Synlett 2016; 27(03): 379-382
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1560827
letter
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

A Sequentially Copper-Catalyzed Alkyne Carboxylation–Propargylation–Azide Cycloaddition (CuACPAC) Synthesis of 1,2,3-Triazolylmethyl Arylpropiolates

Ella Schreiner
Institut für Organische Chemie und Makromolekulare Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany   Email: ThomasJJ.Mueller@uni-duesseldorf.de
,
Tobias Wilcke
Institut für Organische Chemie und Makromolekulare Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany   Email: ThomasJJ.Mueller@uni-duesseldorf.de
,
Thomas J. J. Müller*
Institut für Organische Chemie und Makromolekulare Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany   Email: ThomasJJ.Mueller@uni-duesseldorf.de
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 17 August 2015

Accepted after revision: 04 October 2015

Publication Date:
09 November 2015 (online)

 


Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Günter Szeimies on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Abstract

Concatenation of copper-catalyzed alkyne carboxylation–alkylation and copper-catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition gives a novel sequentially copper-catalyzed alkyne carboxylation–propargylation–azide cycloaddition (CuACPAC) process furnishing 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl arylpropiolates via a consecutive four-component synthesis. The CuACPAC can be expanded to a five-component synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl 3-amino arylacrylates by a concluding Michael addition in the same pot.


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Copper-catalyzed carbon–heteroatom and carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions have experienced an impressive renaissance in the past decade, inevitably in competition to well-established palladium-catalyzed methodologies.[1] In particular, the copper-catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition (CuAAC)[2] has received utmost attention and application in rapid regioselective syntheses of 1,2,3-triazoles in all fields of molecular sciences. The highly modular nature makes CuAAC particularly attractive for proposing new transition-metal-catalyzed multicomponent reactions (MCR)[3] and an impressive new branch of MCR is currently rapidly evolving.[4] Multicomponent reactions represent a reactivity-based concept,[5] where the reaction sequences are performed as domino, sequential, or consecutive processes in a one-pot fashion, in a strict sense all transformations are carried out in the same reaction vessel, excluding intermediate workup, filtration of byproducts, or solvent exchange by evaporation. The advantages of one-pot methodologies over traditional multistep synthesis lie in the economy and ecological efficacy that can be achieved.[6] In addition, the modular aspect of one-pot reactions also makes them applicable to combinatorial and parallel synthesis[7] for rapid lead identification and exploration of structural space in the search for new drug candidates. Our approach to novel consecutive and sequential MCR commences with alkyne activation by transition-metal-catalyzed C–C bond formation.[8]

Recently, we reported consecutive three-component syntheses of 2,6-disubstituted pyrimid-4(3H)-ones and 1,5-disubstituted 3-hydroxy pyrazoles initiated by copper-catalyzed carboxylation of terminal alkynes.[9] We developed direct carboxylations of alkynes with carbon dioxide furnishing propiolic acids[10] [11] to give methyl propiolates that, in turn, acting as three-carbon building blocks containing a Michael system, were susceptible to generate the pyrimid-4(3H)-ones and 3-hydroxy pyrazoles efficiently by Michael addition cyclocondensation with amidinium salts and hydrazines, respectively.

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Scheme 1 Model reaction for the CuAAC step to give 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl propiolate 5a

Herein, we communicate a copper-catalyzed carboxylative alkynylation to generate propioliates that can be directly transformed into 1,2,3-triazolyl methyl propiolates by CuAAC in a one-pot fashion. This consecutive four-component reaction can be considered as a sequential copper-catalyzed process[12] that can be further extended to a consecutive five-component reaction by a concluding Michael addition with secondary amines furnishing 1,2,3-triazolyl methyl 3-amino acrylates.

