Lewis acids hetero-Diels-Alder reaction

In early work which have been summarized very recently [23], Danishefsky et al. have investigated hetero Diels-Alder reactions of carbonyl compounds in order to yield glycals. Numerous further contributions to the stereoselective synthesis of dihydropyran derivatives by high pressure or Lewis acid induced Diels-Alder reactions of carbonyl compounds have been made by Jurczak et al.,... 

Diels-Alder reactions constitute one of the most important methodologies for the constructuction of a cyclic molecular framework. Lanthanide Lewis acid catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction was pioneered by Danishefsky et al., who revealed that NMR shift reagent Eu(hfc)3 served as chiral catalyst in hetero Diels-Alder reaction of silyloxydiene and aldehydes [32]. Later, although Yb(OTf)3 was first introduced for Diels-Alder reactions as an effective catalyst among lanthanide triflates, scandium triflates (Sc(OTf)3), classified as rare earth metal triflate, has gained popularity as a superior catalyst for Diels-Alder reactions [11, 33]. This section highlights several examples of the reactions where lanthanide triflates displayed preferable performance over scandium triflates. 

Catalytic enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions are covered by the editors of the book. Chapter 4 is devoted to the development of hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of carbonyl compounds and activated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by many different chiral Lewis acids and Chapter 5 deals with the corresponding development of catalytic enantioselective aza-Diels-Alder reactions. Compared with carbo-Diels-Alder reactions, which have been known for more than a decade, the field of catalytic enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of carbonyl compounds and imines (aza-Diels-Alder reactions) are very recent. 

In a combined experimental and theoretical investigation it was found that the / -alkyl group in the dienophile gave a steric interaction in the transition-state structure which supported the asynchronous transition-state structure for the Lewis acid-catalyzed carbo- and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions. The calculated transition-state energies were of similar magnitude as obtained in other studies of these BF3-catalyzed carbo-Diels-Alder reactions. 

The basic concept of activation in hetero-Diels-Alder reactions is to utilize the lone-pair electrons of the carbonyl and imine functionality for coordination to the Lewis acid. The coordination of the dienophile to the Lewis acid changes the FMOs of the dienophile and for the normal electron-demand reactions a decrease of the LUMO and HOMO energies is observed leading to a better interaction with... 

Very few theoretical studies of hetero-Diels-Alder reactions have been performed [25] and, furthermore, theoretical studies of the Lewis acid-catalyzed hetero-Diels-Alder reactions are even more limited. 

The hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of formaldehyde with 1,3-butadiene has been investigated with the formaldehyde oxygen atom coordinated to BH3 as a model for a Lewis acid [25 bj. Two transition states were located, one with BH3 exo, and one endo, relative to the diene. The former has the lowest energy and the calculated transition-state structure is much less symmetrical than for the uncatalyzed reaction shown in Fig. 8.12. The C-C bond length is calculated to be 0.42 A longer, while the C-0 bond length is 0.23 A shorter, compared to the uncatalyzed reac-... 

The final class of reactions to be considered will be the [4 + 2]-cycloaddition reaction of nitroalkenes with alkenes which in principle can be considered as an inverse electron-demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction. Domingo et al. have studied the influence of reactant polarity on the reaction course of this type of reactions using DFT calculation in order to understand the regio- and stereoselectivity for the reaction, and the role of Lewis acid catalysis [29]. The reaction of e.g. ni-troethene 15 with an electron-rich alkene 16 can take place in four different ways and the four different transition-state structures are depicted in Fig. 8.16. 

The number of theoretical investigations of hetero-Diels-Alder reaction is very limited. The few papers dealing with this class of reactions have shown that the influence of the Lewis acid on the reaction course can to a high extent be compared to those found the carbo-Diels-Alder reactions. At the present stage of investigations, however, more work is needed if we are to understand the influence and control of selectivity in Lewis acid-catalyzed hetero-Diels-Alder reaction - we are probably at the beginning of a new era in this field. 

