Nitrones, cycloaddition with Diels—Alder reaction

Alkyl and silyl nitronates are, in principle, /V-alkoxy and /V-silyloxynitrones, and they can react with alkenes in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions to form /V-alkoxy- or /V-silyloxyisoxaz.olidine (see Scheme 8.25). The alkoxy and silyloxy groups can be eliminated from the adduct on heating or by acid treatment to form 2-isoxazolines. It should be noticed that isoxazolines are also obtained by the reaction of nitrile oxides with alkenes thus, nitronates can be considered as synthetic equivalents of nitrile oxides. Since the pioneering work by Torssell et al. on the development of silyl nitronates, this type of reaction has become a useful synthetic tool. Recent development for generation of cyclic nitronates by hetero Diels-Alder reactions of nitroalkenes is discussed in Section 8.3. 

Pyrazol-3-one derivatives have taken part in both 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and Diels-Alder reactions. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between (Z)-pyrazol-3-ones 694a g with an excess of ethyl vinyl ether gave the pyrazol-3-one-4-spiro-3-isoxazolidines 695a-g, in nearly quantitative yield (82G483) (Scheme 203). The kinetics of this reaction was studied by quantitative spectroscopic analysis. The rate of reaction increases with the electron-withdrawing character of the substituent on the aromatic ring and a linear relationship is obtained between logk and op constants. The LUMO nitrone-HOMO vinyl ether is taken as the dominant interaction. 

Gothelf presents in Chapter 6 a comprehensive review of metal-catalyzed 1,3-di-polar cycloaddition reactions, with the focus on the properties of different chiral Lewis-acid complexes. The general properties of a chiral aqua complex are presented in the next chapter by Kanamasa, who focuses on 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones, nitronates, and diazo compounds. The use of this complex as a highly efficient catalyst for carbo-Diels-Alder reactions and conjugate additions is also described. 

In the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of especially allyl anion type 1,3-dipoles with alkenes the formation of diastereomers has to be considered. In reactions of nitrones with a terminal alkene the nitrone can approach the alkene in an endo or an exo fashion giving rise to two different diastereomers. The nomenclature endo and exo is well known from the Diels-Alder reaction [3]. The endo isomer arises from the reaction in which the nitrogen atom of the dipole points in the same direction as the substituent of the alkene as outlined in Scheme 6.7. However, compared with the Diels-Alder reaction in which the endo transition state is stabilized by secondary 7t-orbital interactions, the actual interaction of the N-nitrone p -orbital with a vicinal p -orbital on the alkene, and thus the stabilization, is small [25]. The endojexo selectivity in the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction is therefore primarily controlled by the structure of the substrates or by a catalyst. 

Scheeren et al. reported the first enantioselective metal-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrones with alkenes in 1994 [26]. Their approach involved C,N-diphenylnitrone la and ketene acetals 2, in the presence of the amino acid-derived oxazaborolidinones 3 as the catalyst (Scheme 6.8). This type of boron catalyst has been used successfully for asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions [27, 28]. In this reaction the nitrone is activated, according to the inverse electron-demand, for a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with the electron-rich alkene. The reaction is thus controlled by the LUMO inone-HOMOaikene interaction. They found that coordination of the nitrone to the boron Lewis acid strongly accelerated the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with ketene acetals. The reactions of la with 2a,b, catalyzed by 20 mol% of oxazaborolidinones such as 3a,b were carried out at -78 °C. In some reactions fair enantioselectivities were induced by the catalysts, thus, 4a was obtained with an optical purity of 74% ee, however, in a low yield. The reaction involving 2b gave the C-3, C-4-cis isomer 4b as the only diastereomer of the product with 62% ee. 

The theoretical investigations of Lewis acid-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions are also very limited and only papers dealing with cycloaddition reactions of nitrones with alkenes have been investigated. The Influence of the Lewis acid catalyst on these reactions are very similar to what has been calculated for the carbo- and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions. The FMOs are perturbed by the coordination of the substrate to the Lewis acid giving a more favorable reaction with a lower transition-state energy. Furthermore, a more asynchronous transition-structure for the cycloaddition step, compared to the uncatalyzed reaction, has also been found for this class of reactions. 

Nitro compounds have been converted into various cyclic compounds via cycloaddition reactions. In particular, nitroalkenes have proved to be useful in Diels-Alder reactions. Under thermal conditions, they behave as electron-deficient alkenes and react with dienes to yield 3-nitrocy-clohexenes. Nitroalkenes can also act as heterodienes and react with olefins in the presence of Lewis acids to yield cyclic alkyl nitronates, which undergo [3+2] cycloaddition. Nitro compounds are precursors for nitrile oxides, alkyl nitronates, and trialkylsilyl nitronates, which undergo [3+2]cycloaddition reactions. Thus, nitro compounds play important roles in the chemistry of cycloaddition reactions. In this chapter, recent developments of cycloaddition chemistry of nitro compounds and their derivatives are summarized. 

