C-H functionalisation reactions aim for the selective cleavage of C-H bonds, and formation of a new carbon or heteroatom bond, often with the use of a transition metal catalyst. These reactions offer potential for functionalisation of hydrocarbons in fewer steps than conventional methods, and with high atom efficiency. They are therefore a subject of intense research in organic synthesis. Carbon-heteroatom bond forming reactions are particularly sought after, and useful in the efficient synthesis of many biologically significant groups such as oxazolidinone rings, 1,2 or 1,3 amino alcohols and amino acid analogues. An efficient, cheap and robust method for C-H amination would also be adaptable to varied syntheses of important large molecules. The necessity for complex and efficient transformations with a minimal number of steps means that heteroatom ring closures are also attractive and widely used reactions in such large molecule syntheses. The nitroso group is a highly reactive species which is normally generated in situ by oxidation of a hydroxylamine, for carbon-nitrogen bond forming reactions including the nitroso Heteroatomic Diels Alder reaction, nitroso ene reaction, and nitroso aldol reaction. Nitroso group reactions often show high stereo- and regioselectivity, and have formed key components of the syntheses of important biological molecules. Enantioselectivive protocols for the nitroso-ene reaction and, to a lesser extent, the nitroso HDA reaction, are poorly developed, however, and the range of available intramolecular nitroso reactions is limited. We aimed to establish efficient single-step intermolecular C-H amination reactions, to give 1,2 and 1,3 heteroatom functionalised molecules, and to develop the capacity for enantioselective induction in this reaction, if possible. Having synthesised a model set of unsaturated hydroxycarbamates, we identified a suitable system for nitroso generation, using a catalytic metal and stoichiometric oxidant. This resulted in in situ generation of cyclised product, with the olefin functionality intact. This cyclisation was then optimised and used to obtain a range of new heterocycles. The possibility of enantioselective induction via chiral catalysts was explored, as well as catalytic systems to increase the stereoselectivity of the reaction. In summary, a cheap, novel and reliable method was developed for formation of oxazolidinone rings from unsaturated hydroxycarbamates using an original intramolecular nitroso ene reaction, and a range of unsaturated heterocycles were synthesised in fairly good yields. Distereoselectivity of the nitroso ene cyclisations was optimised. However, to-date, we were unable to develop an enantioselective varient of the reaction. Several related aminations, as well as transformations of N-hydroxyoxazolidinone products, were also attempted during the project.

The use of ionic liquids (ILs) as both reagents and solvents is widely recognised. ILs offer a number of advantages compared to regular molecular solvents. These advantages include: chemical and thermal stability, no measurable vapour pressure, no or lower toxicity, non-flammability, catalytic ability, high polarity and they can be recycled. There are a number of research groups investigating the various applications of this reaction medium and most studies have focused on solvents derived from the imidazolium cation. The use of the imidazolium-based ILs in the Diels-Alder reaction has been studied in detail and higher yields compared to conventional methods have been reported. The IL affects the rate and interesting selectivities have been observed. However, not much attention has been paid to the scope and limitations of phosphonium ILs (PILs). Therefore the focus of this thesis is the synthesis and application of novel chiral PILs as environmentally benign, task-specific solvents for the Diels-Alder reaction. In addition, this research seeks alternative ways to eliminate the use of toxic heavy metal catalysts and to exploit methodologies which reduce the energy consumption of the Diels-Alder reaction. A series of CILs were synthesised from the chiral pool and they were characterised by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and spectroscopy. They were then investigated as solvents and catalysts in the Diels-Alder reactions of a series of dienes (cyclopentadiene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethylbuta-1,3-diene, furan, pyrrole, N-methyl pyrrole) and dienophiles (methyl acrylate, methyl vinyl ketone, acrylonitrile, dimethyl maleate, acrolein, dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate, maleic anhydride and maleimide). Investigation of the effect of PILs in the presence of three heterogeneous catalysts Al2O3, SiO2 and K-10 montmorillonite were studied. Ultrasound and microwave-assisted Diels-Alder reactions in the PILs, in the absence and presence of the catalysts, were also studied. The reactions of these prototypical substrates illustrated that the solvents are indeed task-specific.

