Enamides hydride reduction

An enamine was obtained in the synthesis of coronaridine (648) by aluminum hydride reduction of a bridged lactam, followed by dehydration on alumina. Additional examples of enamine formation by reduction of enamides (649) and thioenamides (650) were reported. 

A new total synthesis of flavopereirine perchlorate (148) has been reported by Ninomiya et al. (109) via enamide photocyclization. Harmalane (150) was acy-lated with 3-methoxyethacryloyl chloride to enamide 151 which was irradiated in benzene solution without purification to yield the unstable lactam 152. The latter was treated with hydrochloric acid, resulting in dehydrolactam 153 in a yield of 35% from harmalane (150). Lithium aluminum hydride reduction of 153, followed by dehydrogenation, afforded flavopereirine (148), isolated as its perchlorate (109). 

The utilization of the Robinson annellation method for the synthesis of cory-nanthe-type alkaloids has been thoroughly investigated by Kametani and coworkers (149-152). The tetracyclic ring system was efficiently formed via the Michael addition of dimethyl 3-methoxyallylidenemalonate (247) to the enamine derived from 3,4-dihydro-1 -methyl-(3-carboline (150). Alkylation of 248, followed by hydrolysis and decarboxylation, resulted in a mixture of stereosiomeric enamides 250 and 251. Hydrogenation of 250 afforded two lactams in a ratio of 2 1 in favor of the pseudo stereoisomer 253 over the normal isomer 252. On the other hand, catalytic reduction of 251 gave 254 as the sole product in nearly quantitative yield. Deprotection of 254, followed by lithium aluminum hydride reduction, yielded ( )-corynantheidol (255) with alio relative configuration of stereo centers at C-3, C-15 and C-20. Similar transformations of 252 and 253 lead to ( )-dihydrocorynantheol and ( )-hirsutinol (238), respectively, from which the latter is identical with ( )-3-epidihydrocorynantheol (149-151.). 

Total synthesis of protoberberine alkaloids via the route involving enamide photocyclization consists of nonoxidative photocyclization of the 2-aroyl-l-methylene-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines and the subsequent metal-hydride reduction of the photocyclized lactams. This simple combination of reactions for alkaloid synthesis provides one of the most convenient synthetic routes to this group of popular alkaloids. 

By using the p-methoxy-substituted enamide (192), Ninomiya et al. (54) succeeded in a simple synthesis of alloyohimbone (196) via the unconjugated lactam 194, which has an enol ether structure. Lithium aluminum hydride reduction of the lactam 194, followed by hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid and subsequent catalytic hydrogenation over platinum dioxide, yielded alloyohimbone (196) stereoselectively in an overall yield of 59% from harmalane (54) this was the most convenient synthesis of alloyohimbone (196) so far reported (Scheme 75). 

Similarly, photocyclization of the /i-methoxy-substituted enamide 229, followed by two-step hydride reduction with LAH and sodium borohydride, furnished the depyrrole analog of agroclavine (55) (Scheme 87). 

Photocyclization of the enamide 11 followed by lithium aluminum hydride reduction provided a short preparation of the tetrahydroprotoberberine xylo-pinine in excellent yield. ... 

As the acidic conditions of the hydrosilylation reaction includes protonation of the enamide to generate an acyliminium salt, we actually are comparing the hydride reduction of an iminium salt to the hydrogenation of an enamide. 

Oxidative conversion of palmatine, berberine, and coptisine to polycarpine, polyberbine, and its analog was described in Section II,B. These products were further transformed to aporphine alkaloids having a phenolic hydroxyl group at C-2 in the bottom ring (55). Hydrolysis with concomitant air oxidation of polyberbine (66) furnished 3,4-dihydrorugosinone, which was further air-oxidized in ethanolic sodium hydroxide to give rise to rugosinone (501) (Scheme 105). Successive reduction of the enamide 68 with lithium aluminum hydride and sodium borohydride afforded a mixture of ( )-norledecorine and (+ )-ledecorine (502). N-Methylation of the former with formaldehyde and sodium borohydride led to the latter. 

Methods for hydride-type reductions of the enamide derivatives gave rise to more encouraging results. Initial experiments using sodium cyanoborohydride under acidic conditions71 gave no reduction of 88 (Scheme 46), but the use of triethylsilane proved much more effective. 

In contrast, reduction of the corresponding enamide with Na(CN)BH3 was much more selective giving a single enantiomer, derived by attack of the hydride from the opposite side of the bulky sulphinyl group122 (Scheme 91). 

In the presence of metal hydride, the enamide can undergo reductive photocyclization to give the dihydrolactam in good yield. 

The structure of this cyclic intermediate B, which contains an immonium structure, suggests the possibility of undergoing a facile reduction by hydride, if present during the course of photocyclization. This expectation was visualized as expected on the various enamides and therefore opened up a new phase of the application of enamide photocyclization (15) (Scheme 16). 

