I n t e r m o l e c u l a r A d d i t i o n R e a c t i o n s o f N -A c y l i m i n i u m I o n s ( P a r t I )Abstract: This review highlights the advances in the literature up to July 2008 on the intermolecular reactions of acyclic and cyclic Nacyliminium ions. This is an update of an earlier review in 2000 on this topic and does not include intramolecular addition reactions to N-acyliminium ions which was recently reviewed. This review is presented in two parts, with the first part dealing with acyclic and pyrrolidinone-based N-acyliminium ions. Part II continues with other five-membered heterocyclic derivatives and higher systems.
IntroductionThis review highlights the advances in the literature up to July 2008 on the intermolecular reactions of acyclic and cyclic N-acyliminium ions. This is an update of an earlier review in 2000 2 on this topic and does not include intramolecular addition reactions to N-acyliminium ions which was recently reviewed. 3 A review article on addition reactions to related, but less reactive, N-acylimines has also been recently published. 4The highly reactive nature of N-acyliminium ions require that they are generated in situ usually in the presence of the other reactive, electron-rich, nucleophilic partner (NuY, Y = metal, SiR 3 , SnR 3-, etc.). In general these intermediates are generated from more stable and isolatable asubstituted N-acylamines of the type 1 by treatment with a Lewis acid or sometimes a protic acid (Scheme 1). The reaction of 2 with a nucleophilic species (NuY) then gives a-substituted N-acylamine 3. Compounds 1-3 can be acyclic systems or R 1 and R 2 , R 2 and R 3 , R 1 and R 3 can be taken together to form part of a ring system as shown in the general structures 4, 5, and 6.Compounds like 1 (X = OH and NHCO 2 R) are most likely formed in situ from the Lewis acid promoted threecomponent, one-pot coupling reactions of carbamates, aldehydes (or acetals) and silyl nucleophiles or electronrich aromatic nucleophiles (Scheme 2). 5,6N-Acyliminium ions like 11 can also be generated in dichloromethane solution, in the absence of nucleophiles, by the electrochemical oxidation of N-trimethylsilylmethyl carbamates like 10 (Scheme 3). These intermediates have been characterised spectroscopically and were subDownloaded by: Florida International University. Copyrighted material.