Dimethyl maleate Diels-Alder addition

Diels-Alder reactions are stereospecific with respect to the E- and Z-relationships in both the dienophile and the diene. For example, addition of dimethyl fumarate and dimethyl maleate with cyclopentadiene is completely stereospecific with respect to the cis or trans orientation of the ester substituents. 

Complete stereoselectivity occurs in the Diels-Alder reaction through syn addition of the dienophile to the diene. Hence, the reaction of dimethyl fumarate and dimethyl maleate with cyclopentadiene yields the trans and cis adducts, respectively (Scheme 26.1).29... 

Compound 87 (R = r-Bu, R = Ph, R = H) has been prepared by addition of tert-butylmagnesium chloride to 1-phenylphthalide (102) and subsequent dehydration with p-toluenesulfonic acid. It is described as a yellow oil with brilliant fluorescence under UV light, which on oxidation with sodium dichromate yields diketone 103. Compound 87 (R = /-Bu, R = Ph, R = H) with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylategives 104(mp 128-129 C, 80%) on reduction 105 is obtained 105 is also accessible from 87 (R = <-Bu, R = Ph, R = H) and dimethyl maleate (mp 151-152°C, endo) a maleic anhydride adduct has also been described (mp 147.5-148°C, 83%). Diels-Alder adducts have been also prepared from the benzo[c]furan precursors 106 (R = CHjPh, R = H, Ph) in the presence of catalytic amounts of acid 107 (mp 141-142.5X, 70%) and 108 (mp 140-141.5°C, 49%) were obtained, which on catalytic hydrogenation (Pd/C) gave the exo isomers 109(110-1 irC) and 110(90-92°C, 125.5-127°C, dimorphism). The basis for these stereochemical assignments remains unclear, however. Compounds... 

This group " also diverted the usual Diels-Alder cycloaddition pathway of Reissert salts with olefinic esters to a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition pathway by the addition of triethylamine. Thus treatment of munchnone imine 364 with ethyl acrylate and triethylamine affords the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition product 366 (30%) as the major product, formed by fragmentation of cycloadduct 365 (Fig. 4.121). The Diels-Alder product (not shown) is formed in 15% yield. Similar products to 366 are formed with dimethyl and diethyl maleate and fumarate. Laude and coworkers " also were able to trap munchnone imine 367 with dipolarophiles to furnish 368 (Fig. 4.122). No Diels-Alder cycloadducts derived from the oxazolium salt were detected. In contrast, fumarate and acrylate esters give only Diels-Alder cycloadducts from the tautomeric oxazolium salt (not shown). However, benzo-quinones and 1,4-naphthoquinone react in a 1,3-dipolar fashion with munchnone imine 372 derived from Reissert compound 369 to give 373 (Scheme 4.11). " Diels-Alder cycloadducts derived from oxazolium salt 371 were not observed. In a... 

Another pioneer in the Diels-Alder reactions of vinylpyrroles was Noland, who also developed the reactions of vinylindoles to yield carbazoles. Some examples of the former are shown in Scheme 2 (equations 1 and 2) [4-7], Jones and his colleagues were equally active in this cycloaddition chemistry of vinylpyrroles (equations 3 and 4) [8-12], These workers measured the rates of the reaction between 1-methyl-2-vinylpyrrole and seven dienophiles, with maleic anhydride being 4800 to 50,000 times more reactive than the other dienophiles (DMAD, maleonitrile, fumaronitrile, dimethyl maleate, methyl acrylate, and acrylonitrile) [8], In a clever tactic to thwart the formation of dihydroindoles, Jones used an excess of methyl propio-late to convert the initial adduct to a second Diels-Alder cycloadduct that subsequently loses ethene by a retro-Diels-Alder reaction to afford the dimethyl 1-methyl (phenyl)-4,7-dicarboxylates (equation 4). The reactions are concerted and were consistent with FMO calculations (HOMO[vinylpyrrole]-LUMO[alkene]). The yields are 54% to 81%, but attempts to dehydrogenate the tetrahydroindole products to indoles were unsuccessful. 2-Vinylpyrrole itself undergoes Michael additions and polymerization with these dienophiles. Domingo, Jones, and coworkers subsequently... 

Michael/Henry/dehydration/aromatisation reaction of 2-(2-oxoethyl) benzal-dehydes and nitroalkenes mediated by pyrrolidine to obtain polysubstituted naphthalene derivatives. DBU catalysed the conjugate additions of alcohols to ot,p-unsaturated nitriles, esters and ketones. Perhaps more important are the aza-Michael addition reactions of amines to a,p-unsaturated ketones, nitriles and esters. Recently, Costa, Vilarrasa and coworkers described the addition of lactams, imides, 2-pyridone, pyrimidine-2,4-diones and inosines to methyl propiolate and other similar compounds, DABCO and DMAP being the best catalysts. As mentioned before, tertiary amines give zwitterionic species with activated allynes. It was as early as 1932 when Diels and Alder used the reaction of pyridine with dimethyl acetylenedicarbojylate (DMAD) for the synthesis of heterocycles. The interception of the corresponding intermediate with Al-tosylimines and activated olefins provided access to l-azadienes ° and highly substituted butadienes (Scheme 2.6). When the quenching species of the zwitterionic intermediate is a 1,2-diketone, dibenzoyl maleates or cyclopentenedione derivatives could be obtained (Scheme 2.6). The interception of the zwitterionic species of N-methyl imidazole (NMI) and DMAD with ketenes to obtain unsaturated esters has also been shown. ... 

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