Synthetic applications of Diels-Alder

Side Note 15.2. Synthetic Applications of Diels-Alder Reactions... 

The most fully explored synthetic applications of Diels-Alder reaction in annotation of pyrroles and indoles involves use of vinyl derivatives. Because of the donor character of the heteroaromatic ring, vinylpyrroles and vinylindoles react as electron-rich dienes. Various aspects of both the synthesis and cycloaddition reactions of vinylindoles have been reviewed. <85JHC585, 86CZ95, 88H(27)1253>. 

The Development and Synthetic Application of Diels-Alder Reaction... 

Cycloaddition involves the combination of two molecules in such a way that a new ring is formed. The principles of conservation of orbital symmetry also apply to concerted cycloaddition reactions and to the reverse, concerted fragmentation of one molecule into two or more smaller components (cycloreversion). The most important cycloaddition reaction from the point of view of synthesis is the Diels-Alder reaction. This reaction has been the object of extensive theoretical and mechanistic study, as well as synthetic application. The Diels-Alder reaction is the addition of an alkene to a diene to form a cyclohexene. It is called a [47t + 27c]-cycloaddition reaction because four tc electrons from the diene and the two n electrons from the alkene (which is called the dienophile) are directly involved in the bonding change. For most systems, the reactivity pattern, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity are consistent with describing the reaction as a concerted process. In particular, the reaction is a stereospecific syn (suprafacial) addition with respect to both the alkene and the diene. This stereospecificity has been demonstrated with many substituted dienes and alkenes and also holds for the simplest possible example of the reaction, that of ethylene with butadiene ... 

Furan is an excellent diene in a wide variety of Diels-Alder reactions, providing oxabicyclic compounds with useful synthetic applications. However, Diels-Alder reactions with furans are often reversible and require a highly reactive dienophile in order to provide useful yields of the cycloadduct. As shown in Scheme 17, furans have now been shown to undergo synthetically useful Diels-Alder reactions with azirines. The reaction of furan with azirine 91 provides cycloadduct 92 in 100% yield <1998J(P1)299>. Aziridine 92, while crystalline, is moisture sensitive, decomposing to aziridine 93. An X-ray structure of 92 was obtained which confirmed the exo-natute of the cycloaddition reaction in contrast to the r/o-cycloadditions seen in the formation of 88 <2001J(P1)2969>. 

Weinreb, S. M., Staib, R. R. Synthetic aspects of Diels-Alder cycioadditions with heterodienophiles. Tetrahedron 1982, 38, 3087-3128. Boger, D. L. Diels-Alder reactions of heterocyclic aza dienes. Scope and applications. Chem. Rev. 1986, 86, 781-794. 

Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry (PHC) Volume 7 reviews critically the heterocyclic literature published mainly in 1994. The first two chapters are traditionally review articles. Chapter 1 surveys useful synthetic routes to "Polyfunctional Pyrroles and Pyrazoles" starting from conjugated azoalkenes. This review is based on the researches of O. A. Attanasi and his school in Urbino (Italy). As last year the second review is unconventional, comprising a compilation of the" Application of Diels-Alder Cycloaddition Chemistry for Heterocyclic Synthesis". It is written by our president A. Padwa and is in an unusual format with a pertinent list of references dating back forty years in some cases. We were encouraged to include this review because of favourable comments received from readers about this type of survey in PHC Volume 6. 

Unfortunately, the number of mechanistic studies in this field stands in no proportion to its versatility" . Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the beneficial effect of Lewis-acids on the rate of the Diels-Alder reaction can be primarily ascribed to a reduction of the enthalpy of activation ( AAH = 30-50 kJ/mole) leaving the activation entropy essentially unchanged (TAAS = 0-10 kJ/mol)" . Solvent effects on Lewis-acid catalysed Diels-Alder reactions have received very little attention. A change in solvent affects mainly the coordination step rather than the actual Diels-Alder reaction. Donating solvents severely impede catalysis . This observation justifies the widespread use of inert solvents such as dichloromethane and chloroform for synthetic applications of Lewis-acid catalysed Diels-Alder reactions. 

The Diels-Alder reaction is often quoted as an example of a reaction that is little influenced by the solvent. However, this is not fully justified, since particularly water can have a pronounced effect on the rate of this reaction. This was first noticed by E elte et al." in 1973 and rediscovered in 1980 by Breslow In the years that followed this intriguing discovery, it turned out that acceleration of Diels-Alder reactions by water is a general phenomenon that can ultimately result in up to 12,800 fold accelerations". Synthetic applications followed rapidly". ... 

Synthesis of multisubstituted furan rings using silyl protection 99CSR209. Synthetic applications of furan Diels-Alder chemistry 97T14179. Transformation of furans to N-heterocycles by aza-Achmatovicz reaction 98SL105. 

Tfctcro-Diels Alder reaction is a powerful methodology in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. Using the high pressure technique has greatly extended the synthetic applications of this methodology. 

