Synlett 2018; 29(14): 1887-1891
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1609559
letter
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Stereoselective Synthesis of 4-Substituted 2,4-Dichloro-2-butenals by α- and γ-Regioselective Double Chlorination of Dienamine Catalysis

Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nakagami, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan   Email: arimitsu@sci.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
,
Kazuto Terukina
Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nakagami, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan   Email: arimitsu@sci.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
,
Tatsuro Ishikawa
Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nakagami, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan   Email: arimitsu@sci.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
› Author Affiliations

Part of this research was financially supported by MEXT/JSPS KAKENHI, Grant No. JP17K14451.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 11 April 2018

Accepted after revision: 13 June 2018

Publication Date:
20 July 2018 (online)

 


Abstract

The l-proline-catalyzed reaction of enolizable α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) gave the corresponding 4-substituted 2,4-dichloro-2-butenals with moderate yields and excellent diastereoselectivities (Z/E = >20/1) through consecutive double chlorination at the α- and γ-positions of the dienamine intermediate. The corresponding 2,4-dichloro-2-butenals contain a multireactive 1,3-dichloro allylic unit useful for the construction of Z-vinyl chlorides; the chloride on the allylic position was replaced with mild nucleophiles such as MeOH and EtOH via an SN2 substitution reaction, and its aldehyde moiety was used as a synthetic handle and transformed into an alcohol or a vinyl group. All products obtained after those synthetic manipulations maintained excellent diastereoselectivities (Z/E = >20/1).


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Allylic halides have long been recognized as important chemicals in organic synthesis. For example, allylic fluorides can be found in many biologically active compounds,[1] therefore many regio- and stereoselective synthetic protocols have been developed so far.[2] In contrast, allylic chlorides have been prepared mainly as staring materials, and their versatile utility demonstrated either on classical SN2- and/or SN2′-type reactions with a wide range of nucleophiles or on advanced transition-metal chemistry, such as reactions through transition-metal π-allyl complexes.[3] However, many of those chemical transformations have been developed using allylic monochlorides, which permit only one functionalization due to one chloride moiety embedded in the structure.

In principle, allylic dichlorides can be more functionalized than allylic monochlorides because the two chloride moieties can potentially be transformed in a tandem fashion. Recently, two independent research groups have developed methods for the preparation of Z-vinyl chlorides through SN2′ substitution reactions of allylic gem-dichlorides with organocuprates. The Z-vinyl chlorides obtained by those synthetic protocols can be used as synthetic building blocks toward various Z-olefinic compounds via consecutive coupling reactions or as chloroalkene dipeptide isosteres.[4] Known synthetic protocols toward allylic gem-dichlorides are summarized in Scheme [1]. One method transforms α,β-unsaturated aldehydes into the corresponding allylic gem-dichlorides by the treatment with Vilsmeier–Haack-type reagents generated from thionyl chloride (SOCl2) and a catalytic amount of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, Scheme [1], eq. 1).[5] An alternative method uses 1,1-dichloroacetaldehydes in Witting reaction, providing a wider range of substitution on R, such as aromatics and esters (Scheme [1], eq. 2).[6]

Zoom Image
Scheme 1 Typical synthetic protocols for allylic gem-dichlorides

On the other hand, 1,3-dichloro allylic compounds can be considered as multitransformable reaction partners and synthetic equivalents of allylic gem-dichlorides.[7] In fact, 1,3-dihalopropenes (X = Cl, Br) tend to undergo transition-metal-free SN2-type substitution reactions with various ­nucleophiles.[8] However, this interesting synthetic transformation has been limited to a little variety of substrates on R and R′ due to the lack of robust and reliable preparation methods of 1,3-dichloro allylic compounds (Scheme [2], right).[8]

Zoom Image
Scheme 2 Comparison of two reactions toward Z-vinyl chlorides

Recently, our group reported a highly stereoselective reaction of 2,2-difluoro-4,4-disubstituted 3-butenals using enolizable α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) in the presence of l-proline as ­organocatalyst,[9] which can be applied in other halogenation reactions. In this context, herein, we wish to report the stereoselective organocatalytic synthesis of 2,4-dichloro-2-butenals in one step from enolizable α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. It is important to note that the control of the stereoselectivity and regioselectivity are challenging issues in this reaction.[10]

