Pyrrolizidines bond reactions

An intermediate 5-hydroxy-5,6-dihydro-2/7-pyrrolo[l,2- ][l,2]oxazin-7(4a//)-one 142 has been described in the total synthesis of (—)-loline, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid extracted from rye grass Lolium cuneatum. The key step of the synthesis was an intramolecular cycloaddition of acylnitrosodienes (obtained by in situ oxidation of the corresponding hydroxamic acids 143). This reaction generated predominantly the rro/o-stereoisomer that was further cleaved at the N-O bond with Na(Hg) and further elaborated in several steps to reach the target compound (Scheme 19) <2001J(P 1)1831 >. 

In an interesting fragmentation reaction, the hexahydroazocine (23) is formed by solvolysis of (22) in the presence of NaBHt in 94% yield (75TL2613). A related compound (24) can be prepared from 4-cycloheptenone oxime tosylate via the unsaturated lactam (25) (79JOC287). Whereas (25) adds bromine to the double bond, (24) undergoes a transannular reaction to give a 1-substituted pyrrolizidine (26). The latter type of reaction also occurs... 

Members of the tetracyclic dibenzopyrrocoline alkaloid family can be prepared by the intramolecular ring closure of l-(o-halobcnzyl)-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives. (3.38.)47 The analogous transformation of dihydroisoquinolines (3.39.) proceeds probably through the isomeric enamine form obtained by the tautomeric shift of the double bond 48 The palladium-carbene catalyst system applied in these reactions was also effective in the preparation of indoline, indolizidine and pyrrolizidine derivatives 49... 

Pyrrolizidine amino-alcohols are readily dehydrated for example, hydroxyheliotridane and retronecanol, when treated with sulfuric acid, afford heliotridene (see e.g., refs. 105 to 107). A more complicated dehydration reaction is the transformation of the alkaloid rosmarinine into the alkaloid senecionine.83 Dehydration of 1-hydroxy-l-carbethoxypyrrolizidine53 in the presence of phosphorus oxychloride in pyridine results mainly in the formation of the A1,8-unsaturated ester (see Section II, E). The authors61,62 claimed that the dehydration product of l-carbethoxy-2-hydroxy-3-oxopyrrolizidine contained a A1,2-double bond (159). Later, however, the UV, IR, and NMR spectra67 revealed that the double bond had migrated the... 

The preparation of fused nitrogen heterocycles such as pyrrolizidines, indolizidines, quinolizidines, pyrrolidinoazocines and piperidinoazocines by the RCM of appropriate dienes (equation 38), is another case where presence of a ring assists the RCM reaction. However, when n = 7 (with x = 1), the C=C bonds, separated by 11 single bonds, are too far apart for RCM to occur. Applications of this general strategy are in prospect for the formation of fused nitrogen heterocyclic systems in problems of alkaloid synthesis240. 

Enantioselectivities of 21-70% ee were observed in the reaction of ethyl- and methyl-vinylketone with aromatic aldehydes 22 using the chiral hydroxy-pyrrolizidine-catalyst 24 which was prepared in four steps starting from BOC-I-prolinol (Scheme 5) [32]. The enan-tioselectivity was explained by the predominant formation of intermediate 26-A, which is less sterically hindered than the isomeric intermediate 26-B. The employment of a reaction temperature of -40 °C, the use of NaBF4 as a co-catalyst, and the presence of a hydroxy group in the base (which allows the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds) resulted in good conversions and rates. 

Mechanistically, it was suggested [92] that this cyclization does not involve the free a-amino radical formed by cleavage of the C—Si bond of the trimethylsilylmethyl-amine radical cation. Instead, it was pointed out that cleavage of the C—Si a-bond from the delocalized trimethylsilylmethylamine radical cation, produced by a vertical overlap of the C—Si bond and empty p-orbital of nitrogen, is assisted by the 71-orbitals of the olefin. This strategy was applied to the stereoselective synthesis of pyrrolizidine and indolizidine ring systems [93]. The synthetic utility of this reaction is also demonstrated by the synthesis of ( )-iso-retronecanol [94]. 

Achiwa reported a short synthesis of pyrrolizidine derivatives by the cycloadditions using a nonstabilized azomethine ylide 23 (m = 1) (82CPB3167). When the trimer of 1-pyrroline is treated with a silylmethyl triflate, N-alkylation of the 1-pyrroline takes place. Then the resulting iminium salt is desilylated with fluoride ion in the presence of ethyl acrylate to give ethyl pyrrolizidine-l-carboxylate 295 as a mixture of stereoisomers (28%). After the epimerization of 295 with LDA, the ester moiety is reduced with lithium aluminum hydride in ether to provide (+ )-trachelanthamidine (296). A double bond can be introduced into 295 by a sequence of phenyl-selenylation at the 1-position, oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, and elimination of the selenyl moiety. The 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine-l-carboxylate 297 is an excellent precursor of (+ )-supinidine (298) and (+)-isoretronecanol (299). Though in poor yield, 297 is directly available by the reaction of 23 with ethyl 3-chloropropenoate. 

