Lactams from imides

A series of N-substituted narceine amides (Section III,D,1) was prepared from 101 under the action of primary amines (100). Acid-catalyzed dehydration transformed these amides to corresponding imides (ene lactams) of the ( )-narceine imide (117) type (100). Similar transformations were performed in the hydrastine series (101). JV-Methylhydrastine (98) when treated with dilute ammonium hydroxide gave hydroxy lactam 127, which was dehydrated to (Z)-fumaridine (113) (5). Sodium borohydride was able to reduce the stilbene double bond in 98 to produce saturated lactone 132 (5). 

Imidate-derived dipoles have played a prominent role in the synthesis of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid retronecine (121).119 The imidate salt derived from lactam (118) was found to undergo a smooth desilylation reaction to produce azomethine ylide (119). Trapping of this dipole with methyl acrylate affords... 

Substituted azocine systems are much more stable than the parent compound, and 2-methoxy derivatives have been intensively examined. Starting from cyclohexa-1,4-diene (3), a [2 + 2] cycloaddition with chlorosulfonyl isocyanate, followed by removal of the chlorosulfonyl group, leads to the /3-lactam 4, which can be transformed by O-methylation with Meerwein s salt into the corresponding imidate. Monobromination with A-bromosuccinimide and subsequent treatment with base results in a methoxyazabicyclo[4.2.0]octatriene derivative, which spontaneously isomerizes to 2-methoxyazocine (5).13,14... 

As in 10-55 hydrazides and hydroxamic acids can be prepared from carboxylic esters, with hydrazine and hydroxylamine, respectively. Both hydrazine and hydroxylamine react more rapidly than ammonia or primary amines (the alpha effect, p. 445). Imidates, RC(=NH)OR, give amidines, RC(=NH)NH2. Lactones, when treated with ammonia or primary amines, give lactams. Lactams are also produced from y- and 5-amino esters in an internal example of this reaction. 

The hydroxy lactams are postulated to be intermediates in transformations of enol lactones to ene lactams. This hypothesis was proved by synthesis. For example, treatment of N-methylhydrastine (98) with dilute ammonium hydroxide resulted in hydroxy lactam 148, which by the action of hydrochloric acid underwent dehydration to produce fumaridine (113) (5). Similarily, fumschleicherine (120) in reaction with trifluoroacetic acid gave fumaramine (111) 121). Narceine amide (149) was prepared from (Z)-narceine enol lactone (101) in likewise fashion 100,122) and dehydrated to narceine imide (116). A large number of N-alkylated narceine amides was synthesized from (Z)-narceine enol lactone (101) and primary amines by Czech investigators for... 

Ene lactams can be obtained directly from quaternary phthalideisoquino-linium salts by treating them with concentrated ammonium hydroxide. In this way fumaramine (111) was synthesized from bicuculline (88) methiodide (121,124), fumaridine (113) from methiodides of both diastereomeric / - (91) and a-hydrastines (92) (5,124-126), and narceine imide (116) from narcotine (94) methiodide (122,127,128). In the case of the hydrastines (91 and 92) the Hofmann degradation of their methiodides in ammonia was not stereospecific but yielded the thermodynamically more stable Z isomer (113) (5). It seems, however, that from narcotine (94) a mixture of the Z and E forms was produced rather than a single isomer (123,127). 

Samarium(II) iodide also allows the reductive coupling of sulfur-substituted aromatic lactams such as 7-166 with carbonyl compounds to afford a-hydroxyalkylated lactams 7-167 with a high anti-selectivity [74]. The substituted lactams can easily be prepared from imides 7-165. The reaction is initiated by a reductive desulfuration with samarium(ll) iodide to give a radical, which can be intercepted by the added aldehyde to give the desired products 7-167. Ketones can be used as the carbonyl moiety instead of aldehydes, with good - albeit slightly lower - yields. 

A different approach to enantiotopic group differentiation in bicyclic anhydrides consists of their two-step conversion, first with (/ )-2-amino-2-phcnylethanol to chiral imides 3, then by diastereoselective reduction with sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride (Red-Al) to the corresponding chiral hydroxy lactames 4, which may be converted to the corresponding lactones 5 via reduction with sodium borohydride and cyclization of the hydroxyalkyl amides 101 The overall yield is good and the enantioselectivity ranges from moderate to good. Absolute configurations of the lactones are based on chemical correlation. 

Pd(OAc)2] in the presence of PPh3 was used as catalyst. The use of vinyl bromides in lactam formation has also been reported.498 Imides were obtained from aryl bromides. The method has further been applied to the synthesis of diazepam and 1,4-benzodiazepines499 and to a-methylene lactams and lactones.S00 501 In connection with the synthesis of natural products, the reaction has been employed in the preparation of hexadehydrohimbane,502 anthramycin503 and berbine derivatives.504 The catalyst was prepared in situ from [Pd(OAc)2] (106) and PPh3 in all cases. The mechanism of lactam formation is analogous to that for amides (Scheme 42). 

The formation of bicyclic lactam 76 from the aminoester 75 must also take place with stereoelectronic control. It presumably occurs from the intermediate 84 which comes from the cyclization of the aminoester 75 where the ester function is in the Z conformation (cf 85). Note that the direct formation of 84 from the imidate salt 74 is impossible unless the principle of stereoelectronic control is violated. 

The reaction under consideration is typified by the formation of saturated carboxylic acids from olefins, carbon monoxide, and water. Other compounds have been used in place of olefins (alkyl halides, alcohols), and besides water, a variety of compounds containing active hydrogen may be employed. Thus, alcohols, thiols, amines, and acids give rise to esters, thio-esters, amides, and acid anhydrides, respectively (15). If the olefin and the active hydrogen are part of the same molecule, three or four atoms apart, cyclizations may occur to produce lactones, lactams, imides, etc. The cyclizations are formally equivalent to carbonylations, however, and will be considered later. 

The compound 77 proved to be a key intermediate for further synthesis in this field. Indeed, ( )-y-lycorane (87) was obtained from 77 through the acid lactam 80. The latter, on treatment with acetic anhydride, gave the imide 86 readily converted upon LiAlH4 reduction and hydrogenation into 87 (10). 

Alternatively, diltiazem (30) has been prepared using the Evans auxiliary derivative 31 derived from L-valine (Scheme 23.7).55 After dehydration of the adduct from the condensation of 31 with anisaldehyde through the mesylate, the enol ether was formed with a Z E ratio of 4 1. This imide was then treated with 2-aminothiophenol in the presence of 0.1 equiv. 2-aminothiophenoxide with no change in the isomer ratio. The auxiliary was removed with trimethylaluminum, with concomitant formation of the lactam. After separation by crystallization, the correct diastereoisomer was converted to diltiazem in >99%ee. 

Vertaline (61) was synthesized through two routes that involve an W-acylimin-ium ion cyclization (20) and an intermolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition (21,22) as the key steps, respectively. Model studies (20, 24) for assembling the quinolizi-dine moiety by the W-acyliminium ion cyclization are shown in Scheme 7. The benzyl alcohol 65 was converted to glutarimide 66 by the Mitsunobu procedure in 55% yield. Reduction of imide 66 with diisobutylaluminum hydride afforded 67, which was subjected to V-acyliminium cyclization to give the lactam 68 in 40% overall yield from 66. Lactam 68 possesses the correct stereochemistry at all chiral centers required for vertaline (61). 

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