The theoretical investigations of Lewis acid-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions are also very limited and only papers dealing with cycloaddition reactions of nitrones with alkenes have been investigated. The Influence of the Lewis acid catalyst on these reactions are very similar to what has been calculated for the carbo- and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions. The FMOs are perturbed by the coordination of the substrate to the Lewis acid giving a more favorable reaction with a lower transition-state energy. Furthermore, a more asynchronous transition-structure for the cycloaddition step, compared to the uncatalyzed reaction, has also been found for this class of reactions. 

Jorgensen et al. [84] studied how solvent effects could influence the course of Diels-Alder reactions catalyzed by copper(II)-bisoxazoline. They assumed that the use of polar solvents (generally nitroalkanes) improved the activity and selectivity of the cationic copper-Lewis acid used in the hetero Diels-Alder reaction of alkylglyoxylates with dienes (Scheme 31, reaction 1). The explanation, close to that given by Evans regarding the crucial role of the counterion, is a stabilization of the dissociated ion, leading to a more defined complex conformation. They also used this reaction for the synthesis of a precursor for highly valuable sesquiterpene lactones with an enantiomeric excess superior to 99%. 

By reacting aniline with 2,3-dihydrofuran or dihydropyran and a catalytic amount of Lewis acid such as indium chloride in water, various tetrahydroquinoline derivatives were obtained by Li via an in-situ hetero-Diels-Alder reaction.130 Alternatively, similar compounds... 

Scheme 2.169. Chiral 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and chiral Lewis acids for the dominr Knoevenagel/hetero-Diels-Alder reaction.

The combination of pericyclic transformations as cycloadditions, sigmatropic rearrangements, electrocydic reactions and ene reactions with each other, and also with non-pericyclic transformations, allows a very rapid increase in the complexity of products. As most of the pericyclic reactions run quite well under neutral or mild Lewis acid acidic conditions, many different set-ups are possible. The majority of the published pericyclic domino reactions deals with two successive cycloadditions, mostly as [4+2]/[4+2] combinations, but there are also [2+2], [2+5], [4+3] (Nazarov), [5+2], and [6+2] cycloadditions. Although there are many examples of the combination of hetero-Diels-Alder reactions with 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions (see Section 4.1), no examples could be found of a domino all-carbon-[4+2]/[3+2] cycloaddition. Co-catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloadditions will be discussed in Chapter 6. 

Hetero-Diels-Alder reactions have been succesfully employed for the synthesis of arenoquinolizine systems. For example, as shown in Equation 10, treatment of tetrahydroquinoline 319 with Danishefsky s diene 320 in the presence of a Lewis acid gave the benzo[c]quinolizidine derivative 321 <2000JME3718>. 

Mg11 is often employed in stereoselective reactions. In hetero Diels-Alder reactions of aldehydes with Danishefsky s diene, Mg11 results in good acceleration and stereoselection, and 2,3-coproducts are obtained exclusively (Scheme 6).26 Milder Lewis acidity is necessary for obtaining higher yield and higher stereoselectivity in this reaction, which occurs through a cyclic transition state. 

The hetero Diels -Alder reaction is a useful method for constructing six-membered ring systems containing hetero-atoms. TiIV compounds with mild Lewis acidity promote the reactions well (Scheme 26) " it has been proposed that these reactions proceed via a concerted pathway."... 

The chemistry and utility of zinc-based Lewis acids are similar to those of their magnesium analogs. Their mild Lewis acidity promotes several synthetic reactions, such as Diels-Alder reactions, hetero Diels-Alder reactions,229 radical-mediated reactions,230 ene-type cyclization, and Simmons-Smith reactions. 

SCHEME 13. A Lewis acid catalysed hetero-Diels-Alder reaction in aqueous solution... 

Although several Lewis acids are known to catalyze the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction involving imino-dienes or imino-dienophiles (aza-Diels-Alder reaction), a large amount of the catalyst is often necessary. Bi(0Tf)3-xH20 showed higher activity than lanthanide triflates in catalyzing the reactions of imines with Danishefsky s diene (Scheme 15) [72]. 

Starting from Fluoral Fluoral (trifluoroacetaldehyde) is an unstable gas that must be prepared before use by dehydration of the corresponding hydrate (commercially available). In spite of this limitation, fluoral itself has been used as a substrate in various reactions. Among the most recent examples, carbonyl-ene and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions deserve mention. The use of chiral Lewis acid... 

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