Nitrone reactions nucleophilic additions

Nitrones have a more reactive C=N bond toward nucleophilic addition compared to imines. In spite of this fact, there have been only a limited number of studies on the nucleophilic addition reactions of nitrones, particularly organometallic reagents.352-355 During the last decade, research related to reactions of nitrones with zinc-containing reagents was essentially focused on (i) dialkylzinc-assisted alkynylations356-358 and vinylations359 of nitrones, (ii) catalytic asymmetric nucleophilic additions to the C=N bond,360-364 and (iii) nitrone allylations by allylzinc halides.365,366... 

The electron-donor N -oxide oxygen atom of a nitrone makes it suitable for com-plexation and protonation. Such properties of nitrones have been widely used to influence their reactivity, using Lewis acids and protonation in nucleophilic addition reactions (see Section 2.6.6). In this chapter, the chemistry of nitrones with various metal ions [Zn (II), Cu(II), Mn (II), Ni (II), Fe (II), Fe (III), Ru (II), Os (II), Rh (I), UO2 2 ] (375, 382, 442-445), and diarylboron chelates is described (234—237, 446). Accurate descriptions of the structures of all complexes have been established by X-ray analysis. 

Oxidative Alkoxylation of Nitrones to a-Alkoxy Nitrones and a-Alkoxy Substituted Nitroxyl Radicals The first direct experimental evidence of the possibility to carry out radical cation nucleophilic addition to nitrones with the formation of nitroxyl radicals has been cited in Section 2.4. Further, such a reaction route was referred to as inverted spin trapping this route is an alternative to a conventional spin trapping (508-512). Realization of either mechanism depends on the reaction conditions namely, on the strength of both nucleophile and oxidant. The use of strong oxidants in weak nucleophilic media tends to favour the radical cation mechanism... 

Moreover, one should mention that in spite of similar electronic structures, PBN and the isoquinoline nitrone (278) react in a different way. Under no circumstances does PBN give an oxidative methoxylation product, whereas nitrone (278) reacts readily to form a,a-dialkoxy-substituted nitroxyl radical (280) (517). Perhaps this difference might be due to the ability to form a complex with methanol in aldo-nitrones with -configuration. This seems favorable for a fast nucleophilic addition of methanol to the radical cation (RC), formed in the oxidation step. The a-methoxy nitrone (279), obtained in the initial methoxylation, has a lower oxidation potential than the initial aldo-nitrone (see Section 2.4). Its oxidation to the radical cation and subsequent reaction with methanol results in the formation of the a,a-dimethoxy-substituted nitroxyl radical (280) (Scheme 2.105). 

Reactions of Nucleophilic Addition The high tendency of nitrones toward nucleophilic attack at the a-carbon atom is determined by both, the electrophilic character of the nitrone group per se (Fig. 2.10, stmcture C) and by... 

Recently, semiempirical PM3 computational analysis (568) and first ab initio study (569) of the nucleophilic addition to chiral nitrones of Grignard reagents have been carried out. The data revealed that all reactions are exothermic and proceed through /w-complexation of nitrones with the organometalic reagent. 

Recently, tert- butyl (phenylsulfonyl)alkyl-A-hydroxycarbamates (343), which are readily obtained from the reaction of aldehydes and tert -butyl-A -hydroxy-carbamate in an aqueous methanol solution, were used as an equivalent of N -(/iocprotected nitrones in the nucleophilic addition of Grignard reagents (Scheme 2.144) (571). 

Addition of Heterocyclic Compounds Stereocontrolled nucleophilic addition of heterocyclic compounds to chiral nitrones is of great synthetic importance in the synthesis of natural and biologically active compounds. In these reactions, the nitrone group serves as an amino group precursor and the heterocycle furnishes the formyl group (from thiazole) (192, 195, 214, 215, 579) or the carboxyl group (fromfuran) (194-196, 580-584) (Scheme 2.149). 

The stereochemical outcomes of the above reactions can be explained by the proposed transition states A and B (Fig. 2.25). Model A, derived from the Houk model for nucleophilic addition to olefins, explains the formation of, v y -adducts. Model B, involving a different nitrone conformation, due to the chelation of diethylaluminum chloride, accounts for the formation of anti -adducts (581). 

Addition of 2-Alkyl-2-Oxazolines All of the above mentioned reactions of nucleophilic addition of nitrones give the corresponding hydroxylamines. In this chapter, the reactions of nitrones and nucleophiles and their conversions to compounds of other structures are considered. 

Addition of Lithiated Sulfoxides and Sulfones Nucleophilic addition of lithiated methylaryl sulfoxides (384) to nitrones of various structures proceeds easily and in good yields (622). The reactions are applied to the synthesis of optically active a-substituted and a,a-disubstituted hydroxylamines, to secondary amines (623), and to enantioselective syntheses of alkaloids (624). The preferred approach to (+ )-euphococcinine is based on the use of homochiral 3-sullinyl nitrones (385) (Scheme 2.167). 