<p>This thesis describes the use of 2H-azirines as reactivesubstrates in Lewis acid catalysed nucleophilic additions andin the Diels-Alder reaction.A number of carbon nucleophiles have been added to aseries of 2H-azirines in the presence and absence ofBF3·Et2O. 3-(2-Naphthyl)-2H-azirine has been used as amodel substrate in the enantioselective addition oforganolithium reagents to an 2H-azirine.A selection of Lewis acids has been screened for theirpossible use in the normal electron demand Diels-Alder reactionbetween 3-alkyl-, 3-aryl-, and 3- carboxyl-2H-azirines and avariety of dienes. Lewis acid activation was found to shortenreaction times and facilitate lower reaction temperatures.These cycloadditions proceeded with endo selectivity providinga single diastereoisomeric product.DFT calculations of Lewis acid activated 2H-azirineshave been carried out.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>2H-azirines, Lewis acid activation, chiralligands, organolithium reagents, Diels-Alder reactions,DFT-calculations</p>

The biosynthesis of the steroid precursor molecule lanosterol is a remarkable process in which the enzyme-bound substrate 2,3-S-oxidosqualene forms four new carbocyclic rings by a cascade of cation-alkene addition reactions, followed by a series of 1,2-methyl and hydride shifts. The work presented in this thesis is a computational study of the reactions of compounds designed to model the oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclisation in order to establish details of the mechanism of this amazing cyclisation. The initiation of oxidosqualene cyclisation has been modelled by the intermolecular reaction of protonated oxirane and methylpropene. The SN2-like ring opening of the protonated epoxide is strongly exothermic with a low barrier to reaction; the geometry of the gas phase reaction has been found to be significantly affected by hyperconjugative stabilisations and low energy steric interactions. The energy profile and geometry of this reaction can now be compared to analogous intramolecular reactions such as the formation of the lanosterol A-ring. The competing five- and six-membered cyclisations of a series of substituted A-ring model compounds was investigated. It has been found that the facile cleavage of the protonated epoxide causes the reaction to behave more as an electrophilic addition than as a nucleophilic ring-opening substitution. This behaviour accounts for the general preference of protonated epoxides to react at the more substituted carbon atom, while epoxides in neutral or basic media react at the least sterically hindered carbon. With consideration for Baldwin's rules for ring closure, it is seen that the series of model compounds generally favours six-membered ring formation endo at the epoxide. The formation of the lanosterol B-ring was studied using a bicyclic model system. Previous computational studies had predicted the B-ring to close with readily with an activation energy of less than 1 kcal mol-1, however the present study has found a significant barrier to cyclisation of ca. 5-7 kcal mol-1 in this gas-phase model at the HF/6-31G(d) level of theory. This barrier is thought to arise from the closure of the B-ring in a sterically hindered twist-boat conformation.

Information on alder (Alnus jorullensis silvics and dendrology, propagation, and management were synthesized into four alternatives for fuelwood management in Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador. Stem volume was estimated from diameter and height measurements taken in 16 stands of known age in Ecuador using an empirical equation developed in Costa Rica. An empirical equation describing the relationship between stem volume and tree age for alder in Ecuador was then developed. Measurements of 5 fuelwood units from Saraguro were used to determine the market price for a cubic meter of fuelwood. Four mangement regimes using a 20 year rotation were then examined at four discount rates. Using a 15% real rate of interest, thinning at 10 years yielded a present net value of 891,059 sucres and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.31. The analysis was more sensitive to changes in fuelwood price than to changes in wage rate.

