Nitrile ylides 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions

Frontier molecular orbital theory correctly rationalizes the regioselectivity of most 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions (73JA7287). When nitrile ylides are used as 1,3-dipoles, the dipole... 

Nitrile ylides derived from the photolysis of 1-azirines have also been found to undergo a novel intramolecular 1,1-cycloaddition reaction (75JA3862). Irradiation of (65) gave a 1 1 mixture of azabicyclohexenes (67) and (68). On further irradiation (67) was quantitatively isomerized to (68). Photolysis of (65) in the presence of excess dimethyl acetylenedicar-boxylate resulted in the 1,3-dipolar trapping of the normal nitrile ylide. Under these conditions, the formation of azabicyclohexenes (67) and (68) was entirely suppressed. The photoreaction of the closely related methyl-substituted azirine (65b) gave azabicyclohexene (68b) as the primary photoproduct. The formation of the thermodynamically less favored endo isomer, i.e. (68b), corresponds to a complete inversion of stereochemistry about the TT-system in the cycloaddition process. 

Oxazole formation can be envisaged as proceeding by three possible pathways 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a free ketocarbene to the nitiile (Path A), the formation and subsequent 1,5-cyclisation of a nitrile ylide (Path B) or the formation and subsequent rearrangement of a 2-acyl-2//-azirine (Path C) (Scheme 9). 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions to unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds have been known for quite some time and have become an important part of strategies for organic synthesis of many compounds (Smith and March, 2007). The 1,3-dipolar compounds that participate in this reaction include many of those that can be drawn having charged resonance hybrid structures, such as azides, diazoalkanes, nitriles, azomethine ylides, and aziridines, among others. The heterocyclic ring structures formed as the result of this reaction typically are triazoline, triazole, or pyrrolidine derivatives. In all cases, the product is a 5-membered heterocycle that contains components of both reactants and occurs with a reduction in the total bond unsaturation. In addition, this type of cycloaddition reaction can be done using carbon-carbon double bonds or triple bonds (alkynes). 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of benzonitrile oxides with tertiary cinnamides yield the 5-phenyl and 4-phenyl regioisomers in a reversal of the expected regioselectiv-ities shown with methyl cinnamate. Calculations have shown that steric factors are responsible for this reversal of regioselectivity." The 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of benzonitrile oxide with electron-rich and electron-poor dipolarophiles are accelerated by sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles. Phenyl nitrile ylides react with electron-deficient alkenes to produce five-membered -heterocycles where measured rate constants are between 4 x 10 and 7 x 10 lmoP ... 

In the examples presented in CHEC-II(1996) in which a pyridazin-3(2//)-one is the 1,3-dipolarophile, two types of 1,3-dipoles are used nitrile oxides and diazoalkanes. Two other 1,3-dipoles have to be mentioned now. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the azomethine ylide 95 generated in situ by thermal ring opening of dimethyl trans- -(A-methoxyphenyl)aziridine-2,3-dicarboxylate 94 to some 4- or 5-substituted 2-methylpyridazin-3(2//)-ones has been... 

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. 

In all of the above reactions, a chiral center of the alkene was located in the allylic position. However, as shall be demonstrated next, more distant chiral centers may also lead to highly selective cycloadditions with 1,3-dipoles. In two recent papers, the use of exocyclic alkenes has been applied in reactions with C,N-diphenylnitrone (165,166). The optically active alkenes 109 obtained from (S)-methyl cysteine have been applied in reactions with nitrones, nitrile oxides, and azomethine ylides. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 109 (R=Ph) with C,N-diphenyl nitrone proceeded to give endOa-1 Q and exOa-110 in a ratio of 70 30 (Scheme 12.36). Both product isomers arose from attack of the nitrone 68 at the... 

For intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, the application of nitrones and nitrile oxides is by far most common. However, in increasing frequency, cases intramolecular reactions of azomethine ylides (76,77,242-246) and azides (247-259) are being reported. The previously described intermolecular approach developed by Harwood and co-workers (76,77) has been extended to also include intramolecular reactions. The reaction of the chiral template 147 with the alkenyl aldehyde 148 led to the formation of the azomethine ylide 149, which underwent an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to furnish 150 (Scheme 12.49). The reaction was found to proceed with high diastereoselectivity, as only one diaster-eomer of 150 was formed. By a reduction of 150, the proline derivative 151 was obtained. 

Karlsson and Hogberg (291,292) applied the thiocarbonyl ylide 175 in a diastereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with 165. The thiocarbonyl yhde was generated in situ by an elimination reaction. The reaction with 165 gave 176 (R = Bu, BnO, Ph) with selectivities of up to 64—80% de. Furthermore, the cycloaddition of a chiral galactose-derived nitrile imine with 165 has been reported (104). 

The amino acid derived chiral oxazolidinone 188 is a very commonly used auxiliary in Diels-Alder and aldol reactions. However, its use in diastereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions is less widespread. It has, however, been used with nitrile oxides, nitrones, and azomethine ylides. In reactions of 188 (R = Bn, R =Me, R = Me) with nitrile oxides, up to 92% de have been obtained when the reaction was performed in the presence of 1 equiv of MgBr2 (303). In the absence of a metal salt, much lower selectivities were obtained. The same observation was made for reactions of 188 (R = Bn, R = H, R = Me) with cyclic nitrones in an early study by Murahashi et al. (277). In the presence of Znl2, endo/exo selectivity of 89 11 and up to 92% de was observed, whereas in the absence of additives, low selectivities resulted. In more recent studies, it has been shown for 188 (R =/-Pr, R = H, R =Me) that, in the presence of catalytic amounts of Mgl2-phenanthroline (10%) (16) or Yb(OTf)3(20%) (304), the reaction with acyclic nitrones proceeded with high yields and stereoselectivity. Once again, the presence of the metal salt was crucial for the reaction no reaction was observed in their absence. Various derivatives of 188 were used in reactions with an unsubstituted azomethine ylide (305). This reaction proceeded in the absence of metal salts with up to 60% de. The presence of metal salts led to decomposition of the azomethine ylide. 

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