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We have developed a Zincke-aldehyde-based approach to the complex alkaloid gelsemine. It features a key thermal pericyclic cascade that converts a Zincke aldehyde bearing a pendant alkene into a hydroisoindolone product that shares many structural features with the target molecule. Our efforts to convert these intermediates to gelsemine are also discussed.

The development of catalyst-controlled stereoselective olefin metathesis processes has been a pivotal recent advance in chemistry. The incorporation of appropriate ligands within complexes based on molybdenum, tungsten and ruthenium has led to reactivity and selectivity levels that were previously inaccessible. Here we show that molybdenum monoaryloxide chloride complexes furnish higher-energy (Z) isomers of trifluoromethyl-substituted alkenes through cross-metathesis reactions with the commercially available, inexpensive and typically inert Z-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene. Furthermore, otherwise inefficient and non-stereoselective transformations with Z-1,2-dichloroethene and 1,2-dibromoethene can be effected with substantially improved efficiency and Z selectivity. The use of such molybdenum monoaryloxide chloride complexes enables the synthesis of representative biologically active molecules and trifluoromethyl analogues of medicinally relevant compounds. The origins of the activity and selectivity levels observed, which contradict previously proposed principles, are elucidated with the aid of density functional theory calculations.

Molybdenum complexes with the general formula Mo(NR)(CHR′)(OR″)(Cl)(MeCN) (R = t-Bu or 1-adamantyl; OR″ = a 2,6-terphenoxide) recently have been found to be highly active catalysts for cross-metathesis reactions between Z-internal olefins and Z-1,2-dichloroethylene or Z-(CF3)CH═CH(CF3). In this paper we report methods of synthesizing new potential catalysts with the general formula M(NR)(CHR′)(OR″)(Cl)(L) in which M = Mo or W, NR = N-2,6-diisopropylphenyl or NC6F5, and L is a phosphine, a pyridine, or a nitrile. We also test and compare all catalysts in the cross-metathesis of Z-1,2-dichloroethylene and cyclooctene. Our investigations indicate that tungsten complexes are inactive in the test reaction either because the donor is bound too strongly or because acetonitrile inserts into a W═C bond. The acetonitrile or pivalonitrile Mo(NR)(CHR′)(OR″)(Cl)(L) complexes are found to be especially reactive because the 14e Mo(NR)(CHR′)(OR″)Cl core is accessible through dissociation of the nitrile to a significant e...

[4185-69-7] C11H8ClN3O4 (MW 81.65) InChI = 1S/C11H8N3O4.ClH/c15-13(16)9-4-5-10(11(8-9)14(17)18)12-6-2-1-3-7-12;/h1-8H;1H/q+1;/p-1 InChIKey = UYHMQTNGMUDVIY-UHFFFAOYSA-M (reagent for synthesis of N-alkyl or N-aryl pyridinium salts1, 2; can undergo ring opening to form 5-amino- or 5-hydroxy-2,4-pentadienal derivatives3, 4) Alternate Name: Zincke salt. Physical Data: mp 199–202 °C. Solubility: sol H2O, DMSO; moderately sol alcohol solvents; insol acetone, CH2Cl2, diethyl ether, petroleum ether. Form Supplied in: white solid. Analysis of Reagent Purity: NMR in DMSO-d6. Preparative Methods: the title reagent can be prepared by reaction of pyridine and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene in acetone, and collected by filtration. Purification: recrystallization from ethanol. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: the title reagent is relatively safe, being stable indefinitely as a solid, but should be stored in a cool, dry location away from light. 2,4-Dinitroaniline is a by-product in many reactions involving the title reagent, and is known to be toxic via inhalation, skin contact, and ingestion.

Unusual observations in the ring-rearrangement metathesis (RRM) of Himbert arene/allene cycloadducts to form fused polycylic lactams led to a more in-depth experimental study that yielded conflicting results. Differences in reactivity within related systems and unexpected changes in diastereoselectivity among other similar substrates were not readily explained on the basis of the experimental results. Computational investigations demonstrated substrate-dependent changes in reaction pathways (ring-opening metathesis/ring-closing metathesis [ROM/RCM] cascade vs. ring-closing metathesis/ring-opening metathesis [RCM/ROM] cascade). Furthermore, some reactions were judged to be under thermodynamic control, and others under kinetic control. The greater understanding of the most likely reaction pathways and their energetics provided a reasonable explanation for the previously irreconcilable results.

The unusual intramolecular arene/allene cycloaddition described thirty years ago by Himbert permits rapid access to strained polycyclic compounds that offer great potential for the synthesis of complex scaffolds. To more fully understand the mechanism of this cycloaddition reaction, and to guide efforts to extend its scope to new substrates, quantum mechanical computational methods were employed in concert with laboratory experiments. These studies indicated that the cycloadditions likely proceed via concerted processes; a stepwise biradical mechanism was shown to be higher in energy in the cases studied. The original Himbert cycloaddition chemistry is also extended from heterocyclic to carbocyclic systems, with computational guidance used to predict thermodynamically favorable cases. Complex polycyclic scaffolds result from the combination of the cycloaddition and subsequent ring-rearrangement metathesis reactions.

The reaction allows a new access to a wide range of polycyclic lactams which are of synthetic and biological interest.

The intramolecular arene/allene cycloaddition first described 30 years ago by Himbert and Henn permits rapid access to strained polycyclic compounds. Alkene metathesis processes cleanly rearrange appropriately substituted cycloadducts into complex, functional-group-rich polycyclic lactams of potential utility for natural product synthesis and medicinal chemistry.

A Pd(II)-catalyzed reaction protocol for the carboxylation of ortho-C-H bonds in anilides to form N-acyl anthranilic acids has been developed. This reaction procedure provides a novel and efficient strategy for the rapid assembly of biologically and pharmaceutically significant molecules, such as benzoxazinones and quinazolinones, from simple anilides without installing and removing an external directing group. The reaction conditions are also amenable to the carboxylation of N-phenyl pyrrolidinones. A monomeric palladacycle containing p-toluenesulfonate as an anionic ligand has been characterized by X-ray crystallography, and the crucial role of p-toluenesulfonic acid in the activation of C-H bonds in the presence of carbon monoxide is discussed. Identification of two key intermediates, a mixed anhydride and benzoxazinone formed by reductive elimination from organometallic Ar(CO)Pd(II)-OTs species, provides mechanistic evidence for a dual-reaction pathway.