Matthias Brewer

Lewis Acid Promoted Carbon−Carbon Bond Cleavage of γ-Silyloxy-β-hydroxy-α-diazoesters

Cyclic gamma-silyloxy-beta-hydroxy-alpha-diazoesters undergo efficient rupture of the Cbeta-Cgamma bond when treated with tin tetrachloride to provide tethered aldehyde ynoate products in high yield.

Preparation of Tethered Aldehyde Ynoates and Ynones by Ring Fragmentation of Cyclic γ-Oxy-β-hydroxy-α-diazo Carbonyls

Cyclic gamma-oxy-beta-hydroxy-alpha-diazo carbonyls undergo Lewis acid induced ring fragmentation to provide either ynoates or ynones tethered to an aldehyde, ketone, or ester. The fragmentation precursors are convenient to prepare by adding lithiated alpha-diazo carbonyls to alpha-oxy ketones. The fragmentation appears general and provides a variety of functional group-rich products in good to excellent yield.

How tethers control the chemo- and regioselectivities of intramolecular cycloadditions between aryl-1-aza-2-azoniaallenes and alkenes.

Cationic 1-aza-2-azoniaallenes react intermolecularly with terminal alkenes to give 1,5-substituted (3 + 2)-cycloadducts, but intramolecular reactions lead to either 1,5- or 1,4-substituted (3 + 2)-cycloadducts or (4 + 2)-cycloadducts, depending on the tether length. DFT calculations and distortion/interaction analyses show that the (CH2)3 tether prevents the reacting partners from aligning efficiently to give 1,5-substituted (3 + 2)-cycloadducts, and the 1,4-regioselectivity dominates. With the (CH2)2 tether, the (3 + 2) cycloaddition is disfavored due to the forming four-membered ring in the transition state, and the (4 + 2) cycloaddition prevails.

Stereospecific intramolecular C-H amination of 1-aza-2-azoniaallene salts.

We report that 1-aza-2-azoniaallene salts, generated from α-chloroazo compounds by treatment with halophilic Lewis acids, participate in intramolecular C-H amination reactions to provide pyrazoline products in good to excellent yield. This intramolecular amination occurs readily at both benzylic and tertiary aliphatic positions and proceeds at an enantioenriched chiral center without loss of enantiomeric excess. A competition reaction shows that insertion occurs more readily at an electron-rich benzylic position than an electron-deficient one. These observations are consistent with the 1-aza-2-azoniaallene intermediate reacting as a nitrenium-like ion by a concerted insertion mechanism.

Synthesis of Fused and Bridged Bicyclic Diazenium Salts by Intramolecular Cycloaddition

Bicyclic diazenium salts were efficiently prepared by a Lewis acid mediated intramolecular cycloaddition. Terminal olefins provided mixtures of fused and bridged bicyclic diazenium salts. The alpha-chloroazo cycloaddition precursors were conveniently prepared from the corresponding phenyl hydrazones by treatment with chlorodimethylsulfonium chloride.

A ring fragmentation approach to medium-sized cyclic 2-alkynones.

Bicyclic γ-silyloxy-β-hydroxy-α-diazoketones, in which the Cβ-Cγ bond is the ring fusion bond, productively fragment when treated with tin(IV) chloride to provide medium-sized cyclic 2-alkynones. This method provides good to excellent yields of 10-, 11-, and 12-membered alkynone products.

Synthetic approaches to bicyclic diazenium salts.

Bicyclic diazenium salts have been prepared from α-chloroazo species via a Lewis acid-mediated intramolecular cycloaddition. An alternative, more direct, route to these salts by the reaction of hydrazones with dimethylsulfonium ditriflate is also described. Terminal olefins provided mixtures of fused and bridged bicyclic diazenium salts. The ratio of the fused and bridged species was observed to depend on the electronics of the N-aryl substituent, which is explained by considering a concerted asynchronous cycloaddition mechanism.

An Efficient Synthetic Approach to Polycyclic 2,5-Dihydropyrroles from α-Silyloxy Ketones

A three-step sequence to prepare polycyclic 2,5-dihydropyrroles from alpha-silyloxy ketones is presented. A Lewis acid-mediated ring fragmentation of cyclic gamma-silyloxy-beta-hydroxy-alpha-diazo esters provided tethered aldehyde ynoate intermediates which, when treated with amino acid silyl esters, underwent intramolecular azomethine ylide 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. The 2,5-dihydropyrrole products were formed in good to excellent yield as single diastereomers.

Mechanism and Dynamics of Intramolecular C–H Insertion Reactions of 1-Aza-2-azoniaallene Salts

The 1-aza-2-azoniaallene salts, generated from α-chloroazo compounds by treatment with halophilic Lewis acids, undergo intramolecular C-H amination reactions to form pyrazolines in good to excellent yields. This intramolecular amination occurs readily at both benzylic and tertiary aliphatic positions and proceeds at an enantioenriched chiral center with retention of stereochemistry. Competition experiments show that insertion occurs more readily at an electron-rich benzylic position than it does at an electron-deficient one. The C-H amination reaction occurs only with certain tethers connecting the heteroallene cation and the pendant aryl groups. With a longer tether or when the reaction is intermolecular, electrophilic aromatic substitution occurs instead of C-H amination. The mechanism and origins of stereospecificity and chemoselectivity were explored with density functional theory (B3LYP and M06-2X). The 1-aza-2-azoniaallene cation undergoes C-H amination through a hydride transfer transition state to form the N-H bond, and the subsequent C-N bond formation occurs spontaneously to generate the heterocyclic product. This concerted two-stage mechanism was shown by IRC and quasi-classical molecular dynamics trajectory studies.

Synthesis of Demissidine by a Ring Fragmentation 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Approach

A synthesis of the steroidal alkaloid demissidine from epiandrosterone is reported. A ring fragmentation reaction that efficiently ruptured the D-ring of a diazo ester derivative of epiandrosterone to provide an aldehyde tethered ynoate product was key to this sequence. Incorporation of the indolizidine framework was achieved by an azomethine ylide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.