Developments in Organocatalysis Transformations of Unsaturated Pyrazolones

Unsaturated pyrazolones can participate in organocatalytic reactions with various substrates to form spiro-cyclic pyrazolones, and fuzed-pyrazolone heterocycles. The present review describes progress since 2013 in the organocatalysis transformations of unsaturated pyrazolones. Pyrazolones are prevalent structural motifs in a wide variety of natural products and drug or drug-like molecules. A series of nitrogen-containing pyrazolones exhibits anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, antidiabetic, and antipyretic activities. Especially, chiral spiro-cyclic pyrazolones are recognized as targets in natural products and clinical pharmaceuticals. Organocatalytic systems are powerful and reliable approaches that allow us to build structurally complex molecules in an enantioselectively and diastereoselectively manner. Avoiding the use of transition metal catalysts, readily available bifunctional organocatalysts, and the performance of the reaction at ambient temperature are other advantages of these catalytic systems. Despite considerable progress in this field, it is still one of the challenging goals for chemists to make new biologically active heterocyclic molecules.

Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Spiro[chromeno[2,3-b]pyridine-3,4'-pyrazole] Derivatives via Pseudo-Three-Component Reactions

A novel one-pot pseudo-three-component reaction of 2-amino-4H-chromen-4-ones with 4-benzylidene-5-alkyl-2-aryl-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-ones was investigated for the synthesis of the spiro[chromeno[2,3-b]pyridine-3,4'-pyrazole] derivatives. This procedure involved Michael addition, elimination, and hetero-Diels-Alder sequences, affording a series of spiropyrazolone-chromeno[2,3-b]pyridines in good yields that possessed cis relationships between two aryl groups and the carbonyl of the pyrazolone unit.

Asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 4-aminopyrazolone-based azomethine ylides: a straightforward approach to spiropyrazolones

The asymmetric [3+2] cycloaddition of 4-amino pyrazolone-derived azomethine ylides with α,β-enones has been established for the synthesis of 4-spiropyazolones derivatives with four contiguous stereocenters. This cycloaddition process delivered spiro[pyrrolidine-2,4’-pyrazolone] derivatives...

Tandem Michael-anti-Michael Addition-Mediated Orthogonal Strapping of Diynones: Regioselective Spirocyclopentannulation of Oxindoles and Pyrazolones and DFT Validation

An efficient protocol involving the transformation of sequentially generated recursive anions from heterocyclic precursors to orthogonally strap diynones through one pot transition-metal-free spirocyclopentannulation has been devised, employing oxindoles and pyrazolones as prototypical platforms. Insights into these regioselective tandem Michael-anti-Michael processes have been gleaned through DFT calculations.

Diastereoselective synthesis of indolenine-based spiro[pyrazolone-4,2'-pyrrolidine] scaffolds via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 4-aminopyrazolones, aldehydes, and indolenines

In this work, we report a one-pot [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 4-aminopyrazolones, indolenines, and aldehydes. The reaction utilized in situ generated azomethine ylides as 1,3-dipoles and 2-alkenylindolenines as dipolarophiles affording indolenine-derived spiro[pyrazolone-4,2'-pyrrolidine] scaffolds with four contiguous stereocenters with excellent yields (up to 95%) and diastereoselectivities (up to >20 : 1 dr) under simple conditions. The in situ generation of azomethine ylides and dipolarophiles in one pot is a unique feature of this process.

Multicomponent Reaction for Diastereoselective Synthesis of Spiro[carbazole-3,4'-pyrazoles] and Spiro[carbazole-3,4'-thiazoles]

In the presence of copper sulfate, the three-component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, ethylindole-3-acetate and 4-arylidene-5-methyl-2-phenylpyrazol-3-ones, in refluxing toluene afforded spiro[carbazole-3,4'-pyrazoles] in good yields with high diastereoselectivity. More importantly, the similar CuSO₄ promoted the four-component reaction of two molecular aromatic aldehydes with ethylindole-3-acetate and 5-methyl-2-phenyl-pyrazol-3-one resulted in 2,4-diarylspiro[carbazole-3,4'-pyrazoles] in satisfactory yields. Additionally, CuSO₄ promoted the four-component reaction of two molecular aromatic aldehydes, ethylindole-3-acetate and 2-phenylthiazol-4-one, in refluxing toluene gave 2,4-diarylspiro[carbazole-3,4'-thiazoles] with diastereomeric ratios in the range of 3:1 to 20:1.