Universiẗat, Diss., 2001--Jena.

This dissertation research is based on two reactions, including those of cyclic ketene acetals with acid chlorides and acid catalyzed olefination reactions in bio-oil. In first four chapters, reactions of in situ generated cyclic ketene acetals were explored. Highly functionalized heterocycles such as pyrrollo-[1,2-c]imidazolediones, were synthesized in one-pot reactions of 2-alkylimidazoles or 2-methylbenzimidazoles with 1,3-diacid chlorides. Some reactions proceed through in situ generated cyclic-N,N′-ketene acetal intermediates. 2-Alkylimidazoles and 2-methylbenzimidazole can be considered as tridentate nucleophiles in these reactions that can give four consecutive attacks on electrophiles which ultimately generate new heterocycles. Reactions of substituted oxazoles and thiazoles with different acid chlorides in the presence of different bases were explored. Arylvinyl esters of substituted benzoic acids containing substituted oxazoles or thiazoles were formed when aroyl chlorides were used. Most reactions occurred through in situ generated cyclic ketene acetals. Reactions of 2-methylbenzoxazole and 5-phenyl-2-methylbenzoxazole with acid chlorides and base in THF generated a series of ortho-amidoesters. All of these reactions showed that aromatic heterocycles based in situ generated cyclic ketene acetals could be used to make highly functionalized heterocycles under mild conditions. These one-pot reactions generated various heterocycles, which might have useful bioactivities. For example, arylvinyl esters of substituted benzoic acids have been reported to show insecticidal activities. The last two chapters describe the olefinations of bio-oil and model bio-oil compounds using acid catalysts. Two different branched olefins were used, representative of those available at petroleum refineries. Amberlyst-15 and Nafion NR-50 were used as heterogeneous acid catalysts. The acid catalyzed olefination of bio-oil was explored using an excess of 1- octene. Some olefinations were performed in the presence of ethanol. Ethanol was used to make the olefin and bio-oil phases partially miscible. Acid catalyzed olefination of raw bio-oil induced some changes in the resulting bio-oil by generating variety of alcohols, ethers and oligomeric mixtures of the starting olefin. Olefination with excess 1-octene showed the decrease of the water content and the acid value and increase of the heating value of the bio-oil. Thus, the acid catalyzed olefination of bio-oil can be considered as a potential bio-oil upgrading technique.

Gas electron diffraction (GED) is a technique that has been developed to study the molecular structure of species in the gas phase. This thesis focuses on the reconstruction of the Canterbury GED apparatus (moved from Edinburgh, UK) and the requirements for modifying the apparatus to incorporate a mass spectrometer (MS) so diffraction and MS data can be obtained within a single experiment. The combined GED-MS system has been identified in previous work in the Masters group as a necessary development for studying the structure of short-lived species generated in situ. This is particularly true for the study of ketene, which as shown in this thesis, can be generated from several precursors as part of a multiple product pyrolysis system. While GED data for ketene generated from acetic anhydride has been refined, the species formed from the pyrolysis of Meldrum’s acid were determined to be too difficult to deconvolute without additional experimental data from MS. A computational study of possible ketene derivatives that could be studied with a GED-MS apparatus is also presented. Lastly, this thesis details a structural study of the gas-phase structures of tris(chloromethyl)amine and a family of substituted disilane systems which have been determined in the gas phase for the first time. A comprehensive GED, Raman spectroscopy and ab initio study have been undertaken for tris(chloromethyl)amine [N(CH2Cl)3] which is shown to have a different structure in the solid and gas phase. Further work in the form of a molecular dynamics investigation has been identified as necessary to describe the low amplitude motion of one of the CH2Cl groups in the gas phase to allow for the GED refinement to be completed. The work on the substituted disilane systems X3SiSiXMe2 (X = F, Cl, Br, I) and X3SiSiMe3 (X = H, F, Cl, Br) demonstrates the effect of increased halogen substitution on the electronic effects of the disilanes, and the effect that the methyl groups have as larger halogens increase the steric bulk of the system.

