Cycloaddition of Huisgen 1,4-dipoles: synthesis and rapid epimerization of functionalized spiropyrido[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine-pyrroles and related products.

1,4-Dipolar cycloaddition has emerged as a powerful tool for the synthesis of various cyclic compounds. In the present work, 1H-pyrrole-2,3-diones are proposed as new dipolarophiles for 1,4-dipolar cycloaddition. Their [4 + 2] cycloaddition with dipoles generated from dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and pyridine was found to proceed regioselectively affording spiro[pyrido[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine-2,3'-pyrroles] as diastereomeric mixtures which exist in rapid equilibrium in solution. It was established that this phenomenon of rapid epimerization is a characteristic of other similar spiropyrido[2,1-b][1,3]oxazines and even related spiroquinolizines, which was demonstrated by the investigation of related products of previously reported, and reproduced in this work, 1,4-dipolar cycloaddition reactions.

Synthesis of meta-substituted anilines via a three-component reaction of acetone, amines, and 1,3-diketones.

A facile method for the synthesis of meta-substituted arylamines from acyclic precursors was developed. This method is based on three-component cyclo-condensation/aromatization of in situ generated imines of acetone with 1,3-diketones either under conventional heating or under microwave irradiation. The utility of this methodology is illustrated by the possibility of a gram scale synthesis of various anilines from readily available reagents.