Table 1 Optimization of the Reaction Conditions

Entry

Catalyst

Solvent

Time (h)a

Yield of 2a (%)b

 1

C1

DCM

24

 0

 2

C2

DCM

24

 0

 3

C3

DCM

24

 0

 4

C4

DCM

96

56c,d

 5

C5

DCM

14

56c

 6

C6

DCM

69

45c

 7

C7

DCM

24

14

 8

C8

DCM

24

 0

 9

C9

DCM

80

38c

10

C10

DCM

24

 0

11

C11

DCM

24

 0

12

C12

DCM

24

 0

13

C13

DCM

24

 7e

14

C5

DCE

24

29

15

C5

CHCl3

24

 6

16

C5

MePh

24

 7

17

C5

THF

24

25

18

C5

MeCN

 6

32c

19

C5

DMF

 9

 0c

a The reaction time was determined by monitoring consumption of the starting material 1a by TLC.

b The Z/E ratio and yield of product 2a were determined by 1H NMR spectro­scopy of the crude reaction mixture using CH2Br2 as internal standard.

c No starting material 1a remained.

d Vinyl chloride 3a was isolated in 55%.

e Starting material 1a was remained in 89%.

The initial investigation started with the screening of amine catalysts. Thus, the reaction of 4-phenyl-2-butenal (1a) and N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) in dichloromethane (DCM) was conducted in the presence of various catalysts (20 mol%), such as primary and secondary amines. Primary amine catalysts did not promote the reaction at all, and only starting material 1a was recovered (Table [1], entries 1–3). On the other hand, cyclic amino acid catalysts such as C4, C5, and C6 led to complete conversions and provided the corresponding dichlorinated compound 2a in moderate yields (Table [1], entries 4–6). Interestingly, the ring size of the catalyst significantly influences the reaction efficacy; the reactions with catalysts possessing either an azetidinyl or piperidinyl group required longer reaction time compared to the reaction using l-proline. Next, several proline-derived catalysts were investigated. Catalyst C7, which was reported as the best catalyst for a similar α-chlorination of simple aldehydes,[11] and similar proline-derived catalysts resulted in no reaction or very low yields of product despite the complete consumption of starting material 1a (Table [1], entries 7–12). Interestingly, the reaction with pyrrolidine gave very low catalyst efficacy in comparison of the result using catalyst C5 (Table [1], entries 5 and 13), and the importance of carboxylic acid of the catalyst C5 in this reaction was proofed by this comparison.

Next, other solvents of varying polarities were examined, however, DCM remained the best solvent among those tested (Table [1], entries 5 and 14–19). Other reaction parameters, such as chlorinating reagents or additives, did not improve the yield of the reaction (see the Supporting Information for more details). It is important to mention that target compound 2a was unstable, and any attempts to isolate the compound failed; therefore, the conversion into the more stable methoxylated product 3a was carried out by treating compound 2a with methanol, which allowed the isolation of the material.[12] This instability of compound 2a might explain the low chemical yields observed in some of the reactions. Notably, all the reaction conditions resulted in excellent stereoselectivities (Z/E = >20/1) and gave only double-chlorinated product 2a with exclusive chlorination at the α- and γ-positions. Moreover, neither α,α- nor γ,γ-dichlorinated products were observed in this reaction, which differs from a previous fluorination that gives only α,α-difluorinated products under similar conditions.[9]

After determining the optimal conditions, the substrate scope was investigated with regard to the substituent R of aldehyde 1 (Table [2]). Generally, aromatic substituents bearing electron-withdrawing groups at the para position resulted in similar reaction outcomes as an unsubstituted phenyl group, and the corresponding products 2 and 3 were obtained in moderate yields (Table [2], entries 2–4). On the other hand, aromatics with electron-donating groups gave slightly better chemical yields regardless of the substitution pattern (Table [2], entries 5, 7, and 8), except for the reaction with aldehyde 1f possessing a p-OMe-substituted phenyl ring; despite its total consumption after 24 h, the corresponding target 2f was unstable and rapidly decomposed even under mild evaporation (Table [2], entry 6).[13] In the case of aliphatic substrates (Table [2], entries 10–12), the chlorination was slower than that of aromatic substrates, how­ever, all chlorinated aldehydes were stable enough to be isolated by silica gel column chromatography; as a result, not only double-chlorinated products 2, but also single-chlorinated products 2′ were isolated in similar yields, and both products showed excellent stereoselectivities (Z/E = >20/1) except for compound 2l′ (Z/E = 9.4/1, Figure [1]). Unfortunately, all efforts to improve the yield of double-chlorinated compounds 2jl, such as increased reaction times, temperatures, or equivalents of NCS, failed; nevertheless, the formation of monochlorinated product 2′ is a strong evidence of the reaction mechanism pathway.