Propargylation–CuAAC sequences have been only rarely reported to date. Furanonyl-substituted amino acid ligated 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl esters may be accessed either in a three- or four-component fashion by propargylation of the carboxylate followed by CuAAC in a consecutive one-pot reaction.[13] Propargylation of benzanellated thiopyrimidones also sets the stage for CuAAC in the consecutive three-component synthesis of 1,2,3-triazol-4-yl-methylthio-3-arylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones.[14] In a similar fashion hydroxyl xanthen-11-one derivatives can be transformed by phenolate propargylation and subsequent CuAAC into a domino three-component reaction to give xanthene–triazole–quinoline conjugates.[15] Propargyl amides as transient intermediates are formed in consecutive four-component syntheses of indole-3-glyoxyl-methyl 1,2,3-triazoles by glyoxylation of propargylamine,[16] or in a chemoenzymatic three-component synthesis of amide methyl-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles,[17] initiated by CAL-B-catalyzed aminolysis of methyl esters with propargylamine. In both cases the concluding CuAAC furnishes the target structures in a one-pot fashion.

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Scheme 2 Consecutive four-component synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl propiolates 5

Prior to developing the one-pot synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolyl methyl propiolates by sequential copper(I)-catalyzed carboxylative alkynylation–CuAAC of terminal alkynes, we first set out to identify the optimal conditions for the CuAAC step. As a model reaction, propargyl 3-phenylpropiolate (3a),[18] synthesized by copper-catalyzed carboxylation of phenylacetylene (1a) followed by propargylation with propargyl bromide (2) according to our previously published protocol,[9] was reacted with benzyl azide (4a) to give (1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl 3-phenylpropiolate (5a, Scheme [1]).

For compatibility with the preceding alkyne carboxylation, DMF was chosen as solvent and 5 mol% of Cu(PPh3)2NO3 was employed as the catalyst. While a reaction temperature of 80 °C gave complete conversion of 3a within one hour giving rise to the desired CuAAC product 5a in 58% yield, the isolation of a 30% yield of 1-benzyl-4-phenyltriazole indicated that 3a obviously underwent decarboxylative decomposition under these conditions.

However, lowering the temperature to 50 °C gave full conversion of 3a after 90 minutes and furnished the triazole 5a in 87% yield after chromatography. The byproduct 1-benzyl-4-phenyltriazole was not detected. Lowering catalyst loading to 2.5 mol% revealed that the conversion at 50 °C was not complete after four hours. With the optimal catalyst loading of 5 mol%, a reaction temperature of 50 °C, and a reaction time of 90 minutes the stage was set for concatenating the alkyne–carboxylation and the CuAAC to a novel sequentially copper-catalyzed consecutive four-component process.

After performing the copper(I)-catalyzed carboxylation of terminal alkynes 1 under our previously published conditions,[9] propargyl bromide (2) was added to the reaction mixture and, after 45 minutes, the resulting propargyl propiolate was directly treated with alkyl or aryl azides 4 to furnish 1,2,3-triazolyl methyl propiolates 5 in moderate to good yields (Scheme [2]).[19] The title compounds 5 are thus prepared in a one-pot reaction, forming four new bonds with a yield per bond-forming step of 73–89%.

1,2,3-Triazolyl methyl propiolates 5 still contain a propiolate functionality that is well suited for a five-component reaction. Therefore, a concluding Michael addition with secondary amines was illustrated in five examples. Upon sequential copper-catalyzed alkyne carboxylation–propargylation–azide cycloaddition (CuACPAC) of phenylacetylene (1a) or p-tolylacetylene (1b) and benzyl azide (4a) the subsequent concluding Michael addition of secondary amines 6 furnished triazolylmethyl aminoacrylates 7 in good yields (Scheme [3]).[20]

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Scheme 3 Consecutive five-component synthesis of triazolylmethyl aminoacrylates 7

The occurrence of single sets of carbon resonances excludes the presence of E/Z-isomer mixtures and the E-configuration was unambiguously established by 2D NOESY spectra of the triazolylmethyl aminoacrylates 7 showing that the acrylate α-protons only gave cross peaks to the α-amino methylene and methyl protons but not to the 3-aryl ortho protons. In addition the assigned E configuration resulting from a syn addition of the cyclic secondary amines 6 is in excellent agreement with preparative and kinetic findings for amine additions to alkyl 3-aryl propiolates.[21]

Taking into account that six new bonds are being formed in this consecutive one-pot process a yield per bond forming step of 87–91% can be estimated. In this preliminary study heteroalicyclic secondary amines clearly react faster than acyclic derivatives.

