Of nitrenes

As another example of nitrene formation, the reaction of o-nitrostilbene (96) with CO in the presence of SnCU affords 2-phenylindole (97). The reaction is explained by nitrene formation by deoxygenation of the nitro group with CO, followed by the addition of the nitrene to alkene. Similarly, the 2//-indazole derivative 99 was prepared by reductive cyclization of the A-(2-nitrobenzyli-dene)amine 98[89]. 

The synthetic potential of nitrenes is more readily apparent in the synthesis of ring-fused systems (81AHC(28)309), which can be accomplished by cyclization onto a heteroatom or onto an adjacent ring, the latter having the possibility of reaction at carbon or at a heteroatom. 

Other potential synthetic routes to these unsaturated aziridine derivatives which involve the addition of nitrenes to allenes <75JOC224), carbenes to imines with subsequent hydrolysis <67JA362), and of carbenoid species to ketenimines <76TL1317,79TL559) have been investigated but are collectively of little or no preparative value. 

From N-oxides of aromatic bases oxaziridines were obtained only at very low temperatures, but oxaziridines were often postulated as intermediates in the photoconversion of such N-oxides (Section 5.08.3.1.2). Isolation of the more stable photoisomers of nitrones also causes some problems due to their thermal and photochemical instability leading to acid amides, e.g. (69TL2281), or, by fragmentation, to carbonyl compounds and products of stabilization of nitrenes, e.g. from (260) (69ZN(B)477). 

The aforementioned mechanism is supported by the following experimental data. When oxime 13 was treated with Grignard reagent, 3% of the indole 15 was isolated, indicating the possible existence of nitrene intermediate 14. A 2-phenylazirine intermediate, on the other hand, has been isolated and characterized from the reaction under carefully controlled conditions (adding Grignard reagent to the oxime in toluene). ... 

The Siindberg indole synthesis using aromadc azides as precursors of nitrenes has been used in synthesis of various indoles. Somekmds of aryl azides are readily prepared by S Ar reacdon of aromadc nitro compounds v/ilh an azide ion. For example, 2,4,6-trinitrotoliiene (TNT can be converted into 2-aryl-4,6-dinitroindole, as shovmin Eq. 10.60. ... 

Biphen-2-yl azidoformate (11) on SVP yields a mixture of 12 and 13, the products of nitrene insertion at the 1,2-position of the adjacent phenyl ring, and at the vacant ort/to-position, respectively.156... 

N-Aminobenzoxazolin-2-one (4), which was readily prepared by animation of benzoxazolin-2-one with hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid, is also a useful nitrene precursor (Scheme 2.2). Oxidation of 4 with lead(iv) acetate in the presence of a conjugated diene resulted in exclusive 1,2-addition of nitrene 5, to yield vinylazir-idine (6) in 71 % yield [6]. The formation of vinylaziridines through 1,2-additions of methoxycarbonylnitrene (2) or amino nitrene 5 contrasts with the claimed 1,4-ad-dition of nitrene itself to butadiene [7]. Since the reaction proceeded stereospecif-ically even at high dilution, the nitrene 5 appears to be generated in a resonance-stabilized singlet state, which is probably the ground state [8]. 

Those reactions that have found general use for the preparation of aziridines can be grouped into two broad classes addition and cyclization processes, and each of these categories can be further divided. Addition processes can be classified as being C2+N1 reactions (addition of nitrenes, or nitrene equivalents [ nitrenoids ], to alkenes Scheme 4.1) or (J N1+C1 reactions (addition of carbenes or carbenoids to imines Scheme 4.2). 

C2+N1 reactions addition of nitrenes, or nitrenoids, to alkenes Scheme 4.1... 

Notwithstanding the drawbacks to the method, the addition of nitrenes to alkenes is a well studied classical method for direct aziridination. The original reactions (often involving alkoxycarbonylnitrenes) employed harsh conditions, resulting in nonstereoselective transformations. In these pioneering reports, the requi-... 

This area of research has only recently attracted the attention of synthetic organic chemists, but there has been a flurry of impressive activity in the area. Simple (i. e., unstabilized) carbenes suffer from many of the problems of nitrenes (vide infra) and most reported synthetically useful procedures use carbenoids the majority of recent reports have focussed upon reactions between a-diazoesters and imines in the presence of a range of catalysts. In one of the earliest reports of enantioselective carbene-imine reactions, for instance, Jacobsen and Finney reported that ethyl diazoacetate reacts with N-arylaldimines in the presence of cop-per(i) hexafluorophosphate with mediocre stereoselectivity to give N-arylaziridine carboxylates. Though the diastereoselectivities of the reaction were often acceptable (usually >10 1, in favor of the cis isomers) the observed enantioselectivity was low (no more than 44% ee Scheme 4.27) [33],... 

Organic azides and isocyanates as sources of nitrene species in organometallic chemistry. S. Cenini and G. La Monica, Inorg. Chim. Acta, 1976,18,279-293 (86). 

Analogous to the decomposition of diazoalkanes, thermolysis of azides leads to the production of nitrenes. This is exemplified for ethyl... 

The reactions of nitrenes are also similar to those of carbenes. As in that case, many reactions in which nitrene intermediates are suspected probably do not involve free nitrenes. It is often very difficult to obtain proof in any given case that a free nitrene is or is not an intermediate. 

Trifluoroethanol has been shown to promote the addition of nitrenes, generated by the reaction of nitroso-compounds with phosphites, to aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g. (57), (58), and (59) are formed from the reaction... 

The types of azides that have been used for generation of nitrenes include alkyl,247 aryl,248 acyl,249 and sulfonyl250 derivatives. 

N-benzylaniline with phosgene, and then with sodium azide to produce carbonyl azide 52. On heating, nitrogen is evolved and a separable mixture of nitrene insertion product 53 and the desired ketoindazole 54 results. The latter reaction appears to be a Curtius-type rearrangement to produce an N-isocyanate (54a), which then cyclizes. Alkylation of the enol of 54... 

ESR spectra for a number of nitrene intermediates produced by photolysis at 77°K have been reported.<50) Analysis of these spectra has resulted in their assignment to triplet ground state nitrenes. 

Though the intermediacy of nitrenes is likely in these reactions, the possibility of prior complexing of the sulphonyl azide with the solvent... 

This has been mentioned at various points in this paper and may involve either a direct acid-base reaction of nitrene and nucleophile or, in some instances, reaction of the nitrene precursor with the nucleophile (or 1,3-dipolarophile) followed by loss of nitrogen. For example, the reaction of benzenesulphonyl azide with pyridine to give 31 (Ar=Ph) 69> could either involve a free nitrene or a concerted process in which the lone pair on the pyridine nitrogen atom assists the elimination of molecular nitrogen. That some free nitrene can be involved in these reactions is clear from the isolation of some 3-benzenesulphonamido-2,6-lutidine... 

Metal-oxenoid (oxo metal) species and metal-nitrenoid (imino metal) species are isoelectronic and show similar reactivity both species can add to olefins and be inserted into C—H bonds. Naturally, the study of nitrene transfer reactions began with metalloporphyrins, which were originally used as the catalysts for oxene transfer reactions. 

Several reviews on the synthesis of aziridines have been published in the previous year. These publications include a review on the silver catalyzed addition of nitrenes (among other intermediates such as carbene) across a double bond <06EJOC4313> a review on sulfur ylide addition to imines to form aziridines <06SL181> a review on nitrogen addition across double bonds <06ACR194> a general review on functionalization of a,p-unsaturated esters with some discussion of aziridination <06TA1465>... 

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