1.3- dipolar cycloaddition reactions with azomethine imines

Kobayashi and co-workers successfully achieved the asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azomethine imines with terminal alkynes catalyzed by CuHMDS and DIP-BINAP ligand to provide N,N-bicyclic pyrazolidinone derivatives in high yields with exclusive regioselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity (Scheme 26) [46]. Mechanistic studies elucidated a stepwise reaction pathway and revealed that the steric character of the ligand determines the regioselectivity. Arai and co-workers applied chiral bis(imidazolidine)pyridine-CuOAc complex to the [3+2]cycloaddition of azomethine imines with propiolates for the construction of bicyclic pyrazolo[l,2-a]pyrazolone derivatives with up to 74% ee [47]. 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azomethine ylides with thioketones has been used to prepare 1,3-thiazoIidines. The metallated azomethine ylides 67 were generated in situ by treating a-amino acid ester imines 66 with lithium bromide and DBU. The ylides were then treated with highly reactive thioketones such as thiobenzophenone or fluorene-9-thione, to afford 1,3-thiazolidine derivatives 68 (main isomer) and 69 (minor isomer) in good yield and in diastereoisomeric ratios of between 2 1 and 4 1 <01H(55)691>. 

Azomethine imines readily undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with alkenes and alkynes to furnish pyrazoUdines and pyrazolines, respectively (Scheme 5.21). 

Dipolar cycloaddition reactions with stable and easily prepared azomethine imines, for the synthesis of a diverse array of heterocycles, have attracted considerable attention [125]. The complex RhjldS-MPPlM) (47) catalyzes the highly diastereoselective [3-l-2-l-l]-cycloaddition reaction between a diazo ketone and azomethine imines [126]. The final products are multi-functionalized bicyclic pyrazolidinone derivatives isolated in moderate to high yields (Scheme 9.12). 

High levels of asymmetric induction (97-74% ee) along with high diastereoselectivity (>99 1-64 36) were reported for asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of fused azomethine imines 315 and 3-acryloyl-2-oxazolidinone 709 leading to 711 using a chiral BINIM-Ni(n) complex 710 as a chiral Lewis acid catalyst (Equation 100) <20070L97>. 

The use of chiral azomethine imines in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with alkenes is limited. In the first example of this reaction, chiral azomethine imines were applied for the stereoselective synthesis of C-nucleosides (100-102). Recent work by Hus son and co-workers (103) showed the application of the chiral template 66 for the formation of a new enantiopure azomethine imine (Scheme 12.23). This template is very similar to the azomethine ylide precursor 52 described in Scheme 12.19. In the presence of benzaldehyde at elevated temperature, the azomethine imine 67 is formed. 1,3-Dipole 67 was subjected to reactions with a series of electron-deficient alkenes and alkynes and the reactions proceeded in several cases with very high selectivities. Most interestingly, it was also demonstrated that the azomethine imine underwent reaction with the electronically neutral 1-octene as shown in Scheme 12.23. Although a long reaction time was required, compound 68 was obtained as the only detectable regio- and diastereomer in 50% yield. This pioneering work demonstrates that there are several opportunities for the development of new highly selective reactions of azomethine imines (103). 

Cyclobut[f]thiophene is a poor dipolarophile and requires prolonged reaction times to produce the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition product 84 on reaction with diazomethane (Equation 44) <1999J(P1)605>. Reactions with nitrile imines or azomethine imines fail to provide cycloadducts. 

A number of stereospecific 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of the azomethine imine (385) with olefins have been reported. The dipole (386), generated as shown, has been trapped as the cyclo-adduct (387) to dimethyl fumarate. " The betaine (389) is formed in the reaction of 1,2-diphenyl-... 

The 1,3-dipolar systems involved in the cycloaddition reaction with cumulenes include azides, nitrile oxides, nitrile imines, nitrones, azomethine imines and diazo compounds. However, some 1,3-dipolar systems are also generated in the reaction of precursors with catalysts. Examples include the reaction of alkylene oxides, alkylene sulfldes and alkylene carbonates with heterocumulenes. Carbon cumulenes also participate as 1,3-dipols in [3+2] cycloaddifion reactions. Examples include thiocarbonyl sulfides, R2C=S=S, and l-aza-2-azoniaallenes. 

In contrast to the exo-selectivity of the cycloadditions catalyzed by a,a-bis[3,5-di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]prolinol (10mol%) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA, 10mol%) as an organocatalyst, only enrio-cycloadducts were obtained with high enantioselectivities in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions between N,N -cyc ic azomethine imines and cyclic enones employing the 6 -hydroxy derivative of 9-amino-9-... 

Further appUcations of this catalyst class as Bronsted acids were shown by Maruoka and coworkers in various enantioselective reactions, such as addition of aza-enamines and vinylogous aza-enamines to imines [178,179], addition of diazo compounds to in situ generated acycUc azomethine imines (Scheme 10.72) [180], and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of cyclic azomethine imines with enol ethers and vinylogous aza-enamines (Scheme 10.73) [181]. 

It is well known that azomethine ylides, which are usually formed in situ, are very good substrates for 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. The group of Novikov and Khlebnikov [328] generated such a 1,3-dipol by reaction of difluorocarbene formed from CBr2F2 (2-626) with the imine 2-627. Cycloaddition of the obtained 2-629 with an ac-... 

The intermolecular reaction of imines with acceptor-substituted carbene complexes generally leads to the formation of azomethine ylides. These can undergo several types of transformation, such as ring closure to aziridines [1242-1245], 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions [1133,1243,1246-1248], or different types of rearrangement (Figure 4.9). 

Garner et al. (90,320) used aziridines substituted with Oppolzer s sultam as azomethine ylide precursors. The azomethine ylide generated from 206 added to various electron-dehcient alkenes, such as dimethyl maleate, A-phenylmalei-mide, and methyl acrylate, giving the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition product in good yields and up to 82% de (for A-phenylmaleimide). They also used familiar azomethine ylides formed by imine tautomerization (320). Aziridines such as 207 have also been used as precursors for the chiral azomethine ylides, but in reactions with vinylene carbonates, relatively low de values were obtained (Scheme 12.59) (92). 

Grigg and co-workers (383) found that chiral cobalt and manganese complexes are capable of inducing enantioselectivity in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of azomethine ylides derived from arylidene imines of glycine (Scheme 12.91). This work was published in 1991 and is the first example of a metal-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The reaction of the azomethine yhde 284a with methyl acrylate 285 required a stoichiometric amount of cobalt and 2 equiv of the chiral ephedrine ligand. Up to 96% ee was obtained for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition product 286a. 

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