Les réactions de Diels-Alder (DA) sont connues pour leur thermo-réversibilité. A basse température, le diène et les fonctions réactives diénophiles réagissent ensemble par la réaction de (DA) pour donner l'adduit. Le but de notre thèse est d'élaborer des réseaux réticulés thermoréversibles à base époxy-amine en utilisant des réactions de Diels-Alder. La thèse est composée de cinq chapitres dont le premier est consacré à la partie bibliographique. Celle-ci résume une partie des travaux réalisés sur la synthèse d'adduits et expose les différentes conditions utilisées pour aboutir à la synthèse, ainsi que les différentes méthodes d'analyse pour la caractérisation de ces adduits. Le deuxième chapitre est consacré à la synthèse et caractérisations des pré-polymères multi-diéne furanne ester. La synthèse de ces pré-polymères a été réalisée et confirmée par la RMN-1H, avec l'apparition de nouveaux signaux entre 4 et 5 ppm prouvant l'estérification. L'analyse IR- TF confirme l'apparition des deux bandes de vibration correspondantes à la fonction ester. Le troisième chapitre est consacré à la synthèse et caractérisations des pré-polymères acides multi-diénophiles (diénophiles ouverts) et une tri-maléimide diénophile (diénophile fermé). Les analyses RMN-1H et IR-TF confirment, respectivement, la disparition des protons de la fonction amine et les deux bandes anhydride, avec ouverture de la fonction époxy. Le quatrième chapitre est consacré à la synthèse et caractérisations de pré-polymères multi-diène furane. Ceux-ci ont été réalisés par la réaction de copolymérisation entre les fonctions époxydes de la DGEBA et la phényl diglycidyl éther (PGE) avec la furfurylamine (FAM). La RMN-1H a permis de calculer la fonctionnalité en fonction furane des diènes et de déterminer leur masse molaire moyenne en nombre. L'analyse thermogravimétrie (ATG) et l'analyse thermique par DSC ont montré que ces diènes sont des composés amorphes présentant une Tg de l'ordre de 20°C et restent stables thermiquement jusqu'à une température de 230°C. Enfin, dans le cinquième et dernier chapitre, la synthèse de réseaux thermoréversibles formés par la réaction de Diels-Alder entre les pré-polymères diène et la tri-maléimide diénophile sera présentée. La thermoréversibilité, les propriétés thermiques et d'autoréparation des réseaux seront étudiées

Intramolecular hydroamination represents a potentially general, simple strategy to access various nitrogen heterocycles. While important progress has been accomplished in recent years, six-membered ring formation via alkene hydroamination is typically difficult and limited to terminal alkenes, suggesting that only 2-methylpiperidines can be accessed reliably with current methods. As part of the Beauchemin group efforts on metal-free concerted hydroamination methods, the first part of this thesis describes the development of a Cope-type hydroamination-Meisenheimer rearrangement (CHMR) sequence that is applicable in inter- and intramolecular reactions. Data acquired from optimization on a difficult substrate (coniine) and the successful application of the CHMR sequence to the syntheses of N-norreticuline and 10-desbromoarborescidine are reported. The amination of alkenes is surprisingly scarcely used in the synthesis of complex alkaloids despite its potential for the construction of structurally challenging molecules while avoiding functional group interconversions. Hence, the second part of this thesis describes the studies on a novel amination sequence, consisting of an intermolecular Diels-Alder followed by an intramolecular hydroamination reaction, in the efforts towards the synthesis of biologically active and structurally complex Manzamine A. As such, the synthesis of the model substrates, including the development of a novel family of aminodienes, as well as the assessment of their reactivity towards [4+2] cycloadditions is reported.

