Sigmatropic rearrangements ylides

Gassman and co-workers developed a synthetic route from anilines to indoles and oxindoles which involves [2.3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of anilinosul-fonium ylides. These can be prepared from Ai-chloroanilines and ot-thiomcthyl-ketones or from an aniline and a chlorosulfonium salt[l]. The latter sequence is preferable for anilines with ER substituents. Rearrangement and cyclizalion occurs on treatment of the anilinosulfonium salts with EtjN. The initial cyclization product is a 3-(methylthio)indole and these can be desulfurized with Raney nickel. Use of 2-(methylthio)acetaldehyde generates 2,3-unsubstituled indoles after desulfurization[2]. Treatment of 3-methylthioindoles with tri-fiuoroacetic acid/thiosalieylie acid is a possible alternative to Raney nickel for desulfurization[3]. 

The premier example of this process in an ylide transformation designed for [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement is reported in Eq. 15 [107]. The threo product 47 is dominant with the use of the chiral Rh2(MEOX)4 catalysts but is the minor product with Rh2(OAc)4. That this process occurs through the metal-stabilized ylide rather than a chiral free ylide was shown from asymmetric induction using allyl iodide and ethyl diazoacetate [107]. Somewhat lower enantioselectivities have been observed in other systems [108]. 

Thia-[2,3]-Wittig sigmatropic rearrangement of lithiated carbanions 47, obtained by deprotonation of the S-allylic sulfides 46, affords the thiols 48 or their alkylated derivatives 49. The corresponding sulfonium ylides 51, prepared by deprotonation of the sulfonium salts 50 also undergoes a [2,3]-sigmatropic shift leading to the same sulfides 49 [36,38] (Scheme 13). As far as stereochemistry is concerned, with crotyl (R R =H,R =Me) and cinnamyl (R, R =H,R =Ph) derivatives, it has been shown that the diastereoselectivity depends on the nature of the R substituent and on the use of a carbanion or an ylide as intermediate. 

A more direct access to the unstable and non isolated sulfonium ylides 58a- c is the reaction of diisopropyl diazomethylphosphonate 57 with allylic sulfides, catalyzed by Cu(II), Rh(II) [39], or ruthenium porphyrins.[40] For example, the a-phosphorylated y,d-unsaturated sulfides 59-61 are obtained through the [2,3] -sigmatropic rearrangement of 58a-c. This method allows the use of a greater variety of starting allylic sulfide substrates, such as 2-vinyl tetrahydrothiophene, or propargylic sulfides (Scheme 15). 

The rearrangements of allylic sulfoxides, selenoxides, and amine oxides are an example of the first type. Allylic sulfonium ylides and ammonium ylides also undergo [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements. Rearrangements of carbanions of allylic ethers are the major example of the anionic type. These reactions are considered in the following sections. 

Allylic sulfonium ylides readily undergo [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement.280 The ylides are usually formed by deprotonation of the S-allyl sulfonium salts. 

A useful method for ortho-alkylation of aromatic amines is based on [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of S-anilinosulfonium ylides. These ylides are generated from anilinosulfonium ions, which can be prepared from iV-chloroanilines and sulfides.289... 

Scheme 6.18. Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation via [2,3]-Sigmatropic Rearrangements of Sulfonium and Ammonium Ylides...

Synthetically valuable [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements include those of allyl sulfonium and ammonium ylides and a -carbanions of allyl vinyl ethers. 

Olefins analogous to 158 and 159 were also isolated from the CuS04-catalyzed decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate in the presence of 2-isopropenyl-2-methyl-1,3-dithiane (total yield 56%, E Z — 4 1) a butadiene was absent from the reaction mixture 161). With dimethyl diazomalonate instead of ethyl diazoacetate, only the Z-olefin resulting from a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of the corresponding sulfur ylide was obtained in 36 % yield 161). When the same procedure was applied to... 

Ammonium ylides can isomerize to (1,2) rearrangement products (Stevens rearrangement) or to (2,3) shift products (Sommelet-Hauser sigmatropic rearrangement) when allyl or benzyl are located on the nitrogen atom. A strong microwave effect is noticed (Eq. 66) [116]. 

The most unusual bond in this system is the N-Cl bond. The nucleophilic substitution step must involve cleavage of this bond. No base is present, but S is an excellent nucleophile, even in its neutral form, so the first step probably entails formation of an S9-N2 bond. Now we have to make the C4-C10 bond and make the S9-N2 bond. Deprotonation of C4 gives an ylide, which as discussed in problem 4.15 is likely to undergo a [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement. Tautomerization to rearomatize then gives the product. 

A very high degree of asymmetric induction was observed by Trost and Hammen (154) in the [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of ylide 285 derived from optically active 1-adamantylallylethylsulfonium tetrafluoroborate 286. They found that the optically active l-adamantyl-2-pent-4-enyl sulfide 287 formed in this process has at... 

It is interesting to note that asymmetric induction was also observed (308) during generation of ylide 288 from achiral sulfonium salt 287a by means of chiral lithium 2,2,2-trifluoromethyl-a-phenylethoxide. The [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of the chiral ylide 288 obtained in situ in this way leads to optically active sulfide 289 of 5% optical purity. 

Allylammonium ylides can undergo 2,3-sigmatropic rearrangement [1234]. With weakly nucleophilic amines, C-H bond insertion or hydride abstraction can compete efficiently with ammonium ylide formation. 

Experimental Procedure 4.2.6. Oxonium Ylide Formation and 2,3-Sigmatropic Rearrangement Ethyl 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-pentenoate [1264]... 

Natural (-l-)-polyzonimine (19) has been synthesized by a reaction sequence using the asymmetric [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of the ammonium ylide to generate the chiral intermediate. The Homer-Emmons reaction of the ketone... 

Common reactions of the ylide include (i) [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic, propargylic, and allenic ylides (ii) [l,2]-shift (Stevens rearrangement) (iii) 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the ylide generated from carbonyl compounds or imines with dipolarophiles, usually G=G or C=C bonds and (iv) nucleophilic addition/elimination, leading to the formation of epoxides or cyclopropanes (Figure 2). 

---