Oxazolones, mesoionic, cycloadditions

Mesoionic oxazolones (munchnones) 297 can be generated by cyclodehydration of N-substituted a-amino acids 295 or by alkylation of oxazolones 296 (Scheme 7.98). These compounds are reactive and versatile 1,3-dipoles that undergo cycloaddition reactions with dipolarophiles to generate a variety of heterocyclic systems. In particular, this is an extremely versatile methodology to prepare pyrroles that result from elimination of carbon dioxide from the initial cycloadduct. Numerous examples have appeared in the literature in recent years and several have been selected for discussion. The reader should consult Part A, Chapter 4 for an extensive discussion and additional examples. 

Anhydro-4-hydroxyoxazoIium hydroxides, such as compound (231), behave as carbonyl ylides (232) in cycloaddition reactions, yielding bicyclic adducts with alkenes and carbonyl compounds (Scheme 24). The adducts produced by combination with alkynes fragment spontaneously in a retro-Diels-Alder reaction, giving furans (equation 57). The formation of a furan by the action of DMAD on the 4(5//)-oxazolone (233) shows that the latter exists in equilibrium with the mesoionic tautomer (234 equation 58) (79JOC626). 

Cycloaddition-extrusion-ring expansion reactions of five-membered mesoionic oxazolones and thiazolones with 2,3-diphenylcyclopropenethione produced pyridine-4(l//)-thiones... 

Oxazole derivatives have been thoroughly studied and display a wealth of synthetic opportunities. The mesoionic miinchnones undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions across the C(2)—C(4) positions. The 5(4H)-oxazolones have excited interest for a long time because they undergo fission of the C(5)—O bond to afford a-amino acids. Appropriately substituted dihydrooxazoles and oxazolidines are effective carriers of asymmetry, and they have only begun to be exploited in this role although numerous possibilities have been demonstrated. 

Oxazolones are simply cyclic anhydrides of A-acyl-a-amino acids, and are constructed in the way that this implies. If the nitrogen also carries an aUcyl group, cyclisation " can only lead to an overall neutral product by adopting a zwitterionic stracture, for which no neutral canonical form can be written - a mesoionic structure. Mesoionic oxazolones (named miinchnones by Huisgen after their discovery at the University of Munchen, Germany) undergo ready dipolar cycloadditions,with loss of carbon dioxide from the initial adduct the examples" show the conversion of a miinchnone into a mesoionic thiazolone and into an imidazole. 

Only 2,3-dihydropyrrolo[2,l-(>]thiazoles have been described. Reaction of 7V-acetylthiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid (303) in the presence of acetic anhydride provides mesoionic oxazolone intermediates (304) which undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with DMAD, to give unstable intermediate (305) which rapidly eliminates carbon dioxide to give 2,3-dihydro-5-methylpyrrolo[2,l-( ]thiazole-6,7-dicarboxylate (306) (Scheme 55) <88JMC1427>. 

Cycloadditions were found to be first-order reactions with respect to both 1,3-dipole and dipolarophile, in all cases so far investigated. There are some limits to kinetic studies of these reactions, as many 1,3-dipoles are very reactive substances. While aryl azides, diazoalkanes, some classes of azomethine imines (for instance sydnones), and some classes of azomethine oxides (nitrones) are stable and isolable, azomethine ylides are usually unstable, an exception being represented by a mesoionic oxazolone that has been used for kinetic investigations benzonitrile oxide has a very limited stability, although some substituted derivatives are stable for long periods nitrile imines are not commonly isolable because of their strong tendency to dimerise. 1,3-Dipoles of... 

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