In conclusion, both the four-component one-pot synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl propiolates 5 and the five-component one-pot synthesis of triazolylmethylamino acrylates 7 are novel representatives of sequentially copper-catalyzed consecutive multicomponent processes that proceed under mild reaction conditions with a reasonably broad scope of two and three points of diversity. Further studies directed to explore further sequentially copper-catalyzed processes and their application for accessing functional chromophores are currently under way.


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Acknowledgment

The authors cordially thank the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie for financial support.

Supporting Information

  • References and Notes

  • 4 For the first review on multicomponent syntheses based upon CuAAC, see: Hassan S, Müller TJ. J. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2015; 357: 617
  • 5 Müller TJ. J. Multicomponent Reactions 1. General Discussion and Reactions Involving a Carbonyl Compound as Electrophilic Component. In Science of Synthesis. Vol. 1. Müller TJ. J. Thieme; Stuttgart: 2014: 5
  • 6 Tietze LF. Chem. Rev. 1996; 96: 115
  • 9 Schreiner E, Braun S, Kwasnitschka C, Frank W, Müller TJ. J. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2014; 356: 3135
  • 10 Fukue Y, Oi S, Inoue Y. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. 1994; 2091
  • 13 Tan Y.-H, Li J.-X, Xue F.-L, Qi J, Wang Z.-Y. Tetrahedron 2012; 68: 2827
  • 14 Koohshari M, Dabiri M, Salehi P, Bahramnejad M. Synth. Commun. 2012; 42: 2415
  • 15 Singh H, Nand B, Sindhu J, Khurana JM, Sharmab C, Aneja KR. J. Braz. Chem. Soc. 2014; 25: 1178
  • 16 Stefani HA, Vasconcelos SN. S, Souza FB, Manarin F, Zukerman-Schpector J. Tetrahedron Lett. 2013; 54: 5821
  • 17 Hassan S, Tschersich R, Müller TJ. J. Tetrahedron Lett. 2013; 54: 4641
  • 18 Witulski B, Zimmermann A. Synlett 2002; 1855
  • 19 Typical Procedure for the Synthesis of Compound 5a In a flame-dried Schlenk tube under nitrogen, Cs2CO3 (889 mg, 2.73 mmol), Cu(PPh3)2NO3 (63 mg, 10 μmol), and phenanthroline (18 mg, 10 μmol) were dissolved in dry DMF (4.1 mL), and the mixture was stirred for 10 min at r.t. A balloon filled with CO2 under ambient pressure was placed on the tube. Then, phenylacetylene (1a; 0.15 mL, 1.36 mmol) was added to the reaction mixture, and the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 6 h. After the addition of propargyl bromide (2; 174 μL, 1.63 mmol of an 80% solution in toluene) the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 45 min before benzyl azide (4a; 200 mg, 1.50 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at 50 °C for 1 h. After workup and flash chromatography on silica gel (EtOAc–hexane, 1:3), compound 5a (278 mg, 64%) was obtained analytically pure as a yellow solid; mp 83–85 °C. