Pyrrolidin-2-ones, synthesis

In spite of the diverse nature of alkaloid structures, two structural units, i.e. fused pyrrolidine and piperidine rings in different oxidation states, appear as rather common denominators. We therefore chose to give several examples for four types of synthetic reactions which have frequently been used in alkaloid total synthesis and which provide generally useful routes to polycyclic compounds with five- or six-membered rings containing one nitrogen atom. These are ... 

The Stork enamine reaction and the intramolecular aldol reaction can be carried out in sequence to allow the synthesis of cyclohexenones. For example, reaction of the pyrrolidine enamine of cyclohexanone with 3-buten-2-one. followed by enamine hydrolysis and base treatment, yields the product indicated. Write each step, and show the mechanism of each. 

A family of interesting polycychc systems 106 related to pyrrolidines was obtained in a one-pot double intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, irradiating derivatives of o-allyl-sahcylaldehydes with microwaves in toluene for 10 min in presence of the TEA salt of glycine esters [71]. A very similar approach was previously proposed by Bashiardes and co-workers to obtain a one-pot multicomponent synthesis of benzopyrano-pyrrolidines 107 and pyrrole products 108 (Scheme 37). The latter cycloadducts were obtained when o-propargylic benzaldehydes were utihzed instead of o-allyhc benzalde-hydes, followed by in situ oxidation [72]. 

The Michael addition of the carbanions derived from esters to nitroalkenes followed by reductive cyclization has been used extensively for the preparation of pyrrolidin-2-ones (Eq. 10.76).124 This strategy is used for synthesis of the carbazole alkaloid staurosporine aglycon (K-252c).124c... 

P-Lactams have been used as a synthon for the preparation of a vast array of compounds. It has been reported that the reduction of 4-(haloalkyl)azetidin-2-ones with LiAlhL is a powerful method for the synthesis of stereodefined aziridines and azetidines <06OL1101>. However, reduction of 4-(haloalkyl)azetidin-2-ones with chloroalane afforded 2-(haloalkyl)azetidines, which were rearranged to 3,4-cw-disubstituted pyrrolidines and piperidines 32 <060L1105>. During these rearrangements, bicyclic azetidinium intermediates were formed which were ring opened by halides. The synthesis of a peptide-... 

Nucleophilic addition of lithiated sulfones to nitrones made it possible to develop new stereoselective approaches to the synthesis of pyrrolidine-N -oxides based on a reverse-Cope-type elimination. One method is based on the reaction of lithiated sulfones with nitrones (386) (Scheme 2.168) (625). 

Dipolar cycloaddition reactions between three A-benzyl-C-glycosyl nitrones and methyl acrylate afforded key intermediates for the synthesis of glyco-syl pyrrolidines. It was found that furanosyl nitrones (574) and (575) reacted with methyl acrylate to give mixtures of all possible 3,5-disubstituted isoxazolidines (577) and (578). On the other hand, the reaction with pyranosyl nitrone (576) was much more selective and cycloaddition at ambient temperatures afforded only one of the possible Re-endo adducts (579a). The obtained isoxazolidines were transformed into the corresponding (V-benzyl-3-hydroxy-2-pyrrolidinones (580—582) on treatment with Zn in acetic acid (Scheme 2.264) (773). 

Scheme 4 Synthesis of 4-(aminomethyl)pyrrolidin-3-one-0-methyloxime dihydrochloride...

The hydrogenation of ketones with O or N functions in the a- or / -position is accomplished by several rhodium compounds [46 a, b, e, g, i, j, m, 56], Many of these examples have been applied in the synthesis of biologically active chiral products [59]. One of the first examples was the asymmetric synthesis of pantothenic acid, a member of the B complex vitamins and an important constituent of coenzyme A. Ojima et al. first described this synthesis in 1978, the most significant step being the enantioselective reduction of a cyclic a-keto ester, dihydro-4,4-dimethyl-2,3-furandione, to D-(-)-pantoyl lactone. A rhodium complex derived from [RhCl(COD)]2 and the chiral pyrrolidino diphosphine, (2S,4S)-N-tert-butoxy-carbonyl-4-diphenylphosphino-2-diphenylphosphinomethyl-pyrrolidine ((S, S) -... 

Two types of ring contractions have been used in the synthesis of pyrrolidines. The older one, an analogous Favorskii process, is the key step of Honjo s a-allokainic acid synthesis. The general lines of this approach are given in Scheme 29 (173). 

Pyrrolidines are attainable by [3 + 2] cycloaddition of azomethine ylides and olefins one such reaction is exemplified by a total synthesis of a-allokainic acid (Scheme 36) (182). 

This method for preparing 2-phenyl-1-pyrroline, and assorted 2-substituted 1-pyrrolines, is one of the best currently available, particularly because it reproducibly affords clean materials. Generally, the procedure is amenable to various aromatic esters 2 it has also been applied successfully to aliphatic esters (Table I).3 An advantage of this method is the use of readily available, inexpensive N-vinyl-pyrrolidin-2-one as a key starting material. This compound serves effectively as a 3-aminopropyl carbanion equivalent. The method illustrated in this procedure has been extended to include the synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted pyrrolines. Thus, alkylation of the enolate of the intermediate keto lactam, followed by hydrolysis, leads to various disubstituted pyrrolines in good yields (see Table II).3... 

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