4546
P. Brémond et al. / Tetrahedron Letters 53 (2012) 4543–4547
Acknowledgments
O
O
O
O
70 ºC
O
+
O
N
O
N
O
The authors thank Aix-Marseille University and CNRS for
financial support. K.K. greatly thanks the Agence Nationale de la
Recherche for a post-doctoral Grant (ANR NITROMRI ANR-09-
BLAN-0017-01). We thank Prof. L. Charles for fruitful discussions
on ESI–MS data.
t-BuOH
P(O)(OEt)2
P(O)(OEt)2
O
H P
OEt
OEt
+
+
9b
20a,b
by-product
References and notes
Scheme 7. Cyclization of compound 9b.
1. Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. In Nitroxide-Mediated Polymerization and its Applications
in Encyclopedia of Radicals in Chemistry Biology and Materials; Chatgilialoglu, C.,
Studer, A., Eds.; John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester, UK, 2012; pp 1813–1850.
2. Bertin, D.; Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. R. A.; Tordo, P. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2011, 40, 2189–
2198.
3. Tebben, L.; Studer, A. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 5034–5068.
4. Bertin, D.; Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. R. A.; Tordo, P. Tetrahedron 2005, 61, 8752–
8761.
5. Bertin, D.; Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. R. A.; Maurin, R.; Tordo, P. J. Polym. Sci., Part A:
Polym. Chem. 2004, 42, 3504–3515.
6. Gigmes, D.; Vinas, J.; Chagneux, N.; Lefay, C.; Phan, T. N. T.; Trimaille, T.; Dufils,
P.-E.; Guillaneuf, Y.; Carrot, G.; Boué, F.; Bertin, D. ACS Symp. 2009, 1024, 245–
262.
When experiments were performed on samples degassed under
high vacuum (48 h, T = 70 °C, degassing under high vacuum, P = 10
ꢁ5 Torr) a totally reverted reactivity was observed, that is, 20% of
side-products 15, 18, 19 and 80% of diethylphosphite, and new
trace peaks were also observed for 9b (vide infra).35 It nicely con-
firmed the influence of oxygen on the reactivity and its role in
the proposed mechanism. The kinetics and the consequence of this
mechanism on the reactivity of labile alkoxyamines are currently
under investigation.29 For 9b experiment was again performed in
high vacuum-sealed tube and peaks at d = 23.0 and d = 23.3 ppm
were observed by 31P NMR along with 14 and diethylphosphite.
It is likely that the formation of large rings (14 to 15 members)
is strongly entropically disfavored and cannot compete with the
H-atom abstraction leading to hydroxylamine and alkyl methacry-
lates involving that large rings cannot be prepared with this proce-
dure. The formation of five-membered ring lactone was reported
for alkoxyamine based on 1.4 The new peaks aforementioned are
in the expected zone for this family of compounds. Thus, experi-
ment was performed on a preparative scale by heating a t-BuOH
solution of 9 degassed under high vacuum (P = 10ꢁ5 Torr) in a
sealed Schlenk at 120 °C for 2 h. Full conversion was reached by
31P NMR, affording 66% of 20a and 20b (50% isolated yield) and
34% of diethylphosphite. The vinylic protons at d = 5.89 ppm con-
firmed the presence of allyl methacrylate 21 and hence the mech-
anism of its generation (Schemes 4 and 7). The 1H, 31P, and 13C
NMR confirmed the 5-exo-trig-cyclization as no vinylic protons
were detected, as new CH2O (d = 71.78 ppm and d = 67.80 ppm
for 20a and d = 72.13 ppm and d = 67.99 ppm for 20b) and CH
(d = 43.18 ppm for 20a and d = 42.92 ppm for 20b) signals were
arising.36 Furthermore the HRMS confirmed the expected mass.37
In conclusion, we achieved direct esterification of the labile alk-
oxyamine 2 by two different methods: (1) a Mitsunobu reaction
followed by tedious purification, (2) a very simple nucleophilic dis-
placement of an alkyl halide by the carboxylate anion of 2 followed
by simple filtration through silica gel. This last method allows sev-
eral ester derivatives of the labile alkoxyamine 2 to be obtained di-
rectly and efficiently without pre-coupling functionalization. The
preparation of the polymeric initiator 10b in good yield highlights
the potential of such type of functionalization for applications in
Polymer Science.
7. Brémond, P.; Marque, S. R. A. Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 4291–4293.
8. Brémond, P.; Koïta, A.; Marque, S. R. A.; Pesce, V.; Roubaud, V.; Siri, D. Org. Lett.
2012, 14, 358–361.
9. Bertin, D.; Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. R. A.; Milardo, S.; Peri, J.; Tordo, P. Collect.
Czech. Chem. Commun. 2004, 69, 2223–2238.
10. Experimental conditions have not been reported in Ref. 6. However conditions
are expected to be the same than in Ref. 4, that is addition of 3 equiv of SOCl2 to
a solution of the acid in CH2Cl2 followed by stirring at room temperature.
11. Bertin, D.; Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. R. A.; Tordo, P. Macromolecules 2005, 38,
2638–2650.
