Michael Addition-Initiated Domino Process

As one of the most useful synthetic methods for formation of earbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bonds, Michael addition reaction has been frequently used as a fundamental step for establishing tandem protocols, because the aetive enolate species is formed as a key intermediate, which can be trapped by other electfophiles [28]. 

Recently, a related approach to the pyrazolidine heterocycles 73 has been reported by Vicario and coworkers using a,p-unsaturated aldehydes 72 andlVW -disubstituted 

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In this example, the iminium activation mode is assumed trough reaction with secondary amines for the initial Michael addition. The domino reaction is concluded with a hemiaminalization process to the tetrahydropyridin-2-ol 260. 

Domino transformations combining two consecutive anionic steps exist in several variants, but the majority of these reactions is initiated by a Michael addition [1]. Due to the attack of a nucleophile at the 4-position of usually an enone, a reactive enolate is formed which can easily be trapped in a second anionic reaction by, for example, another n,(5-urisalurated carbonyl compound, an aldehyde, a ketone, an inline, an ester, or an alkyl halide (Scheme 2.1). Accordingly, numerous examples of Michael/Michael, Michael/aldol, Michael/Dieckmann, as well as Michael/SN-type sequences have been found in the literature. These reactions can be considered as very reliable domino processes, and are undoubtedly of great value to today s synthetic chemist... 

The final group of threefold anionic domino processes described here includes transformations with an initiating elimination step which is either followed by two Michael additions or by substitutions. Thus, reaction of protected nitro alcohol 2-... 

The Bunce group disclosed a straightforward domino process for the construction of aryl-fused nitrogen heterocycles by employing a combination of a reduction and a Michael addition [20]. The transformation involves an initial Fe-mediated reduction of nitroarenes 7-38, furnishing an aniline which undergoes a subsequent... 

Tsuchii et al. reported a very interesting four-component domino process where an alkyne, two olefins and diphenyl diselenide sequentially react to form a highly functionalized cyclopentane derivative, after a linear addition sequence and 5-exo-trig cyclization [136]. This reaction can be seen as an interrupted polymerization process initiated by the addition of selenyl radical to an electron-deficient alkyne in the presence of a large excess of a Michael acceptor. The identity of each reaction partner is important for the outcome of the reaction. For instance, use of (PhS)2 instead of (PhSe)2 leads to the polymerization product rather than to the cyclization one, while (PhTe)2 did... 

Synthesis of chiral heterocycles by domino organocatalytic processes has also been intensively studied. In particular, various benzo-fused heterocycles, such as chiral chromans, " thiochromanes, hydro-quinolines, dihydropyranes, or thiopyranes were investigated. These organocatalytic sequence were typically initiated by a hetero-Michael addition of a sulfur, oiqrgen or nitrogen nucleophile, which triggers the formation of an enolate/enamine that adds to the ortho electrophile terminating the cascade reaction. An elimination step or an additional cyclisation step follows (Scheme 8.25). 

The aza-Morita-Baylis-HiUman reaction is known to be a useful and atom-economical C-C bond-forming reaction of electron-deficient alkenes with imines usually catalyzed by Lewis bases [202]. It formally involves a sequence of reactions including a Michael addition, a Mannich reaction, a proton transfer, and a retro-Michael reaction ( -elimination). Although there are many reports in the field of the enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hilhnan reaction, only rare examples of asymmetric domino reactions initiated by this reaction have been reported. In 2010, Sasai et al. [203] developed the first organocatalyzed asymmetric domino aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman/aza-Michael reaction of a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with N-tosylimines, allowing an easy access to chiral cis-1,3-disubstituted isoindolines as single diastereomers. The process was induced by a Hg-BINOL-derived catalyst and provided these products in high yields and enantioselectivities, as shown in Scheme 10.18. 

The synthesis of functionalized tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines 76 from nitroolefins 75 and nitrosoarenes has been studied by Zhong and coworkers. This enantio and diastereoselective organocatalytic process takes place via a domino sequence comprising an initial proline-catalyzed enantioselective aminoxylation of the starting material taking place by addition of the enamine onto the 0=N nitroso bond, followed by a final aza-Michael addition (Scheme 3.20) [57]. The same group has reported a very similar reaction starting from 2-alkylidene derivatives of malonic ester [58]. 

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