Nitrone cycloaddition ring contraction

Diastereoselective intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of alkylidene-cyclopropyl nitrones provide spirocyclopropylisoxazolidines. These compounds have been shown to undergo either thermally induced ring expansion to octahydro[l]pyrindin-4-ones or to acid induced ring contraction into fS-lactams with concomitant loss of ethylene (Scheme 2.218) (710-716). Use of chiral auxiliaries, that is (L)-2-acetoxylactate can lead to enantiomerically enriched heterocycles (715). 

Cyclic nitrones generated by [4+ 2]-cycloaddition of nitroalkenes undergo various, synthetically very valuable reactions. Thus, Denmark et al. have developed an elegant access to different enantiopure, 3- and 3,4-substituted pyrrolidine derivatives by reductive ring contraction of the cyclic nitrone resulting from a hetero Diels-Alder reaction [389,390]. Upon reaction of -2-nitrostyrene 4-51 with the chiral enol ether 4-52 in the presence of the bulky Lewis acid MAPh (4-53), three diastereomeric cycloadducts 4-54, 4-55 and 4-56 were formed. Hydrogenolysis of the main product 4-54 yielded the desired pyrrolidine 4-57 in excellent optical purity and allowed nearly quantitative recovery of the chiral auxiliary (Fig. 4-12) [391]. It is noteworthy that the nature of the Lewis acid catalyst, especially its steric demand, decisively influences the stereochemical course of such cycloadditions [392]. 

The cycloadducts have been transformed into pyrrolidines by reductive ring contraction. However, cycloadducts bearing a suitable alkene functionality in the side chain usually undergo [3+2] cycloaddition upon warming to room temperature. Inter- and intramolecular combinations of hetero Diels-AIder reactions with 1,3-dipoIar cycloadditions of the resulting nitrone have been intensively studied, developed and have been recently reviewed by Denmark et al. ... 

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