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 5.27 (s, 2 H), 5.45 (s, 2 H), 7.19–7.93 (m, 8 H), 7.46 (m, 1 H), 7.48 (m, 1 H), 7.51 (s, 1 H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 54.4 (CH2), 59.0 (CH2), 80.3 (Cquat), 87.3 (Cquat), 119.4 (Cquat), 124.0 (CH), 128.3 (CH), 128.7 (CH), 129.0 (CH), 129.3 (CH), 130.9 (CH), 133.1 (CH), 134.3 (Cquat), 142.4 (Cquat), 153.9 (Cquat). MS (EI+): m/z (%) = 317 (2) [M]+, 129 (45) [C9H5CO+], 91 (100) [C6H5CH2 +]. Anal. Calcd for C19H15N3O2 (317.4): C, 71.91; H, 4.76; N, 13.24. Found: C, 72.11; H, 4.83, N, 13.14.
  • 20 Typical Procedure for the Synthesis of Compound 7e In a flame-dried Schlenk tube under nitrogen, Cs2CO3 (889 mg, 2.73 mmol), Cu(PPh3)2NO3 (63 mg, 10 μmol), and phenanthroline (18 mg, 10 µmol) were dissolved in dry DMF (4.1 mL), and the mixture was stirred for 10 min at r.t. A balloon filled with CO2 under ambient pressure was placed on the tube. Then, phenylacetylene (1a; 0.15 mL, 1.36 mmol) was added to the reaction mixture, and the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 6 h. After the addition of propargyl bromide (2; 174 μL, 1.63 mmol of an 80% solution in toluene) the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 45 min before benzyl azide (4a; 200 mg, 1.50 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at 50 °C for 1 h. Then, methyl benzylamine (6e; 182 mg, 1.50 mmol) was added, and the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 16 h. After workup and flash chromatography on silica gel (EtOAc–hexane, 1:1), compound 7e (311 mg, 52%) was obtained analytically pure as a yellow resin. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 2.81 (s, 3 H), 4.17 (br, 2 H), 4.91 (s, 1 H), 5.01 (s, 2 H), 5.46 (s, 2 H), 7.20–7.40 (m, 16 H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 38.0 (CH3), 54.2 (CH2), 55.7 (CH2), 56.3 (CH2), 87.0 (CH), 123.2 (CH), 126.9 (CH), 127.5 (CH), 128.2 (CH), 128.4 (CH), 128.4 (CH), 128.8 (CH), 128.8 (CH), 128.8 (CH), 129.0 (CH), 134.7 (Cquat), 136.2 (Cquat), 137.3 (Cquat), 144.7 (Cquat), 164.1 (Cquat), 167.4 (Cquat). MS (ESI+): m/z = 439 [M + H]+. HRMS (ESI+): m/z calcd for [C27H26N4O2 + H]+: 439.2134; found: 439.2129.
  • 21 Sharaf SM, El-Sadany SK, Hamed EA, Youssef A.-HA. Can. J. Chem. 1991; 69: 1445