On the basis of available experimental data, it is impossible to choose a definite pathway of elimination of silanol. However, study of silylation of methyl P -nitropropionate (411) with BSA in the presence of trapping agents rigorously proved that silyl nitronate D is initially formed. This compound can be detected in the [3 + 2]-cycloaddition reaction with methyl acrylate product (413). If silylation of AN (411) is performed in the presence of ethyl vinyl ether, a-nitrosoalkene E can be successfully trapped in as heterodiene a Diels-Alder reaction. Dihydroox-azine (414) is formed, and its silylation affords isolable product (415). 

Dipolar addition is closely related to the Diels-Alder reaction, but allows the formation of five-membered adducts, including cyclopentane derivatives. Like Diels-Alder reactions, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition involves [4+2] concerted reaction of a 1,3-dipolar species (the An component and a dipolar In component). Very often, condensation of chiral acrylates with nitrile oxides or nitrones gives only modest diastereoselectivity.82 1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition between nitrones and alkenes is most useful and convenient for the preparation of iso-xazolidine derivatives, which can then be readily converted to 1,3-amino alcohol equivalents under mild conditions.83 The low selectivity of the 1,3-dipolar reaction can be overcome to some extent by introducing a chiral auxiliary to the substrate. As shown in Scheme 5-51, the reaction of 169 with acryloyl chloride connects the chiral sultam to the acrylic acid substrate, and subsequent cycloaddition yields product 170 with a diastereoselectivity of 90 10.84... 

As with the Diels-Alder reaction, it is possible to achieve enantioselective cycloaddition in the presence of chiral catalysts.89 The Ti(IV) catalyst C with chiral diol ligands leads to moderate to high enantioselectivity in nitrone-alkene cycloadditions.90... 

With ever more powerful technology becoming available, computer-based molecular modeling of complex chemical reactions is now commonplace. But while the Diels-Alder reaction has received a great deal of theoretical attention, the dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones were until very recently relatively... 

The carbo- and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions are excellent for the constmction of six-membered ring systems and are probably the most commonly applied cycloaddition. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition complements the Diels-Alder reaction in a number of ways. 1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions are more efficient for the introduction of heteroatoms and are the preferred method for the stereocontrolled constmction of five-membered heterocycles (1 ). The asymmetric reactions of 1,3-dipoles has been reviewed extensively by us in 1998 (5), and recently, Karlsson and Hogberg reviewed the progress in the area from 1997 and until now (6). Asymmetric metal-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions have also been separately reviewed by us (7-9). Other recent reviews on special topics in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions have appeared. These include reactions of nitrones (10), reactions of cyclic nitrones (11), the progress in 1996-1997 (12), 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with chiral allyl alcohol derivatives (13) and others (14,15). 

The development and application of catalytic enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions is a relatively new area. Compared to the broad application of asymmetric catalysis in carbo- and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions (337,338), which has evolved since the mid-1980s, the use of enantioselective metal catalysts in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions remained almost unexplored until 1993 (5). In particular, the asymmetric metal-catalyzed reactions of nitrones with alkenes has received considerable attention during the past 5 years. 

The seco-phenanthroindolizidine alkaloid septicine has been synthesized by a nitrone route. A cycloaddition of 1-pyrroline 1-oxide with 2,3-bis-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)butadiene gives two stereoisomeric isoxazolidines, one of which is converted into ( ) septicine.10 ( )-Tylophorine and 5-coniceine have been prepared by a new route that makes use of an intramolecular imino-Diels-Alder reaction.11 A stereoselective synthesis of 3,5-dialkyl-indolizidines has been applied to the synthesis of a stereoisomer of the trail pheromone of the Pharaoh ant and to a stereoisomer of gephyrotoxin 223.12 A stereoselective total synthesis of ( )-perhydrogephyrotoxin (21)13 and a simple synthesis of ( )-gephyran14 have been reported. 

If nitroalkenes are employed as heterodienes in hetero Diels-Alder reactions instead of nitrosoalkenes, cyclic nitrones are formed. These cycloadducts undergo numerous subsequent reactions, and especially the combination of this hetero Diels-Alder reaction with a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is an extremely powerful tool for the synthesis of polycyclic alkaloids. This domino [4+ 2]/[3+ 2] cycloaddition chemistry has been comprehensively reviewed by Denmark and Thorarensen very recently, and this review also covers many hetero Diels-Alder reactions of nitroalkenes being not part of this sequential transformation [5]. Therefore the present article will focus on some selected examples which might highlight the advanced state of the art concerning stereocontrol of these reactions. On the other hand, an insight shall be given into the multitude of polycyclic structures accessible by means of nitroalkene cycloaddition chemistry. 

