partner and the kind of substituents attached to their C and N
atoms, more often reacting with remarkable selectivity. Notably,
ketenimines can react as dienophiles, with either their NdC or
CdC bond getting involved in the cycloaddition process. In
addition, ketenimines have the ability to serve as the diene
partners, either as 2-azadienes [N-vinyl(aryl) ketenimines] or
as all-carbon dienes [C-vinyl(aryl) ketenimines].
[4 + 2] Cycloaddition Reaction of C-Aryl
Ketenimines with PTAD as a Synthetic
Equivalent of Dinitrogen. Synthesis of
Triazolocinnolines and Cinnolines
Mateo Alajarin,*,† Baltasar Bonillo,† Marta Marin-Luna,†
Angel Vidal,*,† and Raul-Angel Orenes‡
1,2,4-Triazoline-3,5-diones (TADs) are strong electron ac-
ceptors and known to be extremely reactive and synthetically
useful dienophiles5 and enophiles.6 Concerning the dienophilic
behavior of TADs, it is worth mentioning that these neutral
dienophiles have found application in efficient methods to
capture very unstable intermediates,7 for characterizing dienes,8
in the isolation of dienes from complex mixtures9 and for
temporarily protecting diene fragments.10
Departamento de Quimica Organica, Facultad de Quimica,
UniVersidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo,
30100 Murcia, Spain, and SerVicio UniVersitario de
Instrumentacion Cientifica, UniVersidad de Murcia, Campus
de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
ReceiVed February 12, 2009
The group of Battaglia has reported the periselective
Diels-Alder reaction of C-vinyl-N-(4-methylphenyl) keten-
imines with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD) which
gives rise to the monocycloadducts across the diene system
formed by the cumulative CdC bond and the adjacent vinyl
(3) For some recent examples, see: (a) Alajar´ın, M.; Ort´ın, M.-M.; Sa´nchez-
Andrada, P.; Vidal, A.; Bautista, D. Org. Lett. 2005, 7, 5281–5284. (b) Alajar´ın,
M.; Bonillo, B.; Ort´ın, M.-M.; Sa´nchez-Andrada, P.; Vidal, A. Org. Lett. 2006,
8, 5645–5648. (c) Alajar´ın, M.; Ort´ın, M.-M.; Sa´nchez-Andrada, P.; Vidal, A.
J. Org. Chem. 2006, 71, 8126–8139.
C,C,N-Triaryl ketenimines and C-alkyl-C,N-diaryl keten-
imines react with 2 equiv of PTAD to provide 1,2,4-
triazolo[1,2-a]cinnolines with a pendant triazolidindione
group by means of a Diels-Alder/ene sequence. The
treatment of such adducts with potassium hydroxide affords
3-aminocinnolines.
(4) For selected examples of [2 + 2] cycloadditions of ketenimines, see: (a)
Alajar´ın, M.; Molina, P.; Vidal, A. Tetrahedron Lett. 1996, 37, 8945–8948. (b)
Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Tovar, F.; Arrieta, A.; Lecea, B.; Coss´ıo, F. P.
Chem.sEur. J. 1999, 5, 1106–1117. (c) Coss´ıo, F. P.; Arrieta, A.; Lecea, B.;
Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Tovar, F. J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 3633–3643. (d)
Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Tovar, F.; Ram´ırez de Arellano, M. C.; Coss´ıo, F. P.;
Arrieta, A.; Lecea, B. J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 7512–7515. (e) Alajar´; in, M.;
Vidal, A.; Tovar, F.; Ram´ırez de Arellano, M. C. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2004,
15, 489–494. (f) For selected examples of [4 + 2] cycloadditions of ketenimines,
see: Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Tovar, F.; Conesa, C. Tetrahedron Lett. 1999, 40,
6127–6130. (g) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Tovar, F. Tetrahedron Lett. 2000, 41,
7029–7032. (h) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Ort´ın, M.-M.; Tovar, F. Synthesis 2002,
2393–2398. (i) Lee, K.-J.; Kim, D.-W.; Kim, B.-G. J. Heterocycl. Chem. 2003,
40, 363–367. (j) Martorell, A.; Inman, G.; Alper, H. J. Mol. Catal. A: Chem.
2003, 204-205, 91–96. (k) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Tovar, F.; Sa´nchez-Andrada,
P.; Bautista, D. Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 9913–9918. (l) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.;
Ort´ın, M.-M. Tetrahedron 2005, 61, 7613–7621. (m) Alajar´ın, M.; Bonillo, B.;
Sa´nchez-Andrada, P.; Vidal, A.; Bautista, D. J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 5863–
5866.