  • References and Notes

  • 4 For the first review on multicomponent syntheses based upon CuAAC, see: Hassan S, Müller TJ. J. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2015; 357: 617
  • 5 Müller TJ. J. Multicomponent Reactions 1. General Discussion and Reactions Involving a Carbonyl Compound as Electrophilic Component. In Science of Synthesis. Vol. 1. Müller TJ. J. Thieme; Stuttgart: 2014: 5
  • 6 Tietze LF. Chem. Rev. 1996; 96: 115
  • 9 Schreiner E, Braun S, Kwasnitschka C, Frank W, Müller TJ. J. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2014; 356: 3135
  • 10 Fukue Y, Oi S, Inoue Y. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. 1994; 2091
  • 13 Tan Y.-H, Li J.-X, Xue F.-L, Qi J, Wang Z.-Y. Tetrahedron 2012; 68: 2827
  • 14 Koohshari M, Dabiri M, Salehi P, Bahramnejad M. Synth. Commun. 2012; 42: 2415
  • 15 Singh H, Nand B, Sindhu J, Khurana JM, Sharmab C, Aneja KR. J. Braz. Chem. Soc. 2014; 25: 1178
  • 16 Stefani HA, Vasconcelos SN. S, Souza FB, Manarin F, Zukerman-Schpector J. Tetrahedron Lett. 2013; 54: 5821
  • 17 Hassan S, Tschersich R, Müller TJ. J. Tetrahedron Lett. 2013; 54: 4641
  • 18 Witulski B, Zimmermann A. Synlett 2002; 1855
  • 19 Typical Procedure for the Synthesis of Compound 5a In a flame-dried Schlenk tube under nitrogen, Cs2CO3 (889 mg, 2.73 mmol), Cu(PPh3)2NO3 (63 mg, 10 μmol), and phenanthroline (18 mg, 10 μmol) were dissolved in dry DMF (4.1 mL), and the mixture was stirred for 10 min at r.t. A balloon filled with CO2 under ambient pressure was placed on the tube. Then, phenylacetylene (1a; 0.15 mL, 1.36 mmol) was added to the reaction mixture, and the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 6 h. After the addition of propargyl bromide (2; 174 μL, 1.63 mmol of an 80% solution in toluene) the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 45 min before benzyl azide (4a; 200 mg, 1.50 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at 50 °C for 1 h. After workup and flash chromatography on silica gel (EtOAc–hexane, 1:3), compound 5a (278 mg, 64%) was obtained analytically pure as a yellow solid; mp 83–85 °C. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 5.27 (s, 2 H), 5.45 (s, 2 H), 7.19–7.93 (m, 8 H), 7.46 (m, 1 H), 7.48 (m, 1 H), 7.51 (s, 1 H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 54.4 (CH2), 59.0 (CH2), 80.3 (Cquat), 87.3 (Cquat), 119.4 (Cquat), 124.0 (CH), 128.3 (CH), 128.7 (CH), 129.0 (CH), 129.3 (CH), 130.9 (CH), 133.1 (CH), 134.3 (Cquat), 142.4 (Cquat), 153.9 (Cquat). MS (EI+): m/z (%) = 317 (2) [M]+, 129 (45) [C9H5CO+], 91 (100) [C6H5CH2 +]. Anal. Calcd for C19H15N3O2 (317.4): C, 71.91; H, 4.76; N, 13.24. Found: C, 72.11; H, 4.83, N, 13.14.
  • 20 Typical Procedure for the Synthesis of Compound 7e In a flame-dried Schlenk tube under nitrogen, Cs2CO3 (889 mg, 2.73 mmol), Cu(PPh3)2NO3 (63 mg, 10 μmol), and phenanthroline (18 mg, 10 µmol) were dissolved in dry DMF (4.1 mL), and the mixture was stirred for 10 min at r.t. A balloon filled with CO2 under ambient pressure was placed on the tube. Then, phenylacetylene (1a; 0.15 mL, 1.36 mmol) was added to the reaction mixture, and the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 6 h. After the addition of propargyl bromide (2; 174 μL, 1.63 mmol of an 80% solution in toluene) the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 45 min before benzyl azide (4a; 200 mg, 1.50 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at 50 °C for 1 h. Then, methyl benzylamine (6e; 182 mg, 1.50 mmol) was added, and the suspension was stirred at 50 °C for 16 h. After workup and flash chromatography on silica gel (EtOAc–hexane, 1:1), compound 7e (311 mg, 52%) was obtained analytically pure as a yellow resin. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 2.81 (s, 3 H), 4.17 (br, 2 H), 4.91 (s, 1 H), 5.01 (s, 2 H), 5.46 (s, 2 H), 7.20–7.40 (m, 16 H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 38.0 (CH3), 54.2 (CH2), 55.7 (CH2), 56.3 (CH2), 87.0 (CH), 123.2 (CH), 126.9 (CH), 127.5 (CH), 128.2 (CH), 128.4 (CH), 128.4 (CH), 128.8 (CH), 128.8 (CH), 128.8 (CH), 129.0 (CH), 134.7 (Cquat), 136.2 (Cquat), 137.3 (Cquat), 144.7 (Cquat), 164.1 (Cquat), 167.4 (Cquat). MS (ESI+): m/z = 439 [M + H]+. HRMS (ESI+): m/z calcd for [C27H26N4O2 + H]+: 439.2134; found: 439.2129.
  • 21 Sharaf SM, El-Sadany SK, Hamed EA, Youssef A.-HA. Can. J. Chem. 1991; 69: 1445

Zoom Image
Scheme 1 Model reaction for the CuAAC step to give 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl propiolate 5a
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Scheme 2 Consecutive four-component synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolylmethyl propiolates 5
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Scheme 3 Consecutive five-component synthesis of triazolylmethyl aminoacrylates 7