Retro-cycloadditions Diels-Alder reactions

Aungst and Funk reported studies on the related a-siloxy- 3-substituted acroleins such as 84 almost contemporaneously (Scheme 18.17) [23]. Siloxyacrolein 84 was prepared by a retro-hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of dioxin derivative 83. Compared with 79, compound 84 bears an additional carbon substituent that would further stabilize siloxyallyl cation 85 and favored its formation, with the result that even acyclic dienes like butadiene underwent [4+3] cycloaddition effectively. 

Although a-siloxyacroleins 84, 87a, and 87b had been separately prepared via a retro-hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of dioxin derivatives such as 83, Aungst and Funk also showed that tandem Me2AlCl-mediated decomposition of the dioxin derivative 97 to the a-siloxyenal intermediate 98 and intramolecular cycloaddition could occur in one pot to give good yields of fused bicyclic adducts (Scheme 18.21) [23]. 

Takeshita H., Mori A., Tian G. R. Carbon-Carbon Double Bond Formation by Means of High-Pressure Cycloaddition-Retro-Diels-Alder Reaction Between 2,3-Bis(Methoxycarbonyl)-7-Oxanorbornadiene and Dienes Yuki Gosei Kagaku Kyo-kaishi 1990 48 132-143... 

In this section are described those domino reactions which start with a retro-pericy-clic reaction. This may be a retro-Diels-Alder reaction, a retro-l,3-dipolar cycloaddition, or a retro-ene reaction, which is then usually followed by a pericyclic reaction as the second step. However, a combination is also possible with another type of transformation as, for example, an aldol reaction. 

Similarly, /V-sulfonyl-protected vinylimidazole 597 reacts with PTAD to provide the cycloaddition reaction product 598 which easily undergoes the retro-Diels-Alder reaction upon heating or with acid treatment. The primary product is easily isomerized using a base to the aromatized condensed imidazole 599 (Scheme 95) <1998TL4561>. 

Microwave heating has also been employed for performing retro-Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions, as exemplified in Scheme 6.94. In the context of preparing optically pure cross-conjugated cydopentadienones as precursors to arachidonic acid derivatives, Evans, Eddolls, and coworkers performed microwave-mediated Lewis acid-catalyzed retro-Diels-Alder reactions of suitable exo-cyclic enone building blocks [193, 194], The microwave-mediated transformations were performed in dichloromethane at 60-100 °C with 0.5 equivalents of methylaluminum dichloride as catalyst and 5 equivalents of maleic anhydride as cyclopentadiene trap. In most cases, the reaction was stopped after 30 min since continued irradiation eroded the product yields. The use of short bursts of microwave irradiation minimized doublebond isomerization. 

Cycloadditions selectively afford the adducts on the 6,6-ring junctions [65], and the products occasionally undergo a facile retro-Diels-Alder reaction as a consequence of the low thermodynamic stability of the adduct. Very stable Diels-Alder cycloadducts have, however, been prepared by use of different substituted o-quinodimethanes, probably because of stabilization by aromatization of the resulting adducts [66],... 

A convenient synthetic method for 1,2,3-triazoles unsubstituted at C-4 and C-5 utilizes a reaction of azides with norbornadiene, for example, Scheme 29 <2004JOC1081>. The process is performed in refluxing dioxane. In the first step, norbornadiene undergoes 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to glucose-derived azide 225 to give triazoline 226. The following retro Diels-Alder reaction results in the elimination of cyclopentadiene to furnish triazole derivative 227 in 79% yield. 

SCHEME 7. Competition between cycloadditions and retro- Diels -Alder reactions in the reaction of dicyanoacetylene and ll-methylene-l,6-methano[10]annulene... 

This chapter focuses on some typical examples, starting with the usual cycloaddition reactions and then the catalytic asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions, hetero Diels-Alder reactions, retro Diels-Alder reactions, and intramolecular... 

The heteroaromatic rings can sometimes be built up by a cycloaddition reaction, similarly to the ways in which the protic heteroaromatic parents can be formed. Frequently, a retro-Diels-Alder reaction is involved. Some examples are given in Table 4. 

The first stannenes were obtained as reactive intermediates that were identified by their reaction products.570,571 For example, Me2Sn=C(SiMe3)2 (Scheme 20) was prepared by the 1,2-elimination of LiBr, or by a retro-Diels-Alder reaction, and was characterized by cyclodimerization, by ene reactions with alkenes, and by cycloaddition with 1,4-dienes.572... 

