Stereochemical Memory Effects in Contact Ion Pairs
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 1. Transition State Model A: All Pseudo-equatorial
Results and Discussion
Early stereochemical and isotopic labeling experiments from
our laboratory on the â-(phosphatoxy)alkyl radical rearrange-
ment,9 when interpreted in terms of the ion pair mechanism for
this rearrangement,7 coupled with well-known nucleophilic
attack10 on alkene radical cations, lead directly to the conclusion
that nucleophilic attack on fragmentation-derived alkene radical
cations has the potential to exhibit stereochemical memory
effects. In order for memory effects to be observed, it is
necessary that the rate of nucleophilic attack on the contact ion
pair be more rapid than the rate of memory-destroying solvation
of the contact ion pair. The rate of attack of butylamine on the
p-methoxystyrene radical cation has been determined to be 2.5
× 109 M-1 s-1 in acetonitrile at 25 °C,10e,f whereas Farid and
co-workers find that radical cation/radical anion pairs solvate
with estimated rate constants of 108-109 s-1 in dichloroethane
at room temperature.7f,11 These rate constants, and other
considerations of a more practical nature, prompted us to focus
on cyclization reactions with a view to increasing the effective
molarity of the nucleophile and the rate of the trapping reaction.
Radical Ionic Cyclization and Assignment of Product
Stereochemistry. A series of 12 substrates were prepared as
described in full in the Supporting Information.12 The radical
ionic cascade reactions were conducted by heating a mixture
of substrate (0.02 M), tributyltin hydride (1.5 molar equivalents),
and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN, 0.3 molar equivalents) to
reflux in benzene under nitrogen for 40 h with the periodic
addition of further AIBN. The use of syringe pump techniques
and lower reaction temperatures was investigated, but neither
was found to support the radical ionic chain process. The basic
products were isolated from the reaction mixture by extraction
into dilute hydrochloric acid and re-extraction into ether
following basification, with product ratios being determined by
integration of the 1H NMR spectra of the extracts before
chromatographic separation.13 The results obtained are reported
in Table 1. As expected from previous studies on simpler
systems, no evidence was found for the alternative formation
of piperidines by 6-endo ring closure.14,15
Stereochemical Models for Cyclization. Of the 12 cycliza-
tions examined, 9 take place with moderate to high degrees of
diastereoselectivity favoring the product with formal inversion
of configuration (Table 1, entries 1, 3-7, 9, 11, and 12). These
reactions are best understood in terms of fragmentation of the
initial radical to a contact alkene radical cation/phosphate anion
pair with the phosphate shielding the face of the molecule from
which it has just departed. This ion pair undergoes rapid
intramolecular nucleophilic attack by the amine in an ipso-5-
exo manner on the face of the alkene radical opposite to the
one shielded by the phosphate, before any scrambling of the
ion pair. Among these nine examples, five may be accounted
for by a chair-like transition state with all substituents pseudo-
equatorial (Scheme 1), even if the selectivity is reduced, as in
the case of syn-3 (Table 1, entry 5).
The four remaining examples of inversion (Table 1, entries
4, 6, 11, and 12) all proceed with predominant inversion of
configuration but through transition states that necessarily
include pseudo-axial substituents if a chair-like conformation
is invoked. This leads to the hypothesis of competing twist-
boat-like transition states in these cases (Scheme 2).17
The other extreme, retention of configuration, is represented
by entries 2 and 8, and to a lesser extent by entry 10, in Table
1. These systems all share the anti configuration between the
departing phosphate and the methyl group at the vicinal
stereogenic center and cyclize with predominant retention of
configuration. We view these reactions in terms of the transition
state for cyclization of the initial contact ion pair, with attack
(9) (a) Crich, D.; Yao, Q. Tetrahedron Lett. 1993, 34, 5677. (b) Crich, D.;
Yao, Q. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 2631. (c) Crich, D.; Yao, Q.; Filzen,
G. F. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 11455. (d) Crich, D.; Sartillo-Piscil,
F.; Quintero-Cortes, L.; Wink, D. J. J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 3360. (e)
Crich, D.; Huang, W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 9239.
(10) (a) Mihelcic, J.; Moeller, K. D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 9106. (b)
Duan, S.; Moeller, K. D. Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 2685. (c) Giese, B.; Beyrich-
Graf, X.; Burger, J.; Kesselheim, C.; Senn, M.; Schafer, T. Angew. Chem.,
Int. Ed. Engl. 1993, 32, 1742. (d) Crich, D.; Huang, X.; Newcomb, M. J.
Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 523. (e) Johnston, L. J.; Schepp, N. P. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 1993, 115, 6564. (f) Johnston, L. J.; Schepp, N. P. AdV. Electron-
Transfer Chem. 1996, 5, 41.
(11) Arnold, B. R.; Noukakis, D.; Farid, S.; Goodman, J. L.; Gould, I. R. J.
Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 4399.
(12) In this paper, nitrophosphates and their precursors are numbered as indicated.
The N-benzyl group is considered part of the extended zigzag conformation
backbone, and all methyl groups are considered substituents. For purposes
of consistency throughout the paper, this system is applied even to
compounds 3, 5, and 6, which would be more correctly shown with the
methyl group as part of the backbone and the amine as a substituent.
(15) The isolated yields for these cyclizations, as reported in Table 1, are typical
for reactions of this type.14 As the focus of this study was the stereo-
selectivity of the ring closure, no attempt was made to isolate and
characterize products arising from other reaction pathways. In previous
work, we have identified a number of competing decomposition pathways
for the alkene radical cation, including overall reduction to the correspond-
ing alkene7 and CC bond cleavage.14
(16) In the trisubstituted pyrrolidines 11-13, the first stereochemical descriptor
refers to the relationship between the isopropyl group on the 2-position
and the next substituent around the ring. The second stereochemical
descriptor applies to the relationship between the two methyl groups; thus,
for example, cis,trans-11 refers to 2,3-cis-3,4-trans-1-benzyl-2-isopropyl-
3,4-dimethylpyrrolidine.
(17) It should be noted, however, that 1,3-diaxial interactions are less important
in chair-like transition states with their longer partial bonds than in actual
chair form rings, which leaves open the possibility that these cyclizations
may occur through the chair-like transition states.
(18) In this scheme, anti,anti-6 and trans,cis-13, and the associated transition
states, are represented as their enantiomers for ease of comparison.
(13) No significant difference was observed on the product ratios, whether
determined on the crude reaction mixtures or following the extractive
workup.
(14) Crich, D.; Ranganathan, K.; Neelamkavil, S.; Huang, X. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2003, 125, 7942.
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J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 127, NO. 27, 2005 9925