Nucleophilic addition of lithiated sulfones to nitrones made it possible to develop new stereoselective approaches to the synthesis of pyrrolidine-N -oxides based on a reverse-Cope-type elimination. One method is based on the reaction of lithiated sulfones with nitrones (386) (Scheme 2.168) (625). 

Addition of Ketene Acetals and Enoles In recent years, much attention has been given to the synthesis of optically active nitrogen-containing compounds, with the key step being the highly stereoselective nucleophilic addition of ketene silyl acetals to nitrones (Scheme 2.174). Similar to nitrone cyanations, in ketene silyl acetal reactions one observes an accelerating effect with thiourea derivatives (633). 

The formation of derivatives of 2,3,6,8-tetraazabicyclo-[3.2.1]3-octene (425) arises from an intramolecular nucleophilic addition to the nitrone group of hydra-zone (424). Compound (424) was prepared by reaction of 2-acyl-3-imidazoline-3-oxides (423) with hydrazine. From the cis- and frans-derivatives (424), exo- and enr/o-isomers (425) were obtained (Scheme 2.197). The reaction of intramolecular cyclization does not occur in cases with monosubstituted hydrazones (316). 

Nucleophilic addition of primary o.-R -allylamine to nitrone followed by a reverse Cope cyclization and Meisenheimer rearrangement gives the oxadiazi-nanes (426a-h) (Scheme 2.198). These reactions have found use for the preparation of oxadiazines, vicinal aminohydroxylamines, and diamines the latter are of particular interest as chiral ligands (683, 684). 

Murahashi and co-workers (49) extensively studied the synthesis of nitrones such as 29 by a decarboxylative oxidation of proline derivatives (Scheme 12.12). However, these nitrones were primarily used in nucleophilic addition reactions rather than 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. Others have synthesized cyclic nitrones 30 and 31 having a chiral center adjacent to the nitrogen atom (50,51). Saito and co-workers (51) applied nitrone 31 in reactions with fumaric and maleic acid... 

Nitroolefins are excellent Michael acceptors which react with a broad range of nucleophiles in a Michael fashion. The resulting functionalized nitroalkanes can be readily converted into amines by reduction reactions or to carbonyl compounds by a Nef reaction . The addition of nucleophiles to nitroolefins is complicated by the subsequent addition of the resulting nitronate to remaining nitroolefin. Whereas such a side-reaction is quite fast for lithium and magnesium nitronates. it is slow for zinc... 

The nitrone functionality has also found a number of applications as acceptor of nucleophilic addition, as recently reviewed134. The reaction of nitrone 82 with Id directly affords isoxazolidin-5-ones 83, as shown in equation 51135. 

The nitrone group of the isatogen ring functions as a 1,3-dipolar system and takes part in a number of cycloaddition reactions with substituted olefins and acetylenes. The resulting adducts, in most cases, are not easily isolated and undergo further reactions, particularly nucleophilic addition and/or ring expansion, to give a variety of products. 

Nitroalkenes can serve as the two-carbon fragment of a [3 + 2] cyclization involving enamines as nucleophiles (equation 86) (81LA1534). This reaction is presumably initiated by a conjugate addition of the enamine to the nitroalkene (equation 87). The most attractive formulation of the cyclization is via an intramolecular nucleophilic addition to the aci-form of the nitronate anion. This provides a reduced nitrogen substituent which could be eliminated to complete aromatization. This procedure has provided quite satisfactory yields over a range of structural types. 

The versatility of 5-nitrosopyrimidines in pteridine syntheses was noticed by Pachter (64MI21603) during modification of the Timmis condensation between (262) and benzyl methyl ketone simple condensation leads to 4-amino-7-methyl-2,6-diphenylpteridine (264) but in the presence of cyanide ion 4,7-diamino-2,6-diphenylpteridine (265) is formed (equation 90). The mechanism of this reaction is still uncertain (63JOC1187) it may involve an oxidation of an intermediate hydroxylamine derivative, nitrone formation similar to the Krohnke reaction, or nucleophilic addition of the cyanide ion to the Schiff s base function (266) followed by cyclization to a 7-amino-5,6-dihydropteridine derivative (267), oxidation to a quinonoid-type product (268) and loss of the acyl group (equation 91). Extension of these principles to a-aryl- and a-alkyl-acetoacetonitriles omits the oxidation step and gives higher yields, and forms 6-alkyl-7-aminopteridines, which cannot be obtained directly from simple aliphatic ketones. 

Early investigations of reactions of organomagnesium compounds with nitro compounds led to mixtures of products, and gave little indication that they might be useful [5]. However, it has now been established that with two equivalents of an alkylmagnesium halide in THF, nucleophilic addition to the ring of a variety of nitroaromatic compounds occurs, as summarized in Table 4.1. The product of the addition is a nitronate anion, which may be converted into various products, as illustrated by the example of 2-nitronaphthalene. 

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