Simple Cyclization Reactions

As far as the simple cyclization step (involving theoretically the formation of a new intramolecular C—C bond) is concerned, the approaches published so far belong to two fundamentally different groups. 

The theories give no exact predictions as far as the structure of the ring produced is concerned. Electronic factors [such as partial carbonization of the surface (5) or the difference between the partial charge of the primary and that of the secondary carbon atom (75)] have been proposed to explain the predominance of C5 or Cg cyclic production, respectively. 

In the literature, the following pathways have been mentioned so far for various types of cyclization  

Stepwise Cg dehydrocyclization (aromatization) involving the gradual loss of hydrogen atoms from an alkane followed by a triene - cyclo-hexadiene ring closure step 20, 21). This can be  

The dehydrogenation of the cyclohexadiene species into aromatics should be catalytic. 

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The key features of the catalytic cycle are trapping of the radical generated after cycliza-tion by an a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compound, reduction of the enol radical to give an enolate, and subsequent protonation of the titanocene alkoxide and enolate. The diaster-eoselectivity observed is essentially the same as that achieved in the simple cyclization reaction. An important point is that the tandem reactions can be carried out with alkynes as radical acceptors. The trapping of the formed vinyl radical with unsaturated carbonyl compounds occurs with very high stereoselectivity, as shown in Scheme 12.21. 

Page and Jencks (16) estimated that the entropy changes in solution may correspond to an effective concentration of about 6 x 10 M, and high EM values [10 -10 M] have been measured for simple cyclization reactions (17). However, with rare exceptions, the simple approximation of reactants with the help of synthetic supramolecular assemblies results in rate increases that are tiny by comparison with those achieved by enzymes, as evidenced by typical EM values of less than 10 M. 

This method has been used for the synthesis of a series of skipped cyclic ene- and diene-diynes [5]. Remarkably high yields are obtained in some cases even for strained compounds, e.g., 4,9-diisopropylidene-l,6-cyclodecadiyne (6) can be obtained in yield by this simple cyclization reaction. The power of this method is further demonstrated by the remarkable synthesis of a tetrasilacyclohexyne (9) by Barton et al. [Eq. (1)] [6]. 

In self-assembly with covalent modification, conventional organic reactions are typically performed on self-assembled structures in order to lock them into a kinetically stable state." ] For the preparation of catenanes, the self-assembly step is generally used to generate a precursor molecule with a disposition that allows for ready conversion to a kinetically stable catenane structure. The self-assembly step is most often employed to bring about interlocking, giving rotaxane or pseudorotaxane intermediates. These are subsequently converted to catenanes by simple cyclization reactions. 

Thiophene [110-02-1] and a number of its derivatives are significant in fine chemical industries as intermediates to many products for pharmaceutical, agrochemical, dyestuffs, and electronic appHcations. This article concentrates on the industrial, commercial, and economic aspects of the production and apphcations of thiophene and thiophene derivatives and details the main synthetic schemes to the parent ring system and simple alkyl and aryl derivatives. Functionalization of the ring and the synthesis of some functional derivatives that result, not from the parent ring system, but by direct ring cyclization reactions are also considered. Many good reviews on the chemistry of thiophene and thiophene derivatives are available (1 7). 

At higher temperatures the mixture of 10 and methyl vinyl ketone yields the 1,4-carbocyclic compound as described previously. Methyl isopropenyl ketone (5), ethyl acetylacrylate (d), 2-cyclohexenone (21), and 1-acetyl-1-cyclohexene (22) also undergo this type of cyclization reaction with enamines at higher temperatures. This cycloalkylation reaction occurs with enamines made of strongly basic amines such as pyrrolidine, but the less reactive morpholine enamine combines with methyl vinyl ketone to give only a simple alkylated product (7). Chlorovinyl ketones yield pyrans when allowed to react with the enamines of either alicyclic ketones or aldehydes (23). 

Dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (80) undergoes initial 1,2 cycloaddition with acyclic enamines to form cyclobutene intermediates which immediately decompose into acyclic dienaminodiesters (94,95). When an acyclic n/c-enediamine is used instead of a simple acyclic enamine, a dienediamino-diester is produced via a cyclobutene intermediate (95a). A cyclization reaction of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate with an acyclic enaminoketone... 

Thus, simple ketones or aliphatic aldehydes may be successfully used as starting materials in the CSIC (Carbanion mediated Sulfonate Intramolecular Cyclization) reaction. Ai-alkylsulfonamides could be also cyclized under CSIC conditions (99T(55)7625) affording the spiroisothiazoline 79. By treatment with TMSCl, Nal in acetonitrile at r.t., hydrolysis of the enamine and formation of the corresponding keto derivative 80 was obtained. 

The stability of a trivial assembly is simply determined by the thermodynamic properties of the discrete intermolecular binding interactions involved. Cooperative assembly processes involve an intramolecular cyclization, and this leads to an enhanced thermodynamic stability compared with the trivial analogs. The increase in stability is quantified by the parameter EM, the effective molarity of the intramolecular process, as first introduced in the study of intramolecular covalent cyclization reactions (6,7). EM is defined as the ratio of the binding constant of the intramolecular interaction to the binding constant of the corresponding intermolecular interaction (Scheme 2). The former can be determined by measuring the stability of the self-assembled structure, and the latter value is determined using simple monofunctional reference compounds. 

Clerici and Porta reported that phenyl, acetyl and methyl radicals add to the Ca atom of the iminium ion, PhN+Me=CHMe, formed in situ by the titanium-catalyzed condensation of /V-methylanilinc with acetaldehyde to give PhNMeCHMePh, PhNMeCHMeAc, and PhNMeCHMe2 in 80% overall yield.83 Recently, Miyabe and co-workers studied the addition of various alkyl radicals to imine derivatives. Alkyl radicals generated from alkyl iodide and triethylborane were added to imine derivatives such as oxime ethers, hydrazones, and nitrones in an aqueous medium.84 The reaction also proceeds on solid support.85 A-sulfonylimines are also effective under such reaction conditions.86 Indium is also effective as the mediator (Eq. 11.49).87 A tandem radical addition-cyclization reaction of oxime ether and hydrazone was also developed (Eq. 11.50).88 Li and co-workers reported the synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives and amines via the addition of simple alkyl halides to imines and enamides mediated by zinc in water (Eq. 11.51).89 The zinc-mediated radical reaction of the hydrazone bearing a chiral camphorsultam provided the corresponding alkylated products with good diastereoselectivities that can be converted into enantiomerically pure a-amino acids (Eq. 11.52).90... 

A simple cyclization was carried out to test the ability of chloro azidoalkene cyclization to generate quinolizidines. Reduction of 6-valerolactone to the corresponding lactol was followed by a Wittig reaction onto the carbonyl function employing an appropriate phosphonium salt, and the intermediate primary alcohol thus formed afforded the chloro... 

Aside from alcohols, other oxygen nucleophiles have also participated in hydroalkoxylation reactions with alkynes. The most common of these are 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, whose enol oxygens are readily available to add to alkynes. Cyclization reactions of this type have been carried out under Pd(0) catalysis with various aryl or vinyl iodides or triflates, often in the presence of CO, affording the corresponding furan derivatives (Equation (95)).337-340 A similar approach employing cyclic 1,3-diketones has also been reported to prepare THFs and dihydropyrans under Pd, Pt, or W catalysis.341 Simple l-alkyn-5-ones have also been isomerized to furans under the influence of Hg(OTf)2.342... 

A similar silastannative cyclization reaction has been extensively studied with 1,6-enynes (Table 9).271-274 Several palladium catalysts including palladium(0)-DBA complex and even a heterogeneous catalyst are effective, whereas Pd(PPh3)4 gives an uncyclized simple adduct predominantly. 