A plausible reaction mechanism is depicted in Scheme [3]. First, dienamine intermediate Int-A forms from the reaction of aldehyde 1 and l-proline. According to previous DFT calculations of similar dienamine intermediates generated with pyrrolidinyl-derived secondary amine catalysts, the electron density of Cα and Cγ suggests similar reactivity at these carbon atoms.[14] However, all products observed in this reaction contain at least one chlorine substituent at the α-position, which might be induced by the 1,3-sigmatropic shift of a chlorine atom of N-chlorinated intermediate Int-B, formed by the reaction of Int-A and NCS, to the closer reactive center (Cα).[15] The second chlorination is also believed to undergo through a dienamine intermediate Int-D;[16] how­ever, the reasons behind the second chlorination exclusively occurring at the γ-position are currently not clear (Path A, Scheme [3]). On the other hand, hydrolysis of Int-C will produce α-monochlorinated homoallylic aldehyde, which will convert into vinyl chloride 2′, as this type of aldehydes are known to isomerize rapidly into the more stable α,β-unsaturated aldehydes (Path B, Scheme [3]).[17] The compound 2′ can be a precursor of dichlorinated compound 2, however, the control experiment using isolated 2l′ under the standard chlorination conditions, treating with 2.5 equiv of NCS and catalytic amounts of l-proline (20 mol%) in DCM, showed no sign of compound 2l after 24 h, confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Table 2 Substrate Scope

Entry

R

Time (h)a

Z/E b

Yield of 2 and 3 (%)b,c

 1

1a C6H5

14

>20/1

2a 56, 3a 55

 2

1b 4-FC6H4

14

>20/1

2b 54, 3b 53

 3

1c 4-ClC6H4

20

>20/1

2c 68, 3c 66

 4

1d 4-BrC6H4

16

>20/1

2d 55, 3d 52

 5

1e 4-MeC6H4

15

>20/1

2e 66, 3e 62

 6

1f 4-MeOC6H4

24

2f 0

 7

1g 3-MeC6H4

18

>20/1

2g 74, 3g 72

 8

1h 2-MeC6H4

14

>20/1

2h 62, 3h 61

 9

1i 1-naphthyl

16

>20/1

2 74, 3i 72

10

1j PhCH2

24

>20/1

2j 29d

11

1k BnOCH2

24

>20/1

2k 24d

12

1l n-Hex

24

>20/1

2l 44d

a The reaction time was determined by monitoring consumption of the starting material 1 by TLC.

b The Z/E ratio and yield of product 2 were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy of the crude reaction mixture using CH2Br2 as internal standard.

c Isolated yield of vinyl chlorides 3 is given.

d Vinyl chlorides 2j′, 2k′, and 2l′ were isolated, respectively.

Zoom Image
Figure 1
Zoom Image
Scheme 3 Plausible reaction mechanism

Initially, methoxylation was conducted in order to transform unstable compound 2 into more stable compound 3, however, this transformation is a good demonstration of a synthetic application of compound 2 as 1,3-dichloro allylic electrophile; all dichlorinated aldehydes 2 undergo methoxylation through an SN2-type substitution maintaining good Z/E selectivity (Z/E = >20/1) and acetal conversion of the aldehyde functionality to produce compounds 3; SN2′ substitution was not observed for any substrate. The stereo- and regiochemistry were unambiguously determined by 2D NMR analyses for compound 3a. Moreover, the aldehyde moiety of compound 2a is a useful synthetic handle, and thus, it was readily reduced to alcohol 4a using NaBH4 or coupled with a Wittig reagent to give extended 1,4-diene 5a as shown in Scheme [4]. Due to its unstable nature the stereochemistry of compound 2 was indirectly determined by analyzing the Wittig product 5a by 2D NMR spectroscopy; NOESY correlations observed between proton Hb and Hc clearly indicate the stereochemistry of compound 5a as depicted in Scheme [4]. Proton Hc originates from the aldehyde proton, therefore the aldehyde group of compound 2a and Hb are located on the same side of the vinyl group. The stereoconfiguration of all products 2 and 3 was determined by comparison of the chemical shifts and coupling constants with those of 2a and 3a. Additionally, compounds 2 possess a chiral center at the γ-position, which could potentially be enantiomeric due to the use of l-proline, however, compound 5a was found to be racemic (ee = 0%).

