Reductive domino processes

Cationic/reductive domino processes were first described in 2003, and are consequently among the youngest domino procedures described in this book. To date, only two (albeit very useful) examples typifying a combination of a cationic reaction with a reduction procedure have been identified. 

Oxidative or Reductive/Anionic/Oxidative or Reductive Domino Processes... 

For the reason of comparison and the development of new domino processes, we have created a classification of these transformations. As an obvious characteristic, we used the mechanism of the different bond-forming steps. In this classification, we differentiate between cationic, anionic, radical, pericyclic, photochemical, transition metal-catalyzed, oxidative or reductive, and enzymatic reactions. For this type... 

Anionic domino processes are the most often encountered domino reactions in the chemical literature. The well-known Robinson annulation, double Michael reaction, Pictet-Spengler cyclization, reductive amination, etc., all fall into this category. The primary step in this process is the attack of either an anion (e. g., a carban-ion, an enolate, or an alkoxide) or a pseudo anion as an uncharged nucleophile (e. g., an amine, or an alcohol) onto an electrophilic center. A bond formation takes place with the creation of a new real or pseudo-anionic functionality, which can undergo further transformations. The sequence can then be terminated either by the addition of a proton or by the elimination of an X group. 

Besides the numerous examples of anionic/anionic processes, anionic/pericydic domino reactions have become increasingly important and present the second largest group of anionically induced sequences. In contrast, there are only a few examples of anionic/radical, anionic/transition metal-mediated, as well as anionic/re-ductive or anionic/oxidative domino reactions. Anionic/photochemically induced and anionic/enzyme-mediated domino sequences have not been found in the literature during the past few decades. It should be noted that, as a consequence of our definition, anionic/cationic domino processes are not listed, as already stated for cationic/anionic domino processes. Thus, these reactions would require an oxidative and reductive step, respectively, which would be discussed under oxidative or reductive processes. 

This chapter begins by classifying the combinations of oxidation/reduction processes with subsequent cationic transformations, though to date the details of only two examples have been published. The first example comprises an asymmetric epoxidation/ring expansion domino process of aryl-substituted cyclopropyl-idenes (e. g., 7-1) to provide chiral cyclobutanones 7-3 via 7-2, which was first described by Fukumoto and coworkers (Scheme 7.1) [2]. 

The Bunce group disclosed a straightforward domino process for the construction of aryl-fused nitrogen heterocycles by employing a combination of a reduction and a Michael addition [20]. The transformation involves an initial Fe-mediated reduction of nitroarenes 7-38, furnishing an aniline which undergoes a subsequent... 

Scheme 7.20. Zn-mediated domino reduction/biscyclization process in the total synthesis of (-)-strychnine (7-76).

Scheme 7.44. Sml2-promoted domino reductive desulfuration/reductive coupling process of lactams 7-166 with an aldehyde.

Given the previous discussion on reductive amination, it is surprising that the potentially more complicated domino hydroformylation-reductive amination reactions have been more thoroughly developed. The first example of hydroaminomethylation was reported as early as 1943 [83]. The most synthetically useful procedures utilize rhodium [84-87], ruthenium [88], or dual-metal (Rh/Ir) catalysts [87, 89, 90]. This area was reviewed extensively by one of the leading research groups in 1999 [91], and so is only briefly outlined here as the second step in the domino process is reductive amination of aldehydes. Eilbrachfs group have shown that linear selective hydroaminomethylation of 1,2-disubstituted alkenes... 

Reactions where the reduction of a functionalized nitrogen, or the deprotection of an amine group, start a domino process with the sequential formation of the two rings of the indolizidine system, find many examples in the literature. A recent one is provided by the synthesis of (—)-indolizidine 223AB <20040L1493> (Scheme 10). 

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