Triazolines, diazoalkane cycloadditions

The nonsymmetrical quinolizidine 373 was obtained from the acyclic symmetrical precursor 372 by means of a reaction sequence comprising azide formation, intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, thermal triazoline fragmentation to a diazoalkane, and Michael addition individual steps, as shown in Scheme 85 <2005CC4661>. 

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions to unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds have been known for quite some time and have become an important part of strategies for organic synthesis of many compounds (Smith and March, 2007). The 1,3-dipolar compounds that participate in this reaction include many of those that can be drawn having charged resonance hybrid structures, such as azides, diazoalkanes, nitriles, azomethine ylides, and aziridines, among others. The heterocyclic ring structures formed as the result of this reaction typically are triazoline, triazole, or pyrrolidine derivatives. In all cases, the product is a 5-membered heterocycle that contains components of both reactants and occurs with a reduction in the total bond unsaturation. In addition, this type of cycloaddition reaction can be done using carbon-carbon double bonds or triple bonds (alkynes). 

An unusual course of thermolysis occurs in 5-amino- and 5-alkoxytri-azolines, which are formed only as intermediates in the reaction of enamines and enol ethers with azides bearing electron-withdrawing groups it involves cleavage of the N-l/N-2 as well as the C-4/C-5 bonds of the triazoline ring to yield diazoalkanes and imines with one fewer carbon than in the triazolines (amidines and imino ethers) (Scheme 144)233.250 272 431-433 in a cycloelimination reaction, the reverse of diazoalkane-imine cycloaddition. The intermediate formation of a diazonium zwitterion is suggested,233,247 but whether the thermolysis occurs in a one- or two-step reaction is not established. 

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