1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinoline

Ru(OCOCH2)2[(3)-BINAP]-(106)-catalyzed reduction of precursor olefin (107). The asymmetric synthesis of analgesic tetrahydroisoquinolines makes use... 

Isoquinoline can be reduced quantitatively over platinum in acidic media to a mixture of i j -decahydroisoquinoline [2744-08-3] and /n j -decahydroisoquinoline [2744-09-4] (32). Hydrogenation with platinum oxide in strong acid, but under mild conditions, selectively reduces the benzene ring and leads to a 90% yield of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinoline [36556-06-6] (32,33). Sodium hydride, in dipolar aprotic solvents like hexamethylphosphoric triamide, reduces isoquinoline in quantitative yield to the sodium adduct [81045-34-3] (25) (152). The adduct reacts with acid chlorides or anhydrides to give N-acyl derivatives which are converted to 4-substituted 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines. Sodium borohydride and carboxylic acids combine to provide a one-step reduction—alkylation (35). Sodium cyanoborohydride reduces isoquinoline under similar conditions without N-alkylation to give... 

An enzyme-catalyzed appHcation has been used to prepare the enantiomers of hydroxy-substituted tetrahydroisoquinolines (160). The synthesis of ( V)-reticuline [485-19-8] (30) has been reported using similar methodology (161). The substitution of formic acid and paraformaldehyde in this method leads to lower reaction temperatures, freedom from hydrolysis of protective groups, and improved yields (162). 

Ahl and Reichstein have pointed out that though it is certain that the structure of emetine includes one, and possibly two, 6 7-dimethoxy-tetrahydroisoquinoline nuclei, the suggestions so far made as to the nature of the rest of the molecule are speculative. They investigated the Hofmann degradation of A-acetylemetine, m.p. 97-9°. This forms a monomethiodide, m.p. 2ia-6°, from which, by the action of silver oxide and potassium hydroxide, followed by eautious tbermal deeomposition and reacetylation,... 

Kai-ho-chien 775 Ketodihydromethylmorphimethine, 235 l-Keto-6 7-dimethoxy-2-methyI-tetrahydroisoquinoline, 354 Ketohydroxycassanic acid, 728, 729, 730 Ketohydroxycassenic acid. See Cassaic acid, 728... 

Tetrahydroisoquinoline is a stronger base than tetrahydroquinoline. The unshared electron pair of tetrahydroquinoline is delocalized into the aromatic ring, and this substance resembles aniline in its basicity, whereas tetrahydroisoquinoline resembles an alkylamine. 

When the 1-monoximes or dioximes of 4-acetyl-l-tetralones are hydrogenated in the presence of palladium, mixtures of diastereoisomeric 1-aminotetralones are formed. The m-aminoketone isomers readily form dehydrobenzoisoquinuclideines (3,4-disubstituted-1,4-dihydro-1,4-ethano-isoquinolines). Quaternary immonium salts prepared from these bicyclic imines are then converted by bases to bicyclic enamines [2,4-disubstituted-3-alkylidene-1,4-ethano-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines (25)]. 

Treatment of cotarnine and similar compounds with hydrogen cyanide, alkoxides, mercaptides, hydroxylamine, hydrazine, and amines has been reported to give 1-substituted derivatives of 1,2,3-tetrahydroisoquinoline (171, R = CN, OR, SP, NHOH, NHNH, NHR) (262-265). 

Reactions of 3- and 4-piperidone-derived enamines with a dienester gave intermediates which could be dehydrogenated to tetrahydroquinolines and tetrahydroisoquinolines (678). The methyl vinyl ketone annelation of pyrrolines was extended to an erythrinan synthesis (679). Perhydrophenan-threnones were obtained from 1-acetylcyclohexene and pyrrolidinocyclo-hexene (680) or alternatively from Birch reduction and cyclization of a 2-pyridyl ethyl ketone intermediate, which was formed by alkylation of an enamine with a 2-vinylpyridine (681). 

A common modification of the Bischler-Napieralski reaction involves reduction of the dihydroisoquinoline product 2 to provide a tetrahydroisoquinoline derivative 19. A variety of different reducing agents have been employed, with NaBHi used with the greatest frequency. In many cases the reduction is carried out on the crude product of the Bischler-Napieralski reaction purification of the dihydroisoquinoline prior to reduction is usually not necessary. 

The Bischler-Napieralski reaction is one of the most widely used methods for the construction of dihydro- and tetrahydroisoquinoline units in the synthesis of alkaloid natural products. A few representative examples of the Bischler-Napieralski reaction in complex alkaloid syntheses are shown below. 

