Stereo- and Regioselective 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of the Stable Ninhydrin-Derived Azomethine Ylide to Cyclopropenes: Trapping of Unstable Cyclopropene Dipolarophiles

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A stereo- and regioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the stable ninhydrin-derived azomethine ylide [2-(3,4-dihydro-2 H -pyrrolium-1-yl)-1-oxo-1 H -inden-3-olate, DHPO] to differently substituted cyclopropenes has been established. As a result, an efficient synthetic protocol was developed for the preparation of biologically relevant spiro[cyclopropa[ a ]pyrrolizine-2,2′-indene] derivatives. DHPO has proved to be an effective trap for such highly reactive and unstable substrates as parent cyclopropene, 1-methylcyclopropene, 1-phenylcyclopropene, and 1-halo-2-phenylcyclopropenes. It has also been found that 3-nitro-1,2-diphenylcyclopropene undergoes a nucleophilic substitution reaction in alcohols and thiols to afford 3-alkoxy- and 3-arylthio-substituted 1,2-diphenylcyclopropenes, which can be captured as corresponding 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts in the presence of DHPO. These new approaches provide a straightforward strategy for the synthesis of functionally substituted cyclopropa[ a ]pyrrolizine derivatives. The factors governing regio- and stereoselectivity have been revealed by means of quantum mechanical calculations (M11 density functional theory), including previously unreported N ylide – H cyclopropene second-orbital interactions. The outcome of this work contributes to the study of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, as well as enriches chemistry of cyclopropenes and methods for the construction of polycyclic compounds with cyclopropane fragments.