Diels -Alder reaction facial selectivity

The orbital mixing theory was developed by Inagaki and Fukui [1] to predict the direction of nonequivalent orbital extension of plane-asymmetric olefins and to understand the n facial selectivity. The orbital mixing rules were successfully apphed to understand diverse chemical phenomena [2] and to design n facial selective Diels-Alder reactions [28-34], The applications to the n facial selectivities of Diels-Alder reactions are reviewed by Ishida and Inagaki elesewhere in this volume. Ohwada [26, 27, 35, 36] proposed that the orbital phase relation between the reaction sites and the groups in their environment could control the n facial selectivities and review the orbital phase environments and the selectivities elsewhere in this volume. Here, we review applications of the orbital mixing rules to the n facial selectivities of reactions other than the Diels-Alder reactions. 

We aimed to develop facially selective Diels-Alder reactions using our DiTOX methodology such methodology has been the goal of many research groups, and several useful chiral auxiliaries have been developed to accomplish this aim.53... 

Facially selective Diels-Alder reactions. The reaction with various dieno-philes gives adducts with which stereochemical manipulation is greatly simplified. 

Starting from some of the above 1-hydroxycarbacephams 54, the synthesis of inner-outer-ring 2-[/< r/-butyldimethylsilyloxy dienes 55 with a carbacepham structure and their totally 7t-facial endo selective Diels-Alder reactions to structurally novel polycyclic p-lactams 56 have been reported (Scheme 19) [64]. 

Several stereochemical facets show up on Diels-Alder reactions of 7,8-disubstituted o-quinodimeth-anes. A seminal study of addition reactions of 7,S-diphenylbenzocyclobutenes provided strong evidence for a conrotatory opening of the four-membered ring, followed by a supra-supra-facial endo-selective Diels-Alder reaction with TV-phenylmaleimide, as exemplified by the transformation (607) - (609) (Scheme 137). Based on this result, it is now generally agreed that the trans relation of substituents at C-7 and C-8 in benzocyclobutenes translates, via the transient ( , )-o-quinodimethanes, e.g. (608), into the cis disposition in the corresponding cycloadducts. 

The regioselectivity benefits from the increased polarisation of the alkene moiety, reflected in the increased difference in the orbital coefficients on carbon 1 and 2. The increase in endo-exo selectivity is a result of an increased secondary orbital interaction that can be attributed to the increased orbital coefficient on the carbonyl carbon ". Also increased dipolar interactions, as a result of an increased polarisation, will contribute. Interestingly, Yamamoto has demonstrated that by usirg a very bulky catalyst the endo-pathway can be blocked and an excess of exo product can be obtained The increased di as tereo facial selectivity has been attributed to a more compact transition state for the catalysed reaction as a result of more efficient primary and secondary orbital interactions as well as conformational changes in the complexed dienophile" . Calculations show that, with the polarisation of the dienophile, the extent of asynchronicity in the activated complex increases . Some authors even report a zwitteriorric character of the activated complex of the Lewis-acid catalysed reaction " . Currently, Lewis-acid catalysis of Diels-Alder reactions is everyday practice in synthetic organic chemistry. 

An interesting phenomenon has been observed in the high pressure Diels-Alder reactions of the l-oxa[4.4.4]propella-5,7-diene (117) with 1,4-naphthoquinone, maleic anhydride and N-phenylmaleimide, where the diene 117 undergoes a rearrangement to the diene isomer 118 which, although thermodynamically less favored, exhibits a greater reactivity [40]. The reactivities of the three dienophiles differed since maleic anhydride and N-phenylmaleimide reacted only in the presence of diisopropylethylamine (DIEA) and camphorsulfonic acid (CSA), respectively (Scheme 5.15). The distribution of the adduct pairs shows that the oxygen atom does not exert a consistent oriental dominance on TT-facial selectivity. 

The orbital mixing rules are described in detail and shown to be powerful for understanding and designing selective reactions in Chapter Orbital Mixing Rules and applied in chapter ji-Facial Selectivities of Diels-Alder reactions . 

During the past decade, many papers have dealt with the facial selectivities of Diels-Alder reactions, particularly in relation to dienes [153-159], and various attempts have been made to rationalize the origins of the selectivities [160]. The facial selectivities of Diels-Alder reactions are discussed in detail in Chapter jt-Fadal Selectivity of Diels-Alder Reactions by Ishida and hiagaki in this volume. In this and the following section, we will consider the facial selectivities of Diels-Alder reactions in terms of orbital phase enviromnent. 

Edman and Simmons [146] synthesized bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene-2,3-dicar-boxylic anhydride 80 as a facially perturbed dienophile on the basis of the norbornadiene motif, and its top selectivity in Diels-Alder reactions with cyclopentadiene (top-exo top-endo = 60 70 1) was observed by Bartlett (Fig. 14) [147], The most preferred addition was top-exo addition, along with the minor addition modes, top-endo bottom-enrfo addition (Fig. 14). The addition of butadiene to this anhydride preferentially afforded the top-adduct (top bottom = 6 1). In the addition of anthracene, a top-adduct was formed exclusively. 

This reviews contends that, throughout the known examples of facial selections, from classical to recently discovered ones, a key role is played by the unsymmetri-zation of the orbital phase environments of n reaction centers arising from first-order perturbation, that is, the unsymmetrization of the orbital phase environment of the relevant n orbitals. This asymmetry of the n orbitals, if it occurs along the trajectory of addition, is proposed to be generally involved in facial selection in sterically unbiased systems. Experimentally, carbonyl and related olefin compounds, which bear a similar structural motif, exhibit the same facial preference in most cases, particularly in the cases of adamantanes. This feature seems to be compatible with the Cieplak model. However, this is not always the case for other types of molecules, or in reactions such as Diels-Alder cycloaddition. In contrast, unsymmetrization of orbital phase environment, including SOI in Diels-Alder reactions, is a general concept as a contributor to facial selectivity. Other interpretations of facial selectivities have also been reviewed [174-180]. 