The Pictet-Spengler reaction is one of the key methods for construction of the isoquinoline skeleton, an important heterocyclic motif found in numerous bioactive natural products. This reaction involves the condensation of a P-arylethyl amine 1 with an aldehyde, ketone, or 1,2-dicarbonyl compound 2 to give the corresponding tetrahydroisoquinoline 3. These reactions are generally catalyzed by protic or Lewis acids, although numerous thermally-mediated examples are found in the literature. Aromatic compounds containing electron-donating substituents are the most reactive substrates for this reaction. 

In 1911, Ame Pictet and Theodor Spengler reported that P-arylethyl amines condensed with aldehydes in the presence of acid to give tetrahydroisoquinolines. Phenethylamine 6 was combined with dimethoxymethane 7 and HCl at elevated temperatures to give tetrahydroisoquinoline 8. Soon after, the Pictet-Spengler reaction became the standard method for the formation of tetrahydroisoquinolines. 

The Pictet-Spengler reaction is an acid-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of an intermediate imine of 2-arylethylamine, formed by condensation with a carbonyl compound, to give 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives. This condensation reaction has been studied under acid-catalyzed and superacid-catalyzed conditions, and a linear correlation had been found between the rate of the reaction and the acidity of the reaction medium. Substrates with electron-donating substituents on the aromatic ring cyclize faster than the corresponding unsubstituted compounds, supporting the idea that the cyclization process is involved in the rate-determining step of the reaction. 

Under acidic conditions, imine 12 is protonated to give the iminium ion 13 which undergoes an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction to form the new carbon-carbon bond. Rapid loss of a proton and concomitant re-aromatization gives the tetrahydroisoquinoline 14. 

The Pictet-Spengler reaction has been carried out on various solid support materials " and with microwave irradiation activation.Diverse structural analogues of (-)-Saframycin A have been prepared by carrying out the Pictet-Spengler isoquinoline synthesis on substrates attached to a polystyrene support. Amine 20 was condensed with aldehyde 21 followed by cyclization to give predominantly the cis isomer tetrahydroisoquinoline 22 which was further elaborated to (-)-Saframycin A analogues. 

Stereoselectivity in the condensation reaction of 2-arylethylamines with carbonyl compounds to give 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives was somewhat dependent on whether acid catalysis or superacid catalysis was invoked. Particularly in the cases of 2-alkyl-N-benzylidene-2-phenethylamines, an enhanced stereoselectivity was observed with trifluorosulfonic acid (TFSA) as compared with the weaker acid, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Compound 43 was cyclized in the presence of TFA to give modest to good transicis product ratios. The analogous compound 44 was cyclized in the presence of TFSA to give slightly improved transicis product ratios. 

A -sulfinyl chiral auxiliaries have been used to prepare enantiopure tetrahydro-P-carbolines and tetrahydroisoquinolines in good yields under mild reaction conditions. Both enantiomers of V-p-toluenesulfinyltryptamine 46 could be readily prepared from the commercially available Andersen reagents.Compound 46 reacted with various aliphatic aldehydes in the presence of camphorsulfonic acid at -78 °C to give the A-sulfinyl tetrahydro-P-carbolines 47 in good yields. The major diastereomers were obtained after a single crystallization. Removal of the sulfinyl auxiliaries under mildly acidic conditions produced the tetrahydro-P-carbolines 48 as single enantiomers. 

Model studies directed toward the synthesis of Ecteinascidin 743 employed an elegant Pictet-Spengler cyclization of phenethylamine 54 and the 1,2-dicarbonyl compound 55 to assemble the spiro tetrahydroisoquinoline 56 in a stereospecific fashion. " The silica-catalyzed condensation reaction provided 56 in excellent yield. 

The Pomeranz-Fritsch-Bobbitt reaction has been utilized for the preparation of 4-hydroxy tetrahydroisoquinoline 31 in excellent yield. In this example 2,5-disubstituted benzaldehyde 29 has been successfully used as the reacting partner. 

Fritsch-Bobbitt reaction to synthesize tetrahydroisoquinoline portion Pomeranz-... 

Implication of the same type of intermediate (342 X = H) allows the rationaUzation of the acid-catalyzed decarboxylation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-j8-carboline-l-carboxylic acids. As is stated in Section III,A,1, a, the tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-carboxylic acids and a-amino acids of analogous structure are converted into the corresponding... 

---