(5) For recent examples of using PTAD as dienophile, see: (a) Kobayashi,
S.; Furuya, T.; Otani, T.; Saito, T. Tetrahedron 2008, 64, 9705–9716. (b)
Su¨ennemann, H. W.; Banwell, M. G.; de Meijere, A. Chem.sEur. J. 2008, 14,
7236–7249. (c) Kobayashi, S.; Furuya, T.; Otani, T.; Saito, T. Tetrahedron Lett.
2008, 49, 4513–4515. (d) Alajar´ın, M.; Cabrera, J.; Pastor, A.; Sa´nchez-Andrada,
P.; Bautista, D. J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 963–973.
(6) For recent examples of using PTAD as enophile, see: (a) Acevedo, O.;
Squillacote, M. E. J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 912–922. (b) Basheer, A.; Rappoport,
Z. J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 184–190. (c) Vougioukalakis, G. C.; Roubelakis,
M. M.; Alberti, M. N.; Orfanopoulos, M. Chem.sEur. J. 2008, 14, 9697–9705.
(7) Anastassiou, A. G.; Yakali, E. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. 1972,
92–93.
Ketenimines, a group of organic nitrogen heterocumulenes
sharing a common 1-aza-1,2-propadiene system, have served
as useful substrates to create structural diversity and complexity
in the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles. The basis of this
usefulness lies in the rich chemistry of ketenimines,1 which may
undergo the addition of nucleophiles and carbon-centered
radicals2 to their central carbon atom, and easily participate in
pericyclic events: cycloaddition reactions, 6π-electrocyclic ring
closures and sigmatropic rearrangements.3 Among these reac-
tions the [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] cycloaddition processes have
attracted the most attention.4 When participating in Diels-Alder
reactions, the role played by ketenimines depends on the reaction
† Facultad de Quimica.
‡ Servicio Universitario de Instrumentacion Cientifica.
(1) For reviews in the chemistry of ketenimines, see: (a) Krow, D. R. Angew.,
Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1971, 10, 435–449. (b) Gambaryan, N. P. Usp. Khim. 1976,
45, 1251–1268. (c) Dondoni, A. Heterocycles 1980, 14, 1547–1566. (d) Barker,
M. W.; McHenry, W. E. In The Chemistry of Ketenes, Allenes and Related
Compounds; Patai, S., Ed.; Wiley-Interscience: Chichester, UK, 1980; Part 2,
701. (e) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Tovar, F. Targets Heterocycl. Syst. 2000, 4,
293–326. (f) Perst, H. Sci. Synth. 2006, 23, 781–898.
(2) (a) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Ort´ın, M.-M. Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44,
3027–3030. (b) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Ort´ın, M.-M. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2003,
1, 4282–4292. (c) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Ort´ın, M.-M.; Bautista, D. New
J. Chem. 2004, 28, 570–577. (d) Alajar´ın, M.; Vidal, A.; Ort´ın, M.-M.; Bautista,
D. Synlett 2004, 991–994.
(8) (a) Askani, R.; Chesick, J. P. Chem. Ber. 1973, 106, 8–19. (b) Imagawa,
T.; Sueda, N.; Kawanisi, M. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. 1972, 388. (c)
Kobal, V. M.; Gibson, D. T.; Davies, R. E.; Garza, A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1973,
95, 4420–4421.
(9) (a) Poutsma, M. L.; Ibarbia, P. A. Tetrahedron Lett. 1970, 11, 4967–
4970. (b) Poutsma, M. L.; Ibarbia, P. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1971, 93, 440–450.
(10) (a) Ochi, K.; Matsunaga, I.; Nagano, H.; Fukushima, M.; Shindo, M.;
Kanedo, C.; Ishikawa, M.; DeLuca, H. F. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1 1979,
165–169. (b) Bosworth, N.; Emke, A.; Midgley, J. M.; Moore, C. J.; Whalley,
W. B.; Fergurson, G.; Marsh, W. C. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1 1977, 805–
809. (c) Barton, D. H. R.; Gunatilaka, A. A. L.; Nakanishi, T.; Patin, H.;
Widdowson, D. A.; Worth, B. R. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans.1 1976, 821–826.
3558 J. Org. Chem. 2009, 74, 3558–3561
10.1021/jo900304a CCC: $40.75 2009 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 04/03/2009