Spirocyclic and Fused Derivatives of Maleimide Based on Intra- and Intermolecular Reactions of Carbonyl Ylides from Diazocarbonyl Compounds

Abstract

The reaction of maleimide with Rh(II)-ketocarbenoids, derived from acyclic diazocarbonyl compounds, proceeds chemoselectively at the oxygen atom of the imidic C=O group to give carbonyl ylides as reactive intermediates. The carbonyl ylide generated from maleimide and ethyl diazoacetate reacts intermolecularly with the double bond of another molecule of maleimide to yield tricyclic spiroadducts via [3+2]-cycloaddition. Intramolecular stabilization is characteristic for carbonyl ylides with two bulky electron-withdrawing groups at the carbanionic center and occurs in two different ways, depending on the structure of the substituents: carbonyl ylides from diazomalonate, which possess two alkoxycarbonyl groups at the carbanionic C-atom, experience a 1,3-dipolar electrocyclization with formation of an oxirane, while carbonyl ylides with at least one α-acyl group, derived from diazoacetoacetate or diazoacetylacetone, undergo an intramolecular 1,5-dipolar electrocyclization to produce 1,3-dioxole derivatives of maleimide.