Synlett 2011(17): 2521-2524  
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1260306
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New York

A Metal-Free, Aqueous and General Route to 1,5-Disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles: ‘Reversed Regioisomeric’ 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azides and Vinyl Sulfones

Santu Dey, Dhrubajyoti Datta, Tanmaya Pathak*
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721 302, India
Fax: +91(3222)282252; e-Mail: tpathak@chem.iitkgp.ernet.in;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 31 May 2011
Publication Date:
13 September 2011 (online)

Abstract

A metal-free, vinyl sulfone-based synthesis of 1,5-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles is reported for the first time. These triazoles are easily formed in a regioselective fashion by heating under reflux a mixture of a substituted vinyl sulfone and an organic azide ‘on water’. This powerful and practical route has the potential to be exploited for the synthesis of complex 1,5-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles.

    References and Notes

  • For recent reviews on 1,2,3-triazoles, see:
  • 1a Kolb HC. Finn MG. Sharpless KB. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.  2001,  40:  2004 
  • 1b Bock VD. Hiemstra H. Maarseveen JHV. Eur. J. Org. Chem.  2006,  51 
  • 1c Santoyo-Gonzalez F. Hernandez-Mateo F. Top. Heterocycl. Chem.  2007,  7:  133 
  • 1d Tron GC. Pirali T. Billington RA. Canonico PL. Sorba G. Genazzani AA. Med. Res. Rev.  2008,  28:  278 
  • 1e Meldal M. Tornøe CW. Chem. Rev.  2008,  108:  2952 
  • 1f Holub JM. Kirshenbaum K. Chem. Soc. Rev.  2010,  39:  1325 
  • 2a Krasinski A. Fokin VV. Sharpless KB. Org. Lett.  2004,  6:  1237 
  • 2b Coats SJ. Link JS. Gauthier D. Hlasta DJ. Org. Lett.  2005,  7:  1469 
  • 2c Barr L. Lincoln SF. Easton C. J. Supramol. Chem.  2005,  17:  547 
  • 2d Tam A. Arnold U. Soellner MB. Raines RT.
    J. Am. Chem. Soc.  2007,  129:  12670 
  • 2e Odlo K. Hentzen J. Chabert JFD. Ducki S. Gani OABSM. Sylte I. Skrede M. Florenes M. Hansen TV. Bioorg. Med. Chem.  2008,  16:  4829 
  • 2f Horne WS. Olsen CA. Beierle JM. Ontero A. Ghadiri MR. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.  2009,  48:  4718 
  • 3a Zhang L. Chen X. Xue P. Sun HHY. Williams ID. Sharpless KB. Fokin VV. Jia G. J. Am. Chem. Soc.  2005,  127:  15998 
  • 3b Rasmussen LK. Boren BC. Fokin VV. Org. Lett.  2007,  9:  5337 
  • 3c Boren BC. Narayan S. Rasmussen LK. Zhang L. Zhao H. Lin Z. Jia G. Fokin VV. J. Am. Chem. Soc.  2008,  130:  8923 
  • 3d Kwok SW. Fotsing JR. Fraser RJ. Rodionov VO. Fokin VV. Org. Lett.  2010,  12:  4217 ; and references cited therein
  • For reviews on metal-free triazole formation, see:
  • 4a Becer CR. Hoogenboom R. Schubert US. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.  2009,  48:  4900 
  • 4b Jewett JC. Bertozzi CR. Chem. Soc. Rev.  2010,  39:  1272 
  • 5a Pokorski JK. Jenkins LMM. Feng H. Durell SR. Bai Y. Appella DH. Org. Lett.  2007,  9:  2381 
  • 5b van Berkel SS. Dirks AJ. Meeuwissen SA. Pingen DLL. Boerman OC. Laverman P. van Delft FL. Cornelissen JJLM. Rutjes FPJT. ChemBioChem  2008,  9:  1805 
  • 5c Schmieder AP. Kuhne R. Rademann J. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.  2009,  48:  5042 
  • 6a L’abbe G. Chem. Rev.  1969,  69:  345 
