Iminium ions compounds

An example of the diastereoselective reduction of a chiral iminium ion compound has recently been reported. The diastereomers were formed, in this case, in a 3 1 ratio20. Chiral iminium ions21,22 derived from chiral (lS)-l-arylethylamines (Ar = phenyl, 2-chlorophenyl, or 2,6-dichlorophenyl) have been reduced stereo selectively with sodium borohydride in 61 77% yield. Diastereoselection of the C=N reduction ranged from 88 12 to 100 0. 

The formation of 88 is postulated to be occurring by the nucleophilic attack of a hydride ion (47), abstracted from the secondary amine, on the a-carbon atom of the iminium salt (89). The resulting carbonium ion (90) then loses a proton to give the imine (91), which could not be separated because of its instability (4H). In the case of 2-methyIhexamethylenimine, however, the corresponding dehydro compound /l -2-methylazacyclo-heptene (92) was isolated. The hydride addition to the iminium ion occurs from the less hindered exo side. 

Some covalent compounds, such as a-aminonitriles D (formation of an iminium ion by solvolysis) or TV-substituted 1,3-oxazolidincs E can be regarded as masked iminium salts because there is evidence that in reactions of these species with organometallic reagents iminium intermediates are involved101214-17. 

An example of a completely stereoselective cyclization of an allylsilane, leading to a seven-mem-bered ring in excellent yield, is known158. Treatment of the hydroxy compound with methanesulfonyl chloride and triethylamine in acetonitrile gives a single isomer of the bicyclic compound via cyclization of the (T )-iminium ion. 

According to this mechanism, it is the free amine, not the salt that reacts, even in acid solution and the active-hydrogen compound (in the acid-catalyzed process) reacts as the enol when that is possible. This latter step is similar to what happens in 12-4. There is kinetic evidence for the intermediacy of the iminium ion (13). 

HCN adds to imines, Schiff bases, hydrazones, oximes, and similar compounds. The CN ion can be added to iminium ions ... 

Imines and iminium ions are nitrogen analogs of carbonyl compounds and they undergo nucleophilic additions like those involved in aldol reactions. The reactivity order is C=NR < C=0 < [C=NR2]+ < [C=OH]+. Because iminium ions are more reactive than imines, the reactions are frequently run under mildly acidic conditions. Under some circumstances, the iminium ion can be the reactive species, even though it is a minor constituent in equilibrium with the amine, carbonyl compound, and unprotonated imine. 

The Mannich reaction is the condensation of an enolizable carbonyl compound with an iminium ion.180 It is usually done using formaldehyde and introduces an a-dialkylaminomethyl substituent. 

Gas phase reactivity toward allyltrimethylsilane was used to compare the reactivity of several cyclic A-acyliminium ions and related iminium ions.203 Compounds with endocyclic acyl groups were found to be more reactive than compounds with exocyclic acyl substituents. Five-membered ring compounds are somewhat more reactive than six-membered ones. The higher reactivity of the endocyclic acyl derivatives is believed to be due to geometric constraints that maximize the polar effect of the carbonyl group. 

Iminium ions are intermediates in a group of reactions that form ,( -unsaturated compounds having structures corresponding to those formed by mixed aldol addition followed by dehydration. These reactions are catalyzed by amines or buffer systems containing an amine and an acid and are referred to as Knoevenagel condensations,2U The reactive electrophile is probably the protonated form of the imine, since it is a more reactive electrophile than the corresponding carbonyl compound.212... 

Most reactions of alkenyl and allylic silanes require strong carbon electrophiles and Lewis acid catalysts are often involved. The most useful electrophiles from a synthetic standpoint are carbonyl compounds, iminium ions, and electrophilic alkenes. 

A variety of double bonds give reactions corresponding to the pattern of the ene reaction. Those that have been studied from a mechanistic and synthetic perspective include alkenes, aldehydes and ketones, imines and iminium ions, triazoline-2,5-diones, nitroso compounds, and singlet oxygen, 10=0. After a mechanistic overview of the reaction, we concentrate on the carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. The important and well-studied reaction with 10=0 is discussed in Section 12.3.2. 

Alkylation reactions by the iminium methide species are well known in the mitomycin and mitosene literature 4,49,51-53 and are largely responsible for the cytotoxicity/antitumor activity of these compounds. As illustrated in Scheme 7.8, the electron-rich hydroquinone intermediate can also be attacked by the iminium ion resulting in either head-to-head or head-to-tail coupling. The head-to-head coupling illustrated in Scheme 7.8 is followed by a loss of formaldehyde to afford the coupled hydroquinone species that oxidizes to the head-to-head dimer upon aerobic workup. Analogous dimerization processes have been documented in the indole literature, 54-56 while the head-to-tail mechanism is unreported. In order to... 

One very fascinating domino reaction is the fivefold anionic/pericydic sequence developed by Heathcockand coworkers for the total synthesis of alkaloids of the Daphniphyllum family [351], of which one example was presented in the Introduction. Another example is the synthesis of secodaphniphylline (2-692) [352]. As depicted in Scheme 2.154, a twofold condensation of methylamine with the dialdehyde 2-686 led to the formation of the dihydropyridinium ion 2-687 which underwent an intramolecular hetero- Diels-Alder reaction to give the unsaturated iminium ion 2-688. This cydized, providing carbocation 2-689. Subsequent 1,5-hydride shift afforded the iminium ion 2-690 which, upon aqueous work-up, is hydrolyzed to give the final product 2-691 in a remarkable yield of about 75 %. In a similar way, dihydrosqualene dialdehyde was transformed into the corresponding polycyclic compound [353]. 