Hydroamination/bicyclization of aminodialkenes, aminodialkynes, and amino-alkenynes opens a straightforward route to pyrrolizidines and indolizidines in a tandem C-N and C-C bond forming process. An important prerequisite for the success of this reaction sequence is a sufficient lifetime of the rare-earth metal alkyl intermediate formed in the initial insertion process of the alkene/alkyne in the Ln-amide bond in order to permit the carbocyclization step (Scheme 9) [99,174],... 

Another example is provided by the quaternization of a saturated pyrrolo[l,2-6]isoxazole with methanesulfonyl chloride and further treatment with Zn powder in aqueous acetic acid <82T2627>. When compound (152) was treated with Zn in aqueous acetic acid at 50-60 °C, the isoxazolidine underwent reductive N—O bond cleavage with in situ cyclization to afford pyrrolizidine (153) in 86% yield. When (152) is treated directly with Zn in 90% aqueous acetic acid at higher temperature (130-140°C) and prolonged reaction time, pyrrolizidine (154) is obtained (Scheme 28) <85CPB351>. 

Reaction of ethyl 2-nitrosoacrylate, produced in situ, with alkene 174 gave the cycloadduct 175 (Scheme 33). Reduction of this with cyanoborohydride, followed by epimerization to the more favoured isomer 176, was followed by Raney nickel reduction of the N-O bond and subsequent condensations and reductions to give the pyrrolizidine 177. ... 

It is well known that alkyl azides also behave as 1,3-dipoles in intramolecular thermal cycloaddition reactions. The formation of two carbon-nitrogen bonds leads to triazolines, which are usually not stable. They decompose after the loss of nitrogen to aziridines, diazo compounds, and heterocyclic imines. There are a limited number of examples reported in which the triazoline was isolated [15]. The dipolar cycloaddition methodology has been extremely useful for the synthesis of many natural products with interesting biological activities [16], In recent years, the cycloaddition approach has allowed many successful syntheses of complex molecules which would be difficult to obtain by different routes. For instance, Cha and co-workers developed a general approach to functionalized indolizidine and pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as (-i-)-crotanecine [17] and (-)-slaframine [18]. The key step of the enantioselective synthesis of (-)-swainsonine (41), starting from 36, involves the construction of the bicyclic imine 38 by an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of an azide derived from tosylate 36, as shown in Scheme 6 [ 19). 

Tetrahydropyrrolizines (210) and (211) can be formed via radical scission of either bond a or b in the intermediate vinyl-aziridine (208) but yields are moderate at best and the major product is the monocyclic pyrroline (209), formed by a 1,5-homo-dienyl rearrangement. The route therefore could provide a useful access to the pyrrolizidine framework if conditions could be identified which would allow more controlled and efficient breakdown of (208). The synthesis of substitute pyrrolines by ring expansion of vinyl aziridine derivatives has also been accomplished in a palladium-catalysed reaction. N -Tosyl-2-vinyl five- and six-membered nitrogen heterocycles (213) ace obtained in generally high yields under mild conditions from precursor dienyl nitrogen heterocycles (212) in the presence of a catalytic amount of [Pd(PPh ) ]. The complete diene unit is required for the... 

Amino complexes of rare-earth elements can undergo intramolecular alkene insertion rather than alkene activation followed by nucleophilic attack (Scheme 6.59). Treatment of the amino diene 6.170 with a scandium complex 6.174 resulted in insertion of one double bond to give a d5-pyrrolidine 6.171. Raising the reaction temperature then caused insertion of the second alkene to give the pyrrolizidine 6.172. The thiophene group had been chosen to activate the first alkene it also serves as a surrogate alkyl group, and the synthesis was completed by desulfurization-reduction. The product is the alkaloid, xenovenine 6.173 (see Schemes 6.65 and 6.74 for related syntheses, and Scheme 9.46 for a different approach.)... 

The final pyrrolizidine synthesis we will consider is Vedejs approach to retronecine. This synthesis relies on a dipolar cycloaddition reaction for direct construction of the pyrrolizidine nucleus. The key reaction was to be a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between an azomethine ylid of type 57 and an acrylate of type 58. It was projected that this would provide 56 (or 57 after loss of methanol), which would then be converted to retronecine (21) via a sequence involving late-stage introduction of the C1-C2 double bond. 

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