Michael addition multicomponent cascade reactions

A combination of Michael addition, Mannich reaction, and intramolecular condensation allowed Xu and coworkers to get a quite facile access to tetrahydropyridines 165 with C3 all-carbon quaternary stereocenters in moderate yields and good optical purity (up to 74% ee) [79], The developed organocatalytic enantioselective multicomponent cascade reaction relies on the catalytic ability of the simple (5)-proline (1) that quickly reacts with the intermediate A, generated in turn via a Knoevenagel reaction between the p-ketoester 91 and formaldehyde 65. The resnlting iminium ion B undergoes the nucleophilic attack of a second moiety of p-ketoester 91 prodncing the Michael adduct D. Such intermediate enamine is then involved in the Mannich reaction with the imine E (dne to the in situ condensation between primary amine 51 and formaldehyde 65) to furnish the advanced intermediate F, which after an intramolecular condensation releases the (5)-proline (1), and the desired prodnct 165 (Scheme 2.52). 

Palladium chemistry has been used in the synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinolines. Different combinations of iodoaryl-amine-alkene can be used in these multicomponent reactions. For example, the metal-mediated o-alkylated/alkenyl-ation and intramolecular aza-Michael reaction (Scheme 109) give moderate yields of heterocycle <2004TL6903>, whereas the palladium-catalyzed allene insertion-nucleophilic incorporation-Michael addition cascade (Equation 172) produces good yields of tetrahydroisoquinolines in 15 examples <2003TL7445> with further examples producing tetrahydroquinolines (Scheme 110) <2000TL7125>. 

A new cascade reaction of isocyanides, chromone 3-carboxylic acid (311), and nucleophiles (ROH, RNH2, and NaN3), catalysed by Sc(OTf)3 under microwave irradiation, has been developed as a multicomponent method for the preparation of chromone-2-carboxamides and chromone-2-carboxamido-3-esters (313). The sequence apparently commences by the Michael addition of RN=C to generate intermediate (312). ° ... 

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