]. 

This method is very useful for the construction of 1-substituted 3,4-dihydroisoquinolines, which if necessary can be oxidized to isoquinolines. A P-phenylethylamine (l-amino-2-phenylethane) is the starting material, and this is usually preformed by reacting an aromatic aldehyde with nitromethane in the presence of sodium methoxide, and allowing the adduct to eliminate methanol and give a P-nitrostyrene (l-nitro-2-phenylethene) (Scheme 3.17). This product is then reduced to the p-phenylethylamine, commonly by the action of lithium aluminium hydride. Once prepared, the p-phenylethylamine is reacted with an acyl chloride and a base to give the corresponding amide (R = H) and then this is cyclized to a 3,4-dihydro-isoquinoline by treatment with either phosphorus pentoxide or phosphorus oxychloride (Scheme 3.18). Finally, aromatization is accomplished by heating the 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline over palladium on charcoal. 

The photochemical electrocyclization of conjugated iminium salts 160, formed by protonation of 2-azadienes 159, led to isoquinolin-4-ones 162, presumably through hydrolysis and oxidation of the dihydroisoquinoline intermediates 161 (85TL5213) (Scheme 39). A closely related reaction served as the key step for a short synthesis of the pentacyclic marine alkaloid ascididemin as reported by Moody, Rees, and Thomas [90TL(31)4375 92T3589] the central reaction involves a 67r-electron pho-tocyclization of a syn- aza stilbene in sulfuric acid. 

Problem 20.40 Outline a mechanism for the Bischler-Napieralski synthesis of 1-methylisoquinoline from N-acetylphenylcthylamine by reaction with strong acid and P,0, and then oxidation of the dihydroisoquinoline intermediate. 4... 

The radical may attack either the anion-radical or isoquinoline in the latter case, a second electron is transferred from an A7. The reductive rert-butyl-ation of 3-methylisoquinoline gives mainly 162 and 163 together with small amounts of 4-, 5-, or 8-substituted dihydroisoquinolines. Imine 163 was oxidized to 164 during workup40 [Eq. (102)]. 

Dihydroisoquinolines, e.g. (484), are basic and form quaternary salts, e.g. (521). With alkali these salts form carbinolamine pseudo-bases, e.g. cotamine (522 Y = OH), which can be oxidized to lactams or which disproportionate on standing. The quaternary ions can also react with other nucleophilic reagents, e.g. (521) + RMgBr — (522 Y = R) (521) + MeCOMe — (522 Y = CH2COMe) (521) + CN — (522 Y = CN) (521) + RNH2 —+ (522 Y = NHR). The pseudo-bases are in equilibrium with open-chain compounds since aldehyde derivatives can be prepared. 

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