Radical domino reactions

Scheme 3.1. General scheme for an intramolecular domino radical reaction.

Scheme 3.57. Domino radical reaction in the synthesis of benzothienoquinoline derivatives.

Scheme 3.2. General scheme tor an intermolecular domino radical reaction.

Scheme 3.73. Samarium(M) iodide-promoted domino radical reaction in the synthesis ot paeonilactone B (3-289).

Curran and coworkers [141] developed a palladium(0)-catalysed domino process for the synthesis of the very potent anticancer natural product (S)-camptothecin (283) [142] and its analogues (Scheme 8.70). Camptothecin (283) contains an ll//-indolizino[l,2- ]quinolin-9-one skeleton, which is also found in mappicine [143] and the promising new analogue DB-67 (287) [144]. A domino-radical reaction has been used for its construction in 40-60% yield [145]. However, the product is also accessible from the isonitrile 284... 

Scheme 5.1 General scheme of domino radical reactions.

Domino radical reactions consisting of radical/cationic, radical/anionic, radi-cal/radical, and radical/pericyclic processes have become increasingly important... 

There are also some rare domino sequences where two anionic and two radical reactions are combined (Scheme 2.152) [347]. According to a report of the Wang group, thionyl chloride is able to promote a succession of reactions by an initial formation of a chlorosulfite 2-673 of the tertiary alcohol 2-672, followed by an SN-type reaction to produce the chloroallene 2-674. A Schmittel cyclization reaction [348] then generates... 

In an anionic/radical domino process an interim single-electron transfer (SET) from the intermediate of the first anionic reaction must occur. Thus, a radical is generated which can enter into subsequent reactions. Although a SET corresponds to a formal change of the oxidation state, the transformations will be treated as typical radical reactions. To date, only a few true anionic/radical domino transformations have been reported in the literature. However, some interesting examples of related one-pot procedures have been established where formation of the radical occurs after the anionic step by addition of TEMPO or Bu3SnH. A reason for the latter approach are the problems associated with the switch between anionic and radical reaction patterns, which often do not permit the presence of a radical generator until the initial anionic reaction step is finished. 

Scheme 3.18. Domino radical cyclization reaction of W-aziridinyl imine 3-68 in the total synthesis of ( )-modhephene (3-70).

Another Lewis acid-catalyzed atom-transfer domino radical cyclization, to produce various bicyclic and tricyclic ring skeletons, has been developed by Yang and coworkers [54]. Reactions of the a-bromo-(3-keto ester 3-125 with Yb(OTf)3 and Et3B/02 led to the bicycle 3-126 in 85 % yield (Scheme 3.33). The reaction proceeds via a (>-endo-Irig and 5-exo-trig cyclization after initial abstraction of the bromine... 

Scheme 3.33. Lewis acid-promoted free radical domino cyclization reaction and enantioselective approach.

A rather new concept in the context of domino radical cydizations has been developed by Gansauer and coworkers utilizing titanocene-complexes for the radical opening of unsaturated epoxides. The titanocene-catalyzed reactions [61] of 3-145 primarily led to radical 3-146, which underwent a subsequent intermolecular addition to a present a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl compound to form bicyclic carbocy-cles of type 3-148 via the intermediate 3-147 after aqueous work-up (Scheme 3.38) [62]. From a kinetic point of view, the reaction is remarkable since the intermolecular addition of simple radicals to a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is not an easy task, as highlighted above. 

Scheme 3.37. Domino radical addition/cyclization-reaction for the asymmetric synthesis of (3-aminobutyrolactones.

Scheme 3.44. General scheme of domino radical ring-opening reactions of cyclopropyl ketones...

Instead of simply using two radical reactions in a domino process, the combination of three and more radical C-C- or C-N-bond forming radical transformations is also possible. This makes this methodology one of the most powerful procedures in the synthesis of complex molecules starting from simple substrates [77]. During the years, several strategies have been developed, and these are depicted in Scheme 3.50. The strategies can be classified as three types ... 

An interesting multicomponent domino free radical reaction in which five new bonds are formed in one operation has recently been applied in the total synthesis ofyingzhaosu A by Bachi and coworkers. Thus, a 2,3-dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane system reacts with phenylthiol and 2 equiv. of molecular oxygen in the presence of AIBN, which under irradiation with UV light led to a diastereomeric mixture of en-doperoxide-hydroperoxides [127]. 

Scheme 3.83. First domino radical cyclization/intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction process.

In a combination of photochemical cyclization and a radical reaction Yoshimatsu et al synthesized 2-azabicyclo[33.0locta-3,7-diene 169 from the trienal hydrazone 166.1891 The domino process was initiated by irradiation of 166 at 400-500 nm in benzene. The transformation may include an intermolecular [2+2]-cyclization, followed by ring opening to give... 

Scheme 3.31. Intramolecular [4+1] and [4+2] annulation reactions employing domino radical cyclizations.

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