Synlett 2019; 30(10): 1194-1198
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1611725
cluster
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

A Flow Microreactor Approach to a Highly Efficient DielsAlder Reaction with an Electrogenerated o-Quinone

,
Hirona Yoshizawa
,
Department of Environment and System Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240-8501, Japan   Email: atobe@ynu.ac.jp
› Author Affiliations

This work was financially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas (15H0584720).
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 13 December 2018

Accepted after revision: 22 January 2019

Publication Date:
13 February 2019 (online)

 


Published as part of the Cluster Electrochemical Synthesis and Catalysis

Abstract

We have demonstrated a Diels–Alder reaction of an o-quinone generated in an electrochemical flow microreactor. In the flow microreactor system, 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone was easily electrogenerated from 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol in the absence of chemical oxidants and then rapidly used, without decomposing, in a subsequent Diels–Adler reaction with various fulvenes to give the desired products efficiently.


#

The Diels–Alder reaction is one of the most powerful tool for the construction of six-membered rings through the formation of two C–C bonds, and it has been successfully used for the synthesis of many natural or biologically active products.[1] Because p-quinones are excellent dienophiles, their Diels–Alder reactivity has been extensively investigated.[1`] [c] [d] In contrast, however, the reactivity profile of o-quinones has received less attention due to their instability and inaccessibility.[2] Although o-quinones can be easily prepared from the corresponding catechols by treatment with a stoichiometric amount of a chemical oxidant such as Ag2CO3 or NaIO4,[3] they frequently undergo decomposition, isomerization, or polymerization during storage.[4] Therefore, these o-quinones are usually prepared in situ by the oxidation of the catechols in the presence of a coupling partner for the Diels–Alder reaction. However, the presence of the partners can, through competing oxidation, prevent the desired oxidation of the catechol, and hence the range of suitable partners is limited.[5] To overcome these problems, the development of more-elegant and more-efficient methods for the Diels–Alder reactions of o-quinones was highly desirable.

The flow microreactor is a new and attractive reaction system in synthetic organic chemistry.[6] The key advantages of the system are precise temperature control, high-speed mixing, and a large specific interfacial area. Moreover, the microreactor permits the rapid generation and consumption of unstable species.[7] We have developed various electrosynthetic processes by using a flow microreactor.[8] In particular, we previously reported that a flow microreactor is extremely useful in controlling Michael addition reactions involving an unstable electrogenerated o-quinone.[9]

With this background, and to expand the utility of o-quinones, we have demonstrated the electrogeneration of an o-quinone in an electrochemical flow microreactor and its subsequent efficient Diels–Alder reaction with fulvenes.

The flow system fabricated for the model reaction consisted of two parts (Figure [1]): an electrolysis part for the generation of the o-quinone (in this case, 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone) and a chemical-reaction part for the rapid Diels–Alder reaction of the o-quinone with a fulvene. Because 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone is produced by electrochemical oxidation of 4-tert-butyl-pyrocatechol, this method does not require the use of a chemical oxidant that might complicate the downstream Diels–Alder reaction.

Zoom Image
Figure 1 Schematic representation of the electrochemical generation of an o-quinone and its subsequent reaction with 6,6-dimethylfulvene in the flow microreactor

First, we recorded linear sweep voltammograms for the oxidation of 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol (1) and 6,6-dimethylfulvene (3) at a graphite disk electrode in a conventional undivided cell. As shown in Figure [2], the onset oxidation potentials of 1 and 3 were relatively close to one another. Therefore, competing oxidation of 1 and 3 would be unavoidable in a conventional batch-type reactor.

Zoom Image
Figure 2 Linear sweep voltammograms of (a) 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol and (b) 6,6-dimethylfulvene in an acetonitrile solution containing 100 mM NaClO4 at a graphite disk electrode. BG = background measurement without substrates.

Next, we examined the model Diels–Alder reaction of catechol 1, with fulvene 3 in a batch-type reactor and in a flow microreactor.[10] In the batch-type reactor, the desired Diels–Alder cycloadduct 4 was obtained in low yield (Table [1], entry 1).[11] In contrast, the yield of 4 was markedly improved to 75% in the flow microreactor (Table [1], entry 2). This result suggests that the o-quinone 2 can be generated effectively, without interference by oxidation of fulvene 3 and, moreover, the generated o-quinone can be used rapidly, without decomposition, in a reaction with the fulvene.

Table 1 Diels–Alder Reaction between 4-tert-Butylpyrocatechol (1) with 6,6-Dimethylfulvene (3) in a Batch-Type Reactor and the Flow Microreactora

Entry

Reactor type

Yieldc

1

Batch-type reactor

13

2

Flow microreactorb

75

a Experimental conditions: Anode, graphite plate; Cathode, Pt plate; Current density, 1.5 mA cm–2; Solvent, MeCN; Substrate, 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol (10 mM); Coupling partner for Diels–Alder reaction, 6,6-dimethylfulvene (200 mM); Supporting electrolyte: NaClO4 (100 mM).

b Solvent for Diels–Alder reaction: CH2Cl2; electrode distance, 80 μm; flow rate, 6.0 mL h–1.

c Determined by HPLC.

