Ring synthesis by stereoselective, methylene-free enyne cross metathesis

Synthesis of 1,3-Cycloalkadienes from Cycloalkenes: Unprecedented Reactivity of Oxoammonium Salts

Few methods allow for the direct conversion of cycloalkenes into cycloalkadienes with high chemo- and regioselectivity. Herein, we report a convenient one-pot process for this transformation that involves the unprecedented N-preferential group transfer of N-oxoammonium salts to cycloalkenes, followed by Cope elimination, to afford cycloalkadienes at room temperature and pressure.

Arenophile-Mediated Dearomative Reduction

A dearomative reduction of simple arenes has been developed which employs a visible-light-mediated cycloaddition of arenes with an N-N-arenophile and in situ diimide reduction. Subsequent cycloreversion or fragmentation of the arenophile moiety affords 1,3-cyclohexadienes or 1,4-diaminocyclohex-2-enes, compounds that are not synthetically accessible using existing dearomatization reactions. Importantly, this strategy also provides numerous opportunities for further derivatization as well as site-selective functionalization of polynuclear arenes.

Synthetic Strategy and Anti-Tumor Activities of Macrocyclic Scaffolds Based on 4-Hydroxyproline

A series of novel 13- to 15-member hydroxyproline-based macrocycles, which contain alkyl-alkyl ether and alkyl-aryl ether moieties, have been synthesized by the strategy of macrocyclization utilising azide-alkyne cycloaddition, Mitsunobu protocol and amide formation. Their anti-tumor activities towards A549, MDA-MB-231 and Hep G2 cells were screened in vitro by an MTT assay. The results indicated that 13-member macrocycle 33 containing alkene chain showed the best results, exhibiting the highest inhibitory effects towards lung cancer cell line A549, which was higher than that of the reference cisplatin (IC50 value = 2.55 µmol/L).

Novel Macrocyclic Amidinoureas: Potent Non-Azole Antifungals Active against Wild-Type and Resistant Candida Species

Novel macrocyclic amidinourea derivatives 11, 18, and 25 were synthesized and evaluated as antifungal agents against wild-type and fluconazole resistant Candida species. Macrocyclic compounds 11 and 18 were synthesized through a convergent approach using as a key step a ring-closing metathesis macrocyclization reaction, whereas compounds 25 were obtained by our previously reported synthetic pathway. All the macrocyclic amidinoureas showed antifungal activity toward different Candida species higher or comparable to fluconazole and resulted highly active against fluconazole resistant Candida strains showing in many cases minimum inhibitory concentration values lower than voriconazole.

Ene-yne cross-metathesis with ruthenium carbene catalysts

Conjugated 1,3-dienes are important building blocks in organic and polymer chemistry. Enyne metathesis is a powerful catalytic reaction to access such structural domains. Recent advances and developments in ene–yne cross-metathesis (EYCM) leading to various compounds of interest and their intermediates, that can directly be transformed in tandem procedures, are reviewed in this article. In addition, the use of bio-resourced olefinic substrates is presented.

Advanced approach to polycyclics by a synergistic combination of enyne metathesis and Diels-Alder reaction

Enyne metathesis (EM) has widely been used to prepare various synthetic and natural products. Further, a sequential use of EM and Diels-Alder (DA) reactions generates highly functionalized and intricate polycarbocycles and heterocyclic frameworks. In this critical review we describe the application of a unique combination of EM and DA reactions to prepare various amino acid derivatives, natural products and heterocycles. Some of the heterocyclic targets include cyclic peroxides, siloxanes and various nitrogen (or oxygen) containing compounds. Use of ethylene and cyclooctadiene (COD) for improving the yield of EM products are also discussed (69 references).

RCM macrocyclization made practical: an efficient synthesis of HCV protease inhibitor BILN 2061

We report here that dramatic improvement of the key RCM reaction in the synthesis of HCV protease inhibitor BILN2061 can be achieved by N-substitution of the diene substrate with an electron-withdrawing group. Mechanistic studies using 1H NMR spectroscopy showed an unprecedented switch of the initiation sites and the correlation between such switch and the results of RCM, from the unmodified to the modified substrates. We also provided theoretical evidence that such modification may also increase the thermodynamic preference of the macrocyclic product over the diene substrate.

A new Ru-catalyzed cascade reaction forming polycyclic cyclohexadienes from 1,6-diynes and alkenes

Functionalized bicyclic 1,3-cyclohexadienes can be easily prepared by a new cascade reaction which involves the Ru-catalyzed addition of acyclic alkenes to 1,6-diynes to give (Z)-hexatrienes, followed by a pure thermal 6e-pi electrocyclization.

Ruthenium Vinyl Carbene Intermediates in Enyne Metathesis

This review provides an overview of ruthenium vinyl carbene reactivity as it relates to enyne metathesis. Methods for the synthesis of metathesis-active and metathesis-inactive complexes are also summarized. Some of the early hypotheses about vinyl carbene intermediates in enyne metatheses were tested in the arena of synthetic chemistry and subsequently led to mechanistic studies. In these two areas, studies from the author's labs are described. There are still many unresolved questions in enyne metathesis that trace back to vinyl carbene reactivity. Hopefully this review will stimulate further investigation into vinyl carbene reactivity which should further refine our understanding of catalytic enyne metathesis.