Für Diamantpartikel basiert diese Funktionalisierungschemie auf den bereits vorhanden Oberflächengruppen, die durch die Synthese und Reinigung entstanden sind. Die stabilste Anbindung wäre eine C-C-Verknüpfung der Diamantatome auf der Oberfläche mit den organischen Reagenzien. Um diese Verknüpfung zu erreichen, wurde die Oberfläche mittels Diels-Alder-Reaktion funktionalisiert. Grundvoraussetzung hierfür ist eine Oberfläche, die über eine ausreichende Menge an C=C-Doppelbindungen verfügt. Dies wurde durch eine thermische Behandlung erreicht. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass ab einer Behandlungstemperatur von 750 °C keine funktionellen Gruppen durch die eingesetzten Analysemethoden mehr nachgewiesen werden können. Die Elementaranalyse der einzelnen Proben zeigt einen deutlichen Anstieg des Kohlenstoffgehaltes. Nach erfolgreicher thermischer Behandlung des Diamanten wurde durch die Verwendung von Cyclopentadien und Anthracen als Dien gezeigt, dass eine Funktionalisierung über eine Diels-Alder-Reaktion generell möglich ist. Daher wurde als alternatives Dien ein o-Chinodimethan eingesetzt. Hierzu wurde eine systematische Untersuchung der Umsetzung der unterschiedlichen thermisch behandelten Proben mit α,α’-Dibrom-o-xylol durchgeführt. Hierdurch wurde gezeigt, dass der Ausgangsdiamant bei mindestens 750 °C behandelt werden muss, um eine messbare Oberflächenbelegung zu erhalten. Im Anschluss wurde die Funktionalisierbarkeit der eingeführten Arylgruppen überprüft. Durch die Einführung unterschiedlicher funktioneller Gruppen ist es dann möglich, Moleküle für spezielle Anwendungen anzubinden. Durch die Anwendung der klassischen Aromatenchemie war es möglich, die aromatischen Oberflächen zu nitrieren und sulfonieren. Die Sulfonsäuregruppe konnte partiell zum Thiol reduziert werden. Durch Umsetzung dieser Thiolgruppen war es möglich, einen mannosemodifizierten sowie einen farbstoffmodifizierten Diamanten herzustellen. Da die nachträgliche Einführung von Carboxylgruppen mit hohem synthetischem Aufwand verbunden ist, wurde alternativ ein carboxyltragender Vorläufer mit dem thermisch behandelten Diamant umgesetzt. Hierbei wurde eine Oberflächenbelegung von ca. 0.8 mmol g-1 erreicht (Ausgangsdiamant thermisch behandelt bei 750 °C). Im Anschluss wurde die Säuregruppe mit einem einfach geschützten Diamin weiterfunktionalisiert. Hierbei wurden unterschiedliche Methoden zur Amidbildung getestet. Als effektivste Methode stellte sich die Synthese über ein Säurechlorid heraus. Infolgedessen war eine weitgehende Umsetzung (ca. 94 - 88 %) der Säuregruppe möglich. Eine weitere wichtige funktionelle Gruppe für die Anbindung größerer Einheiten stellen die Amine dar. Diese lassen sich einfach darstellen, z. B. durch Reduktion von Cyanogruppen. Daher wurde 2,3-Bis-(brommethyl)-5,6-dicyanopyrazin als Edukt für die Funktionalisierung eingesetzt. Nach anschließender Reduktion der Cyanogruppen wurden primäre Amine erhalten. Die so erzeugte Aminogruppe wurde mit Biotin weiter funktionalisiert. Die bisher eingesetzten o-Chinodimethane sind ausschließlich durch 1,4-Eliminierung zugänglich. Eine sinnvolle Alternative zu diesem Vorläufer ist die Verwendung eines Cyclobutenderivates. Der Vorteil liegt in einer einfacheren Reinigung des Produktdiamanten. Als Testverbindung wurde 2,4-Bis-(methylsulfonyl)-5,6-dihydro-cyclobuta-[d]-pyrimidin verwendet. Nach erfolgreicher Umsetzung mit dem Diamanten wurden die Thioethergruppen in Sulfone überführt und in 2-Position wurde das Sulfon gegen eine Aminogruppe ausgetauscht. Neben den durchgeführten Funktionalisierungsreaktionen wurde eine nasschemische Nachweismethode zur Quantifizierung von primären Aminen entwickelt. Ein Vorteil des Verfahrens ist, dass der Nachweis auf einfache Weise durchführbar ist und nur 1 – 2 mg Diamantprobe nötig sind. Die gewonnen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass durch den Nachweis verlässliche Angaben über die genaue Aminmenge erhalten werden. / For nanodiamond particles the functionalisation chemistry is based on the already existing surface groups, which were introduced during synthesis and cleaning. The most stable grafting would be a C-C coupling of the diamond atoms on the surface with organic reagents. To achieve this linkage the surface is func-tionalized via Diels-Alder reaction. Basic prerequisite for this is a surface which has a sufficient amount of C=C double bonds. This was achieved by thermal treatment. The obtained results show, that above a treatment temperature of 750 °C no functional groups can be detected anymore by the used analytic methods. The elemental analysis of each sample shows a significant increase in carbon