Synlett 2011(12): 1693-1696  
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1260804
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New York

Phosphine-Catalyzed [3+2] Annulation of Cyanoallenes

Sape S. Kinderman*, Jan H. van Maarseveen, Henk Hiemstra
Van’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Fax: +31(20)5255604; e-Mail: s.s.kinderman@uva.nl;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 5 April 2011
Publication Date:
21 June 2011 (online)

Abstract

Cyanoallenes were successfully used in organophosphine-catalyzed [3+2]-type annulation to give cyano-substituted dihydropyrroles in good yield. Chiral phosphines were also screened, leading to some initial results in the asymmetric version of cyano­allene-based annulations.

7

Representative Experiment: To a stirred solution of imine 6 (4.08 mmol) in anhyd benzene (20 mL) at r.t. were added triphenylphosphine (0.8 mmol, 20 mol%) and cyanoallene (70% w/w solution in toluene, 4.9 mmol, 1.2 equiv). The solution was stirred until the imine was consumed (ca. 16 h) as judged by TLC (hexanes-EtOAc, 1:1). The solution was concentrated and the crude oil was purified by column chromatography (hexanes-EtOAc, 4:1-1:1). For further details, see the supplementary material.

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The cis configuration was concluded after comparison of the ¹H NMR spectra with the reported literature data for similar allenoates; see ref. 5d.

10

For the synthesis of 10 and 12, see refs. 2a and 2b.

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We noticed the successful ferrocenophanes (Marinetti), phosphepines (Fu), and phosphinothioureas (Jacobsen) in [3+2] annulations, but did not test these in our survey, see ref. 12.