  • 6b Synthetic Applications of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Chemistry Toward Heterocycles and Natural Products   Padwa A. Pearson WH. Chichester (UK): 2002. 
  • 6c Tomé AC. In Science of Synthesis   Vol. 13:  Storr RC. Gilchrist TL. Thieme; Stuttgart: 2004.  p.415 
  • 7a Munk ME. Kim YK. J. Am. Chem. Soc.  1964,  86:  2213 
  • 7b Nomura Y. Takeuchi Y. Tomoda S. Ito MM. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn.  1981,  54:  261 
  • 7c Brunner M. Maas G. Klaerner F.-G. Helv. Chim. Acta  2005,  88:  1813 
  • 8 Beck G. Guenther D. Chem. Ber.  1973,  106:  2758 
  • 9 Hager C. Miethchen R. Reinke H. J. Fluorine Chem.  2000,  104:  135 
  • 10a Fuchs PL. Braish TF. Chem. Rev.  1986,  86:  903 
  • 10b Simpkins NS. Sulphones in Organic Synthesis   Pergamon; Oxford: 1993. 
  • 10c Meadows DC. Hague JG. Med. Res. Rev.  2006,  26:  793 
  • 10d Pathak T. Tetrahedron  2008,  64:  3605 
  • 10e El-Awa A. Noshi MN. du Jourdin XM. Fuchs PL. Chem. Rev.  2009,  109:  2315 
  • 11 Reeves DC. Rodriguez S. Lee H. Haddad N. Krishnamurthy D. Tetrahedron Lett.  2009,  50:  2870 
  • 12 Yan J. Wang L. Synthesis  2010,  447 
  • 13 Vandermeeren L. Leyssens T. Peeters D. J. Mol. Chem. (Theochem)  2007,  804:  1 
  • 14a The ¹H NMR spectral data of 2d [δ = 7.67 (s, 1 H), 7.44-7.48 (m, 3 H), 7.36-7.37 (m, 2 H) ppm] are significantly different to those of the reported 1,4-regioisomer [δ = 7.78 (d, J = 7.2 Hz, 2 H), 7.73 (s, 1 H), 7.36 (t, J = 7.2 Hz, 2 H), 7.27 (t, J = 7.2 Hz, 1 H) ppm], see: Campbell-Verduyn LS. Mirfeizi L. Dierckx RA. Elsinga PH. Feringa BL. Chem. Commun.  2009,  2139 
  • 14b Li P. Wang L. Lett. Org. Chem.  2007,  4:  23 
  • 16 Farran D. Slawin AMZ. Kirsch P. O’Hagan D. J. Org. Chem.  2009,  74:  7168 
  • HCCCH2OBn reacts with organic azides in the presence of Cu(I) catalysts, to generate only 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles, see:
  • 17a Collin MP. Hobbie SN. Bottger EC. Vasella A. Helv. Chim. Acta  2008,  91:  1838 
  • 17b Langhals H. Obermeier A. Eur. J. Org. Chem.  2008,  6144 
  • 18 Narayan S. Muldoon J. Finn MG. Fokin VV. Kolb HC. Sharpless KB. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.  2005,  44:  3275 
  • 19 For a review on organic synthesis ‘on water’, see: Chanda A. Fokin VV. Chem. Rev.  2009,  109:  725 
15

For the synthesis of 11k from 5-azido-5-deoxy-2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-d-ribofuranoside, 2 equiv of NaHCO3 was used in the reaction mixture to neutralize the acid generated after elimination. NaHCO3 is not required for the synthesis of 2b-d, 11a-j or 11l-n.

20

General procedure for the synthesis of 1,5-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles (2b-d and 11a-n): A mixture of vinyl sulfone 6 or 10 (1 mmol), and azide (1.5 mmol for monoazide and 0.5 mmol for diazide) in water (10 mL/mmol of 6 or 10) was heated at reflux temperature for 3-19 h. After completion of the reaction (monitored by TLC) the reaction mixture was treated with sat. NaHCO3 and the product was extracted with EtOAc (3 × 30 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhydrous Na2SO4, filtered, and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica column chromatography to afford the corresponding 1,5-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles 2b-d and 11a-n.