Nitrogen-substituted Diels-Alder reactions

Indoles are usually constructed from aromatic nitrogen compounds by formation of the pyrrole ring as has been the case for all of the synthetic methods discussed in the preceding chapters. Recently, methods for construction of the carbocyclic ring from pyrrole derivatives have received more attention. Scheme 8.1 illustrates some of the potential disconnections. In paths a and b, the syntheses involve construction of a mono-substituted pyrrole with a substituent at C2 or C3 which is capable of cyclization, usually by electrophilic substitution. Paths c and d involve Diels-Alder reactions of 2- or 3-vinyl-pyrroles. While such reactions lead to tetrahydro or dihydroindoles (the latter from acetylenic dienophiles) the adducts can be readily aromatized. Path e represents a category Iley cyclization based on 2 -I- 4 cycloadditions of pyrrole-2,3-quinodimcthane intermediates. 

A great advantage of catalyst 24b compared with other chiral Lewis acids is that it tolerates the presence of ester, amine, and thioether functionalities. Dienes substituted at the 1-position by alkyl, aryl, oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur all participate effectively in the present asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction, giving adducts in over 90% ee. The reaction of l-acetoxy-3-methylbutadiene and acryloyloxazolidinone catalyzed by copper reagent 24b, affords the cycloadduct in 98% ee. The first total synthesis of ewt-J -tetrahydrocannabinol was achieved using the functionalized cycloadduct obtained [23, 33e] (Scheme 1.39). 

Tamariz and coworkers [42] have described a versatile, efficient methodology for preparing N-substituted-4,5-dimethylene-2-oxazolidinones 42 (Figure 2.5) from a-diketones and isocyanates and have also studied their reactivity in Diels-Alder reactions. This is a method for synthesizing polycyclic heterocyclic compounds. Some of the reactions of diene 42 are summarized in Scheme 2.18. The nitrogen atom seems to control the regiochemistry of the reaction. 

A Diels-Alder reaction of arynes with 1,2,4-triazines 102 allows the preparation of isoquinolines substituted with electron-withdrawing groups in the nitrogen-containing ring. The isoquinoline-1-carboxylic esters bearing additional substituents are of particular interest because they are not readily available by the usual routes [100,101] (Scheme 2.42). 

The synthesis of highly substituted rigid tricyclic nitrogen heterocycles via a tandem four-component condensation (the Ugi reaction)/intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction was investigated in both solution and solid phase [24]. The Ugi reaction in MeOH (Scheme 4.2) involves the condensation of furylaldehydes 17, benzylamine 18, benzyl isocyanide 19 and maleic or fumaric acid derivatives 20, and provides the triene 21 which immediately undergoes an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, affording the cycloadduct 22 in a diastereoisomeric mixture with high yield. 

To perform Diels-Alder reactions on solid phase, the 2(lH)-pyrazinone scaffold is linked to a suitable support via its amide nitrogen atom. While N-l-substituted pyrazinones are readily accessible by the choice of an appropriate amine, it is not possible to prepare N-l-unsubstituted pyrazinones using the general strategy as previously outlined in the introduction. How-... 

In this article, special attention has been paid to cyclopropanations, Diels-Alder reactions, and nucleophilic substitutions, for which numerous works have been devoted to the use of Ar,N-containing ligands. Other classical reactions allowing the formation of a new C - C bond have been omitted here (e.g., Michael-type additions or aldol reactions) where they have also been, to a lesser extent, efficiently performed using nitrogen-containing ligands. 

Recently, it has been shown that 2-pyridones with the nitrogen atom substituted by alkyl,262 aryl, or methoxyl265 do undergo Diels-Alder reactions. Heating l-methyl-2-pyridone with DMAD to 195°, the first successful example studied,262 gave 51, which was thought to be formed via 49 as shown. Under milder conditions,265 Diels-Alder adducts (cf. 49) can be isolated and, on further heating, yield phthalic esters and isocyanates. 

Diels-Alder reactions of N-substituted benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-c]pyrroles 149 [27] and benzo[4,5]furo[2,3-c]pyrroles 150 [26] with Af-phenylmaleimide and DMAD gave the corresponding exo cycloadducts 151-153 (Scheme 28). Oxidative extrusion of the nitrogen bridge in cycloadducts 152 and 153 via intermediates 154, 155 afforded derivatives of dibenzothiophene 156 [27] and diben-zofuran 157 [26],... 

Steroidal, alicyclic or aromatic annulated pyridines were prepared via a microwave-assisted, base-catalyzed Henry reaction of /1-formyl enamides and nitromethane on an alumina support [97]. Highly substituted tri- and tetrasubstituted pyridines were synthesized in a Bohlmann-Rahtz reaction from ethyl /3-amino crotonate and various alkynones. The reaction involved a Michael addition-cyclodehydration sequence and was effected in a single synthetic step under microwave heating conditions [98]. An alternative approach towards polysubstituted pyridines was based on a reaction sequence involving an inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction between various enamines 45 and 1,2,4-triazines 44 (Sect. 3.6), followed by loss of nitrogen and subsequent elimination-aromatization. Enamines 45 were formed in situ from various ketones and piperidine under one-pot microwave dielectric heating conditions [99]. Furthermore, a remarkable acceleration of the reaction speed (from hours and days to minutes) was observed in a microwave-assisted cycloaddition. Unsymmetrically substituted enamines 45 afforded mixtures of regioisomers (Scheme 35). 

A series of compounds of the type 120 was prepared by the condensation of ai-ferrocenyl aliphatic acids with aromatic o-diamines.115 The Diels-Alder reaction of 121 (R = H or CH3) with various N-substituted maleimides gave a series of compounds of the type 122.116 Only the endo isomers were formed. A number of additional nitrogen-... 

The trouble is that pyrrole will not do this reaction as it is so good at electrophilic substitution. What happens instead is that pyrrole acts as a nucleophile and attacks the electron-deficient alkene. The answer is to make pyrrole less nucleophil ic by acylating the nitrogen atom with the famous Boc protecting group (Chapter 24). We will see in the next section how this may be done. A good Diels-Alder reaction then occurs with a alkynyl sulfone. 

Diels-Alder reactions 1,2,4-triazines. The electron-deficient azadiene system present in 1 can undergo Diels-Alder reactions with electron-rich dienophiles to give an adduct that loses nitrogen to provide 1,2-diazines. Reactions with imidates (>C=NH) substituted with an active leaving group such as SCH, proceed at moderate temperatures to afford 1,2,4-triazines in high yield (equation I). 

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