Tandem Enyne Metathesis and Claisen Rearrangement: A Versatile Approach to Conjugated Dienes of Variable Substitution Patterns

To extend the versatility of the ruthenium carbene-promoted enyne metathesis, it was combined with an Ireland ester enolate Claisen rearrangement. This reaction sequence provided conjugated dienes of higher substitution pattern than that obtained through a cross-enyne metathesis alone. The Ireland-Claisen was conducted across both acyclic and cyclic dienes produced from cross-metathesis and methylene-free enyne metathesis, respectively. In the case of cyclodienes, the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement produced s-trans locked dienes which underwent mode-selective ene reaction. The tandem, sequential use of the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement also proved suitable for chirality transfer originating from chiral propargylic alcohols. Last, the tandem metathesis/Ireland-Claisen was utilized to access 4-substituted-3,5-cyclohexadiene diol derivatives, which are valuable chiral intermediates for natural product synthesis. The combination of this pericyclic reaction with a catalytic metathesis reaction extends the versatility of cross-metathesis since additional diene motifs can be accessed.

Search for solutions to the reactivity and selectivity problems in enyne metathesis

Enyne metathesis is a powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction to generate 1,3-dienes from an alkyne and an alkene. Different from the diene and diyne metathesis, the enyne metathesis suffers from both regio- and stereoselectivity problems, yet there is no general solution to these problems. This Account briefly describes the evolution of various new strategies and substrate platforms from these laboratories to address the reactivity and selectivity issues in the enyne metathesis processes.

Functional Group Scope in the Methylene-Free, Tandem Enyne Metathesis

The methylene-free ring synthesis of 1,3-cyclohexadienes has been expanded to include a diverse set of functional group-rich terminal and internal alkynes. [reaction: see text]

Tandem Sequence of Cross Metathesis−Ring-Closing Metathesis Reaction of Alkynyl Silyloxy-Tethered Enynes

A tandem cross metathesis (CM)--ring-closing metathesis (RCM) sequence to form cyclic siloxanes is reported. This new enyne metathesis platform expands the scope and utility of the regio- and stereoselective cross metathesis reaction between silylated alkynes and terminal alkenes. The initial cross metathesis was directed to occur on the alkyne by employing sterically hindered mono-, di-, and trisubstituted alkenes tethered to the alkyne via silyl ether. The regio- and stereoselectivity feature of the initial CM step in this tandem CM-RCM process is identical to that of the CM reactions of silylated alkynes and alkenes. This tandem sequence provides both synthetically useful silylated 1,3-diene building blocks and insights into the reaction mechanism of the enyne metathesis reaction.

Mechanism of Enyne Metathesis Catalyzed by Grubbs Ruthenium−Carbene Complexes: A DFT Study

The complete catalytic cycle of the reaction of alkenes and alkynes to dienes by Grubbs ruthenium carbene complexes has been modeled at the B3LYP/LACV3P**+//B3LYP/LACVP level of theory. The core structures of the substrates and the catalyst were used as models, namely, ethene, ethyne, hept-1-en-6-yne, (Me(3)P)(2)Cl(2)Ru=CH(2), and [C(2)H(4)(NMe)(2)C](Me(3)P)Cl(2)Ru=CH(2). Insight into the electronically most preferred mechanistic pathways was gained for both intermolecular as well as for intramolecular enyne metathesis. Alkene metathesis is predicted to proceed fast and reversible, while the insertion of the alkyne substrate is slower, irreversible, and kinetically regioselectivity determining. Ruthenacyclobut-2-ene structures do not exist as local minima in the catalytic cycle. Instead, vinylcarbene complexes are formed directly. The alkyne insertion step and the cycloreversion of 2-vinyl ruthenacyclobutanes feature comparable predicted overall barriers in intermolecular enyne metathesis. For intramolecular enyne metathesis, a noncyclic alkene fragment of the enyne substrate is first incorporated into the Grubbs catalyst by an alkene metathesis reaction. The subsequent insertion of the alkyne fragment then proceeds intramolecularly. Alkene association, cycloaddition, and cycloreversion to the diene product complex close the catalytic cycle. Rate enhancement by an ethene atmosphere (Mori's conditions) originates from a constantly higher overall alkene concentration that is necessary for the rate-limiting [2 + 2] cycloreversion step to the diene product complex.

Studies on the Mechanism of Intermolecular Enyne Metathesis: Kinetic Method and Alkyne Substituent Effects

The kinetics of enyne metathesis were studied by IR spectroscopy for a variety of alkyne-alkene combinations. The rate law was determined for alkyne-ethylene and alkyne-1-hexene cross metathesis. In the cases examined, greater substitution on the alkyne accelerates the rate of metathesis, and chelation by propargylic esters was ruled out through rate comparison with hydrocarbon alkynes. The findings are discussed in terms of an alkylidene-first reaction mechanism, phosphine-bound ruthenium carbene resting states, and the rate-determining turnover of vinyl carbene intermediates (for alkyne-1-hexene metatheses).

Equilibrium Control in Enyne Metathesis: Crossover Studies and the Kinetic Reactivity of (E,Z)-1,3-Disubstituted-1,3-Dienes

The stereoselectivity of diene bond formation in the ruthenium-carbene mediated intermolecular enyne metathesis was studied. Initial reaction between an alkyne and 1-hexene gave mixtures of E- and Z-isomers in the newly formed 1,3-diene. However, over time the mixtures equilibrated to form mostly the diene of the E-configuration. To evaluate individual reactivity of the E- and Z-dienes, they were independently synthesized. The E-diene was found to be kinetically-stable under nominal metathesis conditions while the Z-diene isomerized to the E-isomer. The Z-isomeric dienes were found to react with other alkenes to produce a new diene of E-configuration. A secondary metathesis mechanism involving ruthenium alkylidene intermediates was invoked to explain the dynamic stereochemistry observed in this study.