Epoxidation and Aziridination Reactions

The MBH adducts 441 and 442 were found to undergo iyn-selective epoxidation under Sharpless epoxidation conditions, producing 444 and 445, respectively 

Yadav first reported a one-pot oxidative u tz-Markovnikov bromohydroxy-lation and bromoalkoxylation of MBH adducts, accomplished at room temperature using LiBr as the bromine source and 2-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX) as the oxidant. The process involves oxidation of MBH adducts with IBX to give p-ketomethylene compounds in situ, which undergo highly regioselective vicinal 

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Scheme 7.81 Asymmetric epoxidation and aziridination reactions by cascade hetero-...

Epoxides and aziridines are also capable of electrophilic subsitution of indoles. Indolylmagncsium bromide and cyclohexene oxide react to give 3-(lrans-2-hydroxycyclohexyl)indole[14]. Reaction of indoles with epoxides also occurs in the presence of Lewis acids. For example, indole reacts with methyl 2S,3R-epoxybutanoate at C3 with inversion of configuration[15]. 

The chemistry of a-metalated epoxides and aziridines (the a prefix will from now on not be included but should be assumed) has been reviewed previously [1], but in this chapter it is our intention to focus on those reactions involving them that are useful in synthesis, rather than just of pedagogical interest. Beginning with metalated epoxides, since the greater amount of work has involved them, we intend to present carefully chosen examples of their behavior that delineate the diverse nature of their chemistry. We will then move on to metalated aziridines, the chemistry of which, it will become apparent, closely mirrors that of their epoxide cousins. 

Unlike the catalytic epoxidation or aziridination reactions of simple alkenes, where enantiocontrol is the only stereochemical differentiation, synthetically effective intermolecular cyclopropanation requires both diastereocontrol and enantiocontrol. High diastereoselectivity for the trans-isomer can be achieved with the use of bulky diazoacetates such as BDA" 187 or DCM97 188. 

Sn2 Reactions with epoxides and aziridines are also synthetically useful. An example of epoxide cleavage with an organocopper reagent with sp carbon moieties is the enantioselective synthesis of (3S, 4S)-4-methyl-3-heptanol (53), an elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus) pheromone [42]. The chiral epoxy oxazolidine 51 [43], prepared from (R)-phenylglycinol, reacted with a propylmagnesium bromide-derived cuprate at —70 °C to afford the oxazolidine 52 in 74% yield (Scheme 9.12). Compound 52 was converted into the target molecular 53 by conventional procedures. 

Sn2 substitution reactions of alkyl halides with hard nucleophiles such as alkyl anions can be achieved most readily with the aid of organocopper chemistry [95]. Sn2 reactions with epoxides and aziridines are also synthetically useful [96]. The... 

Stereoselective addition of allyl metal reagents to various functionalities is an important reaction in organic synthesis [32, 33]. The allylation of epoxides and aziridines with allyltin reagent is catalyzed by Lewis acids. Even though many Lewis acids have been reported to catalyze this reaction, Bi(OTf)3 is distinct because it avoids the formation of byproducts and is also environmentally more compatible. It catalyzes the reaction of aryl epoxides with tetraallyltin to afford the corresponding homoallyllic alcohol [34]. 

Various epoxides and aziridines undergo smooth ring opening with water in presence of bismuth triflate (10 mol%) to provide the corresponding v/c-diols and p-amino alcohols with excellent regioselectivity [35]. Reaction of styrene oxide with water in the presence of Bi(OTf)3 affords styrene 1,2-diols (Fig. 7). Similarly,... 

Asymmetric epoxidation, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, and aziridination reactions have been reviewed.62 The use of the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation method for the desymmetrization of mesa compounds has been reviewed.63 The conformational flexibility of nine-membered ring allylic alcohols results in transepoxide stereochemistry from syn epoxidation using VO(acac)2-hydroperoxide systems in which the hydroxyl group still controls the facial stereoselectivity.64 The stereoselectivity of side-chain epoxidation of a series of 22-hydroxy-A23-sterols with C(19) side-chains incorporating allylic alcohols has been investigated, using m-CPBA or /-BuOOH in the presence of VO(acac)2 or Mo(CO)6-65 The erythro-threo distributions of the products were determined and the effect of substituents on the three positions of the double bond (gem to the OH or cis or trans at the remote carbon) partially rationalized by molecular modelling. 