As expected, some sequences also occur where a domino anionic/pericyclic process is followed by another bond-forming reaction. An example of this is an anionic/per-icyclic/anionic sequence such as the domino iminium ion formation/aza-Cope/ imino aldol (Mannich) process, which has often been used in organic synthesis, especially to construct the pyrrolidine framework. The group of Brummond [450] has recently used this approach to synthesize the core structure 2-885 of the immunosuppressant FR 901483 (2-886) [451] (Scheme 2.197). The process is most likely initiated by the acid-catalyzed formation of the iminium ion 2-882. There follows an aza-Cope rearrangement to produce 2-883, which cyclizes under formation of the aldehyde 2-884. As this compound is rather unstable, it was transformed into the stable acetal 2-885. The proposed intermediate 2-880 is quite unusual as it does not obey Bredf s rule. Recently, this approach was used successfully for a formal total synthesis of FR 901483 2-886 [452]. 

Cooke and coworkers reported on the synthesis of the amino acid N-benzyl-4-acetylproline (2-889) (Scheme 2.198) [453], as this might represent an interesting synthon for the preparation of bioactive compounds. These authors also used a domino iminium ion formation/aza-Cope/Mannich protocol. Thus, treatment of the secondary amine 2-885 with glyoxylic acid (2-888) primarily provided the corresponding iminium ion, which led to 2-889 in 64% yield as a mixture of diastereom-ers. 

Moreover, Kim and coworkers have shown that a-amino-butyrolactones can be synthesized by a related process employing the amino acid homoserine with an unprotected hydroxy functionality [31]. In a more recent publication by the same research group, morpholin-2-one derivatives of type 9-37 have been prepared (Scheme 9.6) [32]. Herein, glycolaldehyde dimer 9-32 acts as a bifunctional compound, which first reacts with the a-amino acids 9-33 to give the iminium ions 9-34,... 

Acylation of the nitronate 9-71 leads to the iminium ion 9-72 which, by the addition of an isocyanide, forms the cation 9-73. Following two acyl group migrations, the compound 9-75 is obtained via 9-74. The best results were obtained when allylic nitro derivatives were used, as these can form the corresponding enolate in the presence of NEt3. Aliphatic nitro compounds could also be employed, but in these cases it was necessary to use the more basic DBU. 

Almost accidentally, Bienayme and Bouzid discovered that heterocyclic amidines 9-76 as 2-amino-pyridines and 2-amino-pyrimidines can participate in an acid-catalyzed three-component reachon with aldehydes and isocyanides, providing 3-amino-imidazo[l,2-a]pyridines as well as the corresponding pyrimidines and related compounds 9-78 (Scheme 9.15) [55]. In this reachon, electron-rich or -poor (hetero)aromatic and even sterically hindered aliphatic aldehydes can be used with good results. A reasonable rahonale for the formation of 9-78 involves a non-con-certed [4+1] cycloaddition between the isocyanide and the intermediate iminium ion 9-77, followed by a [1,3] hydride shift. 

The iminium ion then reacts with an enol (vinyl alcohol) compound (such as the side chain of tyrosine) to form a cross-link (reaction 15.6). 

Incorporation of CO into an organic substrate usually occurs by insertion of CO into a C-metal bond. The requisite Cl-metal bond is formed by oxidative addition of a Pd(0) species into the Cl-Br bond, the normal first step upon combining a Pd(0) compound and an aryl halide. Coordination and insertion of CO follows. Addition of N to the carbonyl and loss of Pd(0) gives an iminium ion, which is trapped by EtOH to give the product. 

Several compounds are inhibitors of CYP2A6-mediated nicotme metabolism m vitro, mcludmg methoxsalen (8-methoxypsoralen), tranylcypromine, tryptamine and coumarin (Le Gal et al. 2003 MacDougall et al. 2003 Nakajima et al. 1996 Zhang et al. 2001). Raloxifene is a potent inhibitor of aldehyde oxidase and it has been shown to inhibit the formation of cotinine from nicotme-A -iminium ion in human liver cytosol (Obach 2004). 

The combined reaction thus involves initial formation of the iminium ion from the carbonyl compound and amine at pH 6, and this intermediate is then reduced by the complex metal hydride to give the amine. This can also he a way of making methyl-suhstituted amines via intermediate imines with formaldehyde. 

Most enamines, unfortunately, are sensitive to hydrolysis. The parent enamine, iV,iV-dimethylvinylamine, has in fact been prepared [3], but appears to be unstable. Enamines of cyclic ketones and many aldehydes can readily be isolated, however [4-7]. The instability of enamines might at first appear to diminish the utility of enamines as nucleophiles, but actually this property can be viewed as an added benefit enamines can be readily and rapidly generated catalytically by using a suitable amine and a carbonyl compound. The condensation of aldehydes or ketones with amines initially affords an imine or iminium ion, which then rapidly loses a proton to afford the corresponding enamine (Scheme 1). 

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