A one-pot synthesis and mild cleavage of 2-[2- or 5-(alkylsulfanyl)pyrrol-1-yl]ethyl vinyl ethers by t-BuOK/DMSO: a novel and facile approach to N-vinylpyrroles

An Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of 5-Sulfanyl-1-[2-(vinyloxy)ethyl]-1H-pyrrol-2-amines as Precursors of 1-Vinylpyrroles

Sequential processing of monolithiated tertiary propargylamines with 2-(vinyloxy)ethyl isothiocyanate and t-BuOK–DMSO results in the introduction of a highly reactive 2-(vinyloxy)ethyl group at the position 1 of the pyrrole ring thus formed. In this way, a series of new 5-sulfanyl-1-[2-(vinyloxy)ethyl]-1H-pyrrol-2-amines were obtained in a yield of up to 92%. The latter in the presence of t-BuOK–DMSO system (110–120 °C, 10–15 min) eliminates vinyl alcohol to give rare-functionalized 1-vinylpyrroles, namely 5-sulfanyl-1-vinyl-1H-pyrrol-2-amines, inaccessible by the known methods.

Base-Mediated Hydroamination of Alkynes

Inter- or intramolecular hydroamination reactions are a paradigmatic example of modern sustainable organic chemistry, as they are a catalytic, 100% atom-economical, and waste-free process of fundamental simplicity in which an amine is added to an alkyne substrate. Many enamines are found in many natural and synthetic compounds possessing interesting physiological and biological activities. The development of synthetic protocols for such molecules and their transformation is a persistent research topic in pharmaceutical and organic chemistry. Hydroamination is conspicuously superior to the other accessible methods, such as the imination of ketones or the aminomercuration/demercuration of alkynes, that involve the stoichiometric use of toxic reagents. Additionally, the hydroamination of alkyne substrates has been successfully employed as a key step in synthesizing target molecules through total syntheses containing substituted indoles, pyrroles, imidazoles, and other heterocycles as core moieties. Many research groups have explored inter- or intramolecular hydroamination of alkynes for the synthesis of diversely substituted nitrogen heterocycles using expensive metal catalysts. However, in contrast to metal-catalyzed hydroamination, the base-mediated hydroamination of alkynes has not been extensively studied. Various inorganic (such as hydroxides, phosphates, and carbonates) and organic bases have been proven to be valuable reagents for achieving the hydroamination process. This method represents an attractive strategy for the construction of a broad range of nitrogen-containing compounds that prevents the formation of byproducts in the creation of a C-N linkage. The presence of a base is thought to facilitate the attack of nitrogen nucleophiles, such as indoles, pyrroles, and imidazoles, on unsaturated carbon substrates through the activation of the triple bond and thus transforming the electron-rich alkyne into an electrophile. In the past few years, we have been involved in the development of methods for the nucleophilic addition of N-heterocycles onto terminal and internal alkynes using alkali base catalysts to achieve new carbon-nitrogen bond-forming reactions. During our study, we discovered the regioselective preferential nucleophilic addition of N-heterocycles onto the haloarylalkyne over N-arylation of the aryl halide. In this Account, we summarize our latest achievements in regio-, stereo-, and chemoselective hydroamination chemistry of N-nucleophiles with alkynes using a superbasic medium to produce a broad range of highly functionalized vinyl and styryl enamines, which are valuable and versatile synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. Interestingly, the stereoselectivity of the addition products (kinetically stable Z and thermodynamically stable E isomers) was found to be dependent upon time. It is worthwhile to note that hydroaminated products formed by the addition reaction can further be utilized for the synthesis of indolo-/pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines, naphthyridines, and bisindolo/pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolinesvia tandem cyclization. This chemistry is expected to find application in organic synthesis for constructing a diverse variety of fused π-conjugated compounds, enaminones, and C-C coupled products.

Experimental and theoretical study of the intramolecular C-H···N and C-H···S hydrogen bonding effects in the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of the 2-(alkylsulfanyl)-5-amino-1-vinylpyrroles: a particular state of amine nitrogen

In the (1)H NMR spectra of the 1-vinylpyrroles with amino- and alkylsulfanyl groups in 5 and 2 positions, an extraordinarily large difference between resonance positions of the HA and HB terminal methylene protons of the vinyl group is discovered. Also, the one-bond (1)J(C(β),H(B)) coupling constant is surprisingly greater than the (1)J(C(β),H(A)) coupling constant in pyrroles under investigation, while in all known cases, there was a reverse relationship between these coupling constants. These spectral anomalies are substantiated by quantum chemical calculations. The calculations show that the amine nitrogen lone pair is removed from the conjugation with the π-system of the pyrrole ring so that it is directed toward the HB hydrogen. These factors are favorable to the emergence of the intramolecular C-HB •••N hydrogen bonding in the s-cis(N) conformation. On the other hand, the spatial proximity of the sulfur to the HB hydrogen provides an opportunity of the intramolecular C-HB •••S hydrogen bonding in the s-cis(S) conformation. Presence of the hydrogen bond critical points as well as ring critical point for corresponding chelate ring revealed by a quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) approach confirms the existence of the weak intramolecular C-H•••N and C-H•••S hydrogen bonding. Therefore, an unusual high-frequency shift of the HB signal and the increase in the (1)J(C(β),H(B)) coupling constant can be explained by the effects of hydrogen bonding.