Lewis acids azomethine ylide 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions

This chapter deals mainly with the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of three 1,3-dipoles azomethine ylides, nitrile oxides, and nitrones. These three have been relatively well investigated, and examples of external reagent-mediated stereocontrolled cycloadditions of other 1,3-dipoles are quite limited. Both nitrile oxides and nitrones are 1,3-dipoles whose cycloaddition reactions with alkene dipolarophiles produce 2-isoxazolines and isoxazolidines, their dihydro derivatives. These two heterocycles have long been used as intermediates in a variety of synthetic applications because their rich functionality. When subjected to reductive cleavage of the N—O bonds of these heterocycles, for example, important building blocks such as p-hydroxy ketones (aldols), a,p-unsaturated ketones, y-amino alcohols, and so on are produced (7-12). Stereocontrolled and/or enantiocontrolled cycloadditions of nitrones are the most widely developed (6,13). Examples of enantioselective Lewis acid catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions are summarized by J0rgensen in Chapter 12 of this book, and will not be discussed further here. 

The greater part of this chapter is concerned with the Diels-Alder and hetero-Diels-Alder reaction. The asymmetric version of both of these reactions can be catalysed with metal-based Lewis acids and also organocatalysts. The catalytic asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones and azomethine ylides is also discussed. Again, most success in this area has been achieved using metal-based Lewis acids and the use of organocatalysts is begiiming to be explored. This chapter concludes with a brief account of recent research into the asymmetric [2+2]-cycloaddition, catalysed by enantiomerically pure Lewis acids and amine bases, and also the Pauson-Khand [2- -2- -l] cycloaddition mediated by titanium, rhodium and iridium complexes. 

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