Isoquinuclidine derivatives, formation

When aniline or meta or / ara-substituted haloaniline derivatives were utilized, the isoquinuclidine derivatives (e.g., 97) were obtained nearly exclusively in high yield. Use of aniline derivatives containing an ort/zo-halogen, on the other hand, resulted in the formation of the unsaturated secondary amines (e.g., 98) in 70-80% yield, with the exception of o-fluoroaniline, which resulted in the formation of the isoquinuclidine. 

Positively activated olefins have also been condensed with dienamines derived from aldehydes 321,330,347,348) and ketones. Of special interest is the formation of bridged systems from homoannular dienes (229-231) which has been applied to the isoquinuclidine system of the iboga alkaloids (137-140,349). 

When methyl 2-(indol-2-yl)acrylate derivative (22a) reacted with A-methoxy-carbonyl-l,2-dihydropyridine (8a) in refluxing toluene, in addition to the dimer of 22a (25%), a mixture of the expected isoquinculidine 23a and the product 24a (two isomers) was obtained in 7% and 45% yields, respectively (81CC37). The formation of 24a indicates the involvement of the 3,4-double bond of dihydropyridine. Similarly, Diels-Alder reaction of methyl l-methyl-2-(indol-2-yl)acrylate (22b) with 8a gave, in addition to dimer of 22b, a mixture of adducts 23b and 24b. However, in this case, product 23b was obtained as a major product in a 3 2 mixture of two isomers (with a- and (3-COOMe). The major isomer shows an a-conhguration. The yields of the dimer, 23b, and 24b were 25%, 30%, and 6%, respectively. Thus, a substituent on the nitrogen atom or at the 3-position of indole favors the formation of the isoquinuclidine adduct 23. 

Trost s synthesis138 of desethylibogamine (233) illustrates the application of a new approach to alkaloid synthesis, in which the two vital cyclization processes involve catalysis by palladium complexes protection of the nitrogen by formation of an amide, so often necessary in conventional syntheses, is here unnecessary. The first of the cyclization processes, (234)—>(235), results in a very neat formation of the isoquinuclidine ring system via a palladium-catalysed SN2 cyclization of the tryptamine derivative (234) (Scheme 24). 

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