Nitrones catalytic reactions

Several titanium(IV) complexes are efficient and reliable Lewis acid catalysts and they have been applied to numerous reactions, especially in combination with the so-called TADDOL (a, a,a, a -tetraaryl-l,3-dioxolane-4,5-dimethanol) (22) ligands [53-55]. In the first study on normal electron-demand 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions between nitrones and alkenes, which appeared in 1994, the catalytic reaction of a series of chiral TiCl2-TADDOLates on the reaction of nitrones 1 with al-kenoyloxazolidinones 19 was developed (Scheme 6.18) [56]. These substrates have turned out be the model system of choice for most studies on metal-catalyzed normal electron-demand 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones as it will appear from this chapter. When 10 mol% of the catalyst 23a was applied in the reaction depicted in Scheme 6.18 the reaction proceeded to give a yield of up to 94% ee after 20 h. The reaction led primarily to exo-21 and in the best case an endo/ exo ratio of 10 90 was obtained. The chiral information of the catalyst was transferred with a fair efficiency to the substrates as up to 60% ee of one of the isomers of exo3 was obtained [56]. 

Nucleophilic Perfluoroalkylation of Nitrones The reaction of a,N-diaryl nitrones with (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane (TMSCF3) gives O-trimethylsilyl ethers of a-(trifluoromethyl)-hydroxylamines. This reaction is initiated by potassium ten -butoxide. Removal of the trimethylsilyl group on acid treatment leads to a-(trifluoromethyl)hydroxylamines, whereas catalytic hydrogenation gives a-(trifluoromethyl)amines (Scheme 2.194). 

Attempts were then made to perform asymmetric catalytic reactions using chiral Lewis acid catalysts [59]. Reaction of the nitrone 73 and the oxazolidinone 76 with 10 mol % of the bis(oxazoline) 12-Mg(II) catalyst, prepared by Corey s method [13], in the presence of 4-A molecular sieves afforded the cycloadduct 77 in high yield (>95 %) and high (> 95 %) endo selectivity and 82 % ee (Sch. 33). The presence of activated powdered 4-A molecular sieves was essential to the endo and enantioselec-tivity of the reaction in their absence they were 65 % and < 2 %, respectively. The reaction proceeded via an intermediate XXIX, proposed by Corey [13], in which the bis(oxazoline) ligand 12 and the oxazolidinone 76 are both bidentately coordinated to the magnesium and addition to the re face is favored because the si face of the bound oxazolidinone is masked by one of the phenyl substituents on the oxazoline rings. 

Dipolar cydoadditions are one of the most useful synthetic methods to make stereochemically defined five-membered heterocydes. Although a variety of dia-stereoselective 1,3-dipolar cydoadditions have been well developed, enantioselec-tive versions are still limited [29]. Nitrones are important 1,3-dipoles that have been the target of catalyzed enantioselective reactions [66]. Three different approaches to catalyzed enantioselective reactions have been taken (1) activation of electron-defident alkenes by a chiral Lewis acid [23-26, 32-34, 67], (2) activation of nitrones in the reaction with ketene acetals [30, 31], and (3) coordination of both nitrones and allylic alcohols on a chiral catalyst [20]. Among these approaches, the dipole/HOMO-controlled reactions of electron-deficient alkenes are especially promising because a variety of combinations between chiral Lewis acids and electron-deficient alkenes have been well investigated in the study of catalyzed enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions. Enantioselectivities in catalyzed nitrone cydoadditions sometimes exceed 90% ee, but the efficiency of catalytic loading remains insufficient. 

Among the J ,J -DBFOX/Ph-transition(II) metal complex catalysts examined in nitrone cydoadditions, the anhydrous J ,J -DBFOX/Ph complex catalyst prepared from Ni(C104)2 or Fe(C104)2 provided equally excellent results. For example, in the presence of 10 mol% of the anhydrous nickel(II) complex catalyst R,R-DBFOX/Ph-Ni(C104)2, which was prepared in-situ from J ,J -DBFOX/Ph ligand, NiBr2, and 2 equimolar amounts of AgC104 in dichloromethane, the reaction of 3-crotonoyl-2-oxazolidinone with N-benzylidenemethylamine N-oxide at room temperature produced the 3,4-trans-isoxazolidine (63% yield) in near perfect endo selectivity (endo/exo=99 l) and enantioselectivity in favor for the 3S,4J ,5S enantiomer (>99% ee for the endo isomer. Scheme 7.21). The copper(II) perchlorate complex showed no catalytic activity, however, whereas the ytterbium(III) triflate complex led to the formation of racemic cycloadducts. 

