A series of 16 copper-catalyzed azomethine imine-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAIAC) reactions between four pyrazolidinone-1-azomethine imines and four terminal ynones gave the corresponding fluorescent cycloadducts as bimane analogues in very high yields. The applicability of CuAIAC was demonstrated by the fluorescent labeling of functionalized polystyrene and by using Cu-C and Cu-Fe as catalysts. Experimental evidence, kinetic measurements, and correlation between a clean catalyst surface and the reaction rate are in agreement with a homotopic catalytic system with catalytic Cu(I)-acetylide formed from Cu(0) by "in situ" oxidation. The availability of azomethine imines, mild reaction conditions, simple workup, and scalability make CuAIAC a viable supplement to the Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction in "click" chemistry.

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Two cyclic azomethine imines, 7-methyl- and 7-phenyl-2-oxo-Δ-hexahydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-8-ium-1-ide, were prepared in seven steps from the respective commercially available δ-keto acids. The addition of Grignard reagents followed by N-alkylation at position 1 afforded the 1,7,7-trisubstituted hexahydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2(1H)-ones, whereas 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of these dipoles to typical acetylenic and olefinic dipolarophiles gave 4a-substituted 2a,2a-diazacyclopenta[cd]indene derivatives as the first representatives of a novel heterocyclic system. Regio- and stereoselectivity as well as the mechanism of these [3 + 2]-cycloadditions were evaluated using computational and experimental methods. The data obtained were in agreement with the polar concerted cycloaddition mechanism via the energetically favorable syn/endo-transition states.

A correlation between the absolute configuration and chiroptical properties of nonracemic 1,6,7-trisubstituted 2,3-dihydro-1H,5H-pyrazolo[1,2-a]pyrazoles was studied. A series of 16 novel representatives were prepared by Cu-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloadditions of racemic (Z)-2-benzylidene-5-oxopyrazolidin-2-ium-1-ides to tert-butyl (S)-(3-oxopent-4-yn-2-yl)carbamate, and their structures were determined by NMR, VCD, ECD, and X-ray diffraction. A clear correlation between the sign of specific rotation and configuration at position C(1) allows for easy determination of the absolute configuration of 1,6,7-trisubstituted 2,3-dihydro-1H,5H-pyrazolo[1,2-a]pyrazoles by ECD and NMR. While VCD, requiring milligram quantities, allowed the determination of the correct relative and absolute configuration without additional information from other methods, the stereochemical analysis by ECD required knowledge of the relative configuration derived from NMR at a comparable computational level.

[3+2] cycloadditions of ynones derived from glycine and (S)-alanine and some other dipolarophiles with azomethine imines, nitrile oxides, diazoacetate, and azidoacetate were studied. The dipolarophiles were obtained from α-amino acids, either by the reduction of the carboxy function with ethynylmagnesium bromide or by propiolation of the amino function. Cu-catalyzed cycloadditions of ynones to azomethine imines were regioselective and gave the expected cycloadducts as inseparable mixtures of diastereomers. In some instances, further oxidative hydrolytic ring-opening took place to afford 3,3-dimethyl-3-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)propanoic acids. Acid-catalyzed cycloadditions of 3-butenone were also regioselective and provided mixtures of diastereomeric cycloadducts, which were separated by chromatography. In the reactions of title ynones with alkyl diazoacetates, in situ-formed benzonitrile oxides, and tert-butyl azidoacetate, all cycloadducts were obtained as single regioisomers. The structures of all novel compounds were established by nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray diffraction.