The anode material can play an important role in controlling the efficiency of an anodic oxidation process. We therefore investigated the effect of the anode material [graphite, glassy carbon (GC), or platinum (Pt)] of the flow microreactor on the yield of adduct 4 (Figure [3]).

Zoom Image
Figure 3 Examination of the effect of the anode material of the flow microreactor

Among the anode materials examined, the graphite electrode gave the best results. To evaluate the efficiency of o-quinone generation on all the tested anode materials, we performed linear sweep voltammetry measurements (Figure [4]). The voltammograms for the catechol oxidation indicated that the graphite electrode has a lower overpotential for the oxidation of 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol compared with GC or Pt electrodes. It is known that graphite electrodes have large specific superficial areas, which should reduce the current density required to oxidize the catechol. These features might improve the efficiency of the catechol oxidation.

Zoom Image
Figure 4 Linear sweep voltammograms of 10 mM 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol in acetonitrile solution containing 100 mM NaClO4 recorded at (a) a graphite disk (ϕ = 5.9 mm), (b) a glassy carbon disk (ϕ = 5.9 mm), and (c) platinum disk (ϕ = 5.9 mm) electrodes. Scan rate: 10 mV s–1.

Next, we examined the effect of the flow rate and the electrode distance on the model reaction in the flow microreactor (Table [2]). The yield of adduct 4 increased with increasing flow rate, and the highest value was obtained at 6.0 mL h–1 (Table [2], entries 1–3). At lower flow rates, black precipitates were observed on the electrode surfaces. These might have been formed by decomposition and overoxidation of 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone due its long residence time in the microreactor. On the other hand, when the flow rate was increased to 7.5 mL h–1, the yield decreased again (entry 4). This can be explained by insufficient bulk conversion due to the higher flow rate. At electrode distances of 20 and 50 μm, the yields were lower than that obtained at 80 μm (entries 5 and 6). This might be due to reduction of 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone at the counter-electrode (cathode), due to the smaller electrode distances. In addition, the yield obtained at an electrode separation of 100 µm was also lower than that obtained at 80 µm (entry 7). This can be explained by insufficient bulk conversion due to the greater electrode distance.

Table 2 Effect of the Flow Rate and Electrode Distance on the Yield of Cycloadduct 4 a

Entry

Flow rate (mL h–1)

Electrode distance (μm)

Yieldb (%)

1

3.0

 80

10

2

4.5

 80

39

3

6.0

 80

75

4

7.5

 80

41

5

6.0

 20

54

6

6.0

 50

59

7

6.0

100

42

a Experimental conditions: Anode, graphite plate; Cathode, Pt plate; Current density, 1.5 mA cm–2; Solvent for electrolysis, MeCN; Solvent for Diels–Alder reaction, CH2Cl2; Substrate, 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol (10 mM); Coupling partner for Diels–Alder reaction, 6,6-dimethylfulvene (200 mM); Supporting electrolyte, NaClO4 (100 mM).

b Determined by HPLC.

Finally, to demonstrate the general applicability of this electrosynthetic system, we carried out Diels–Alder reactions of 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (2) with various fulvenes by using a flow microreactor (Table [3]). The reaction of electrogenerated o-quinone 2 with fulvene 5 provided the desired cycloadduct 6 in 47% yield (Table [3], entry 2). The Diels–Alder reaction of o-quinone 2 with fulvene 7 similarly gave product 8 in moderate yield (entry 3), whereas fulvene 9 gave a low yield of cycloadduct 10 (entry 4). Because only about 10% of 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol (1) was recovered in all entries, the oxidation of 1 effectively proceeded to give the corresponding o-quinone. Therefore, it can be stated that the product yield depends largely on the reactivity of the fulvene. These general experiments suggest that this system has potential to be applied in efficient Diels–Alder reactions involving unstable o-quinones.

Table 3 Electrochemical Reactions of 4-tert-Butylpyrocatechol (1) with Various Fulvenes in a Flow Microreactora

Entry

Fulvene

Product

Yieldb (%)

1

75

2

47

3

43

4

31

a Reaction conditions: Anode, graphite plate; Cathode, Pt plate; Current density, 1.5 mA cm–2; Solvent for electrolysis, MeCN; Solvent for Diels–­Alder reaction, CH2Cl2; Substrate, 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol (100 mM); Coupling partner for Diels–Alder reaction, fulvene (200 mM); Supporting electrolyte, NaClO4 (100 mM).

b Determined by HPLC.

