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1-(2-Pyrrolidinyl)cyclopropanecarboxylic acids (alpha-cyclopropyl-beta-homoprolines) were prepared by 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of cyclic nitrones onto bicyclopropylidene followed by trifluoroacetic acid induced thermal fragmentative rearrangement. With the use of enantiopure pyrroline N-oxides derived from easily available chiral pool molecules, beta-homoprolines were formed with high stereocontrol. The incorporation of one of these new cyclic beta-amino acids into a simple tripeptide was also evaluated. In particular, the sterically hindered nitrogen atom of the highly substituted pyrrolidine 30 was smoothly acylated through the intermediate formation of a mixed anhydride.

The formation of structurally differentiated indolizidinones is guided by a diverse behaviour of spirocyclopropaneisoxazolidine precursors under fluorination reactions.

Keywords: Nitrogen heterocycles / Spiro compounds / Density functional calculations / Reaction mechanisms / RearrangementProtonation at the nitrogen of 5-spirocyclopropane-isoxazolidines induces clean thermal rearrangement/fragmentation to β-lactams and ethylene. Under the same conditions, homologous 5-spirocyclobutane-isoxazolidines undergo unselective fragmentation to give cyclobutyl derivatives through a completely different mechanism. Experimental data and DFT calculations show that the process is initiated with less-favored protonation at the isoxazolidine oxygen rather than nitrogen. Highly energetic O-protonated isoxazolidines undergo N-O cleavage with concomitant endo-or exocyclic deprotonation to give iminium ions that, in the presence of trifluoroacetate, evolve into 2-(1-hydroxycyclobutyl)ethanones and N-[2-(1-hydroxycyclobutyl)ethyl]trifluoroacetamides, respectively. DFT data validate protonation at oxygen of 5-spirocyclobut-

The stereoselective syntheses of 2-cyclopropyl- and (2S)-2-hydroxymethyl-(3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-β(3)-homoproline are described. The reported amino acids were constructed through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of strained alkylidenecyclopropanes with enantiopure pyrroline N-oxides derived from malic acid followed by thermal rearrangement of the adducts in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid. The two-step sequence afforded the homoprolines suitably protected to be directly used as building blocks in peptidomimetic synthesis as proved by the synthesis of the two model mixed α/β/α tripeptides Phe-β(3)-HPro-Val.

Abstract:The new 7S-aminolentiginosine has been synthesized by a diastereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition strategy starting from 3,4-dihydroxylated pyrroline N-oxides derived from l-tartaric acid in thirteen steps. The intermediate 7S-azidolentiginosine undergoes efficiently copper(I)-catalysed Huisgen cycloadditions to alkynes.

A concise stereoselective synthesis of (-)-lentiginosine, an iminosugar endowed with an interesting proapoptotic activity, has been accomplished using an enantiopure pyrroline N-oxide building block derived from d-tartaric acid. Key steps are a totally diastereoselective nucleophilic addition to the cyclic nitrone followed by a combination of two simultaneous and two tandem reactions occurring under the same conditions in a single laboratory operation. Natural (+)-lentiginosine can be synthesized by the same method but starting from l-tartaric acid.

SummaryDienes embedded in quinolizidine and indolizidine structures can be prepared in four steps from cyclic nitrones and bicyclopropylidene. The key intermediates α-spirocyclopropanated N-heterocyclic ketones, generated via a domino 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition/thermal rearrangement sequence, were converted by Wittig methylenation to the corresponding vinylcyclopropanes (VCPs), which underwent rearrangement to 1,3-dienes in the presence of the Wilkinson Rh(I) complex under microwave heating. The previously unexplored Rh(I)-catalyzed opening of the VCP moiety embedded in an azapolycyclic system occurs at high temperature (110–130 °C) to afford the corresponding 1,3-dienes in moderate yield (34–53%).