An account on telluronium and sulfonium ylides has briefly described the development of ylide olefination, cyclopropanation, epoxidation, and aziridination.56 Optically active m-2-substituted vinylaziridines (22) have been synthesized by the reaction of jV-r-butylsulfinylimines with telluronium ylides with excellent diastereoselectivity (g) (de > 98%) in good to excellent yields (56-98%) (Scheme ll).57... 

Catalytic ring opening of epoxides and aziridines was also observed (Eq. 27). The acetone cyanohydrine reaction provided j8-hydroxy nitrile and / -amino nitriles, with the lanthanide isopropoxides exhibiting a higher reactivity than Et3N [233]. 

Sml2-mediated aldol reactions can also be carried out using epoxides and aziridines as precursors to the Sm(III) enolate. In 2000, Mukaiyama reported a method for the synthesis of unsymmetrical bis-aldols using Sml2 to... 

The palladium-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of vinylic oxirane 20a [42] and aziridine 20b [39] with the activated olefin 4a for the formation of five membered cyclic ether 21a and pyrrolidine derivative 21b has also been reported in our laboratories. The mechanistic issue is very much similar to that discussed in Scheme 9. Pd(0) catalyst added oxidatively to 20 to produce the 7r-allylpalladium complex 22. The Michael addition of a hetero nucleophile in 22 to the activated olefin 4a gives 23 which undergoes intramolecular nucleophilic attack on the inner 7r-allylic carbon atom to give the cy-clized products 21 and Pd(0) species is generated (Scheme 10). Similarly, the palladium-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of vinylic oxirane 20a with the N-losylimincs 24 is also known (Scheme 11) [43]. Intermolecular cycloaddition of vinyl epoxides and aziridines with the heterocumulenes such as isocyanates, carbodiimides and isothiocyanates is also known [44,45]. Alper et al. reported the regio- and enatioselective formation of the thiaolidine, oxathiolane, and dithiolane derivatives by the palladium-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 2-vinylthiirane with heterocumulenes [46]. 

This review covers the chemical literature on epoxides and aziridines for the year 2007. As in previous years, this review is not comprehensive but rather covers a selection of synthetically useful and interesting reactions. Three-membered ring systems, epoxides and aziridines in particular, are excellent synthetic intermediates. This is largely due to their ability to be converted into other functional groups such as diols, diamines, and amino alcohols to name but a few. The chapter has been divided into two sections, one covering epoxides and the other covering aziridines. Each of these sections has been further divided into two additional sections, one on the synthesis of the heterocycle and one on the reactions of the heterocycle. There is some overlap between methods for the synthesis of epoxides and aziridines and any overlap has been noted in the text. 

Finally, a racemic cyclopropanation process has also been developed that utilizes an iron Lewis acid catalyst (72) that presumably proceeds through an iron carbene intermediate (73) (Scheme 28). The catalyst is activated by reaction with diazo compounds to produce an intermediate (74) that loses dinitrogen see Dinitrogen Dinitrogen Complexes) to afford the cyclopropane. This chemistry has been extended to the production of epoxides and aziridines and has recently been reviewed. ... 

A new example of the aza-Payne rearrangement has been used to prepare a-hydroxyaziridines <2005OL3267>. The epoxy imine 673 is prepared by a sequential epoxidation and imination. Reaction of 673 with a series of alkyllithium reagents initially adds to the imine which then does an aza-Payne rearrangement to form the hydroxy-aziridine 674 (Scheme 165). While the method generally suffers from poor yields, the one-step nature of the transformation lends greatly to its appeal. 

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