The analogous transformation of 125, also realized by flash vacuum pyrolysis, gave rise to allenic oximes 126 [165], which are not directly accessible by the classical route starting from allenyl ketones and hydroxylamine (see Section 7.3.2) [122], Because compounds 125 are prepared from allenyl ketones and furan by [4 + 2]-cycloaddition followed by treatment with hydroxylamine, the retro-Diels-Alder reaction 125 —> 126 is in principle the removal of a protecting group (see also Scheme 7.46). 

Coordination of Ni(0) to the alkyne gives a n complex, which can be written in its Ni(II) resonance form. Coordination and insertion of another alkyne forms the new C6-C7 bond and gives a nickelacyclopenta-diene. Maleimide may react with the metallacycle by coordination, insertion, and reductive elimination to give a cyclohexadiene. Alternatively, [4+2] cycloaddition to the metallacycle followed by retro [4+1] cycloaddtion to expel Ni(0) gives the same cyclohexadiene. The cyclohexadiene can undergo Diels-Alder reaction with another equivalent of maleimide to give the observed product. 

While many observations are well understood, e.g. those dealing with the reaction rate or with the selectivity, there are some factors which cannot be generalized. Many transformations of particular reactants or under unusual reaction conditions led to unexpected results. There are often singular explanations for such reactions but no overall concept. For instance, computations on Diels-Alder transition structures and thermodynamics of retro-Diels-Alder reactions confirmed that the activation volume of these [4 + 2]-cycloadditions is negative80. This result, pointing to the compact character of the transition structure, is used to explain the dependence of reactivity and selectivity on internal as well as external pressure81-83. These effects are only observed at relatively high external pressures (Table 5). 

Uncatalysed Diels-Alder reactions usually have to be carried out at relatively high temperatures (normally around 100 °C)73, often leading to undesired side reactions and retro-Diels-Alder reactions which are entropically favoured. The Diels-Alder reaction became applicable to sensitive substrates only after it was realized that Lewis acids (e.g. A Clg) are catalytically active56. As a consequence, Diels-Alder reactions can now be carried out at temperatures down to — 100°C85. The use of Lewis acid catalysts made the [4 + 2]-cycloaddition applicable to the enantioselective synthesis of many natural compounds51,86. Nowadays, Lewis acid catalysis is the most effective way to accelerate and to stereochemically control Diels-Alder reactions. Rate accelerations of ten-thousand to a million-fold were observed (Table 7, entries A and B). 

For the synthesis of carazostatin (247), the required arylamine 708 was synthesized starting from 1-methoxycyclohexa-l, 3-diene (710) and methyl 2-decynoate (711). The key step in this route is the Diels-Alder cycloaddition of 710 and 711, followed by retro-Diels-Alder reaction with extrusion of ethylene to give 2-heptyl-6-methoxybenzoate (712). Using a three-step sequence, the methoxy-carbonyl group of compound 712 was transformed to the methyl group present in the natural product. 3-Heptyl-3-methylanisole (713) was obtained in 85% overall yield. Finally, the anisole 713 was transformed to the arylamine 708 by nitration and subsequent catalytic hydrogenation. This simple sequence provides the arylamine 708 in six steps and with 26% overall yield (597,598) (Scheme 5.66). 

Reaction of electron-deficient diaryl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine with Cgg may also be considered as a hetero-Diels-Alder reaction (Scheme 4.11) [82-84]. The initially formed Diels-Alder product undergoes a rapid retro-Diels-Alder reaction under loss of nitrogen, which renders the cycloaddition irreversible. The obtained diaryl-dihydropyridazine monoadducts are isolable but imstable and they react readily with water under the influence of light to afford a 1,4-hydrogenated product [82]. 

Generally, cycloadditions represent powerful reactions for construction of heterocycles. Tandem intramolecular Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder reaction sequences were applied in the syntheses of many A,B-diheteropentalenes <1996GHEC-II(7)1>. Gribble and co-workers <1998SL1061> reported new syntheses of pyrrolo[3,4-, ]indoles 426, benzo[4,5]furo[2,3-f]pyrroles 429, and benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-4pyrroles 430 using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition... 

The reaction of 8-chlorotheophyllines with nitrilium imides to give [l,2,4]triazolo[3,4y]purines may be described as a [3+2] cycloaddition process <2001JOC4055> see Section 10.11.5.1. The purine bicycle has been prepared through the Diels-Alder-retro-Diels-Alder reaction of 2,4,6-tris(ethoxycarbonyl)-l,3,5-triazine with 5-amino-l-benzylimida-zole <1999JA5833> see Section 10.11.10.3. 

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