Enhanced reactivity in radical cyclizations of hydrazones using the silicon-tethered 1-bromovinyl group

Control of asymmetry in the radical addition approach to chiral amine synthesis

The state-of-the-science in asymmetric free radical additions to imino compounds is presented, beginning with an overview of methods involving stereocontrol by various chiral auxiliary approaches. Chiral N-acylhydrazones are discussed with respect to their use as radical acceptors for Mn-mediated intermolecular additions, from design to scope surveys to applications to biologically active targets. A variety of aldehydes and ketones serve as viable precursors for the chiral hydrazones, and a variety of alkyl iodides may be employed as radical precursors, as discussed in a critical review of the functional group compatibility of the reaction. Applications to amino acid and alkaloid synthesis are presented to illustrate the synthetic potential of these versatile stereocontrolled carbon-carbon bond construction reactions. Asymmetric catalysis is discussed, from seminal work on the stereocontrol of radical addition to imino compounds by non-covalent interactions with stoichiometric amounts of catalysts, to more recent examples demonstrating catalyst turnover.

Effects of alpha-Alkoxy Substitution and Conformational Constraints on 6-exo Radical Cyclizations of Hydrazones via Reversible Thiyl and Stannyl Additions

Access to multifunctional hydrazones of relevance to dysiherbaine synthesis studies is described. Subsequent radical cyclizations of multifunctional hydrazones via a Si- and C-linked tethering strategy are shown to function effectively in 6-exo fashion. Conformational constraints are proposed to play a key role in suppressing unproductive premature reduction pathways. The stereochemical outcomes suggest that minimizing the dipole repulsion between neighboring C=N and C-O bonds favors a C(alpha)-C(=N) dihedral angle placing the C=N bond axial within a chairlike transition state, in contrast to the usual Beckwith-Houk model.