Zoom Image
Scheme 4 Synthetic applications of 2a and confirmation of its stereochemistry. a The yield was calculated in two steps.

In summary, a highly stereoselective synthesis of 2,4-dichloro-2-butenals 2 was achieved with excellent diastereoselectivities (Z/E = >20/1) using readily accessible α,β-unsaturated aldehyde 1 and NCS in the presence of catalytic amounts of l-proline (20 mol%) as organocatalyst.[12] Additionally, the synthetic application of 2,4-dichloro-2-butenals 2 has been demonstrated; only SN2 substitution reaction progressed on the allylic chloride position even with mild nucleophiles, such as alcohols like MeOH and EtOH, and the aldehyde moiety could be transformed to its alcohol by NaBH4 reduction or to a vinyl group by Wittig reaction with retention of the diastereoselectivity (Z/E = >20/1). Thus, this reaction is the first reported double nucleophilic reaction on the α- and γ-positions of a dienamine catalysis to date and represents a new method for the preparation of widely substituted 1,3-dichloro allylic compounds and Z-vinyl chlorides.


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Acknowledgment

The authors thank Prof. Konno Tsutomu at Kyoto Institute of Technology for assistance with HRMS.

Supporting Information

  • References and Notes

  • 1 Wang J. Sánchez-Roselló M. Aceña JL. del Pozo C. Sorochinsky AE. Fustero S. Soloshonok VA. Liu H. Chem. Rev. 2014; 114: 2432
  • 3 For a recent review, see: Cherney AH. Kadunce NT. Reisman SE. Chem. Rev. 2015; 115: 9587
  • 5 Newman MS. Sujeeth PK. J. Org. Chem. 1978; 43: 4367
  • 9 Arimitsu S. Nakasone M. J. Org. Chem. 2016; 81: 6707
  • 10 For a recent review, see: Marcos V. Alemán J. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2016; 45: 6812
  • 12 General Experimental Procedure for Dichlorinated Compound 2 and Methoxylated Compound 3 To the solution of α,β-unsaturated aldehyde 1 (0.1 mmol) in DCM (0.5 mL, 0.2 M) was added l-proline (20 mol%) at room temperature, and the reaction was replaced into the ice bath. Next, NCS (2.5 equiv) was added into a solution at 0 °C, and the reaction was purged with argon gas, then the whole reaction mixture was stirred for 30 min at 0 °C. After 30 min, the reaction was removed from the ice bath and stirred at room temperature until TLC revealed that starting material 1 was totally consumed. Note: The reaction flask was shielded from the light by an aluminum foil during the reaction. The reaction was quenched by aq sat. NaHCO3 and extracted by EtOAc (3 × 20 mL). Then, the whole organic layer was washed by brine and dried over MgSO4. The organic solution was filtered and concentrated by the rotary evaporator. NMR yield of the compound 2 was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy after drying the reaction mixture by a high vacuum pump using CH2Br2 as an internal standard. Next, the mixture of compound 2 was diluted in methanol (0.1 M), and the whole reaction mixture was heated at 60 °C until compound 2 was totally consumed (monitored by TLC). The reaction was quenched by water and extracted by Et2O (3 × 20 mL). Then, the whole organic layer was washed with brine and dried over MgSO4. The organic solution was filtered and concentrated by the rotary evaporator. The residue was purified by a silica gel flash chromatography. Compound 3a: Purification by flash chromatography (SiO2, hexane/Et2O = 15:1) afforded 3a (14.1 mg, 0.055 mmol, 55% yield). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 3.27 (3 H, s), 3.33 (3 H, s), 3.36 (3 H, s), 4.74 (1 H, s), 5.22 (1 H, d, J = 8.5 Hz), 6.23 (1 H, dd, J = 8.5, 0.6 Hz), 7.26–7.30 (1 H, m), 7.32–7.40 (4 H, m). 13C NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 53.07, 53.14, 56.5, 79.5, 102.4, 126.5, 127.9, 128.6, 130.6, 131.4, 140.1. HRMS: m/z calcd for C13H16ClO3 +: 255.0782 [M – H]+; found: 255.0782 [M – H]+.
  • 13 Analysis of the reaction mixture with TLC showed a promising spot of the target compound 2f in a similar outcome to the rest of reactions.
  • 14 Bertelsen S. Marigo M. Brandes S. Dinér P. Jørgensen KA. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006; 128: 12973
  • 16 The reaction using aldehyde 1a and 1.0 equiv of NCS, instead of 2.5 equiv, showed that dichlorinated compound 2a was formed as the sole product in 20% with remaining starting material 1a in 58% based on 1H NMR analysis, moreover no other products such as monochlorinated products were observed. This control experiment indicates that the second chlorination is faster than the first one.
  • 17 Pace V. Castoldi L. Mazzeo E. Rui M. Langer T. Holzer W. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007; 56: 12677 ; and references cited therein