Abstract Diels-Alder reaction is one of the most fundamental and important reactions for organic synthesis. In this chapter we review the smdies of the rr-facial selectivity in the Diels-Alder reactions of the dienes having unsymmetrical rr-plane. The theories proposed as the origin of the selectivity are discussed. 

It becomes intriguing to inquire what leads to the observed contrasteric reactivity. Intensive studies to disclose the origin of Tt-facial selectivity examined various dienes having unsymmetrical 7t-plane, since their reactions potentially generate five or more consecutive stereocenters with one operation. In this chapter, we review the theories to disclose the origin of 7t-facial selectivity in Diels-Alder reactions of the substrates having unsymmetrical 7t-planes. Recent works are discussed. 

Inagaki, Fujimoto and Fukui demonstrated that ir-facial selectivity in the Diels-Alder reaction of 5-acetoxy- and 5-chloro-l,3-cyclopentadienes, 1 and 2, can be explained in terms of deformation of a frontier molecular orbital FMO [2], The orbital mixing rule was proposed to predict the nonequivalent orbital deformation due to asymmetric perturbation of the substituent orbital (Chapter Orbital Mixing Rules by Inagaki in this volume). 

Ab initio calculation of Diels-Alder reactions of a series of 5-heteroatom substituted cyclopentadienes Cp-X (65 X = NH, 50 X = NH, 64 X = NH3, 67 X = O", 54 X = OH, 68 X = OH3% 69 X = PH, 51 X = PH, 70 X = PH3% 71 X = S, 55 X = SH, 72 X = SH/) with ethylene at HF/6-31++G(d)//HF/6-31-i i-G(d) level by BumeU and coworkers [37] provided counterexamples of the Cieplak effect. The calculation showed that ionization of substituents has a profound effect on the n facial selectivity deprotonation enhances syn addition and protonation enhances anti addition. The transition states for syn addition to the deprotonated dienes are stabilized relative to those of the neutral dienes, while those for anti addition are destabilized relative to those of the neutral dienes. On the other hand, activation energies for syn addition to the protonated dienes are similar to those of the neutral dienes, but those for anti addition are very much lowered relative to neutral dienes (Table 6). 

Table 6 Activation energies and Jt-facial selectivity in the Diels-Alder reactions of 5-X-cyclopentadienes with ethylene...

Diels-Alder reaction between isodicyclopentadiene 79 and a variety of dienophiles takes place from the bottom [40], This facial selectivity is contrastive with well known exo (top) facial selectivity in the additions to norbomene 80 [41] (Scheme 32). 

In contrast with exo (top) facial selectivity in the additions to norbomene 80 [41], Diels-Alder reaction between isodicyclopentadiene 79 takes place from the bottom [40] (see Scheme 32). To solve this problem, Honk and Brown calculated the transition state of the parent Diels-Alder reaction of butadiene with ethylene [47], They pointed ont that of particular note for isodicyclopentadiene selectivity issue is the 14.9° out-of-plane bending of the hydrogens at C2 and C3 of butadiene. The bending is derived from Cl and C4 pyramidalization and rotation inwardly to achieve overlap of p-orbitals on these carbons with the ethylene termini. To keep the tr-bonding between C1-C2 and C3-C4, the p-orbitals at C2 and C3 rotate inwardly on the side of the diene nearest to ethylene. This is necessarily accompanied by C2 and C3 hydrogen movanent toward the attacking dienophile. They proposed that when norbomene is fused at C2 and C3, the tendency of endo bending of the norbomene framework will be manifested in the preference for bottom attack in Diels-Alder reactions (Schane 38). 

Kahn and Hehre straightforwardly extended this idea to the description of Jt-facial selectivity in Diels Alder reactions. They simply stated cycloaddition involving electron-rich dienes and electron-poor dienophiles should occur preferentially onto the diene face which is the more nucleophilic and onto the diene face which exhibits the greater electrophihcity (Scheme 40) [49],... 

Overman, Hehre and coworkers also reported anti tt-facial selectivity in Diels-Alder reactions of the vinylcyclopentenes 73,74 and 4,5-dihydro-3-ethynylthiophen 5 -oxide 75. They attributed the selectivity to destabilizing electronic interaction between the allylic heteroatom and dienophile in the syn attack transition state (Scheme 43) [38],... 

Mataka and coworkers reported the studies of the Diels-Alder reactions of [3.3] orthoanthracenophanes 96 and 97, of which anthraceno unit, the potential diene, has two nonequivalent faces, inside and outside. The reactions of 96 with dien-ophiles gave the mixtures of inside and outside adducts with the ratios between 1 1 and 1 1.5. However, the ratio changes drastically, in favor of the inside adducts, when 97 reacts with dienophiles such as maleic anhydride, maleimide and naphto-quinone [55] (Scheme 46). Mataka suggested that the Jt-facial selectivity is controlled by an orbital interaction between the electron-poor dienophiles and the Jt-orbital of the facing aromatics, which would lead to a stabilization of the transition state, while Nishio suggested that the selectivity is due to the attractive k/k or CH/jt interaction [53]. 

TT-Facial selectivity in the Diels-Alder reactions of thiophen 1-oxides has recently attracted keen attention (Scheme 49). Fallis and coworkers reported in situ generated 2,5-dimethylthiophene 1-oxide 98 reacted with various electron-deficient dienophiles exclusively at the syn face with respect to sulfoxide oxygen [57],... 

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