Preparation and reactivity of 2-Aza-1,3-butadienes: A Diels-Alder route to 5,6-dihydro-2H-1,3-oxazine derivatives

Switch From Pauli-Lowering to LUMO-Lowering Catalysis in Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Aza-Diels-Alder Reactions

Brønsted acid-catalyzed inverse-electron demand (IED) aza-Diels-Alder reactions between 2-aza-dienes and ethylene were studied using quantum chemical calculations. The computed activation energy systematically decreases as the basic sites of the diene progressively become protonated. Our activation strain and Kohn-Sham molecular orbital analyses traced the origin of this enhanced reactivity to i) "Pauli-lowering catalysis" for mono-protonated 2-aza-dienes due to the induction of an asynchronous, but still concerted, reaction pathway that reduces the Pauli repulsion between the reactants; and ii) "LUMO-lowering catalysis" for multi-protonated 2-aza-dienes due to their highly stabilized LUMO(s) and more concerted synchronous reaction path that facilitates more efficient orbital overlaps in IED interactions. In all, we illustrate how the novel concept of "Pauli-lowering catalysis" can be overruled by the traditional concept of "LUMO-lowering catalysis" when the degree of LUMO stabilization is extreme as in the case of multi-protonated 2-aza-dienes.

Iron-Catalysed Remote C(sp3 )-H Azidation of O-Acyl Oximes and N-Acyloxy Imidates Enabled by 1,5-Hydrogen Atom Transfer of Iminyl and Imidate Radicals: Synthesis of γ-Azido Ketones and β-Azido Alcohols

In the presence of a catalytic amount of iron(III) acetylacetonate [Fe(acac)₃ ], the reaction of structurally diverse ketoxime esters with trimethylsilyl azide (TMSN₃ ) afforded γ-azido ketones in good to excellent yields. This unprecedented distal γ-C(sp³ )-H bond azidation reaction went through a sequence of reductive generation of an iminyl radical, 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (1,5-HAT) and iron-mediated redox azido transfer to the translocated carbon radical. TMSN₃ served not only as a nitrogen source to functionalise the unactivated C(sp³ )-H bond, but also as a reductant to generate the catalytically active Fe^II species in situ. Based on the same principle, a novel β-C(sp³ )-H functionalisation of alcohols via N-acyloxy imidates was subsequently realised, leading, after hydrolysis of the resulting ester, to β-azido alcohols, which are important building blocks in organic and medicinal chemistry.

Synthesis of 1,4-enamino ketones by [3,3]-rearrangements of dialkenylhydroxylamines

The synthesis of 1,4-enamino ketones has been achieved through the [3,3]-rearrangement of dialkenylhydroxylamines generated from the addition of N-alkenylnitrones to electron-deficient allenes. The mild conditions required for this reaction, and the simultaneous installation of a fluorenyl imine N-protecting group as a consequence of the rearrangement, avoid spontaneous cyclization of the 1,4-enamino ketones to form the corresponding pyrroles and allow for the isolation and controlled divergent functionalization of these reactive intermediates. The optimization, scope, and tolerance of the new method are discussed with demonstrations of the utility of the products for the synthesis of pyrroles, 1,4-diones, and furans.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE REGIOSELECTIVITY IN HETERO DIELS–ALDER REACTIONS USING DFT-BASED REACTIVITY INDEXES

The regioselectivity of hetero Diels–Alder reactions (HDA) of 2-azabutadiene with aldehydes has been elucidated by means of Gazquez–Mendez rules, which are based on the calculation of local softnesses of the four terminal atoms involved in cyclization. The theoretical results obtained with the B3LYP/6-31G(d) method confirm the regioselectivities observed experimentally for all substituents ( R = H , CH 3, CN ) present in the aldehyde reactant. The regioselectivities of these HDA reactions have been confirmed by the calculation of the activation barriers corresponding to the two cyclization modes, and also by the application of the Houk rule and the maximum hardness principle.