1. Reactions of Benzocyclic β-Keto Esters with Sulfonyl Azides. 2.1 Further Insight into the Influence of Azide Structure and Solvent on the Reaction Course
Luisa Benati, Daniele Nanni, Piero Spagnolo J Org Chem. 1999 Jul 9;64(14):5132-5138. doi: 10.1021/jo9901541.
The reactions of 2-ethoxycarbonyl-1-benzosuberone with 4-methoxybenzenesulfonyl, 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzenesulfonyl, methanesulfonyl, and trifluoromethanesulfonyl azide, in the presence of triethylamine, have been investigated in N,N-dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, or tetrahydrofuran with the intent of clarifying the influence of both the azide electrophile and solvent on the reaction course. The present findings, in addition to those previously obtained with tosyl and 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl azide, indicate that both the electronic features of the sulfonyl azide and the solvent polarity greatly affect the possible occurrence of azidation and/or Favorskii-type ring contraction at the expense of deacylating diazo transfer. Azidation is promoted by the less electrophilic azides, while it is virtually avoided by the more electrophilic ones. Ring contraction occurs to a limited extent with the less electrophilic azides, but it becomes the main process with those more electrophilic. Moreover, azidation is virtually unaffected by the solvent polarity, while ring contraction can markedly be enhanced by a highly polar solvent. Firm evidence has additionally been obtained that, in contrast to a previous claim, trifluoromethanesulfonyl azide can normally perform diazotization of acyclic β-keto esters in preference to azidation.
2. Rearrangement Reactions of Tritylcarbenes: Surprising Ring Expansion and Computational Investigation
Klaus Banert, Manfred Hagedorn, Tom Pester, Nicole Siebert, Cornelius Staude, Ivan Tchernook, Katharina Rathmann, Oldamur Hollóczki, Joachim Friedrich Chemistry. 2015 Oct 12;21(42):14911-23. doi: 10.1002/chem.201501352. Epub 2015 Aug 21.
As a rule, acetylides and sulfonyl azides do not undergo electrophilic azide transfer because 1,2,3-triazoles are usually formed. We show now that treatment of tritylethyne with butyllithium followed by exposure to 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzenesulfonyl azide leads to products that are easily explained through the generation of short-lived tritylethynyl azide and its secondary product cyanotritylcarbene. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that tritylcarbenes generally do not produce triphenylethenes exclusively, as was stated in the literature. Instead, these carbenes always yielded also (diphenylmethylidene)cycloheptatrienes (heptafulvenes) as side products. This result is supported by static DFT, coupled cluster, and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations. From these investigations, the fused bicyclobutane intermediate was found to be essential for heptafulvene formation. Although the bicyclobutane is also capable of rearranging to the triphenylethene product, only the heptafulvene pathway is reasonable from the energetics. The ethene is formed straight from cyanotritylcarbene.
