Synthesis and Reactivity of 6- and 7-Methoxyindanoaziridines

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00385a001

The synthesis,spectral, and reactivity properties of 6-methoxy- and 7-methoxyindano<1,2-b>aziridines (8 and 9,respectively) are detailed.Hydrolysis of each aziridine produced the corresponding trans and cis-2-amino-1-indanols in approximately 1:2 ratio, respectively.The 7-methoxy adduct 9 underwent hydrolysis approximately 250 times faster then the isomeric 6-methoxyaziridine 8 at pH 8.88.Both the product profiles and the kinetic rate data for the hydrolysis of 8 and 9 are consistent with a mechanism in which protonation of the aziridine precedes the rate-determining ring-opening step to generate the corresponding benzylic cation.The products generated in these reactions paralleled those reported for the hydrolysis of the antineoplastic agent mitomycin C under reductive conditions.The implications of these findings in relation to the mode of action of mitomycin C are discussed.