One-pot nitro-Mannich cascade reactions: new methodologies and synthetic applications

Pyrrolidine and pyrrolidinone rings are common motifs found in many biologically active natural products and drugs. Accordingly, our work focuses on the development of new methodologies for their one-pot synthesis. An efficient diastereoselective nitro-Mannich / lactamisation reaction cascade of methyl 3-nitropropanoate with cyclic and acyclic imines for the direct preparation of trans-monocyclic and fused tricyclic pyrrolidinone derivatives was developed. The reaction is easy to perform, broad in scope and tolerates a wide variety of functional groups. For the monocyclic methodology, 28 examples with a very good average yield of 72% and excellent diastereocontrol (typical dr >98:2) were obtained using optimized conditions and varying the amine and the aldehyde reagents. The methodology has been extended to the synthesis of 1,3,5-trisubstituted 4-nitropyrrolidinone derivatives using α-substituted 3-nitropropanoate. Using a one-pot protocol, 22 derivatives were synthesised in good yields (65% average) and diastereomeric ratios ranging from 3:1 to 30:1 in favor of the trans/trans diastereoisomer. In addition, the nitro-Mannich / lactamisation cascade of methyl 3-nitropropanoate was developed further to allow the rapid synthesis of 5-isopropyl-4-nitropyrrolidin-2-one from reaction with ammonium acetate and 1-butyl-4-nitropyrrolidin-2-one from reaction with formaldehyde. Also, the synthetic utility of the nitro-pyrrolidinones formed was exemplified through various functional group modifications: the selective reduction of the lactam carbonyl, the reduction of the nitro group in the presence or absence of a carbonyl group and the reductive removal of the nitro group. The development of an enantioselective version of the cascade under chiral Bronsted acid catalysis provided promising results (up to 90% ee). Moreover, various studies were undertaken to understand the mechanism of the reaction and the nitro-Mannich / latamisation cascade is now well understood. Furthermore, a formal synthesis of rac-Slaframine in 8 steps and 15% overall yield was achieved and it inspired additional work towards a nitro-Mannich / epoxide ring opening cascade.