Pyrrolizidines formation

Hudlicky and coworkers also reported a related 2-pyrroline formation from viny-laziridines [81], which are extremely useful for the synthesis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as the protected (+)-trihydroxyheliotridane 210 (Scheme 2.51). Since the pyrolysis of either diastereomer of 208 furnished the cyclized product 209 as a... 

Formation of a vinyl-substituted pyrrolizidine derivative is also observed in case of an allylstan-nane cyclization94. Since the allylstannane moiety is acid sensitive, the iV-acyliminium ion is generated by exposure of the hydroxylactam to methanesulfonyl chloride and triethylamine in dichloromethane. The very rapid cyclization produces the endo-vinyl compound with very high stereoselectivity. 

With nonracemic chiral diazoacetates the insertion process occurs with evident match/mismatch characteristics. This has been demonstrated in reactions of optically pure 2-methylcyclohexyl diazoacetates (Eq. 9) [85] and in carbon-hydrogen insertion reactions of steroidal diazoacetates (Eq. 10) [86], as well as with the synthesis of pyrrolizidines 36 and 37 [84]. The mechanistic preference for formation of a /J-lactone in Eq. 10 over insertion into the 4-position is not clear,but there are other examples of /J-lactone formation [87]. In these and related examples, selectivities in match/mismatch examples are high, and future investigations are anticipated to show even greater applicability. 

The utility of lOOC reactions in the synthesis of fused rings containing a bridgehead N atom such as pyrrolizidines, indolizidines, and quinolizidines which occur widely in a number of alkaloids has been demonstrated [64]. Substrates 242 a-d, that possess properly positioned aldoxime and alkene functions, were prepared from proline or pipecolinic acid 240 (Eq. 27). Esterification of 240 and introduction of unsaturation on N by AT-alkylation produced 241 which was followed by conversion of the carbethoxy function to an aldoxime 242. lOOC reaction of 242 led to stereoselective formation of various tricyclic systems 243. This versatile method thus allows attachment of various unsaturated side chains that can serve for generation of functionalized five- or six-membered (possibly even larger) rings. 

The heteroatom version of the vinylcyclopropane rearrangement serves to facilitate alkaloid construction. Scheme 13 outlines a strategy for the pyrrolizidine alkaloid isoretronecanol 211 90). Use of a carboxaldehyde (i.e. 213) as a synthon for the primary alcohol provides an ability to adjust stereochemistry. It also sets up formation of the pyrrolidine ring bearing the aldehyde by an aldol-type condensation of an enol of the aldehyde onto an imine derived from 214. Because of the lability of such systems, introduction of X=PhS imparts stability. The resultant azacyclopentene translates to an imine 215 using the iminocyclopropane rearrangement methodology. Simple condensation of the primary amine 216 with aldehyde 37a then initiates this... 

Schmitz et al. <2001JP090> developed two group increment schemes for converting HF/6-31G(d) and B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculated energies of aliphatic amines to estimations of heats of formation. Application to the pyrrolizidine yielded calculated values of —1.09 (HF) and —1.02 (B3LYP) instead of — 0.93 kcal mob1 (experimental). 

The availabihty of enantioenriched 2-tribntylstannylpyrrolidines ° can be used to advantage in these reactions. Conversion to a snbstrate snitable for cyclization allows, after transmetalation, the determination of the stereoselectivity on intramolecnlar carbolithia-tion. Treatment of the enantioenriched stannane shown in Scheme 23 with bntyllithinm resnlted in the formation of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid psendoheliotridane. The prodnct was formed as a single diastereomer and with no loss of optical pnrity, occnrring with overall retention of confignration at the carbanion center. Related cychzation reactions... 

The synthesis of pyrrolizidine developed by LukeS and Sorm31 and by Micheel and Flitsch32 starts with furylacrylic acid (56) which is converted by the Markwald reaction into y-ketopimelic acid (57). The carbonyl group in 57 is replaced by an amino group via the oxime or by the Leuckart-Wallach reaction this substitution results immediately in the formation of the lactam 58, which can be converted by heat into 3,5-dioxopyrrolizidine (59). The latter compound yields pyrrolizidine... 

Sorm and Beranek39 used an intramolecular acylation in their synthesis of l-azoniumtricyclo[3.3.3.0]undecane (66). Condensation of nitromethane with acrylonitrile in the presence of an alkaline catalyst resulted in the formation of tris-(2-cyanoethyl)nitromethane (60), which afforded the triethyl ester 61 on hydrolysis followed by esterification. The ester was reduced catalytically to give a pyrrolidone (62). The derivative (62) gave rise to 8-(j8-carboethoxyethyl)-3,5-dioxo-pyrrolizidine (63) on heating. Reduction of 63 resulted in the formation of 8-(y-hydroxypropyl)pyrrolizidine (64). Replacement of the hydroxy group by bromine (65), followed by cyclization, afforded the tricyclic compound 66. 

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... 

Ozonolysis of 3,5-dihydroxy-3,5-di-(w-buten-3-yl)pyrrolizidine (167c) resulted in the formation of pyrrolizidine-3,5-dihydro xy-3,5-bis(3 -propionic acid) monolactone (170). Similar treatment of 3,5-dihydro xy-3,5-bis(phenylethynyl)pyrrolizidine (167b) afforded stereoisomeric 3,5-dihydroxypyrrolizidine-3,5-dicarboxylic acids (171a and 171b). 

Surzur and Stella, in a paper mainly concerned with the free radical cyclization of pyrrolizidines, reported the formation of the benzindol-izidine 171 from iV-benzyl-iV-chloropentenylamine (170) when treated with titanium(III) chloride in aqueous acetic acid (Scheme 23),230... 

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. 

The formation of the y-lactams is almost perfectly diastereoselective if cyclic a-amino aldehydes or the aldehyde prepared from valine are used as starting materials. As it is shown in the following scheme, the electroreduction of the obtained optically pure y-lactams followed by the reduction with LAH yields the corresponding optically pure pyrrolizidine and indolizidine skeletons. 

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. 

Ishii, K., Sone, T., Shimada, Y., Shigeyama, T., Noji, M., and Sugiyama, S. (2004) Photoreactions of p-aziridinylac-rylonitriles and acrylates with alkenes formation of head-to-head adducts and application to the preparation of pyrrolizidine alkaloid. Tetrahedron, 60, 10887-10898. 

Sheep rumen contents are known to detoxify pyrrolizidine alkaloids. A new, obligate anaerobe, Peptococcus heliotrinreductans, has been identified from the rumen.74 It is a Gram-positive coccus, and reduces 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidines, using hydrogen gas or formate as hydrogen donors. 

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