  • References and Notes

  • 1 Wang J. Sánchez-Roselló M. Aceña JL. del Pozo C. Sorochinsky AE. Fustero S. Soloshonok VA. Liu H. Chem. Rev. 2014; 114: 2432
  • 3 For a recent review, see: Cherney AH. Kadunce NT. Reisman SE. Chem. Rev. 2015; 115: 9587
  • 5 Newman MS. Sujeeth PK. J. Org. Chem. 1978; 43: 4367
  • 9 Arimitsu S. Nakasone M. J. Org. Chem. 2016; 81: 6707
  • 10 For a recent review, see: Marcos V. Alemán J. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2016; 45: 6812
  • 12 General Experimental Procedure for Dichlorinated Compound 2 and Methoxylated Compound 3 To the solution of α,β-unsaturated aldehyde 1 (0.1 mmol) in DCM (0.5 mL, 0.2 M) was added l-proline (20 mol%) at room temperature, and the reaction was replaced into the ice bath. Next, NCS (2.5 equiv) was added into a solution at 0 °C, and the reaction was purged with argon gas, then the whole reaction mixture was stirred for 30 min at 0 °C. After 30 min, the reaction was removed from the ice bath and stirred at room temperature until TLC revealed that starting material 1 was totally consumed. Note: The reaction flask was shielded from the light by an aluminum foil during the reaction. The reaction was quenched by aq sat. NaHCO3 and extracted by EtOAc (3 × 20 mL). Then, the whole organic layer was washed by brine and dried over MgSO4. The organic solution was filtered and concentrated by the rotary evaporator. NMR yield of the compound 2 was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy after drying the reaction mixture by a high vacuum pump using CH2Br2 as an internal standard. Next, the mixture of compound 2 was diluted in methanol (0.1 M), and the whole reaction mixture was heated at 60 °C until compound 2 was totally consumed (monitored by TLC). The reaction was quenched by water and extracted by Et2O (3 × 20 mL). Then, the whole organic layer was washed with brine and dried over MgSO4. The organic solution was filtered and concentrated by the rotary evaporator. The residue was purified by a silica gel flash chromatography. Compound 3a: Purification by flash chromatography (SiO2, hexane/Et2O = 15:1) afforded 3a (14.1 mg, 0.055 mmol, 55% yield). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 3.27 (3 H, s), 3.33 (3 H, s), 3.36 (3 H, s), 4.74 (1 H, s), 5.22 (1 H, d, J = 8.5 Hz), 6.23 (1 H, dd, J = 8.5, 0.6 Hz), 7.26–7.30 (1 H, m), 7.32–7.40 (4 H, m). 13C NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 53.07, 53.14, 56.5, 79.5, 102.4, 126.5, 127.9, 128.6, 130.6, 131.4, 140.1. HRMS: m/z calcd for C13H16ClO3 +: 255.0782 [M – H]+; found: 255.0782 [M – H]+.
  • 13 Analysis of the reaction mixture with TLC showed a promising spot of the target compound 2f in a similar outcome to the rest of reactions.
  • 14 Bertelsen S. Marigo M. Brandes S. Dinér P. Jørgensen KA. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006; 128: 12973
  • 16 The reaction using aldehyde 1a and 1.0 equiv of NCS, instead of 2.5 equiv, showed that dichlorinated compound 2a was formed as the sole product in 20% with remaining starting material 1a in 58% based on 1H NMR analysis, moreover no other products such as monochlorinated products were observed. This control experiment indicates that the second chlorination is faster than the first one.
  • 17 Pace V. Castoldi L. Mazzeo E. Rui M. Langer T. Holzer W. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007; 56: 12677 ; and references cited therein

Zoom Image
Scheme 1 Typical synthetic protocols for allylic gem-dichlorides
Zoom Image
Scheme 2 Comparison of two reactions toward Z-vinyl chlorides
Zoom Image
Figure 1
Zoom Image
Scheme 3 Plausible reaction mechanism
Zoom Image
Scheme 4 Synthetic applications of 2a and confirmation of its stereochemistry. a The yield was calculated in two steps.