Accordingly, cyclic nitronates can be a useful synthetic equivalent of functionalized nitrile oxides, while reaction examples are quite limited. Thus, 2-isoxazoline N-oxide and 5,6-dihydro-4H-l,2-oxazine N-oxide, as five- and six-membered cyclic nitronates, were generated in-situ by dehydroiodination of 3-iodo-l-nitropropane and 4-iodo-l-nitrobutane with triethylamine and trapped with monosubstituted alkenes to give 5-substituted 3-(2-hydroxyethyl)isoxazolines and 2-phenylperhydro-l,2-oxazino[2,3-fe]isoxazole, respectively (Scheme 7.26) [72b]. Upon treatment with a catalytic amount of trifluoroacetic acid, the perhydro-l,2-oxazino[2,3-fe]isoxazole was quantitatively converted into the corresponding 2-isoxazoline. Since a method for catalyzed enantioselective nitrone cycloadditions was established and cyclic nitronates should behave like cyclic nitrones in reactivity, there would be a good chance to attain catalyzed enantioselective formation of 2-isoxazolines via nitronate cycloadditions. 

The relative FMO energies of the substrates of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrones are important for catalytic control of the reaction. For the normal electron-demand 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions the dominant FMO interac-... 

The other catalytic approach to the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction is the inverse electron-demand (Fig. 8.17, right), in which the nitrone is coordinated to the Lewis acid, which for the reaction in Scheme 8.7 was found to be deactivated compared to the uncatalyzed reaction. In order for a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to proceed under these restrictions the alkene should be substituted with electron-donating substituents. 

In the presence of a catalytic amount of tetrabutylammonium fluoride, either freshly dried over molecular sieves22 or as the trihydrate16, silylnitronates 2 derived from primary nitroalkanes react readily at — 78 C or below, via their in situ generated nitronates. with aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to give the silyl-protected (/J, S )-nitroaldol adducts 3 in excellent yield4,22-24-26,27. Silylnitronates, derived from secondary nitroalkanes. afford the adducts in 30 40% overall yield24. In contrast to the classical Henry reaction (vide supra), the addition of silylnitronates to aldehydes is irreversible. Ketones are unreaetive under such conditions. 

The most widely employed methods for the synthesis of nitrones are the condensation of carbonyl compounds with A-hydroxylamines5 and the oxidation of A+V-di substituted hydroxylamines.5 9 Practical and reliable methods for the oxidation of more easily available secondary amines have become available only recently.10 11 12 13. These include reactions with stoichiometric oxidants not readily available, such as dimethyldioxirane10 or A-phenylsulfonyl-C-phenyloxaziridine,11 and oxidations with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by Na2W044 12 or Se02.13 All these methods suffer from limitations in scope and substrate tolerance. For example, oxidations with dimethyldioxirane seem to be limited to arylmethanamines and the above mentioned catalytic oxidations have been reported (and we have experienced as well) to give... 

Like the nitronate ion, the cyanide ion is synthetically equivalent to the aminomethyl carbanion (CH2NH2) , because of the possible reduction of - CN to the - CH2NH2 group. Consequently, the addition of cyanide ion to imines to give a-aminonitriles (Strecker-type reaction) is a viable route to 1,2-diamines. As a matter of fact, a number of diastereoselective and catalytic... 

Scheme 6.7 shows some other examples of enantioselective catalysts. Entry 1 illustrates the use of a Co(III) complex, with the chirality derived from the diamine ligand. Entry 2 is a silver-catalyzed cycloaddition involving generation of an azome-thine ylide. The ferrocenylphosphine groups provide a chiral environment by coordination of the catalytic Ag+ ion. Entries 3 and 4 show typical Lewis acid catalysts in reactions in which nitrones are the electrophilic component. 

The heterobimetallic asymmetric catalyst, Sm-Li-(/ )-BINOL, catalyzes the nitro-aldol reaction of ot,ot-difluoroaldehydes with nitromethane in a good enantioselective manner, as shown in Eq. 3.78. In general, catalytic asymmetric syntheses of fluorine containing compounds have been rather difficult. The S configuration of the nitro-aldol adduct of Eq. 3.78 shows that the nitronate reacts preferentially on the Si face of aldehydes in the presence of (R)-LLB. In general, (R)-LLB causes attack on the Re face. Thus, enantiotopic face selection for a,a-difluoroaldehydes is opposite to that for nonfluorinated aldehydes. The stereoselectivity for a,a-difluoroaldehydes is identical to that of (3-alkoxyaldehydes, as shown in Scheme 3.19, suggesting that the fluorine atoms at the a-position have a great influence on enantioface selection. 

In addition to this, asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cyclization reactions of nitrones with olefins,40 41 catalytic enantioselective cyanation of aldehydes,42 catalytic enantioselective animation,43 and aza-Michael reactions44 have been reported, and high enantioselectivities are observed. 

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... 

A mixture of nitrones (142) and dioxazines (143) forms from a mixture of Z-and E -isomers of oximes (141), obtained from acetonide of erythrulose (140). The reaction is carried out in a mixture of acetone and 2,2-dimethoxypropane, in the presence of catalytic quantities of TsOH (Scheme 2.51) (305). 

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