In summary, we have successfully demonstrated a highly efficient Diels–Alder reaction of an o-quinone by using a flow microreactor. 4-tert-Butyl-o-benzoquinone, smoothly electrogenerated from the corresponding catechol in the flow reactor without a stoichiometric amount of oxidant, reacted rapidly with fulvenes downstream of the reactor to give the desired Diels–Alder cycloadducts in moderate to excellent yields. This reaction system permits selective oxidation of the catechol, although its oxidation potential is close to that of fulvenes, whereas a model Diels–Alder reaction in a batch-type reactor gave the product in a low yield due to nonselective oxidation. We hope that this novel Diels–Alder reaction system will highlight the utility of flow microreactors in optimizing reactions involving unstable o-quinones.


#

Supporting Information

  • References and Notes

  • 10 Electrochemical Reaction in a Batch-Type Reactor The reaction of 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol (1; 10 mM) with 6,6-dimethylfulvene (3; 200 mM) was performed by using a graphite plate anode (working electrode; 2 × 2 cm2) and a Pt plate cathode (counter-electrode, 2 × 2 cm2) in a 100 mM solution of NaClO4 in MeCN (10 mL). A constant current (1.5 mA cm–2) was applied during the electrolysis. After the electrolysis was complete, the mixture was analyzed by HPLC to determine the yield of the Diels–Alder cycloadduct 4. Electrochemical Reactions in the Flow Microreactor; General Procedure A 10 mM solution of 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol in a 100 mM solution of NaClO4 in MeCN was introduced into the reactor from a syringe pump (Model 100; KD Scientific, Holliston, MA: see Figs. S1 and S2 in the Supporting Information). Constant-current electrolysis was performed at 1.5 mA cm–2 by using the electrochemical flow microreactor. The electrolyzed solution emerging from the microreactor was poured into CH2Cl2 containing the appropriate fulvene (200 mM), and the mixture was stirred for 8 h. The mixture was then analyzed by HPLC to determine the yield of the Diels–Alder cycloadduct. (3aR*,4S*,7R*,7aS*)-6-(tert-Butyl)-1-(1-methylethylidene)-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-4,7-ethanoindene-8,9-dione (4) Yellow solid; yield: 75%; mp 97.7 °C. IR (KBr): 2964, 1732, 1508, 1473, 1458, 1363, 1099, 812 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 6.42 (dd, J = 5.7, 1.9 Hz, 1 H), 5.86 (ddd, J = 6.6, 2.2, 0.6 Hz, 1 H), 5.58 (dd, J = 5.7, 2.5 Hz, 1 H), 3.70 (dd, J = 3.0, 2.4 Hz, 1 H), 3.61 (dd, J = 6.8, 2.7 Hz, 1 H), 3.56 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1 H), 3.31 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1 H), 1.80 (s, 3 H), 1.77 (s, 3 H), 1.00 (s, 9 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 191.5, 191.2, 151.8, 139.4, 135.6, 132.2, 125.2, 118.3, 54.1, 50.5, 46.4, 40.6, 35.3, 28.3, 21.7, 21.4. HRMS (ESI): m/z [M + Na]+ calcd for C18H22NaO2: 293.1512; found: 293.1498. (3aR*,4S*,7R*,7aS*)-6-tert-Butyl-1-(1-methylhexylidene)-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-4,7-ethanoindene-8,9-dione (6) Yellow solid; yield: 47%; mp 101.1 °C. IR (KBr): 2966, 2870, 1735, 1463, 1365, 1161, 813 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 6.44 (dd, J = 5.7, 1.9 Hz, 1 H), 5.84 (dd, J = 6.5, 2.1, 1 H), 5.60 (dd, J = 5.7, 2.5 Hz, 1 H), 3.69 (m, 1 H), 3.57 (dd, J = 6.8, 2.7 Hz, 1 H), 3.53 (m, 1 H), 3.34 (dd, J = 7.9, 2.5 Hz, 1 H), 2.10 (q, J = 7.04 Hz, 4 H), 1.48–1.55 (m, 1 H), 1.30–1.46 (m, 3 H) 1.00 (s, 9 H), 0.95 (t, J = 7.41 Hz, 3 H), 0.86 (t, J = 7.41 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 191.2, 191.2, 151.6, 139.9, 135.5, 134.0, 132.3, 118.1, 53.8, 51.1, 46.0, 40.0, 35.0, 34.5, 33.9, 28.1, 22.1, 21.6, 14.2, 13.9. HRMS (ESI) m/z [M + H]+ calcd for C22H31O2; 327.2309; found: 327.2319.
  • 11 Nair V, Kumar S. Tetrahedron 1996; 52: 4029

