Reaction with tosylmethyl isocyanide

Acetyl steroids. 17-Keto steroids can be converted into 17-acetyl steroids by reaction with tosylmethyl isocyanide. The resulting nitriles are obtained as epimeric mixtures in which the 17)3-epimer predominates. The mixtures can be separated by crystallization or chromatography. The 17-carbonitriles are converted into 17-acetyl steroids in satisfactory yield by brief treatment with methyllithium. ... 

The utility of thiono- and dithio-esters in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds has been further demonstrated, and several of the reactions involved, for example the addition reactions with tosylmethyl isocyanide, nitrile ylides, and nitrile oxides, are also of considerable theoretical interest. 

Isonitrile cyclization provides a useful alternative method of the Knorr type cyclization for pyrrole synthesis. In 1972, Leusen and coworkers reported pyrrole synthesis based on the reaction of tosylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) with electron-deficient alkenes (Eq. 10.12).15... 

Reaction of pyrrolopyridines 241 with tosylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst tetra- -butylammonium iodide (TBAI) provides the tricyclic pyrimidopyrrolopyrimidine derivatives 242 (Equation 30) <20000L3253, 2004JOC4974, 2005JOC4879>. 

The fused pyrrole ring system (204) has been obtained by the reaction of 17/3-hydroxy-17-methylandrosta-l,4-dien-3-one with tosylmethyl isocyanide in the presence of sodium hydride in DMSO,92 and 17/3-hydroxy-17-methyl-7-oxa-5o -androstano-[3,2-c]- (205) or -[2,3-d]-isoxazoles (206 X = O) have been prepared by treating 7-oxa-2-(hydroxymethylene)-17/3 -hydroxy-17-methyl-5 a -androstan-3-one with hydroxylamine hydrochloride.93 In the presence of pyridine, the isox-azole (206 X = O) is formed, but when the reaction is catalysed by sodium acetate in acetic acid the isomeric steroid (205) results. Cycloaddition of hydrazine hydrate to the same 2-hydroxymethylene-7-oxa-steroid results in the [3,2-c]pyrazole (206 X = NH). A similar addition is encountered in the reactions between 3/3-hydroxy-16-(hydroxymethylene)-5a-androstan-17-one and the substituted hydrazines RNHNH2 (R = H, o-COC6H4NH2, or p-COQHUNH ,) when the corresponding [17,16-c]pyrazoles (207) are formed after cyclization of the intermediate hydrazones.94... 

The ferrocenylphosphine-silver complex catalyzes the aldol-type reaction of tosylmethyl isocyanide 71 with aldehydes with higher stereoselectivity than the gold complex (Scheme 2-59) [84]. The reaction with several aldehydes produces trans-4-tosyloxazolines 72 in up to 86% ee, which can be converted into optically active l-alkyl-2-aminoethanols by reduction with LiAlH4. 

Asymmetric reaction of the (R)-(—)-tolualdehyde(tricarbonyl)chromium complex, (R)-l, with tosylmethyl isocyanide (TosMic).3 This complex reacts with TosMic in K2CO3/CH3OH at 0° to form only one (2) of the four possible products. Deeomplexation followed by LiAIH4 reduction provides (S)-3 in 100% de. 

In analogy t 0 the Cu(II) complex systems, the silver(I) -catalyzed aldol reaction is also proposed to proceed smoothly through a Lewis acidic activation of carbonyl compounds. Since Ito and co-workers reported the first example of the asymmetric aldol reaction of tosylmethyl isocyanide and aldehydes in the presence of a chiral silver(I)-phosphine complex (99,100), the catalyst systems of sil-ver(I) and chiral phosphines have been applied successfully in the aldol reaction of tin enolates and aldehydes (101), Mukaiyama aldol reaction (102), and aldol reaction of alkenyl trichloroacetates and aldehydes (103). In the Ag(I)-disphosphine complex catalyzed aldol reaction, Momiyama and Yamamoto have also examined an aldol-type reaction of tin enolates and nitrosobenzene with different silver-phosphine complexes (Scheme 15). The catalytic activity and enantioselectivity of AgOTfi(f )-BINAP (2 1) complex that a metal center coordinated to one phosphine and triflate were relay on solvent effect dramatically (Scheme) (104). One catalyst system solves two problems for the synthesis of different O- and AT-nitroso aldol adducts under controlled conditions. 

Van Leusen and co-workers also demonstrated the utility of dilithio-tosylmethyl isocyanide (dilithio-TosMIC) to extend the scope of the application. Dilithio-TosMIC is readily formed from TosMIC and two equivalents of n-butyllithium (BuLi) in THF at -70"C. Dilithio-TosMIC converts ethyl benzoate to oxazole 14 in 70% yield whereas TosMIC monoanion does not react. In addition, unsaturated, conjugated esters (15) react with dilithio-TosMIC exclusively through the ester carbonyl to provide oxazoles (16). On the other hand, use of the softer TosMIC-monoanion provides pyrroles through reaction of the carbon-carbon double bond in the Michael acceptor. 

Mono- and dilithio derivatives of p-tosylmethyl isocyanide 297a were shown to display interesting reactions. Reaction of the monoanion with unsaturated esters was shown to give pyrrole derivatives . Dianion 297b was found to add to the carbon-nitrogen double bonds of isoquinoline, quinoline and quinoxaline affording compounds 298, 299 and 300, respectively. In the reactions with pyridine iV-oxide and pyridazine iV-oxide, unstable open-chain products 301 and 302 were obtained . 

The reaction of the 3-(bromomethyl)pyrazole 276 with various alkyl derivatives of tosylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) 277 affords the products 278 (Equation 56) and requires phase-transfer conditions for success <2005JOC4879>. This reaction was also used for the synthesis of ring system 68, but in lower yield (25%). 

