Indolizines reaction with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate

The reaction of pyridines and picolines with acetylenic compounds provides a useful synthesis of indolizines.48 The reaction of such compounds with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD), originally investigated by Diels and co-workers (see Ref. 4) has been reexamined more recently by several groups.48-52 The two major adducts are now thought to be the quinolizines 26 and 27, although Wiley and Knabeschuh63 obtained the indolizine triester 28 when the reaction was carried out in ether as solvent. The adduct of type 27 is oxidized by nitric acid to 28. 

Better yields may be obtained from vinylpyridines and alkyl propiolates, as can be seen from the conversion of 36 to the cycl[3,2,2]-azine (lw).41 Reaction of a-(bismethylthio)methylene-2-pyridineaceto-nitrile and ethyl bromoacetate using triethylamine afforded the indolizine derivative (37). Dimethyl l-carbamoyl-2-methylthiocycl-[3,2,2]azine-3,4-dicarboxylate (Iz) was synthesized by allowing dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to react with indolizine derivative 38, which was obtained by decarboxylation of 37 using sulfuric acid in presence of palladium-on-charcoal as catalyst [Eq. (6)].42... 

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