Angewandte
Communications
Chemie
Table 1: Optimization of the cascade reaction.
trans-16, saponification of the sterically less hindered methyl
ester and lactamization via the acid chloride provided 18. To
our disappointment, however, all oxidative conditions tested
generated a complex mixture instead of the expected
oxidative rearrangement product 19, possibly as result of
the undesired oxidation of sensitive functional groups, such as
the tertiary amines, the electron-rich aromatic ring, and the
alkene.
In order to realize the formidable chemoselective oxida-
tion of the fully elaborated dimeric substrate, which has
several oxidation-sensitive functionalities, we tried to
enhance the reactivity of the 1,2-diaminoethene moiety by
removing the Cbz protecting group. We examined this idea by
using a model substrate (Scheme 6). First, the Cbz group of
20[8] was cleaved by hydrogenolysis or treatment with BBr3.
However, hydrogenolysis provided imine 21 instead of the
corresponding 1,2-diaminoethene 22. The expected oxidation
of imine 21 under various conditions did not proceed at all.
We next tested the Ns-protected substrate 24a.[4d] Surpris-
ingly, upon removal of the Ns group of 24a under the standard
conditions with a combination of thiophenol and cesium
carbonate,[9] the diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane product 23a was
obtained in 38% yield along with a trace amount of imine 21,
thus indicating that oxidation followed by skeletal rearrange-
ment somehow proceeded after removal of the Ns group.
Entry Substrate R1
R2
Atmosphere t1 [h] t2 [h] Yield[a] [%]
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
24a
24a
24a
24b
24c
24d
24e
H
H
H
Me
Me
Me
Ar
O2
air
air
air
air
air
6
38
19
46
25
50
73
57
0.5
0.5
2.0
1.5
1.5
0.5
23.5
23.5
22.0
22.5
22.5
23.5
OTs Me
OMe Me
OMe Ts
OTs Boc
[a] Yield of the isolated product. Boc=tert-butoxycarbonyl, Ts=
p-toluenesulfonyl.
possibly owing to suppression of the undesired oxidation of
the electron-rich benzene ring. Finally, the synthetically more
useful substrate 24e bearing readily removable TsO and Boc
groups gave the product in acceptable yield (Table 1, entry 7).
We propose that this cascade reaction is initiated by
nucleophilic addition of a thiolate anion to the Ns group to
give the amidosulfurous acid anion 25 via a Meisenheimer
complex (Scheme 7).[9] At this point, 25 would be oxidized in
a single-electron-transfer (SET) process to a thiyl radical
generated from the thiolate anion through aerobic oxida-
tion[11] to afford the radical species 26. Extrusion of SO2
should provide the aminyl radical 27, which would be trapped
by molecular oxygen. Then, hydroperoxide 29 would be
reduced by the thiolate anion,[12] and subsequent semipinacol-
type rearrangement should furnish 23, which has
a diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane skeleton.
Scheme 6. Oxidation after cleavage of the protecting group on the
nitrogen. Ns=2-nitrobenzenesulfonyl.
Considering the possibility that the thiolate anion and/or
thiyl radical species participate in the oxidation/reduction
This unexpected result prompted us to optimize the
reaction conditions as well as the structure of the substrate
(Table 1). Initially, the argon atmosphere was replaced with
oxygen after the removal of the Ns group; however, the yield
of 23a decreased to 19% (Table 1, entry 2).[10] Conversely, the
yield of 23a was improved to 46% upon the replacement of
the argon atmosphere with air (entry 3). We observed
substantial effects of substituents on the two benzene rings.
The reaction of substrate 24c bearing an electron-donating
methoxy group at the C14’ position provided the desired
product 23c in higher yield (50%) than that observed with the
tosyloxy substrate 24b (Table 1, entries 4 and 5). These results
can be explained by the influence of the C14’ substituents on
the electron density of the 1,2-diaminoethene moiety. We
discovered that the substituent on the aniline nitrogen atom
was also important. Substrate 24d, which has a tosyl group
instead of one of the two methyl groups on the nitrogen atom,
provided the product 23d in higher yield (73%, entry 6)
Scheme 7. Plausible mechanism of the cascade reaction.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 1 – 6
ꢀ 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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