content. This is also an indication of a successful removal of most oxygen containing surface groups. After successful thermal treatment of the diamond it was shown by the usage of cyclopentadiene and anthracene, that in general a functionalization via Diels-Alder reaction is possible. Because of this as an alternative diene an o-quinodimethane was applied. For this purpose a systematic study of the reaction of the different thermally annealed diamond samples with α,α’-di-bromo-o-xylene was performed. This has shown that pristine diamond has to be treated at least at 750 °C to obtain a measurable surface coverage. Subsequently, the functionalization of the introduced aryl groups was investigated. By the introduction of different functional groups it is possible to bind molecules for specific applications. By applying classical aromatic chemistry, it was possible to nitrate and sulfonate the aromatic moieties. The sulfonic acid was partially reduced to a thiol. By reacting the thiol group it was possible to synthesize a mannose and dye modified nanodiamond Because the subsequent introduction of carboxylic groups is connected with a high synthetic effort an alternative carboxylic group carrying precursor was reacted with thermally annealed diamond. A surface coverage of 0.8 mmol g-1 was achieved (pristine diamond annealed at 750 °C). Subsequently, the carboxylic group was modified by introducing a Boc-protected diamine. Different methods for amide formation have been tested. As the most effective method the reaction using an acid chloride as an intermediate was identified. Using this coupling method, an almost complete conversion (about 94 – 88 %) of the acid group was possible. Another important functional group for the grafting of larger moities are the amines. They can easily be formed by e. g. the reduction a cyano group. Here 2,3-bis-(bromomethyl)-5,6-dicyanopyrazine was used as a precursor for the functionalization of the diamond. After subsequent reduction of the cyano groups, primary amines were obtained. The generated amino group have been reacted with biotin. So far the used o-quinodimethanes were solely accessible by 1,4-elimination. A reasonable alternative for these precursors is the use of a cyclobutene derivative. The advantage is an easier purification of the product. As a test compound 2,4-bis(methylsulfonyl)-5,6-dihydrocyclobuta-[d]-pyrimidine was used. After reaction with the diamond the thioether group was transformed into sulfones and in the 2-position the sulfone was replaced by an amino group. In addition to the functionalization reactions carried out in this work, a wet chemical method was developed for the quantification of primary amines on the diamond surface. An advantage of the developed method is that it can be easily carried out and only 1 - 2 mg of the diamond sample is needed. The obtained results show that through this detection method a reliable value of the exact amount of amine groups can be made.

In this thesis is presented work carried out during the course of the last 42 months. It concerns approaches towards total syntheses of the complanadine alkaloids. The main focus is the development of a model system to establish the viability of the key step in our proposed route to the complanadines. The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the complanadines, their biological activity and accomplished total syntheses to date. A brief introduction to the Diels–Alder reaction and selected examples of its application in the total syntheses of natural products are given. The Kondrat’eva oxazole–olefin hetero-Diels–Alder reaction as a method of pyridine formation is described and its application in the total synthesis of natural products is reviewed. Chapter 2 is the first part of the results and discussion section. It details our retrosynthetic analysis of complanadine A, outlines the corresponding proposed forward synthesis and presents a model system designed and synthesised to test the applicability of the Kondrat’eva oxazole–olefin hetero-Diels–Alder reaction in the context of our proposed total synthesis. Chapter 3 discusses work carried out in approaches to the total synthesis of complanadines and their monomeric subunit, lycodine, by means of the methodology developed in the previous chapter. Chapter 4 is the experimental section, which gives descriptions of the synthetic procedures employed and spectroscopic data for all compounds synthesised, both novel and previously reported, as discussed in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Supplementary information such as X-Ray data for synthesised compounds and selected NMR spectra are enclosed in the appendices.

