Reactions of some anellated 2-aminothiophenes with electron poor acetylenes

Abstract

The reactivity of 2-aminothiophenes in two different anellations: (a) [b]-anellation to a saturated carbocycle and (b) [3,4-c]-anellation to benzopyrans, towards typical acetylenic dienophiles has been investigated. Because of the absence of conjugation, the thiophenes of type (a) do not undergo [4+2]-cycloaddition with acetylenic dienophiles. Instead, the N-vinylated products 2 and 3 were obtained with dimethyl acetylene dicarboxylate (DMAD). Electron poor alkynes react with the thiophenes of type (b) in three main ways: DMAD reacts in a [4+2]-mode in dioxane to give the products 7, 8 and 14; a Michael addition type reaction also takes place at the doubly vinylene homologous carbon atoms (C-1 in the starting materials 4, 9 and 10) in dioxane, methanol or ethanol. Methyl propiolate reacts in a similar way. The doubly N-vinylated product 26 was obtained from 10 in toluene and the C-1 vinylated products 24B and 27 were obtained from 9 in dioxane and 10 in methanol. The reaction of 10 with phenyl ethyl propiolate in dimethylformamide gave no addition product, instead a dimer of the acetylenic reagent was the isolated product. The accuracy of the assigned structures 5, 12 and 13a could be achieved on the basis of a single-crystal X-ray structure analysis of compound 13a. The reaction mechanism and the nature of the isolated products are dependent on the nature of the solvent. No addition reaction was observed between 17 and DMAD. The influence of the N-substitution on the nature of the addition (Michael or Diels–Alder) could be settled through the reactions of 18 and 21 with DMAD, which gave 19 and 14 (via 22), respectively as the only isolable products.