Isoquinoline radical substitution

Intramolecular cyclizations of iodobenzenes tethered to pyridines via a two-carbon linkage yields quinolines and isoquinolines. Radical initiators are employed and yields as high as 98% are reported <030BC4047>. Pyridines substituted in the 2- and 3-positions gave complex mixtures in lower yields. 

This chapter describes in general terms the types of reactivity found in the typical six-and five-membered aromatic heterocycles. In addition to discussions of classical substitution chemistry, considerable space is devoted to radical substitution, metallation and palladium-catalysed reactions, since these areas have become very important in heterocyclic manipulations. In order to gain a proper appreciation of their importance in the heterocyclic context we provide an introduction to these topics, since they are only poorly covered in general organic text-books. Emphasis on the typical chemistry of individual heterocyclic systems is to be found in the summary/revision chapters (4, 7, 10, 12, 16, and 20) and a more detailed examination, of typical heterocyclic reactivity, and many more examples for particular heterocyclic systems are to be found in the chapters - Pyridines reactions and synthesis etc. For the advanced student, it is recommended that this present chapter should be read in its entirety before moving on to the later chapters, and that the introductory summary/revision chapters, like Typical reactivity of pyridines, quinolines and isoquinolines should be read before the more detailed discussions. 

Stabilization will be greater, the greater the NBMO coefficient at that point. Radical substitution consequently takes place more easily in the a and y positions in pyridine than in the jS position, while quinoline reacts most easily in the 2,4 positions and isoquinoline in the 1 position. Similar directing effects are shown by +/ and —1 substituents for the same reason. 

Moreover, one should mention that in spite of similar electronic structures, PBN and the isoquinoline nitrone (278) react in a different way. Under no circumstances does PBN give an oxidative methoxylation product, whereas nitrone (278) reacts readily to form a,a-dialkoxy-substituted nitroxyl radical (280) (517). Perhaps this difference might be due to the ability to form a complex with methanol in aldo-nitrones with -configuration. This seems favorable for a fast nucleophilic addition of methanol to the radical cation (RC), formed in the oxidation step. The a-methoxy nitrone (279), obtained in the initial methoxylation, has a lower oxidation potential than the initial aldo-nitrone (see Section 2.4). Its oxidation to the radical cation and subsequent reaction with methanol results in the formation of the a,a-dimethoxy-substituted nitroxyl radical (280) (Scheme 2.105). 

Radical attack on isoquinoline, as either free base or isoquinolinium cation, always occurs at position 1 and the method is not suitable for the preparation of benzo ring-substituted products. The same can be said of radical attack on the JV-oxides of quinoline and isoquinoline. 

The radical may attack either the anion-radical or isoquinoline in the latter case, a second electron is transferred from an A7. The reductive rert-butyl-ation of 3-methylisoquinoline gives mainly 162 and 163 together with small amounts of 4-, 5-, or 8-substituted dihydroisoquinolines. Imine 163 was oxidized to 164 during workup40 [Eq. (102)]. 

Alkyl radicals for such reactions are available from many sources such as acyl peroxides, alkyl hydroperoxides, particularly by the oxidative decarboxylation of carboxylic acids using peroxy-disulfate catalyzed by silver. Pyridine and various substituted pyridines have been alkylated in the 2-position in high yield by these methods. Quinoline similarly reacts in the 2-, isoquinoline in the 1-, and acridine in the 9-position. Pyrazine and quinoxaline also give high yields of 2-substituted alkyl derivatives <74AHC(16)123). 

Bromoisoquinoline did not react with MeS ions in liquid ammonia, but 80% yield of the substitution product 4-isoquinolyl methyl sulphide was formed in the presence of amide ions. Isoquinoline and many other nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic compounds are known to react with amide ions to give anionic adducts 242289, which have been proposed to initiate the S l reaction by an ET to the substrate, which leads to the hetaryl radical. The radical couples only with MeS" ions 29°. 

Phenyl radicals generated by the decomposition of dibenzoyl peroxide attack quinoline and isoquinoline with formation of mixtures of all the isomeric phenyl-substituted products. Much more discriminating substitutions can be achieved with more nucleophilic radicals in acid solution (cf. section 2.4.1). ... 

The ET-sensitized photoamination of 1,1-diarylethylenes with ammonia and most primary amines yields the anti-Markovnikov adducts. Photoamination of unsymmetrically substituted stil-benes yields mixtures of regioisomers 15 and 16. Modest re-gioselectivity is observed for p-methyl or p-chloro substituents however, highly selective formation of adduct 15 is observed for the p-methoxy substituent (Table 5). Selective formation of 15 was attributed to the effect of the methoxy substituent on the charge distribution in the stilbene cation radical. This re-gioselectivity has been exploited in the synthesis of intermediates in the preparation of isoquinolines and other alkaloids." Photoamination of 1-phenyl-3,4-dihydronaphthalene yields a mixture of syn and anti adducts 17 and 18 (Scheme 5)." Use of bulky primary amines favors formation of the syn adduct (Table 5), presumably as a consequence of selective anti protonation of the intermediate carbanion. 

Biologically important heteroarenes are readily prepared by the reaction of ketone, ester or amide enolates with ortho-substituted aryl halides [11]. The ortho-substituent can subsequently be used for further synthetic manipulations. For example, the reaction of o-iodo or o-bromoaniline with enolates generated from aliphatic or aromatic ketones under SrnI conditions provides 2,3-disubstituted indoles in moderate to excellent yields (Equation 13.2) [12, 13]. 2,3-Disubstituted isoquinolin-l-ones (Equation 13.3) and isoquinolines are readily prepared using o-iodobenzamide and o-iodobenzylamine as radical precursors by the same approach [14]. 

Canne and co-workers have presented EPR studies of three prokaryotic enzymes of the xanthine oxidase family, namely quinoline 2-oxidoreductase, quinaldine 4-oxidase, and isoquinoline l-oxidoreductaseJ In quinoline 2-oxidoreductase a neutral flavin radical was observed, while in quinaldine 4-oxidase an anionic radical was detected. The rapid Mo(V) signal was observed in all three enzymes with only small differences in magnetic parameters. From spectra simulations of Mo (/ = 5/2) substituted quinoline 2-oxidoreductase, a deviation of 25° between the maximal g and Mo-hfc tensor component was derived. The Mo(V) species was detected in small amounts upon reduction with substrates in quinoline 2-oxidoreductase and quinaldine 4-oxidase, but showed a different kinetic behaviour with an intense EPR signal in isoquinoline 1-oxidoreductase. The two [2Fe-2S] clusters produced different EPR signals in all three enzymes and, in isoquinoline 1-oxidoreductase, revealed a dipolar interaction, from which a maximum distance of 15 A was estimated. 

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