The [3 + 2] addition of type llbd is a significant method for synthesis of both simple and complex pyrrole derivatives. One manifestation of this pattern is seen in the base-catalyzed condensation of tosylmethyl isocyanide with alkenes having strong electron-accepting substituents. The aromatization by elimination of the arenesulfinic add occurs under the reaction conditions (equation 117) (72TL5337). This reaction can be applied to the synthesis of 2,3,4-trisubstituted pyrroles by using C-alkylated tosylmethyl isocyanides or AT-tosyl-methyl-S- methylthioimidates <77H(7)77, 81JHC1127). 

It is interesting that aldol-type condensation of tosylmethyl isocyanide (16) with aldehydes is catalyzed by the silver catalyst more stereoselectively than that catalyzed by the gold catalyst under the standard reaction conditions (Scheme 8B1.9) [26], Elucidation of the mechanistic differences between the gold and silver catalysts in the asymmetric aldol reaction of 16 needs further study. Oxazoline 17 can be converted to optically active a-alkyl-p-(A-methyl-amino)ethanols. 

The tosyl compound reacts with aldehydes in the presence of potassium carbonate to yield 5-alkyl- or 5-aryl-oxazoles, the intermediate dihydrooxazoles (which can be isolated) eliminating toluene-p-sulfinic acid (Scheme 30). Use of acyl chlorides in place of aldehydes leads to 4-tosyloxazoles (288). Furthermore, alkylation of tosylmethyl isocyanide with an alkyl halide RfX, followed by treatment with an aldehyde R2CHO, yields a 4,5-disubstituted oxazole (289). A related reaction is that of A-tosylmethyl-iV -tritylcarbodiimide with aromatic aldehydes under phase-transfer catalysis to yield 2-tritylaminooxazoles which are readily converted into 2-amino-5-aryloxazoles (equation 117) (81JOC2069). 

The asymmetric aldol-type addition of tosylmethyl isocyanide (99) to aldehydes can also be catalyzed by the chiral silver(I) complex, giving almost exclusively trans-S-alkyl-4-tosyl-2-oxazolines 98 [E = S02(p-Tol)] with up to 86 % ee as shown in Sch. 26 [52]. The slow addition method described above is not necessary for this reaction system. 

Reaction of 1,4-benzodiazepinic A-nitrosoamidines 1323, used as synthetic equivalent of imidoyl chlorides, with the monoanion of tosylmethyl isocyanide 1324 affords 3-(4-tosyl)imidazo[l,5- ][l,4]benzodiazepines 1325 (Scheme 338) <2004S2697>. 

Tosylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) (75 R = H), a versatile reagent in synthesis, can also be used as an acyl anion equivalent. For instance symmetrical and unsymmetrical diketones were prepared by using this TosMIC synthon (equation 40). Ketones are homologated to enones by alkylating the condensation product derived from TosMIC, followed by acid hydrolysis (Scheme 46). 1-Isocyano-l-tosyl-l-alkenes (76), formed by the reaction of TosMIC with an aldehyde or ketone, react with a primary amine or ammonia to give 1,5-disubstituted (or 5-monosubstituted) imidazoles in high yield (Scheme 47). ... 

Tosylmethyl isocyanide (TsMIC) (120) is an easily prepared sulfone with a wide repertoire of useful reactions thus, TsMIC may be converted to ketones (121), alkanes (122) and alicyclic ketones (123) and (124), as shown in Scheme 52. The alicyclic compounds formed may be either small rings, e.g. cyclobutanone (123), or medium-sized rings like the 10-membered compound (124). In these reactions, the utility of TsMIC (120) is dependent on the good leaving group capacities of the tosyl and isonitrile moieties. The reagent (120) can also be used to synthesise heterocycles, e.g. oxazoles (125) (Scheme 53). 

Methoxy-2-alkenyl-2,5-dihydrooxazoles (182) are the products of a sequence of reactions that begins with the addition of tosylmethyl isocyanide to steroidal ketones <94JOC5650>. The isocyano-tosylmethylene intermediates react with formaldehyde, methanol and base to afford the products in good to excellent yields (Scheme 90). 

Isocyanides readily undergo cycloaddition reactions, and these are very valuable in the formation of heterocyclic rings. Reaction of j5-nitrostyrene with an alkyl isocyanide gives a hydroxy indole (146). Reaction proceeds even more readily between tosylmethyl isocyanide (147), in which the methylene is activated, and aryldiazonium compounds. With ketenes, isocyanides give imino lactones. However, with r-butylcyanoketene, the reaction follows a different pathway involving the carbonyl bond of the ketene, to yield 148. A [1 + 3] cycloaddition of an isocyanide to a 1,3-dipole has been used to prepare azetidines. The method has been used for synthesis of a number of azetidines . 

Tosylmethyl isocyanide (TosMIC) was employed in a key step for the synthesis of bicyclic heterocycles from L-glutamic acid <01H(55)2099>, while benzyl isocyanoacetate was utilized for reaction with a-acetoxynitro compound 41 to yield the pyrrole 42, an intermediate in the synthesis of (+)-deoxypyrro oline, a putative cross-link of bone collagen <01JOC11>. 

The use of tosylmethyl isocyanide and base to convert a ketone into the homologous nitrile has been reported in detail aldehydes give oxazole derivatives under the reaction conditions. " Ketones and aldehydes may be converted into the homologous nitrile by heating the hydrazone derivatives formed from 2,4,6-tri-iso-propylbenzenesulphonyl hydrazide with excess cyanide ion (Scheme 41). ... 

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