Heck reaction imidazoles

The imidazo-benzazepine 43 was prepared in moderate yield by a combination reaction sequence involving an initial van Leusen reaction to prepare the imidazole 42 followed by a microwave-promoted intramolecular Heck reaction <06TL3225>. 

Palladium chemistry involving heterocycles has its unique characteristics stemming from the heterocycles inherently different structural and electronic properties in comparison to the corresponding carbocyclic aryl compounds. One example illustrating the striking difference in reactivity between a heteroarene and a carbocyclic arene is the heteroaryl Heck reaction (vide infra, see Section 1.4). We define a heteroaryl Heck reaction as an intermolecular or an intramolecular Heck reaction occurring onto a heteroaryl recipient. Intermolecular Heck reactions of carbocyclic arenes as the recipients are rare [12a-d], whereas heterocycles including thiophenes, furans, thiazoles, oxazoles, imidazoles, pyrroles and indoles, etc. are excellent substrates. For instance, the heteroaryl Heck reaction of 2-chloro-3,6-diethylpyrazine (1) and benzoxazole occurred at the C(2) position of benzoxazole to elaborate pyrazinylbenzoxazole 2 [12e]. 

Oxazoles and benzoxazoles are viable participants in the heteroaryl Heck reactions. In their monumental work published in 1992, Ohta and colleagues demonstrated that oxazoles and benzoxazoles, along with other rc-sufficient aromatic heterocycles such as furans, benzofurans, thiophenes, benzothiophenes, pyrroles, thiazole and imidazoles, are acceptable recipient partners for the heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines [22b]. Therefore, treatment of 2-chloro-3,6-diethylpyrazine (27) with oxazole led to regioselective addition at C(5), giving rise to adduct 28. By contrast, a similar reaction between 2-chloro-3,6-diisobutylpyrazine (29) and benz[fc]oxazole took place at C(2) exclusively to afford pyrazinylbezoxazole 30. 

Generally, the intermolecular Heck reaction between 2-iodo-, 4-iodo- and 5-iodo-l-methylimidazoles and olefins suffers from low yields (< 25%). Therefore, these transformations are of limited synthetic utility [29]. In one case, variable yields for adduct 62 (15-58%) were observed for the Heck reaction of 5-bromo-l-methyl-2-phenylthio-lf/-imidazole (61) and a large excess of methyl acrylate [42]. 

Ohta s group thoroughly studied the heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines and jt-electron-rich heteroaryls [42-44], The substitution occurred at the electron-rich C(5) position of the imidazole ring for the heteroaryl Heck reaction of 2-chloro-3,6-dimethylpyrazine and N-methylimidazole. 

The heteroaryl Heck reaction is an efficient tool for the introduction of other five membered heteroaromatic systems too (for more details see Chapter 6.4.). Chloropyrazines reacted readily with oxazole to give the coupled product (7.57.), consisting solely of the 5-oxazolyl isomer.77 Extension of the reaction to imidazole led to a similar observation,78 and the expected 5-pyrazyl-imidazole derivative was isolated in acceptable yield. Reactions using thiophene as the masked olefin gave similar results. Under forcing conditions the 2,5-diarylation of fiiran was also observed.77... 

Transition metal-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization has also been applied to the formation of imidazoles. Palladium-mediated amino Heck reactions of 0-pentafluorobenzoylamidoximes 1163 afford l-benzyl-4-methylimid-azoles 1164 with a range of substituents at the 2-position. This method is particularly suitable for the preparation of imidazoles with a chiral substituent at the 2-position (Scheme 283) <20050L609>. 

In contrast to facile reactions of aryl halides with alkenes and alkynes, reactions of aromatic compounds with aryl halides have received less attention. Only intramolecular arylation of benzene derivatives, except phenols, is known [1]. On the other hand, electron-rich heterocycles such as ffirans, thiophenes, pyrroles, oxa-zoles, imidazoles, and thiazoles undergo facile inter- and intramolecular arylation with aryl halides. These are called heteroaryl Heck reactions [2]. 

C.ii.e. Heck Reaction The cross-coupling between 5-iodoimidazoles and methyl acrylate has been appUed to complex structures as depicted for the preparation of (E S-(2-carbomethoxyvinyl)-l-(2,3,5-lri-0-acetyl-i eM-Z)-ribofuranosyl)imidazole-4-carboxamide 142 from the corresponding 5-iodoimidazole (Scheme 59). Acrylonitrile reacts in the same manner under Heck conditions to provide the ( )-5-cyanovinyl derivative. The C-glycosyl bond formation in the Heck coupling between the 3-iodopyrazolo[4,3-dlpyrimidine 143 and the ribofuranoid glycal 144 was regio- and stereospecific. The iodo substituent in the substrate was introduced by a simple electrophilic substitution. ... 

Haneda, S., Ueba, C., Eda, K. and Hayashi, M. (2007) Imidazole and imidazoline derivatives as IV-donor ligands for palladium-catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck reaction. Adv. Synth. Catal., 349, 833-5. 

Beside 4-nitrophenyl esters, other activated esters and amides (e.g. of pentafluorophenol, imidazole and meanwhile even 3-chlorophenol) have been shown to be viable substrates. However, substantial additional progress in catalyst development is required to extend the scope of the reaction further to carboxylic acid alkyl esters, which can be regenerated by in situ esterification. This is strictly required, as a two-step process is not likely to be able to compete with the standard Mizoroki-Heck reaction from a purely economical standpoint. 

Mazuela J, Tolstoy P, Pknies O, Andersson PG, Dieguez M. Phosphite oxazole/imidazole ligands in asymmetric inter-molecular Heck reaction. Org. BiomoL Chem. 2011 9 941-946. 

A silver(i) complex having the heterosubstituted 3-methyl-l-(2-pyridylmethyl)imidazol-2-ylidene ligand, [Ag(carbene)2] [I/Agl2] 37, was reported, which was further reacted to give a series of palladium(n) carbene complexes that were demonstrated to be active catalysts toward Heck, Suzuki, and Sonogashira coupling reactions.87... 

Electrophilic alkenes have been appended to imidazolium-type ILs for use in the Diels-Alder cycloaddition, 1,4-addition, Heck and Stetter reactions.Electrophilic alkenes containing Wang-type linkers were alkylated to imidazole followed by ion exchange and esterification giving the desired TSIL. Diels-Alder cycloaddition was carried out with 2,3-dimethylbutadiene and cyclopentadiene to give corresponding adducts. After washing with ether, transesterification resulted in cyclohexene derivatives. Scheme 29. 

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