En vue d’effectuer des préparations sélectives de composés hétérocycliques, une étude de la synthèse et de la réactivité de 7-oxanorborna-2,5-diènes portant des groupes électroattracteurs différents sur les positions 2 et 3 a été réalisée. Ces composés sont des formes masquées de composés acétyléniques dissymétriques.Dans un premier temps, nous avons optimisé une nouvelle méthode de synthèse sélective d’acétylènedicarboxylates dissymétriques par mono-transestérification d’acétylènedicarboxylates de dialkyle symétriques avec des alcools en présence de la lipase de Candida rugosa. Cette méthode nous a permis d’obtenir les diesters dissymétriques avec de bons rendements et une haute sélectivité a priori inattendue.Dans un second temps, nous avons développé des synthèses régiosélectives de dérivés de l’acide 7-oxanorborna-2,5-diène-2,3-dicarboxylique selon deux stratégies. Dans une première approche, une réaction de Diels-Alder intramoléculaire entre un furane et un composé acétylénique reliés par une agrafe siliciée a été réalisée, suivie d’une coupure des liaisons Si-C. Cette cycloaddition [4+2] s’effectue uniquement en présence de MeAlCl2 avec des rendements moyens. Dans certains cas, la coupure des liaisons Si-C conduit aux diesters désirés. Dans une deuxième approche, une mono-saponification d’oxanorbornadiène-2,3-dicarboxylates de dialkyle a permis d’accéder régiosélectivement à des monoacides et des réactions de couplage avec des amines ou des alcools ont conduit sélectivement à des dérivés présentant deux groupes électroattracteurs différents.Dans une dernière partie, nous avons effectué la préparation régiosélective de 3-pyrrolines par cycloaddition [2+3] d’un ylure d’azométhine suivie d’une réaction de rétro-Diels-Alder à partir des 7-oxanorbornadiènes comportant deux groupes électroattracteurs différents. La préparation aisée de 3-pyrrolines condensées non décrites dans la littérature a été obtenue par formation inattendue d’un motif succinimide dans le cas des amidoesters.En conclusion, il apparaît que la présence du groupe éthyle en tête de pont des 7-oxanorborna-2,5-diènes semble suffisante pour contrôler la régiosélectivité de ces cycloadditions. / In order to selectively prepare heterocyclic compounds, a study of the synthesis and reactivity of 7-oxanorborna-2,5-dienes with different electron-withdrawing groups on the 2 and 3 positions was performed. These compounds are masked forms of unsymmetrical acetylenic compounds. At first, we have optimized a new method for the selective synthesis of unsymmetrical diesters by transesterification of symmetrical dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates in the presence of Candida rugosa lipase. This unexpectedly highly selective method allowed us to obtain unsymmetrical acetylenedicarboxylates in good yields.In a second part, we have developed a regioselective synthesis of 7-oxanorborna-2,5-diene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid derivatives according to two strategies. In one approach, an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction between a furan and an acetylenic compound connected by silicon-containing tethers was performed, followed by a cleavage of the Si-C bonds. This [4+2] cycloaddition was carried in the presence of a Lewis acid, only MeAlCl2 gave the expected product and so in moderate yields. In most cases, the cleavage of Si-C bonds leads to the desired diesters. In a second approach, a mono-saponification of dialkyl oxanorbornadiene-2,3-dicarboxylates provided access regioselectively to mono-acids and coupling reactions with amines or alcohols selectively led to poly-functionalized products containing two different electron-withdrawing groups.In the last part, we have regioselectively prepared 3-pyrrolines by [2+3] cycloaddition of an azomethine ylide to 7-oxanorbornadienes bearing electroattracting groups followed by a retro-Diels-Alder reaction. An easy synthesis of previously unknown condensed 3-pyrrolines was obtained by formation of an unexpected succinimide pattern from amidoesters. In conclusion, it appears that the presence of an ethyl group on the bridgehead carbon atom of 7-oxanorborna-2,5-dienes seems sufficient to control the regioselectivity of these cycloadditions.