A sequential Pummerer-Diels-Alder route for the generation and trapping of furo[3,4-c]pyridines: synthesis of heterocyclic analogues of 1-arylnaphthalene lignans.

The Pummerer reaction of an o-benzoyl-substituted pyridylmethyl sulfoxide generates an alpha-thiocarbocation, the interception of which by a neighboring keto functionality produces an alpha-thio-substituted furo[3,4-c]pyridine as transient intermediate; the latter undergoes a Diels-Alder cycloaddition with an added dienophile. Base-induced ring opening of the cycloadduct followed by aromatization gives an isoquinoline derivative that may be looked upon as a heterocyclic analogue of 1-arylnaphthalene lignans. This procedure occurs readily with electron-poor dienophiles and the entire sequence can be run in one pot. The facility of the sequential Pummerer-Diels-Alder reaction hinges on the experimental conditions, the best results being obtained with heptafluorobutyric anhydride as the triggering agent in toluene containing a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulfonic acid. In the absence of a dienophile it is possible to isolate and characterize a rather unstable furo[3,4-c]pyridine derivative. An intramolecular variant of this protocol is also feasible with use of unactivated alkenyl tethers of variable length; however, the bridged cycloadducts are unisolable in these cases as they undergo spontaneous ring opening and aromatization to yield cycloalka[h]isoquinolines. The usefulness of the sequential Pummerer-Diels-Alder reaction is further demonstrated through the synthesis of a heterolignan with a built-in lactone ring via oxidation of the initial [4+2]-cycloadduct followed by extrusion of phenyl sulfinate and elaboration of the resulting hydoxylated isoquinoline derivative.