A short asymmetric synthesis of 1-substituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids by deprotonation of an unprotected α-aminonitrile and alkylation of the resulting carbanion followed by spontaneous elimination of HCN and asymmetric reduction is described.
Under controlled conditions, 6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-carbonitrile can be quantitatively deprotonated in the α-position. Its alkylation directly furnishes 3,4-dihydroisoquinolines which can serve as starting materials for the preparation of various alkaloids. Here, the preparation of the benzylisoquinolines (+)-laudanidine, (+)-armepavine, and (+)-laudanosine as well as the tetrahydroprotoberberines (-)-corytenchine and (-)-tetrahydropseudoepiberberine using Noyori's asymmetric transfer hydrogenation are described. The dimeric alkaloids (+)-O-methylthalibrine and (+)-tetramethylmagnolamine were obtained from nonracemic precursors in Ullmann diaryl ether syntheses.
The “exocyclic” 1,3‐benzyl shift observed in iminium salts derived from 1‐benzyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinolines is related to the “endocyclic” Knabe rearrangement. A crossover experiment, isotopic labelling, the study of initiators and inhibitors as well as DFT calculations of gas‐phase model structures provide evidence for a free‐radical pathway under kinetic entropy control that is not affected by “slow” radical traps.
The crystal structure of the title compound, C21H22N2O2S, shows a network of N—H⋯N and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The tolyl and 1-phenyl rings are almost mutually coplanar [7.89 (9)°], while the 2-phenyl ring makes a dihedral angle of 50.8 (1) ° with the 1-phenyl ring. An intramolecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bond stabilizes the molecular conformation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.