Domino reactions cyclizations

A very impressive multiple cationic domino reaction was used in the enan-tioselective total synthesis of (-)-gilbertine (1-190), described by Blechert and coworkers [50]. When the tertiary alcohol 1-184 is treated with TFA, a carbocation is formed which undergoes a cascade of cyclizations to afford 1-190 in very good yield (61 %) (Scheme 1.44). The cations 1-185 to 1-189 can be assumed as intermediates. 

Anionic domino processes are the most often encountered domino reactions in the chemical literature. The well-known Robinson annulation, double Michael reaction, Pictet-Spengler cyclization, reductive amination, etc., all fall into this category. The primary step in this process is the attack of either an anion (e. g., a carban-ion, an enolate, or an alkoxide) or a pseudo anion as an uncharged nucleophile (e. g., an amine, or an alcohol) onto an electrophilic center. A bond formation takes place with the creation of a new real or pseudo-anionic functionality, which can undergo further transformations. The sequence can then be terminated either by the addition of a proton or by the elimination of an X group. 

Furthermore, as described by Mori and coworkers, the domino aldol/cyclization reaction of the 3-keto sulfoxide 2-422 with succindialdehyde (2-423) in the presence of piperidine at r.t. afforded the chromone 2-424 which, on heating to 140 °C, underwent a thermal syn-elimination of methanesulfenic acid to provide 2-426 in 22 % overall yield (Scheme 2.100) [227]. This approach was then used for the synthesis of the natural products coniochaetones A (2-425) and B (2-427) [228]. 

A trifold anionic/pericyclic domino reaction was used for the synthesis of the dioxapyrrolizidine 2-655 combining a nitro aldol condensation, SN-type cyclization, SN-type etherification, and an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cyclization as described by Rosini and coworkers (Scheme 2.148) [339]. 

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... 

A dramatic improvement in this new round trip radical domino processes developed by Curran s group was presented by Takasu, Ihara and coworkers. The new method relies on the introduction of a conjugated ester moiety at the terminal olefm, thereby effecting an acceleration of the domino reaction accompanied with an enhancement of the regio- and stereoselectivity [81]. Thus, reaction of 3-196 with Bu3SnH led to a 4 3 mixture of the two diastereomeric tricycles 3-197 and 3-198 in 83% yield. In this process, the vinyl radical 3-199 is initially formed, but this smoothly cyclizes in 5-exo-trig manner to give radical 3-200 (Scheme 3.52). Due to... 

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

Padwa s group has not only developed highly efficient domino reactions using transition metal catalysis, but they are also well known for their unique combinations of a cycloaddition and a N-acyliminium ion cyclization. An example of this strategy, which is very suitable for the synthesis of heterocycles and alkaloids, is the reaction of 4-98 to give 4-101 via the intermediates 4-99 and 4-100 (Scheme 4.22). Furthermore, 4-101 was transformed into the alkaloid (+)-y-lycorane 4-102 [32]. 

As shown in the preceding examples, although intramolecular Pd-catalyzed poly-cyclization is a well-established procedure, some few examples exist of polycycliza-tions where the first step is an intermolecular process. In this respect, the Pd°-cata-lyzed domino reaction of allenes in the presences of iodobenzene reported by Tanaka and coworkers [40] is an intriguing transformation. As an example the Pd-catalyzed reaction of 6/1-60 in the presence of iodobenzene led to 6/1-61 in 49% yield, allowing the formation of three rings in one sequence (Scheme 6/1.14). 

Another cationic-cationic domino reaction which follows the way of biosynthesis is used by Koert et al for the synthesis of the whole left part of the polyether etheromydn.1141 The starting step is an add catalyzed cyclization of a diepoxide to give a bistetrahydrofuran with creation of three new oxa-cycles in over 30 % yidd. 

A new effective metal-ffee radical approach by Murphy et al generates the free radical by treatment with tetrathiafulvalene (TTF).1491 As depicted in scheme 16 the aromatic amine 79 is transformed into the diazonium salt 81 which on treatment with TTF leads to the radical 82. The following stereoselective cyclization gives the hexahydrocarba-zole scaffold 80, a substructure of alkaloids like aspi-dospermidin, strychnin and vinblastin. Also the non-toxic tris(trimethylsilyl)silane was employed for domino reactions, eg. for the preparation of the alkaloid aspidospermidin. 

Scheme 21. Domino reaction involving an ene reaction followed by an intramolecular silyl-mediated sakurai cyclization...

The transition metal-catalyzed domino reactions will undoubtedly have a splendid future which is underlined by the increasing number of publications in this area Steglich et al. presented an approach to arcyriacyanin A via a domino Heck reaction between a bromo(indolyl)maleiimide and 4-bromoindole.1811 The synthesis of 33 -bifurans by Ling et al. was achieved using a novel palladium-catalyzed domino dimerization and subsequent cyclization of acetylenic ketones.1821 Other applications of a combination of Heck reactions for domino processes are the syntheses of aza-heterocydes developed by our group.1831... 

Beyond the numerous applications of palladium in transition metal-catalyzed domino reactions there are a lot of other metals inducing domino processes. Ihara et al. found a strategy for the enan-tioselective synthesis of (+)-equilenin catalyzed by mangan and palladium complexes,1841 Whitby et al.1851 initiated domino cyclizations on a zirconocene template and furthermore Scherf et al. generated phenantrones by a nickel-mediated one-pot domino reaction.1861... 

As an extension of the Heck reaction, Pd-catalyzed hydroarylation of alkynes and alkenes continnes to attract high level of research interest in simple couphng processes and in cyclization reactions. The use of this type of transformation as part of a domino reaction will be of increasing interest. The research in the field of domino reactions is attracting considerable attention in synthetic organic chemistry since it enables the rapid assembly of complex molecirles in one-pot processes. Very elegant examples of palladium-catalyzed cascade processes where a single catalytic cycle entails several sequential bond transformations have been recently reported [la, b, 2a, b, c]. 

A domino reaction of 1,1-diphenyl-3,3-dilithioallene (157) with benzonitrile yields both a yellow imidazole (158 R = Ph X = NH) (12%) and a colourless 5-imidazol-5-yl-l,4-dihydropyrimidine (159 R = Ph) (51%), the products, respectively, of the incorporation of three and four nitrile molecules. The proposed mechanism (Scheme 13) involves initial formation of an intermediate (160) that is the product of the interaction of three molecules of benzonitrile with l,l-diphenyl-3,3-dilithioallene (157), which cyclizes to (162 R = Ph) and then eliminates a molecule of benzonitrile to produce (161 R = Ph). Re-addition of benzonitrile at a different locus produces... 

Blechert et al. have proposed a new effective approach to the synthesis of different indole alkaloids using cation domino reactions (95S592, 97AGE1474). The total yield of uleine (7a), produced on the basis of this concept, is 32%, which is quite unique in the synthesis of polycyclic indole alkaloids. Note that this is the total yield, starting from cyclohexenone 46 the yield of the key step of the synthesis - the cyclization of carbazole 47 into 7a is 95% (Scheme 12). 

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