  • References and Notes

  • 10 Electrochemical Reaction in a Batch-Type Reactor The reaction of 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol (1; 10 mM) with 6,6-dimethylfulvene (3; 200 mM) was performed by using a graphite plate anode (working electrode; 2 × 2 cm2) and a Pt plate cathode (counter-electrode, 2 × 2 cm2) in a 100 mM solution of NaClO4 in MeCN (10 mL). A constant current (1.5 mA cm–2) was applied during the electrolysis. After the electrolysis was complete, the mixture was analyzed by HPLC to determine the yield of the Diels–Alder cycloadduct 4. Electrochemical Reactions in the Flow Microreactor; General Procedure A 10 mM solution of 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol in a 100 mM solution of NaClO4 in MeCN was introduced into the reactor from a syringe pump (Model 100; KD Scientific, Holliston, MA: see Figs. S1 and S2 in the Supporting Information). Constant-current electrolysis was performed at 1.5 mA cm–2 by using the electrochemical flow microreactor. The electrolyzed solution emerging from the microreactor was poured into CH2Cl2 containing the appropriate fulvene (200 mM), and the mixture was stirred for 8 h. The mixture was then analyzed by HPLC to determine the yield of the Diels–Alder cycloadduct. (3aR*,4S*,7R*,7aS*)-6-(tert-Butyl)-1-(1-methylethylidene)-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-4,7-ethanoindene-8,9-dione (4) Yellow solid; yield: 75%; mp 97.7 °C. IR (KBr): 2964, 1732, 1508, 1473, 1458, 1363, 1099, 812 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 6.42 (dd, J = 5.7, 1.9 Hz, 1 H), 5.86 (ddd, J = 6.6, 2.2, 0.6 Hz, 1 H), 5.58 (dd, J = 5.7, 2.5 Hz, 1 H), 3.70 (dd, J = 3.0, 2.4 Hz, 1 H), 3.61 (dd, J = 6.8, 2.7 Hz, 1 H), 3.56 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1 H), 3.31 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1 H), 1.80 (s, 3 H), 1.77 (s, 3 H), 1.00 (s, 9 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 191.5, 191.2, 151.8, 139.4, 135.6, 132.2, 125.2, 118.3, 54.1, 50.5, 46.4, 40.6, 35.3, 28.3, 21.7, 21.4. HRMS (ESI): m/z [M + Na]+ calcd for C18H22NaO2: 293.1512; found: 293.1498. (3aR*,4S*,7R*,7aS*)-6-tert-Butyl-1-(1-methylhexylidene)-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-4,7-ethanoindene-8,9-dione (6) Yellow solid; yield: 47%; mp 101.1 °C. IR (KBr): 2966, 2870, 1735, 1463, 1365, 1161, 813 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 6.44 (dd, J = 5.7, 1.9 Hz, 1 H), 5.84 (dd, J = 6.5, 2.1, 1 H), 5.60 (dd, J = 5.7, 2.5 Hz, 1 H), 3.69 (m, 1 H), 3.57 (dd, J = 6.8, 2.7 Hz, 1 H), 3.53 (m, 1 H), 3.34 (dd, J = 7.9, 2.5 Hz, 1 H), 2.10 (q, J = 7.04 Hz, 4 H), 1.48–1.55 (m, 1 H), 1.30–1.46 (m, 3 H) 1.00 (s, 9 H), 0.95 (t, J = 7.41 Hz, 3 H), 0.86 (t, J = 7.41 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 191.2, 191.2, 151.6, 139.9, 135.5, 134.0, 132.3, 118.1, 53.8, 51.1, 46.0, 40.0, 35.0, 34.5, 33.9, 28.1, 22.1, 21.6, 14.2, 13.9. HRMS (ESI) m/z [M + H]+ calcd for C22H31O2; 327.2309; found: 327.2319.
  • 11 Nair V, Kumar S. Tetrahedron 1996; 52: 4029

Zoom Image
Figure 1 Schematic representation of the electrochemical generation of an o-quinone and its subsequent reaction with 6,6-dimethylfulvene in the flow microreactor
Zoom Image
Figure 2 Linear sweep voltammograms of (a) 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol and (b) 6,6-dimethylfulvene in an acetonitrile solution containing 100 mM NaClO4 at a graphite disk electrode. BG = background measurement without substrates.
Zoom Image
Figure 3 Examination of the effect of the anode material of the flow microreactor
Zoom Image
Figure 4 Linear sweep voltammograms of 10 mM 4-tert-butylpyrocatechol in acetonitrile solution containing 100 mM NaClO4 recorded at (a) a graphite disk (ϕ = 5.9 mm), (b) a glassy carbon disk (ϕ = 5.9 mm), and (c) platinum disk (ϕ = 5.9 mm) electrodes. Scan rate: 10 mV s–1.