Tetrahydroisoquinoline hydrogenation

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... 

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). 

Depending on the reaction temperature and reaction time, tetrahydroisoquinoline 357 afforded different mixtures of 1,2,3,4,11,11 a-hcxahydro-6//-pyrazino[ 1,2-3]isoquinolines 358-361 and tetracyclic compound 362 (Scheme 30) <2005JA16796>. Each of the individual diastereoisomers 358-361 could be transformed into the compound 362. z7r-3//,4a//-3-Phcnylpcrhydropyra/ino[ 1,2-7]isoquinoline-l,4-dione was prepared via automated parallel solid-phase synthesis on Kaiser oxime resin <1998BML2369>. l,2,3,5,6,7-Hexahydropyrido[l,2,3-r/f ]quinoxaline-2,5-dionc was obtained by catalytic hydrogenation of ethyl 3-(2-oxo-l,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5-quinoxalinyl)acrylate in the presence of TsOH over 5% Pd/C catalyst under 40 psi of hydrogen <1996JME4654>. 

Two molecules with comparable geometry in an asymmetric unit were found for 3,4-bis(4-fluorophenyl)-l,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxide. The bond length of the dipolar N-O bond is 1.107 (7) A <2006AXEo4827>. In the molecule of 5-(6,7-dimethoxy-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-2-yl)-4-phenyl-l,2,5-oxadiazole Ar-oxide, the six-membered heterocyclic ring has a flattened boat form. Intermolecular C-H- O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into dimers, which may be effective in the stabilization of the crystal structure <2006AXEo3130>. 

Enantioselective catalytic hydrogenation. The ruthenium(II) complexes of (R)- and (S)-l, bearing a chiral BINAP ligand, catalyze asymmetric hydrogenation of N-acyl-l-alkylidenetetrahydroisoquinolines to give (1R)- or (lS)-tetrahydroiso-quinolines in 95-100% ee.1 Thus the (Z)-enamide (2), prepared by acylation of 3,4-dihydropapaverine, is hydrogenated in the presence of (R)-l to (1R)-tetrahydroisoquinolines (3). The enantiomeric (lS)-3 is obtained on use of (S)-l as catalyst. 

IsoquinoUne was converted to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline in 89% yield by reduction with sodium in liquid ammonia and ethanol [473], and to a mixture of 70-80% cis- and 10% trans-decahydroisoquinoline by catalytic hydrogenation over platinum oxide in acetic and sulfuric acid [474]. Without sulfuric acid the hydrogenation stopped at the tetrahydro stage. Catalytic hydrogenation of isoquinoline and its derivatives is the topic of a review in Advances in Catalysis [439]. 

Completion of the synthesis of quinapril involves amide bond formation between 26 and a tetrahydroisoquinoline fragment. Two complementary protected 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-3-isoquinoline subunits 27 and 28, each available in a single step from commercially available (6)-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, were utilized (Scheme 10.7). Coupling with 26 using DCC and HOBt in dichloromethane afforded the penultimate compounds 29 and 30 as maleate salts. Cleavage of the f-butyl ester of 29 and treatment with HCl provided quinapril. Alternatively, hydrogenation of 30 under standard conditions cleanly removed the benzyl ester, and quinapril (3) was isolated after formation of the hydrochloride salt. 

A recent patent application describes, in part, a multikilogram scale synthesis of quinapril (Jennings, 2004). The carboxyanhydride of 26 is prepared by treatment with phosgene (Scheme 10.8) (Youssefyeh et al., 1987). This is next coupled with tetrahydroisoquinoline subunit 27 in the presence of catalytic acid. Without isolation of the resultant quinapril t-butyl ester, the reaction solution is treated with acetic acid and anhydrous hydrogen chloride to deprotect the ester. Amorphous quinapril hydrochloride is obtained via treatment with acetonitrile. 

Isoquinoline can be hydrogenated in high yield to 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinoline (47) by use of platinum oxide and concentrated hydrochloric acid at 50 psi (Scheme 33). The method employs a relatively large amount of catalyst (1 g of Pt02 for 8.6 g of isoquinoline) (75JOC2729). 

An additional indication of the mildness of the cyclization is provided by the synthesis of the chiral tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (294) (72HCA15) in the presence of hydrogen and palladium-on-charcoal the jV-methyl derivative was obtained. Acetaldehyde gave a mixture of diastereoisomers in which the cis isomer (295) predominated (95 5). Unstable aldehydes can sometimes be generated in situ, as when the phenylglycidate (296) replaces the much less stable phenylacetaldehyde (66T(S8)129) acetals, enol ethers and chloromethyl methyl ethers have also been used. The mild conditions also allow the isolation of 4-hydroxytetrahydroisoquinolines (297) (75H(3)311). A review is available listing syntheses of 4-oxytetrahydroisoquinolines (73AHC(15)99). 

Treatment of 2,3,4,6,7,11 h-hexahydro[l,3]oxazino[2,3-a]isoquinolines with hydrogen bromide, benzylmagnesium chloride, acyl chloride, or hydrogen cyanide afforded ring-opened 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives (66AP817). 

There are several reports of tetrahydroisoquinolines with a fused furan ring that could be argued (for the sake of the classification used in this collection) as an oxidative attack by the a-hydrogen of the 1-benzyl onto the 8-HO substituent, in a manner similar to the formation of a seven-membered ether ring seen in the cularines. It can also be seen as a similar oxidative attack from an a-hydroxy group (a commonly encountered benzyl substituent) on the 8-hydrogen position. The first of these two mechanisms (illustrated above) is used in this collection. 

The prefix "seco" is an unusual term occasionally encountered in the literature of natural products. Just as the term "ortho-attack" indicates the generation of a new ring, the term "seco" indicates the destruction of a ring. A secoisoquinoline is formed from a 1-substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline by the loss of the 1,2-bond. Transferring a hydrogen atom from the a-carbon to the nitrogen, and reshuffling the electrons, results in the formation of a new double bond. 

Deuterium labeling experiments, kinetic studies, and rate law analysis have indicated that the (S )-BINAP-Ru-catalysed hydrogenation of 2-formyl-1-methylene-6,7-dimethoxy-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline proceeds via a monohydride-unsaturated mechanism whereby the two protiums at the a- and j3-positions of the enamide substrate are derived from two different hydrogen molecules. The overall rate is limited by the hydrogenolysis step.333... 

The optically active isoquinoline derivative 30 was prepared by asymmetric hydrogenation of the l-benzylidene-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline 29 catalysed by 27, and optically pure tetrahydropapaverine (31) is synthesized by this method [28]. 

The Pictet-Spengler reaction, the cyclization of an electron-rich aryl or heteroaryl group onto an imine electrophile, is the established method for the synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinoline and tetrahydro-/ -carboline ring systems. Catalytic asymmetric approaches to these synthetically important structures are mostly restricted to asymmetric hydrogenations of cyclic imines [77, 78]. In a noteworthy... 

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