Tetrahydroisoquinolines, synthesis

Mannich and Mannich-like reactions are widely used for the chemical synthesis of heterocycles, and in alkaloid biosynthesis in plants. One such reaction important in nature is a biological equivalent of the Pictet-Spengler tetrahydroisoquinoline synthesis (see Section 11.10.4), and offers a slight twist, in that the enol nucleophile is actually a phenol. 

Tetrahydroisoquinolines, synthesis of, 6, 3 Tetrahydrothiophenes, synthesis of, 6, 9 Thia-Payne rearrangement, 60, 1... 

Pictet-Spengler tetrahydroisoquinoline synthesis Condensation of a P-arylethylamine with carbonyl compounds to form tetrahydroisoquinolines. 348... 

Using tryptamine as the nucleophile, the Michael addition-cyclization strategy was extended to the enantioselective synthesis of the /J-carboline alkaloid system. Michael addition of tryptamine to the chiral acetylenic sulfoxides took place smoothly at room temperature. Either trifluoroacetic acid or p-toluene-sulfonic acid was effective as a catalyst for the cyclization step (Scheme 7). The results of the Michael addition-cyclization reaction sequence are summarized in Table 3. In general, we found that the indole moiety is more reactive than the dimethoxyaryl ring used in the tetrahydroisoquinoline synthesis. Therefore, the cyclization step could take place at a temperature as low as -60 °C. Also, p-tolu-enesulfonic acid resulted in a better diastereoselectivity. However, the diastereo-selectivity of the system is much less sensitive to the aryl substituents of the acetylenic sulfoxides compared to that of the tetrahydroisoquinoline system. Also, to our surprise, the steric factor on the chiral acetylenic sulfoxide has little effect on the diastereoselectivity. Even with the bulky 2-methoxy-naphthyl acetylenic sulfoxide lc [11], the diastereoselectivity still remained roughly the same as for 1 a and 1 b (Scheme 7) (Table 3). 

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