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]. 

However, far the most powerful synthetical methodology involving cycloaddition chemistry of nitroalkenes is the combination of a hetero Diels-Alder reaction with a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the resulting nitrone. Up to six stereo-genic centers may be constructed in the course of this protocol, and a multitude of preparative options results from applying either intra- or intermolecular varieties of the single steps and from the different modes to connect the resulting cyclic entities (Fig. 4-13). 

In the Diels-Alder reaction, the dienes had to have an s-cis conformation about the central single bond so that they were already in the shape of the product. Many useful 1,3-dipoles are actually linear and their 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions look very awkward. We shall start with the nitrile oxides, which have a triple bond where the nitrone had a double bond. 

The Stereoselectivity of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions. There is no endo mle for 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions like that for Diels-Alder reactions. Stereoselectivity, more often than not, is low, as shown by the reactions of C,/V-diphenylnitrone—both regioisomers 6.238 and 6.239 (R=C02Et) from the reaction with ethyl acrylate are mixtures of exo and endo isomers, only a little in favour of the exo product. Similarly, the reactions of methyl crotonate with nitrones favour the exo product 6.242 over the endo 6.243. In contrast, other reactions are endo selective, as in the cycloaddition 6.244 of an azomethine ylid to dimethyl maleate giving largely the endo adduct 6.245. 

Chiral Auxiliary for Asymmetric Induction. Numerous derivatives of (—)-8-phenylmenthol have been utilized for asymmetric induction studies. These include inter- and intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions, dihydroxylations, and intramolecular ene reactions of a,p-unsaturated 8-phenylmenthol esters. These reactions usually proceed in moderate to good yield with high diastereofacial selectivity. a-Keto esters of 8-phenylmenthol (see 8-Phenylmenthyl Pyruvate) have been used for asymmetric addition to the keto group, as well as for asymmetric [2 -F 2] photoadditions and nucleophilic alkylation. Ene reactions of a-imino esters of 8-phenylmenthol with alkenes provide a direct route to a-amino acids of high optical purity. Vinyl and butadienyl ethers of 8-phenylmenthol have been prepared and the diastereofacial selectivity of nitrone and Diels-Alder cycloadditions, respectively, have been evaluated. a-Anions of 8-phenylmenthol esters also show significant diastereofacial selectivity in aldol condensations and enantiose-lective alkene formation by reaction of achiral ketones with 8-phenylmenthyl phosphonoacetate gives de up to 90%. ... 

Catalytic asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a nitrone with a dipolarophile has been performed using a chiral scandium catalyst [31]. The chiral catalyst, which was effective in asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions, was readily prepared from Sc(OTf)3, (7 )-(-i-)-BINOL, and d5 -l,2,6-trimethylpiperidine. The reaction of benzylbenzylide-neamine A-oxide with 3-(2-butenoyl)-l,3-oxazolidin-2-one was performed in the presence of the chiral catalyst to yield the desired isoxazolidine in 69 % ee with perfect diastereoselectivity (endolexo = > 99 1) (Sch. 8) [31,46], It was found that reverse enantioselectivity was observed when a chiral Yb catalyst, prepared from Yb(OTf)3, the same (i )-(-i-)-BINOL, and cd-l,2,6-trimethylpiperidine, was used instead of the Sc catalyst under the same reaction conditions. 

Kobayashi et al. found that lanthanide triflates were excellent catalysts for activation of C-N double bonds —activation by other Lewis acids required more than stoichiometric amounts of the acids. Examples were aza Diels-Alder reactions, the Man-nich-type reaction of A-(a-aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles with silyl enol ethers, the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones to alkenes, the 1,2-cycloaddition of diazoesters to imines, and the nucleophilic addition reactions to imines [24], These reactions are efficiently catalyzed by Yb(OTf)3. The arylimines reacted with Danishefsky s diene to give the dihydropyridones (Eq. 14) [25,26], The arylimines acted as the azadienes when reacted with cyclopentadiene, vinyl ethers or vinyl thioethers, providing the tet-rahydroquinolines (Eq. 15). Silyl enol ethers derived from esters, ketones, and thio-esters reacted with N-(a-aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles to give the /5-amino carbonyl compounds (Eq. 16) [27]. The diastereoselectivity was independent of the geometry of the silyl enol ethers, and favored the anti products. Nitrones, prepared in situ from aldehydes and N-substituted hydroxylamines, added to alkenes to afford isoxazoli-dines (Eq. 17) [28]. Addition of diazoesters to imines afforded CK-aziridines as the major products (Eq. 18) [29]. In all the reactions the imines could be generated in situ and the three-component coupling reactions proceeded smoothly in one pot. 

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