Irradiation of enamides in the presence of a hydride (e.g., sodium borohy-dride) in a solution containing a protic solvent such as methanol, brought about reductive photocyclization (15,54-57). However, it is assumed that irradiation in the presence of aprotic solvent affords the photocyclized product (17) identical to that formed by irradiation under nonoxidative conditions according to the route suggested in Scheme 20. 

The use of a chiral hydride complex has been central to the asymmetric reduction of ketones such as acetophenone (58). A number of excellent chiral metal hydride complexes have been introduced by many researchers, including Noyori (59,60), Meyers (61), Mukaiyama (62,63), Terashima (64,65), and others (58). It is apparent that there is a close similarity in structure between acetophenone and the proposed intermediate in enamide photocyclization, therefore suggesting the possibility of undergoing photocyclization in an asymmetric manner. 

On the assumption that asymmetric reduction of an intermediate by a chiral metal hydride complex could occur during the course of photocycli-zation of the enamide 133, as exemplified by reductive photocyclization, Ninomiya et al. (16) have undertaken and completed the photochemical asymmetric synthesis of (—)-xylopinine. 

After a metal hydride complex was prepared from LAH and quinine (1 1), irradiation of a mixture of the resulting solution containing the above chiral hydride agent and the enamide (133) led to the formation of two optically active lactams 158 [6%, [a]D —63° (c = 0.48, CHC13)] and 155 [ 13%, [a]D — 102° (c = 0.44, CHC13)] with 37% optical purity. Reduction of the lactam 155 with LAH furnished (—)-xylopinine (20) in 48% chemical yield. 

The hydroamination reactions which are assisted or catalyzed by transition metal species can be utilized in the cyclization of unsaturated amines. Palladium(II) is not recommended for such transformations, since low yields were obtained even using stoichiometric amounts of palladium chloride47. Since an enamide is formed by /J-hydride elimination, a reduction step must be performed to obtain the saturated nitrogen heterocycle. A catalytic cyclization reaction, analogous to the Wacker process, was performed from /V-alkenyl tosylamides, such as 1, using... 

Later, this cycloaddition reaction was improved by the pretreatment of the enamide ester with an equimoler amount of trialkylsilyl trifluoromethanesul-fonate and triethylamine at ambient temperature. The synthesis of tyro-phorine (119) was achieved by the above improved method (Scheme 55). The enamide ester 441 was subjected to annulation using t-butyldimethylsilyl triflate and triethylamine at 15°C to produce the bicyclic lactam 442 in 68% yield. Oxidation of 442 with thallium(III) trifluoroacetate and boron triflu-oroetherate in a mixture of dichloromethane and trifluoroacetic acid at 4°C produced (83%) the pentacyclic compound 443. Hydrolysis of 443, followed by decarboxylation of the resultant acid, gave the pentacyclic lactam 444. Reduction of 444 with sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride in refluxing dioxane afforded tyrophorine (119) (85CC1159). 

The reaction mechanism for this reductive photocyclization was established as follows. When the enamide was irradiated in the presence of sodium borodeuteride in place of hydride, of course, in acetonitrile-methanol, the product was deuterated at the ring junction as expected, while the photocyclized lactam, when irradiated in the presence of hydride but in acetonitrile and deuterium methoxide, was deuterated at the benzene ring as shown. Thus, the reaction mechanism of this reductive photocyclization was firmly established by the structure in the parenthesis. 

An interesting case of 6-endo- versus 5- j o-cylization has been studied by Bombrun and Sageot [129], who investigated intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck cycUzation of enamides in a thiophene series (Scheme 6.50). If the reaction was carried out under Jeffery conditions, then it proceeded nearly exclusively via the 6- iio-cychzation mode however, when run under reductive Mizoroki-Heck conditions (e.g. in the presence of a hydride source), a 5-exo-cyclization is mostly achieved and the lack of a /3-hydrogen in this case leads to product 179. 

One of the standard methods for preparing enantiomerically pure compounds is the enantioselective hydrogenation of olefins, a,/3-unsaturated amino acids (esters, amides), a,/3-unsaturated carboxylic acid esters, enol esters, enamides, /3- and y-keto esters etc. catalyzed by chiral cationic rhodium, ruthenium and iridium complexes ". In isotope chemistry, it has only been exploited for the synthesis of e.p. natural and nonnatural H-, C-, C-, and F-labeled a-amino acids and small peptides from TV-protected a-(acylamino)acrylates or cinnamates and unsaturated peptides, respectively (Figure 11.9). This methodology has seen only hmited use, perhaps because of perceived radiation safety issues with the use of hydrogenation procedures on radioactive substrates. Also, versatile alternatives are available, including enantioselective metal hydride/tritide reductions, chiral auxiliary-controlled and biochemical procedures (see this chapter. Sections 11.2.2 and 11.3 and Chapter 12). 

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