Synlett 2006(14): 2219-2222  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-949642
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Novel Domino Elimination-Rearrangement-Addition Reaction of N-Alkoxy(arylmethyl)amines to N-Alkyl Arylamines

Okiko Miyata, Tatsuya Ishikawa, Masafumi Ueda, Takeaki Naito*
Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Motoyamakita, Higashinada, Kobe 658-8558, Japan
Fax: +81(78)4417556; e-Mail: taknaito@kobepharma-u.ac.jp;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 13 June 2006
Publication Date:
24 August 2006 (online)

Abstract

A new domino reaction of N-alkoxy(arylmethyl)amines to N-alkyl arylamines, consisting of three types of reactions: elimination of alcohol, rearrangement of the aryl group, and addition of an organolithium or a magnesium reagent, has been developed for the first time.

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N-Butyl-1-phenylethylamine was also obtained in 11% yield as a minor product. This product would be formed by substitution of the methoxy group with an n-butyl group. P. Beak [11] and co-workers reported nucleophilic displacement of alkoxide by the alkyl group at the nitrogen atom in the alkoxyamines.

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Typical Procedure for Domino Elimination-Rearrangement-Addition Reaction of 4, N -Dimethoxy-α-methyl Benzenemethanamine(3b) with n -BuLi (entry 4 in Table 1).
To a stirred solution of 3b (45 mg, 0.25 mmol) in Et2O (1.7 mL) was added n-BuLi (1.6 mol/L in n-hexane; 0.47 mL, 0.75 mmol) under a nitrogen atmosphere at r.t. After being stirred at the same temperature for 15 min, the reaction mixture was diluted with H2O at 0 °C and extracted with CHCl3. The organic phase was dried over MgSO4 and concentrated under reduced pressure. Purification of the residue by PTLC (n-hexane-EtOAc, 6: 1) afforded 4c (44 mg, 85%) as a pale yellow oil. IR: νmax = 3393 cm-1. 1H NMR (200 MHz): δ = 6.77 (2 H, br d, J = 9.0 Hz), 6.55 (2 H, br d, J = 9.0 Hz), 3.74 (3 H, s), 3.36 (1 H, sext, J = 6.0 Hz), 1.60-1.27 (6 H, m), 1.14 (3 H, d, J = 6.0 Hz), 0.90 (3 H, t, J = 6.0 Hz). 13C NMR (50 MHz): δ = 152.2, 144.0, 115.3, 114.9, 55.7, 50.0, 36.6, 28.3, 22.7, 20.5, 14.0. HRMS: m/z calcd for C13H21NO [M+]: 207.1624; found: 207.1626.

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Yamamoto [8] group has employed O-ethoxycarbonyl-N-benzyl-N-cycloalkylhydroxylamines as substrates, which have no hydrogen atom on a nitrogen atom. Substrates of our newly found reaction need the secondary amino moiety. Thus reaction pathway of our domino reaction using organolithium and organomagnesium reagents would be completely different from Yamamoto’s reaction. [8]