Grigg has utilized the Heck reaction in several ways, from the simple cyclization of N-(2-iodobenzoyl)pyrrole (139) to afford tricyclic lactam (140) [100] to the complex cascade... 

Acyl-transfer reactions are some of the most important conversions in organic chemistry and biochemistry. Recent work has shown that adjacent cationic groups can also activate amides in acyl-transfer reactions. Friedel-Crafts acylations are known to proceed well with carboxylic acids, acid chlorides (and other halides), and acid anhydrides, but there are virtually no examples of acylations with simple amides.19 During studies related to unsaturated amides, we observed a cyclization reaction that is essentially an intramolecular acyl-transfer reaction involving an amide (eq 15). The indanone product is formed by a cyclization involving the dicationic species (40). To examine this further, the related amides 41 and 42 were studied in superacid promoted conversions (eqs 16-17). It was found that amide 42 leads to the indanone product while 41... 

Most, perhaps all, of the reactions that simple alkenes undergo are also available to allenes. By virtue of their strain and of the small steric requirement of the sp-hybrid-ized carbon atom, the reactions of allenes usually take place more easily than the corresponding reactions of olefins. Because the allenes can also be chiral, they offer opportunities for control of the reaction products that are not available to simple alkenes. Finally, some reaction pathways are unique to allenes. For example, deprotonation of allenes with alkyllithium reagents to form allenyl anions is a facile process that has no counterpart in simple alkenes. These concepts will be illustrated by the discussion of cyclization reactions of allenes that follows. 

In other Pd(II)-catalyzed reactions, combining a cyclization with a coupling reaction, the furans which stem from a simple cycloisomerization reaction without coupling are often observed as side-products, occasionally in significant yield. Several examples have been reported by Ma and co-workers [74, 75],... 

As an extension of the Heck reaction, Pd-catalyzed hydroarylation of alkynes and alkenes continnes to attract high level of research interest in simple couphng processes and in cyclization reactions. The use of this type of transformation as part of a domino reaction will be of increasing interest. The research in the field of domino reactions is attracting considerable attention in synthetic organic chemistry since it enables the rapid assembly of complex molecirles in one-pot processes. Very elegant examples of palladium-catalyzed cascade processes where a single catalytic cycle entails several sequential bond transformations have been recently reported [la, b, 2a, b, c]. 

Mechanistic aspects of the intermolecular cyclization reaction in the anodic oxidation of catechol in the presence of 4-hydroxycoumarin were discussed in Sect. 2.2. This reaction is a synthetically simple and versatile method for the preparation of formally [3 + 2] cycloadducts between a -diketo compound and catechol [44,45]. Anodic oxidation of catechol using controlled potential electrolysis (E = 0.9-1.1 V vs SCE) or constant current electrolysis (i = 5 mA/cm ) was performed in water solution containing sodium acetate (0.15 mol/1) in the presence of various nucleophiles such as 4-hydroxycoumarin,... 

A common feature of any cyclization reaction is that a new intramolecular C—C bond is produced that would not have been formed in the absence of the catalyst. Those reactions in which one ring closure step is sufficient to explain the formation of a given cyclic product will be called simple cyclization processes, although their mechanism is, as a rule, complex. We shall distinguish those cases in which any additional skeletal rearrangement step(s) is (are) required to explain the process. Some specific varieties of hydrocarbon ring closure processes are not included. A recent excellent review deals with the formation of a second ring in an alkyl-substituted aromatic compound (12). Dehydrocyclodimerization reactions have also to be omitted—all the more since it is doubtful whether a metallic function itself is able to catalyze this process (13). 

In all of the cyclization reactions, Moeller has found only a small difference between the use of alkyl and silyl enol ethers. Since both styrenes and enol ethers have similar oxidation potentials, even the styrene moiety could function as the initiator for oxidative cyclization reactions. The anodic oxidation of simple styrene type precursors leads to low yields of cyclized products so that enol ether moiety seems to be the more efficient initiator for intramolecular anodic coupling reactions [93]. 

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