Kappe C. O., Murphree S. S., Padwa A. Synthetic Applications of Fnran Diels-Alder Chemistry Tetrahedron 1997 53 14179-14233... 

Dias L. C. Chiral Lewis Acid Catalysts in Diels-Alder Cycloadditions Mechanistic Aspects and Synthetic Applications of Recent Systems J. Braz. Chem. Soc. 1997 8 289-332... 

The first chapter presents the general aspects of the reaction Chapters 2-6 illustrate the various methods and their applications in organic synthesis. At the end of each chapter a list of graphically abstracted Diels-Alder reactions is presented to show selected synthetic applications of the specific methodology. The discussion of the various topics is not exhaustive because our aim has been to emphasize the synthetic potential of each method. Chapter 7 reports a list of books, reviews, monographs and symposia proceedings which have appeared since 1990 and an index of keywords to help the reader find a particular paper of interest. 

Synthetic Applications of the Diels-Alder Reaction. Diels-Alder reactions have long played an important role in synthetic organic chemistry.74 The reaction of a substituted benzoquinone and 1,3-butadiene, for example, was the first step in one of the early syntheses of steroids. The angular methyl group was introduced by the methyl group on the quinone and the other functional groups were used for further elaboration. 

Synthetic applications of other decarbonylation reactions are found in the conversion of cyclooctatetraene to barrelene 250), with the photodecarbonyla-tion of a Diels-Alder adduct as key step (2.31) and the preparation of tetrathioesters from 1,3-dithioles (2.32) 251). The most remarcable application of such a reaction up to date is the synthesis of tetra t.butyltetrahedrane from a tricyclic ketone precursor (2.33) 252). 

Apart from cydopentadiene 309a, furan [151, 165, 321-323, 327, 329] and pyrrole derivatives [158, 325] 309b and 309c, respectively, are also often used as dienes. Recently, the synthetic applications of furan Diels-Alder chemistry were reviewed comprehensively [330]. In the case of a,/3-unsaturated hydrazones 312, isomerization and elimination of dimethylamine convert the Diels-Alder products 314, which... 

Cycloadditions and cyclization reactions are among the most important synthetic applications of donor-substituted allenes, since they result in the formation of a variety of carbocyclic and heterocyclic compounds. Early investigations of Diels-Alder reactions with alkoxyallenes demonstrated that harsh reaction conditions, e.g. high pressure, high temperature or Lewis acid promotion, are often required to afford the corresponding heterocycles in only poor to moderate yield [12b, 92-94]. Although a,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have not been used extensively as heterodienes, considerable success has been achieved with activated enone 146 (Eq. 8.27) or with the electron-deficient tosylimine 148 (Eq. 8.28). Both dienes reacted under... 

The activation of various reactions by Lewis acids is now an everyday practice in synthetic organic chemistry. In contrast, solvent effects on Lewis acid catalysed Diels-Alder reactions have received much less attention. A change in the solvent can affect the association step leading to the transition structure. Ab initio calculations on the Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and methyl vinyl ketone in aqueous media showed that there is a complex of the reactants which also involves one water molecule119. In an extreme case solvents can even impede catalysis120. The use of inert solvents such as dichloromethane and chloroform for synthetic applications of Lewis acid catalysed Diels-Alder reactions is thus well justified. General solvent effects, in particular those of water, will be discussed in the following section. 

Another useful synthetic application of a Diels-Alder adduct of the chloro ester 1-Me is the facile preparation of the spirocyclopropanated analog 75 of so-called naked sugar 76 [50] (Scheme 19) [30]. The transformation of the adduct endo-59a of 1-Me onto furan (57) into a-chloroamide 74 followed by fragmentation of the latter under basic conditions allowed to prepare the versatile building block 75 in 71 % overall yield. Starting from isomer exo-59a, the yields were 82 and 52% for the first and the second step, respectively. The analogous trans-... 

K. Mikami, Y. Motoyama, and M. Terada, Asymmetric catalysis of Diels-Alder cycloadditions by an MS-free binaphthol-titanium complex dramatic effect of MS, linear vs positive nonlinear relationship and synthetic applications, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 116 (1994) 2812-2820. 

C. O. Kappe, S. S. Murphree, A. Padwa, Synthetic Applications of Furan Diels-Alder Chemistry Tetrahedron 1997, 53 14179-14231. 

Compounds with an additional 2-vinyl group, easily available in two steps from a,J -unsaturated ketones, are of special interest. If the reactive vinyl ketone moiety is liberated, it can be trapped in situ by suitable nucleophiles, e.g. CH-acids, generating polyfunctional compounds or by a diene unit which undergoes an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction (equation 93). Besides, radical additions to the vinylcyclopropane are also possible giving silyl enol ethers as ring-opened products . Future synthetic applications of theses processes are obvious. 

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