Iodine atom transfer reactions radical cyclizations

Iodine atom transfer reactions between alkyl radicals and iodocarbonyls are very rapid (107 M-1 s-1 to 109 M-1 s-1).130 This means that, even when these iodides are cyclized by the tin hydride method, iodine atom transfer may supersede hydrogen transfer, and the reductively cyclized product will ultimately be derived from the reduction of a cyclic iodide. Tin hydride cyclizations of halocarbonyls also often require very low concentration to avoid reduction of the initial radical prior to cyclization. For these reasons, reductively cyclized products are best formed by atom transfer cyclization at high concentration, followed by reduction of the product in situ. In a recent full paper, we have described in detail the preparative and mechanistic features of these cyclizations,19 and Jolly and Livinghouse have reported a modification of our reaction conditions that appears to be especially useful for substrates that cyclize very slowly.131 Cyclizations of a-iodocarbonyls can also be promoted by palladium.132... 

Naito has also described analogous tandem radical addition-cyclization processes under iodine atom-transfer reaction conditions [16,32], Treatment of 186 with z-PrI (30 eq.) and triethylborane (3x3 eq.) in toluene at 100 °C gave, after cleavage from the resin, the desired lactam product 190 in 69% yield (Scheme 46). Similar reactions involving cyclohexyl iodide, cyclopentyl iodide, and butyl iodide were also reported as well as the reaction with ethyl radical from triethylborane [16,32], The relative stereochemistry of the products was not discussed. 

Cyclizations involving iodine-atom transfers have been developed. Among the most effective examples are reactions involving the cyclization of 6-iodohexene derivatives. The 6-hexenyl radical generated by iodine-atom abstraction rapidly cyclizes to a cyclo-pentylmethyl radical. The chain is propagated by iodine-atom transfer. 

Reaction conditions have been developed in which the cyclized radical can react in some manner other than hydrogen atom abstraction. One such reaction is an iodine atom transfer. The cyclization of 2-iodo-2-methyl-6-heptyne is a structurally simple example. 

The fact that the cyclization is directed toward an acetylenic group and leads to formation of an alkenyl radical is significant. Formation of a saturated iodide could lead to a more complex product mixture because the cyclized product could undergo iodine atom transfer and proceed to add to a second unsaturated center. Vinyl iodides are much less reactive and the reaction product is unreactive. Owing to the potential... 

Cyclizable radical-probe experiments have been extensively used in ET versus Spj2 investigations (see Ashby, 1988, and references cited therein). Attention has, however, been recently drawn to causes of possible misinterpretation, particularly in the case of iodides, where an iodine-atom-transfer chain mechanism is able to convert most of the starting linear iodide into the cyclized iodide, even if only a minute amount of linear-chain radical is present in 7-8 2 reactions (Newcomb and Curran, 1988). Rather puzzling results were found in the reaction of (CH3)3Sn ions with secondary bromides, which should not be involved in atom-exchange chain reactions... 

By contrast, for iodide 18 having the triple bond activated by a phenyl group, conversion to the cyclic organozinc species 25 occurred effectively and the latter could be efficiently functionalized, provided that traces of moisture were excluded by pre-treatment of zinc powder with Mel. The substituted benzylidene cyclopentanes 26 and 27 were respectively obtained after iodinolysis and palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction with benzoyl chloride (equation 10). However, it could not be assessed whether the formation of organozinc 25 was attributable to an anionic or a radical cyclization pathway (or both) as, had iodide 26 been produced by a radical iodine atom-transfer, it would have been converted to 25 by reaction with metallic zinc due to the presence of the activating phenyl group21. 

Radical cyclization with iodine atom transfer of a highly functionalized propiolic ester 103 using dibenzoyl peroxide as an initiator gave the a-methylene-y-butyrolactone 104 in good yield [95T11257]. The relative stereochemistry at carbon atoms 4 and 5 are established during the reaction. The intermediate 104 has been converted to the anti-tumor agent (-)-methylenolactocin 105. 

Following the pioneer work of Kharasch [60], methods involving radical transfer of halides have been developed. The atom transfer method has emerged in the 1980s as one of the best method for conducting intra- and intermolecular radical additions to olefins [61]. This approach is particularly appealing from an atom economy point of view since all atoms remains in the final product. The non-reductive nature of these reactions is also particularly important for the preparation of functionalized molecules. Halides transfers and more particularly iodine atom transfers have found nice applications for cyclizations, annula-tions and cascade reactions [62]. These reactions are based on exothermic radical steps, such as the addition of an alkyl radical to an olefin, followed by an... 

Useful synthetic methodologies are based on the cyclization or rearrangement of the nitrogen-centered radicals generated in the reaction of the appropriate amides with (diacetoxyiodo)benzene in the presence of iodine [652-655]. Specific examples are illustrated by the synthesis of bicyclic spirolactams 622 from amides 621 [653] and preparation of the oxa-azabicyclic systems (e.g., 624) by the intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer reaction promoted by carbamoyl and phosphoramidyl radicals generated from the appropriately substituted carbohydrates 623 (Scheme 3.244) [654],... 

Fiirstner reported the first McMurry-type reactions working with 5-10 mol% of titanium trichloride and stoichiometric amounts of zinc powder in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane. The amount of TiCl3 could be reduced to 2 mol% when (ClMe2SiCH2)2 was used as a reagent [125, 131]. At the same time, Burton and coworkers reported atom transfer radical additions of perfluoroalkyl iodides 39 to alkenes 40 catalyzed by 20 mol% of a low-valent titanium compound generated from TiCLt and zinc powder affording 41 in 10-85% yield (Fig. 13). A tandem radical addition/5-exo cyclization/iodine transfer reaction with diallyl ether proceeded in 66% yield [132]. 

Evidence based on product mixtures now suggests, at least in the cases of a-halocarbonyl and perhaloalkyl starting marterials, that these reactions are in fact atom transfer radical cyclizations (equation 166)324,325. In them, the palladium catalyst is proposed to have roles both as the radical initiator and as a trap for iodine, similar to the more commonly used hexabutylditin. Intramolecular allyl halide-alkyne cyclizations proceed with trans-addition to the triple bond this is evidence that a still different mechanism may be operating in these cases (equation 167)1,326. 

Most of the useful iodine transfer radical reactions arise from the addition of alkyl iodides, which have been activated by one or more adjacent carbonyl or nitrile substituents, to unactivated olefins. This both labilizes the initial iodide, facilitating chain initiation, and helps ensure that the atom transfer step is exothermic. The requisite iodides are typically synthesized by deprotonation with EDA or NaH, followed by iodination with I2 or A-iodosuccinimide. Cyclization of an iodoester yields primarily lactone product, proceeding through the intermediacy of the I-transfer products as shown in Scheme 5 [19]. Reactions in which a-iodoesters cyclized with alkynes also proved efficient. Similar ketones yielded less synthetically useful mixtures of cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl (arising from 6-endo transition states) products. 

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