Morphinan-6,8-dienes

The Diels-Alder reaction of morphinan-6,8-dienes with nitroethene affords a novel type of opium alkaloids (Eq. 8.3).10a High reactivity of nitroethylene is demonstrated for the Diels-Alder reaction with thermally unstable dienes, and this is used for synthesis of polycyclic kopsane-like alkaloids.1013... 

For the synthesis of Diels-Alder adducts a morphinan-6,8-diene system, as present in thebaine, is indispensable. Older publications started from thebaine and methyl vinyl ketone (but-3-en-2-one), yielding, after a Grignard reaction with propylmagnesium bromide, etorphine (13), a 6,14-endoethenomorphinan that is over 1000x as active as morphine and is used in veterinary medicine (Scheme 5.10). 

In Delft, several new morphinan-6,8-dienes have been studied, yielding Diels-Alder adducts with interesting pharmacological properties [30], In cases where the Diels-Alder reaction suffered from polymerization the use of microwave heating proved to be advantageous. 

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