Nitrones, synthesis nitroso compounds

Methods for the reductive cleavage of the N—O bond in hydroxylamines have assumed increasing importance in synthesis because it is a key step in routes based on cycloaddition of nitrones and nitroso compounds. Inter- and intra-molecular cycloadditions of nitrones lead to the formation of tetrahydroisox-azoles (Scheme 25) these compounds are then converted into amino alcohols by reductive cleavage of the N—-O bonds. This type of reaction sequence has been exploited in the synthesis of a number of alkaloids.Nitroso compounds, particularly those activated by electron-withdrawing substituents, act as dienophiles in the Diels-Alder reaction (Scheme 26) and the cycloadducts can be used as synthetic intermediates by cleaving the N—O bonds. 

Synthesis front Nitroso Compounds Aryl nitroso compounds (175) react easily with dimethyl bromomalonate in the presence of alkali to give the corresponding A-aryl-QC-dimethoxycarbonyl-nitrones (177) (Scheme 2.62) (333). 

The classic Krohnke aldehyde synthesis results from the displacement of pyridinium salts aromatic nitroso compounds to give nitrones which are hydrolyzed to aldehydes.Phenacyl bromide reacts with pyridine and then nitrosobenzene to give phenylglyoxal in 76% yield after acid hy lysis. The pyridinium salts in these reactions must be activated in some way toward displacement to effect efficient conversions. 

Lypkalo IM, Ioffe SL, Strelenko Y, Tartakovsky VA (1996) A novel general method for the synthesis of nitrones by reaction of nitroso compounds with anions of aliphatic nitro compounds. Russ Chem Bull 45(4) 856-862. doi 10.1007/BE01431312... 

Scheme 4.10 Synthesis of alkoxyamine initiators from NO, nitroso compounds or nitrones.

Giomi s group developed a domino process for the synthesis of spiro tricyclic nitroso acetals using a, 3-unsaturated nitro compounds 4-163 and ethyl vinyl ether to give the nitrone 4-164, which underwent a second 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with the enol ether (Scheme 4.35) [56]. The diastereomeric cycloadducts formed, 4-165 and 4-166 can be isolated in high yield. However, if R is hydrogen, an elimination process follows to give the acetals 4-167 in 56% yield. 

I.2. Oxidation of Amines Oxidation of primary amines is often viewed as a particularly convenient way to prepare hydroxylamines. However, their direct oxidation usually leads to complex mixtures containing nitroso and nitro compounds and oximes. However, oxidation to nitrones can be performed after their conversion into secondary amines or imines. Sometimes, oxidation of secondary amines rather than direct imine oxidation seems to provide a more useful and convenient way of producing nitrones. In many cases, imines are first reduced to secondary amines which are then treated with oxidants (26). This approach is used as a basis for a one-pot synthesis of asymmetrical acyclic nitrones starting from aromatic aldehydes (Scheme 2.5) (27a) and 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline-2-oxides (27b). 

Evidently, this approach is not limited to the formation of nitronates, nitroso acetals or enoximes. The rearrangements of these compounds by elimination reactions, the trapping of intermediates and finally their reactions with various reagents are of equal importance. It should be emphasized that silylation of AN as a process in organic chemistry is characterized by an unrivalled completeness and diversity of transformations. Hence, the silylation can be considered as a separate field of application of AN in organic synthesis. 

Recently, C,N condensation of salts of nitro compounds with the nitroso group has been discovered (251, 451) (Scheme 3.190). This reaction can be considered as a convenient procedure for the synthesis of nitrones from AN. The yields of the target products are 40 to 97 %. 

Reactions of Cyclic Conjugated Ene Nitroso Acetals with Nucleophiles The reaction of six-membered cyclic ene nitroso acetals (475) with nucleophiles has a high potential and will probably provide the basis for a promising procedure for the synthesis of polyfunctional compounds from very simple precursors, the more so that the configurations of stereocenters in the starting nitronate (475) can be retained in particular transformations (Scheme 3.253). Unfortunately, the available data (264) are insufficient to elucidate the complete mechanism of this process. 

E. Brener, Nitrones and Nitronic Acid Derivatives Their Structure and their Roles in Synthesis , in The Chemistry of Amino, Nitroso and Nitro Compounds and their Derivatives, Vol. 1, S. Patai ed., Wiley, Chichester, 1982, pp. 459-538. 

Methods for preparation of hydroxylamine derivatives have been reviewed in detail recently. Here, mainly new developments concerning the synthesis of hydroxylamines by substitution processes with heterobond formation are presented. Reduction of nitro, nitroso, oxime and nitrone derivatives as well as direct oxidation of amines leading to hydroxylamine compounds will not be considered. 

As mentioned above, nitro compounds are obviously of great importance in organic chemistry and aryl nitro compounds are an important source of aniline derivatives (secs. 4.2.C.V, 4.8.D). Both amine oxides and nitrones have been synthetically exploited. Alkyl nitroso derivatives, however, usually cannot be isolated since they decompose in solution, although the aromatic derivatives are more stable in solution and can be used in synthesis (sec. 2.1 l.E). Treatment of a primary amine with excess peroxyacid is a useful preparative route to alkyl nitro compounds.588 Yields are highest for tertiary alkyl primary amines next come secondary, followed by primary alkyl. Peroxyacid oxidation of oximes also provides a route to alkyl nitro compounds.589 This method is convenient for preparing aromatic nitro compounds as in the oxidation of 2,6-dichloroaniline to 2,6-dichloronitrobenzene (441).590 Nitrones are 1,3-dipoles and have been used in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions (sec. ll.ll.D). 

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