Polyheterocyclic systems, synthesis

The purpose of this section is to highlight the applications of microwave irradiation to multistep synthesis of polyheterocyclic systems with potent pharmaceutical value. When conventional thermal procedures (metal or oil bath) fail, and irrespective of the conditions needed in the homogeneous phase, microwave irradiation can be used as an alternative to classical methods enabling development of easy and rapid access to new heterocycles. 

This methodology was further developed in an elegant manner by Padwa and coworkers (61). Combined with a subsequent desulfurization reaction, the method was successfully applied toward the synthesis of complex polyheterocyclic systems related to alkaloid skeletons. For example, the reaction of 94, obtained from... 

A solid-phase Ugi-Reissert reaction on chloroformate resin, has been reported. The product, the ot-carbamoylated isoquinoline 230, is released by oxidative cleavage (Scheme 33a). Interestingly, the enamide moiety in the adduct can be exploited to perform this process in tandem with a Povarov MCR [189, 190]. In this way, by interaction of dihydroisoquinoline 231 with aldehydes, anilines and a suitable Lewis acid catalyst, the polyheterocyclic system 232 was prepared (Scheme 33b). The Zhu group devised an innovative approach for the synthesis of this class of compounds. They employed the heterocyclic amine 233, which was oxidized in situ to the dihydroisoquinoline 234 with IBX, to undergo the classic Ugi reaction. Remarkably, all the components are chemically compatible, allowing the sequence to proceed as a true MCR (Scheme 33c) [191]. 

Among polyheterocyclic systems, coumarins are synthesized by many routes, including the Pechmann reaction [51], which involves condensation of phenols with yS-ketoesters. This reaction, which has been the most widely applied method, has recently been studied under the action of MW irradiation by several authors [52], including the GS-MW process for 4-substituted 7-aminocoumarins [53]. Synthesis of methyl 7-aminocoumarin-4-carboxylates (51 and 52) by the Pechmann reaction involves heating a mixture of m-aminophenol and dimethyl oxalate at 130 °C (Scheme 9.17). Under such conditions, however, the yield of the reaction is variable, usually low (36%). Use of graphite as a support led to the expected lactone in slightly better yield (44%). 

Fused Systems containing Thiazole.—A large number of polyheterocyclic systems have been prepared, but in most cases the methods of synthesis, and the properties of the products, are straightforward extensions of earlier work they will not, therefore, be further discussed. 

These 107i-systems are isoelectronic with the pentalene dianion and have been of some theoretical interest. 1,5-Diheteropentalene systems are very popular substrates for the investigation of inter- and intramolecular cycloaddition reactions due to their diene character. Such cycloaddition processes allow for a rapid entry into complex polyheterocyclic rings and makes these compounds potentially useful for natural product synthesis. 

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