Palladium-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Cycloaddition of Aldimines and 1,4-Dipolar Equivalents via Amphiphilic Allylation

Early Main Group Metal Catalysts for Imine Hydrosilylation

The efficient catalytic reduction of imines with phenylsilane is achieved by using the potassium, calcium and strontium based catalysts [(DMAT)K (THF)]_∞ , (DMAT)₂ Ca⋅(THF)₂ and (DMAT)₂ Sr⋅(THF)₂ (DMAT=2-dimethylamino-α-trimethylsilylbenzyl). Eight different aldimines and the ketimine Ph₂ C=NPh could be successfully reduced by PhSiH₃ at temperatures between 25-60 °C with catalyst loadings down to 2.5 mol %. Also, simple amides like KN(SiMe₃ )₂ or Ae[N(SiMe₃ )₂ ]₂ (Ae=Ca, Sr, Ba) catalyze this reaction. Activities increase with metal size. For most substrates the activity increases along the row K<Ca<Sr<Ba. Fastest conversion was found for imines with alkyl substituents at N and aryl rings at C, for example, PhC(H)=NtBu, while tBuC(H)=NtBu or PhC(H)=NPh react much slower. Reasonable functional group tolerance is observed. The proposed metal hydride mechanism is supported by stoichiometric reactions using a catalyst model system, isolation of intermediates and DFT calculations.

Models for Cooperative Catalysis: Oxidative Addition Reactions of Dimethylplatinum(II) Complexes with Ligands Having Both NH and OH Functionality

The role of NH and OH groups in the oxidative addition reactions of the complexes [PtMe₂(κ²-N,N'-L)], L = 2-C₅H₄NCH₂NH-x-C₆H₄OH [3, x = 2, L = L1; 4, x = 3, L = L2; 5, x = 4, L = L3], has been investigated. Complex 3 is the most reactive. It reacts with CH₂Cl₂ to give a mixture of isomers of [PtMe₂(CH₂Cl)(κ³-N,N',O-(L1-H)], 6, and decomposes in acetone to give [PtMe₃(κ³-N,N',O-(L1-H)], 7, both of which contain the fac tridentate deprotonated ligand. Complex 3 reacts with MeI to give complex 7, whereas 4 and 5 react to give [PtIMe₃(κ²-N,N'-L2))], 8, or [PtIMe₃(κ²-N,N'-L3)], 9, respectively. Each complex 3, 4, or 5 reacts with either dioxygen or hydrogen peroxide to give the corresponding complex [Pt(OH)₂Me₂(κ²-N,N'-L)], 10, L = L1; 11, L = L2; 12, L = L3. The ligand L3 in complexes 9 and 12 is easily oxidized to the corresponding imine ligand 2-C₅H₄NCH=N-4-C₆H₄OH, L4, in forming the complexes [PtIMe₃(κ²-N,N'-L4)], 13, and [Pt(OH)₂Me₂(κ²-N,N'-L4)], 14, respectively. The NH and OH groups play a significant role in supramolecular polymer or sheet structures of the complexes, formed through intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and these structures indicate how either intramolecular or intermolecular hydrogen bonding may assist some oxidative addition reactions.

Synthesis of exo-Imidazolidin-2-one Dienes, Their Isomerization, and Selectivity in Diels-Alder Cycloadditions

An efficient and alternative synthesis of exo-imidazolidin-2-one dienes is described. A condensation reaction was carried out with bis-imino derivatives, diacetyl, and triphosgene, affording symmetrically N, N-disubstituted dienes. The use of alkyl methyl α-diketones led to the formation of nonsymmetrical dienes, which underwent isomerization to provide more stable inner-outer-ring dienes under Lewis acid conditions. Evaluation was made of the reactivity as well as regio- and stereoselectivity of these dienes in Diels-Alder reactions. They proved to be highly reactive and selective. DFT calculations of the transition states accounted for their behavior.

Palladium-Catalyzed Double Allylation of Sugar-Imines by Employing Tamaru-Kimura's Protocol: Access to Unnatural Iminosugars

Conversion of vinyl pyranosylamine and vinyl furanosylamines to 2,6- and 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidine and piperidine iminosugars, respectively, in one pot was developed using Kimura and Tamaru's procedure, where a Pd salt in the presence of Et₂Zn was used for the domino reaction. In this procedure, double allylation, which involves nucleophilic allylation-heterocyclization, took place to give desired nitrogen heterocycles. This strategy was further elaborated to synthesize some unnatural deoxycalystegines, hydroxylated pyrrolidines, piperidines, and indolizidine analogues.

Regioselective synthesis of functionalized dihydroisoquinolines from o-alkynylarylaldimines via the Reformatsky reaction

A novel approach for the synthesis of functionalized 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines from o-alkynylarylaldimines via the Reformatsky reaction without the aid of an external Lewis acid has been described.

Tetramethyleneethane Equivalents: Recursive Reagents for Serialized Cycloadditions

New reactions and reagents that allow for multiple bond-forming events per synthetic operation are required to achieve structural complexity and thus value with step-, time-, cost-, and waste-economy. Here we report a new class of reagents that function like tetramethyleneethane (TME), allowing for back-to-back [4 + 2] cycloadditions, thereby amplifying the complexity-increasing benefits of Diels–Alder and metal-catalyzed cycloadditions. The parent recursive reagent, 2,3-dimethylene-4-trimethylsilylbutan-1-ol (DMTB), is readily available from the metathesis of ethylene and THP-protected 4-trimethylsilylbutyn-1-ol. DMTB and related reagents engage diverse dienophiles in an initial Diels–Alder or metal-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition, triggering a subsequent vinylogous Peterson elimination that recursively generates a new diene for a second cycloaddition. Overall, this multicomponent catalytic cascade produces in one operation carbo- and heterobicyclic building blocks for the synthesis of a variety of natural products, therapeutic leads, imaging agents, and materials. Its application to the three step synthesis of a new solvatochromic fluorophore, N-ethyl(6-N,N-dimethylaminoanthracene-2,3-dicarboximide) (6-DMA), and the photophysical characterization of this fluorophore are described.