Nitroacrylates are stable, crystalline solids and have frequently been used in synthesis as reactive dienophiles in the Diels-Alder reaction. The regio- and diastereoselectivity of the Diels-Alder reaction is controlled by the electronic properties of the nitro group. This thesis describes work to utilise the nitro group to provide control of stereochemistry in the synthesis of natural products. The thesis begins by discussing the synthesis of nitroacrylates using both a nitro-aldol and radical based route. An investigation into their selectivity in the Diels-Alder reaction with a diverse array of dienes is discussed. As part of this investigation a large increase in diastereoselectivity was observed for the reaction of ethyl β-nitroacrylate and 1-methoxycyclohexa-1,4-diene when Lewis acids were added. The origin of this selectivity is unknown and similar dienes show only a modest increase in selectivity on addition of ZnCl(_2).An application of the resultant adducts has been demonstrated in the synthesis of a simple bicyclic P-amino acid and then subsequendy applied to the diastereoselective synthesis of chorismate-based P-amino acids (25*, 3S*)-DHAA and the antibiotic oryzoxymycin. The key steps involve a base-mediated ring-opening reaction of the 7-oxa-bicyclo[2,2,l]hept-5-ene and a CsF mediated coupling of the lactate moiety. The progress toward the synthesis of a related anthranilate synthase inhibitor is also discussed. Finally, in the context of a synthesis of the structurally unique diterpene Vinigrol 1 we have shown that nitroacrylates can be employed as substituted ketene equivalents in the formation of cyclic alpha-chiral ketones.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the chemistry of the new and novel (trimethylsilyl)ketene. This ketene was synthesized by pyrolysis of (trimethylsilyl)ethoxyacetylene which was prepared from ethoxyacetylene and methyllithium. (Trimethylsilyl)ketene is a very stable and isolable ketene which does not dimerize and, therefore, provides an opportunity for some unique studies that have not been possible with other monosubstituted ketene.

The investigation presented here is in two parts: a mechanistic study of the triethylamine dehydrohalogenation of ac-haloacid halides to form halogenated ketenes and a study of steric influence upon ketene lifetimes. The first part of this research deals with the mechanism of the dehydrohalogenation reaction. Two acid halides, isobutyryl chloride and a-chloropropionyl chloride, appeared to represent two mechanistic extremes for this reaction with triethylamine. Isobutyryl chloride reacted with triethylamine to form an acylammonium salt while a-chloropropionyl chloride produced the enolate salt. These salts were detected in chloroform solution by both nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and infrared spectra. The results of the investigation into the mechanism of dehydrohalogenation and ketene lifetime were complemented by CNDO/2 calculations of the acid halides and ketenes studied. It was concluded that the mechanism of dehydrohalogenation of acid halides involves a complex series of equilibria,and it has become increasingly apparent that halogenated ketenes are produced through the acylammonium salt. The enolate salt appears to be a dead end in the reaction to form ketenes. It was also demonstrated that increasing steric bulk has a stabilizing effect on ketene lifetimes.

Cyclic ketene-N,N-acetal chemistry was explored. 2-Methylimidazoline and 2-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine derivatives were prepared from the condensation reactions of diamines with nitriles under Lewis acid catalysis and used as the precursors of cyclic ketene-N,N-acetals including the N-methyl and N-acyl cyclic ketene-N,N-acetals. The reactions of 2-methylimidazoline with excess benzoyl chlorides in THF or MeCN in the presence of triethylamine generate N,N'-diacyl-beta-keto-cyclic ketene-N,N-acetals. The corresponding reactions of 1,2-dimethylimidazoline under the same conditions form the ring-opened (Z)-3-((2-benzamidoethyl)(methyl)amino)-3-oxo-1-phenylprop-1-enyl benzoates. The latter reactions feature the formation of carbon-carbon bonds, carbon-nitrogen bonds, and carbon-oxygen bonds in one operation. The reactions of 2-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine with excess acid chlorides in Et3N/THF generate N,N-diacyl-cyclic ketene-N,N-acetals, with no further acylation on the exocyclic beta-carbons. In contrast, the reactions of 1,2-dimethyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine under the same conditions form N-acyl-N'-methyl-beta,beta-diketo-cyclic ketene-N,N-acetals, with the dual acylations on the exocyclic beta-carbons. Significant double bond torsion and elongation were observed by the X-ray analysis of an example compound from the latter reactions. The reactions of 2-methylimidazoline and 2-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine with 1,3-diacid chlorides, in the presence of Et3N in refluxing MeCN give highly functionalized potentially bioactive 1,8-naphthyridinetetraones. 2-Methylimidazoline and 2-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetra-hydropyrimidine can be viewed as tridentate nucleophiles which give four consecutive tandem nucleophilic attacks on electrophiles. The reactions of 1,2-dimethylimidazoline and 1,2-dimethyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine with isocyanates in refluxing MeCN gave bicyclic pyrimidinediones. The reactions of N,N'-dimethyl cyclic ketene-N,N-acetals with various isocyanates generated push-pull alkenes which have never been reported. Significant elongations and torsions of the polarized carbon-carbon double bonds in the novel push-pull alkenes were observed using the X-ray crystallography. The stronger pushing effect of the six-membered cyclic ketene acetal portion in a push-pull alkene, versus the five-membered analog, was detected by reactivity differences for the first time.

