1.3- Sigmatropic proton shifts

Under acidic conditions, the first step involves protonation of the imine nitrogen followed by tautomerization to form an ene-hydrazine intermediate (7). After the tautomerization, a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement occurs, which provides intermediate 8. Rearomatization then occurs via a proton shift to form the imine 9 which cyclizes to form the 5-membered ring 10. Finally, loss of ammonia from 11 generates the indole nucleus in 12. 

There are other types of proton shift tautomers, such as phenol/dienone, nitroso/oxime and imine/enamine, but these are less often encountered. There are also valence tautomers that exhibit fluxional structures, which undergo rapid sigmatropic rearrangements. Molecules that exhibit this type of isomerism are very interesting, but are not often encountered in undergraduate courses. An example of a valence tautomer is illustrated by the Cope system. 

The change in the activation barrier is even more drastic in the case of the proton transfer HNC - HCN when four water molecules have been added [98]. Stereochemistry of the 1,2-sigmatropic hydrogen shift requires precisely that number of water molecules for an energetically favored transition state to be formed. Note that the question has not been resolved yet as to the probabilities of formation of the to such a degree ordered chains of water molecules in solution and, consequently, as to the compatibility of the conclusions drawn from the model description of the medium with the statistical nature of the liquid phase. 

The dienol is unstable, and two separate processes have been identified for ketonization. These are a 1,5-sigmatropic shift of hydrogen leading back to the enone and a base-catalyzed proton transfer which leads to the / ,y-enone. The deconjugated enone is formed because of the kinetic preference for reprotonation of the dienolate at the a carbon. Photochemical deconjugation is a synthetically useful way of effecting isomerization of a,) -unsaturated ketones and esters to the j ,y-isomers. 

When the migrating group is allyl, an additional concerted ([2,3] sigmatropic) pathway for rearrangement becomes available. In this an allylic shift must also occur. Nevertheless, the radical pathway is not always excluded. For example, rearrangement of ylids such as 36 (R = CHs.CO) leads to product 37 (R = CH3.CO) in which the allylic protons adjacent to the amido-nitrogen atom appear in emission (D. G. Morris, 1969). No polarization is observed in the much readier... 

As an extension of this work, Atkinson and co-workers (123) prepared l-dibenzylamino-l,2-dihydro-2-quinolone (78) and 1 -(/V-benzy l-N-carboxy-methyl)amino-l, 2-dihydro-2-quinolone (79). The benzylic protons of 78 showed an AB quartet that did not coalesce up to 180°C, and 79 was resolved into optical isomers. The E, for racemization was 26.2 0.4 kcal/mol. Various attempts were made to elucidate the possible pathways for isomerization in these quinolone derivatives (123). Radical dissociation, a sigmatropic shift followed by rotation, and restricted rotation about the S—N bond were excluded. The aforementioned authors (123) also excluded the possibility of nitrogen inversion and preferred restricted rotation about the N—N bond as an explanation for the existence of stereoisomers. They supported this explanation by examining the steric effects... 

If the ylidic compound is a benzo fused system, alternative reaction schemes take over. 3,2-Sigmatropic shifts are no longer favoured, and proton abstraction with the formation of isomeric ylides, or elimination processes, become important. Equations (24) (77JOC3945)... 

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