12. Charton, M. Prog. Phys. Org. Chem. 1981, 13, 119–251.
13. The Hammett values for the intermediate COOC(@NR)NR cannot be
straightforwardly estimated. However, the F value of OC(@NR) is expected to
be larger than of OH (FOH = 0.33) due to electron withdrawing atom and lower
than OCN group (FOCN = 0.69), meaning that the effect should be closed to the
effect of Cl (FCl = 0.42) and hence of COCl. See: Hansch, C.; Leo, A.; Taft, R. W.
Chem. Rev. 1991, 91, 165–195.
14.
rCMe2COOH = 0.07, r
CMe2COCl = 0.13, and A = 2.4 1014 sꢁ1
15. Preparation of pivaloyl chloride by reaction of pivalic acid with SOCl2 requires
warming of the solution above 50 °C (see for example Attygalle, A. B.;
Nishshanka, U.; Weisbecker, C. S. J. Am. Soc. Mass. Spectrom. 2011, 1515–
1525. As warming is precluded with labile alkoxyamine such as 2, it may occur
that the formation of pivaloyl-type chloride was very slow at room
temperature, favoring the occurrence of side-reactions and hence the
decomposition of the starting material..
16. Ea cannot be estimated with high reliability due to intimate ion pair effect
which depends dramatically on the solvent, see: Audran, G.; Brémond, P.;
Marque, S. R. A.; Obame, G., submitted for publication . However, the homolysis
will not be faster than for 2, see Bertin, D.; Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. R. A.; Siri, D.;
Tordo, P.; Trappo, G. Chem. Phys. Chem. 2008, 9, 272–281.
17. Undec-10-en-1-yl 2-((tert-butyl(1-(diethoxyphosphoryl)-2,2-dimethyl-propyl)-
amino)oxy)-2-methylpropanoate (6). 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d 1.09 (9H, s),
1.19 (9H, s), 1.25–1.32 (18H, m), 1.59 (3H, s), 1.70 (3H, s), 3.27 (1H, d), 3.90–
4.10 (4H, m), 4.32–4.38 (2H, m), 4.92–5.01 (2H, m), 5.77–5.83 (1H, m) ppm. 13
C
NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d 16.18, 16.27, 16.57, 16.65, 25.95, 28.13, 28.24, 28.52,
28.86, 29.04, 29.18, 29.35, 29.42, 30.01, 30.08, 33.75, 35.93, 36.01, 61.74, 61.82,
62.17, 64.95, 69.19, 71.02, 83.84, 114.12, 139.10, 175.29 ppm. 31P NMR
(121 MHz, CDCl3):
d 25.3 ppm. HRMS (ESI): m/z calcd for C28H57N1O6P1
(M+H)+ 534.3918, found 534.3917.
18. But, T. Y. S.; Toy, P. H. Chem. Asian J. 2007, 2, 1340–1355.
19. General procedure for the synthesis of ester derivatives 5: 1,8-
diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) (1.0 equiv) was added dropwise to a
stirred solution of alkoxylamine 2 (1.0 equiv) in dry benzene. The mixture was
stirred for 30 min under argon, and then the electrophile (1.0 equiv) was
added. After 24 h of stirring at room temperature, the solvent was removed in
vacuo and the crude material was purified by column chromatography on silica
gel (diethylether/hexanes) to give pure ester (yields: 7b: 77%; 8b: 78%; 9b:
57%).
We showed that the radical cyclization of large rings cannot be
performed with alkoxyamines derived from 2. On the other hand,
formation of five-membered ring lactone was performed in moder-
ate yield. In fact, with these examples, the limits of the Persistent
Radical Effect are reached, as the cross-coupling reaction is so slow
that it cannot compete with the H-atom abstraction side-reaction
and cannot play its role of prolonging the lifetime of the alkoxy-
amine until it reacts through the targeted reaction.
We also showed that the presence of oxygen might be an
important issue as it led to new by-products. This reaction took
place only because the cross-coupling reaction between nitroxide
and alkyl radical was extremely slow. The consequences of this ki-
netic behavior on Nitroxide Mediated Polymerization issue are
currently under investigation and will be reported in due course.
20. Beaudoin, E.; Bertin, D.; Gigmes, D.; Marque, S. R. A.; Siri, D.; Tordo, P. Eur. J.
Org. Chem. 2006, 1755–1768.
21. Ethyl 2-((tert-butyl(1-(diethoxyphosphoryl)-2,2-dimethylpropyl)amino)oxy)-2-
methylpropanoate (8b). 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d 1.10 (9H, s), 1.19 (9H, s),
1.26–1.32 (9H, m), 1.59 (3H, s), 1.70 (3H, s), 3.27 (1 H, d, J = 26.0 Hz), 3.91–4.03
(1H, m), 4.07–4.11 (1H, m), 4.12–4.19 (2H, m), 4.33–4.39 (2H, m) ppm. 13C
NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d 14.08, 16.21, 16.30, 16.56, 16.64, 22.45, 28.13, 29.98,
30.05, 35.95, 36.04, 60.77, 61.77, 61.85, 62.17, 69.24, 71.05, 83.74, 175.26 ppm.
31P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl3):
C
d 25.3 ppm. HRMS (ESI): m/z calcd for
19H41N1O6P1 (M+H)+ 410.2666, found 410.2673.
22. Allyl 2-((tert-butyl(1-(diethoxyphosphoryl)-2,2-dimethylpropyl)amino)oxy)-2-
methylpropanoate (9b). 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d 1.10 (9H, s), 1.19 (9H, s),