Ynamides: a modern functional group for the new millennium

Cu(II)-catalyzed synthesis of naphthalene-1,3-diamine derivatives from haloalkynes and amines

An efficient procedure for the preparation of naphthalene-1,3-diamine derivatives by copper-catalyzed haloalkynes with amines has been reported. The reaction was supposed to proceed through a coupling reaction followed by the dimerization of ynamines.

Rhodium-catalyzed [2 + 2] cycloaddition of ynamides with nitroalkenes

In the presence of a diene-ligated rhodium complex, ynamides and nitroalkenes undergo catalytic [2 + 2] cycloadditions to provide cyclobutenamides. The presence of sodium tetraphenylborate was found to be crucial for the reactions to proceed efficiently.

Ynamides: stable ligand equivalents of unstable oxazol-4-ylidenes (novel mesoionic carbenes)

Deprotonation of an oxazolium salt induces a ring opening process leading to the corresponding ynamide. Although the expected mesoionic carbene is not obtained, the acyclic ynamide readily reacts with various transition metals yielding robust mesoionic carbene complexes.

An intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition of ketenimines via palladium-catalyzed rearrangements of N-allyl-ynamides

A cascade of Pd-catalyzed N-to-C allyl transfer-intramolecular ketenimine-[2 + 2] cycloadditions of N-allyl ynamides is described. This tandem sequence is highly stereoselective and the [2 + 2] cycloaddition could be rendered in a crossed or fused manner depending on alkene substitutions, leading to bridged and fused bicycloimines.

Oxazolidinone-promoted, torquoselective Nazarov cyclizations

Oxazolidinones are powerful promoters of the Nazarov reaction, enabling the cyclization of conventionally resistant substrates to be achieved under mild conditions. They exert excellent regio- and torquoselective control in both the conventional Nazarov reaction giving cyclopentenones and in the "interrupted" Nazarov reaction, giving more highly substituted multistereocenter containing products.

Total synthesis of (-)-herbindoles A, B, and C via transition-metal-catalyzed intramolecular [2 + 2 + 2] cyclization between ynamide and diynes

The total syntheses of (-)-herbindoles A, B, and C as naturally occurring forms were accomplished for the first time through transition-metal-catalyzed intramolecular [2 + 2 + 2] cyclization between ynamide and diynes. This strategy provided a highly efficient synthetic route to all three herbindoles from an identical indoline derivative as a common intermediate.

Carbocyclization cascades of allyl ketenimines via aza-Claisen rearrangements of N-phosphoryl-N-allyl-ynamides

A series of carbocyclization cascades of allyl ketenimines initiated through a thermal aza-Claisen rearrangement of N-phosphoryl-N-allyl ynamides is described. Interceptions of the cationic intermediate via Meerwein-Wagner rearrangements and polyene-type cyclizations en route to fused bi- and tricyclic frameworks are featured.

Synthesis and computational analysis of densely functionalized triazoles using o-nitrophenylalkynes

Dipolar cylcoadditions with azides using a series of o-nitrophenylethynes and disubstituted alkynes were studied experimentally and computationally. Density functional theory computations reveal the steric and electronic parameters that control the regioselectivity of these cycloadditions. Several new substrates were predicted that would either give enhanced regiocontrol or invert the regiochemical preference. Experimentally, the alkynes were screened in the [3 + 2] cycloaddition with benzyl azide. Of the 11 alkynes screened experimentally, the acetylenes containing halogen substitution directly on the alkyne provided the highest levels of regioselectivity. These haloalkynes were also shown to tolerate variation of the azide moiety with continued good levels of regioselectivity in most cases. Diverse functional groups can be incorporated through the cycloaddition process and their subsequent orthogonal modification was demonstrated.

Asymmetric Diels-Alder and Ficini reactions with alkylidene β-ketoesters catalyzed by chiral ruthenium PNNP complexes: mechanistic insight

Hydride abstraction from the β-position of the enolato ligand of the previously reported complex [Ru(3a-H)(PNNP)]PF(6) (5a; 3a-H is the enolate of 2-tert-butoxycarbonylcyclopentanone) with (Ph(3)C)PF(6) gives the dicationic complex [Ru(6a)(PNNP)](2+) (7a) as a single diastereoisomer, which contains the unsaturated β-ketoester 2-tert-butoxycarbonyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one (6a) as a chelating ligand. The methyl analogue 2-methoxycarbonylcyclopentanone (3b) gives [Ru(3b-H)(PNNP)]PF(6) as a mixture of noninterconverting diastereoisomers (ester group of 3b trans to P, 5b; or to N, 5c), which were separated by column chromatography. Hydride abstraction from 5b (or 5c) yields diastereomerically pure [Ru(6b)(PNNP)](2+) (7b or 7c). Complexes 7b and 7c do not interconvert at room temperature in CD(2)Cl(2) and form opposite enantiomers of the Diels-Alder adduct upon reaction with Dane's diene (1 equiv). X-ray studies of 7a, 5b, and 5c give insight into the origin of enantioselection and the sense of asymmetric induction in the previously reported asymmetric Diels-Alder and Ficini cycloaddition reactions with 2,3-disubstituted butadienes and ynamides, respectively. Stoichiometric reactions (substrate coordination, cycloaddition, and product displacement) between [Ru(OEt(2))(2)(PNNP)](2+) (2), 6b (or 6a), and Dane's diene (15, to give estrone derivatives) or N-benzyl-N-(cyclohexylethynyl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide (17, to give cyclobutenamides) suggest that product displacement from the catalyst is turnover limiting.

Introducing a new class of N-phosphoryl ynamides via Cu(I)-catalyzed amidations of alkynyl bromides

We describe here the first synthesis of N-phosphoryl ynamides featuring C- and P-chirality via copper(I)-catalyzed amidative cross-couplings between phosphoramidates and phosphordiamidates with alkynyl bromides. Also featured is a tandem aza-Claisen-hetero-[2+2] cycloaddition for the synthesis of N-phosphoryl azetidin-2-imines.

Palladium-catalyzed hydroacyloxylation of ynamides

In the presence of substoichiometric Pd(OAc)(2), carboxylic acids undergo highly regio- and stereoselective additions to ynamides to provide α-acyloxyenamides.

N-allyl-N-sulfonyl ynamides as synthetic precursors to amidines and vinylogous amidines. An unexpected N-to-C 1,3-sulfonyl shift in nitrile synthesis

A detailed study of amidine synthesis from N-allyl-N-sulfonyl ynamides is described here. Mechanistically, this is a fascinating reaction consisting of diverging pathways that could lead to deallylation or allyl transfer depending upon the oxidation state of palladium catalysts, the nucleophilicity of amines, and the nature of the ligands. It essentially constitutes a Pd(0)-catalyzed aza-Claisen rearrangement of N-allyl ynamides, which can also be accomplished thermally. An observation of N-to-C 1,3-sulfonyl shift was made when examining these aza-Claisen rearrangements thermally. This represents a useful approach to nitrile synthesis. While attempts to render this 1,3-sulfonyl shift stereoselective failed, we uncovered another set of tandem sigmatropic rearrangements, leading to vinyl imidate formation. Collectively, this work showcases the rich array of chemistry one can discover using these ynamides.