Le travail présenté dans ce manuscrit concerne le développement d'une nouvelle voie d'accès à une famille de butyrolactames naturels à fort potentiel thérapeutique basé sur une réaction de cycloaddition [2+2] suivie d'une expansion de cycle. Dans la partie principale, une méthodologie permettant l'accès aux cyclobutanones hautement fonctionnalisées par cycloaddition [2+2] entre des éthers d'énols chiraux et divers cétènes fonctionnalisés a été développée. Avec cette méthodologie, diverses cyclobutanones ont pu être obtenues de façon hautement chimio-, régio- et stéréosélective. L'expansion de cycle sur les cyclobutanones préparées précédemment afin d'obtenir le squelette butyrolactame de la (–)-Salinosporamide A a ensuite été étudiée. La dernière partie de ce travail consiste en une étude de la réaction de cycloaddition [2+2] entre un cétène et un éther d'énol activée par un acide de Lewis présent en quantité catalytique. Cette première étude semble indiquer qu'une activation avec un acide de Lewis est possible lorsqu'un éther d'énol encombré est utilisé. / The work reported in this manuscript concerns the development of a new approach to a family of natural butyrolactames, with a high therapeutic potential, based on a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction followed by a ring expansion. In the main part, a procedure for the preparation of highly functionalized cyclobutanones by [2+2] cycloaddition between chiral enols ethers and functionalized ketenes has been developed. With this method, a variety of cyclobutanones were obtained in a highly chemo-, regio- and stéréosélective manner. The ring expansion of the previously prepared cyclobutanones to obtain the butyrolactame skeleton of (–)-Salinosporamide A was next investigated. The last part of this manuscript consists in a study of the [2+2] cycloaddition reaction between ketene and enol ether activated by a Lewis acid in catalytic amount. This first study seems to point out that an activation of [2+2] cycloaddition reaction is possible when a sterically hindered enol ether is used.

The research in this thesis describes an asymmetric pericyclic cascade approach to the synthesis of a range of enantioenriched oxindoles using enantiopure oxazolidine derived nitrones and disubstituted ketenes. Chapter 1 aims to place this work in the context of the literature, describing other commonly employed or state-of-the-art asymmetric approaches to oxindoles and related compounds. Examples of where these approaches have been used successfully in the total synthesis of related indole alkaloids are also presented. The conception of this project within the group is also described alongside initial attempts to develop the first enantioselective variant of the same reaction using nitrone chiral auxiliaries. Chapter 2 details the optimisation of this asymmetric oxindole forming reaction by structural variation of the nitrone component, culminating in the preparation of an N-TIPBS nitrone based on an oxazolidine framework, which proved to be optimal for this process. Also detailed are attempts to gain insight towards the mechanism of this transformation and to understand the mode of chirality transfer. Chapter 3 details the use of the N-TIPBS nitrone scaffold as a transmitter of chiral information in the synthesis of 3-alkyl-3-aryloxindoles and spirocyclic oxindoles. Chapter 4 delineates the mechanism of this transformation as a pericyclic cascade process. The key stereo-determining features are discussed including the conformational preferences of such chiral oxazolidine derived nitrones and the influence of the N-protecting group on the stereochemical outcome. Synthetic endeavours to provide evidence as to the validity of this computational mechanistic rationale are also presented. Chapter 5 describes regioselectivity studies, and tolerance of both the racemic and asymmetric reactions to varying substitution on the nitrone N-aryl ring. Initial studies were undertaken using achiral nitrones before the interplay between regio- and stereoselectivity was explored, initially with enantiopure N-Boc Garner's aldehyde derived nitrones, and further with N-TIPBS nitrones. Chapter 6 initially describes attempts to transform this chiral auxiliary methodology into a catalytic asymmetric protocol, by investigating in situ ketene formation via various strategies including activation of carboxylic acids. Also described are investigations into related nitrone-ketenimine cycloadditions, and related [3+2] nitrone cycloadditions. Chapter 7 describes the application of this methodology toward the synthesis of compounds with biological relevance. The concise asymmetric synthesis of a Roche anti-cancer agent is outlined, as is the extension of this methodology to the synthesis of indole alkaloid-like species. Finally, the attempted application of this methodology toward the asymmetric synthesis of (+)-gliocladin C is outlined.

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