2,6-Dioxopiperidine-3,5-dicarbonitriles (also known as Guareschi imides) and their salts are readily prepared by condensation of ketones, cyanoacetic ester, and ammonia [1-3] and have proved over more than a century to be convenient reagents for synthesizing derivatives of glutarimide, 3,3-disubstituted glutaric acids [46], azaspiranes [7], etc. A single method has been reported in the literature for the cyclization of Guareschi imides to bispidines (3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives) under conditions of acid hydrolysis of the nitrile groups [4, 8-11]. The compounds obtained are of interest as intermediate products in the preparation of substances with anti-ischemic activity [12] and of sparteine alkaloids [13]. We have previously reported a convenient method for the synthesis of 4-monosubstituted Guareschi imide salts by the reaction of 3-aryl-2-cyanoacrylamides with cyanoacetylpyrazole [14, 15]. These compounds, and other known 2,6-dioxopiperidine-3,5-dicarbonitriles are of general interest (as C-3/C-5 dinucleophilic reagents) for the preparation of substituted bispidines via a double aminomethylation reaction. The Mannich reaction of 3,5-dinucleophilic pyridine derivatives is one of the most generally applicable methods of preparing 3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes [16, 17]. However, to this time there was no published evidence for the aminomethylation of Guareschi imides. We have found that the reaction of the glutarimide salt 1a with benzylamine and an excess of formaldehyde occurred under mild conditions to give the 2,4-dioxo-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane salt ("bispidinate") 2. Reaction of salt 1a with -phenethylamine and salt 1b with benzylamine proceeded similarly. Acidification gave the expected bispidines 3a,b. These reactions serve as a first example of the synthesis of 3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives using Guareschi imides. The structure of compounds 2 and 3a,b was confirmed by IR and H NMR spectroscopy data, HPLC-MS, and elemental analysis. Optimization of the conditions, limits, and potential uses of the reaction will be the subject of future investigations.
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