Synlett 2006(17): 2727-2730  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-950253
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Gold(I)-Catalyzed Formation of 5-Methylene-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones

Andrea Buzas, Fabien Gagosz*
Laboratoire de Synthèse Organique, UMR CNRS 7652, Ecole Polytechnique, DCSO, 91128 Palaiseau, France
Fax: +33(1)69333851; e-Mail: gagosz@dcso.polytechnique.fr;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 9 July 2006
Publication Date:
09 October 2006 (online)

Abstract

A study concerning the gold(I)-catalyzed rearrangement of propargylic tert-butylcarbamates into 5-methylene-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones is described. The mild reaction conditions employed allow the efficient synthesis of a variety of these structures, which would be less conveniently obtained using other reported methods.

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The work recently reported by Carretero and coworkers (see ref. 8) was only dealing with the synthesis of oxazolidinones substituted at the nitrogen and alkyne terminus.

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Ozaxolidinone 6a could, however, be synthesized in 94% yield (3 h, CH2Cl2, r.t.) when the more electrophilic (p-CF3Ph)3PAuNTf2 catalyst (1 mol%) was used instead of PPh3AuNTf2.

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Representative Experimental Procedure - Synthesis of 3-Benzyl-4,4-dimethyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one (6d).
To a solution of benzyl (1,1-dimethylprop-2-ynyl)carbamic acid tert-butyl ester (5d, 136 mg, 0.5 mmol) in 1 mL of CH2Cl2 was added PPh3AuNTf2 (3.7 mg, 0.005 mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred for 5 min, then filtered through a small pad of silica and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure. The residue was then purified by flash column chromatography (PE-EtOAc, 60:40) to give oxazolidinone 6d (108 mg, 99%, pale yellow solid); mp 69-70 °C. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 7.39-7.27 (m, 5 H), 4.68 (d, J = 3.3 Hz, 1 H), 4.48 (s, 2 H), 4.25 (d, J = 3.3 Hz, 1 H), 1.33 (s, 6 H). 13C NMR (50 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 160.7, 154.8, 137.6, 128.6, 127.8, 127.7, 84.1, 61.5, 44.0, 27.6. IR (CCl4): 2979, 1786, 1692, 1663, 1393, 1054 cm-1. MS (CI + NH3): m/z = 235 [MNH4 +], 218 [MH+]. HRMS (EI): m/z calcd for C13H15O2N: 217.1103; found: 217.1103.