Stereoselective 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of a Chiral Nitrone Derived from Erythrulose. An Experimental and DFT Theoretical Study

We have investigated several 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of a chiral nitrone prepared from L-erythrulose. While cycloadditions to carbon-carbon multiple bonds of dipolarophiles such as ethyl acrylate, ethyl propiolate, or dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate were poorly stereoselective, reaction with acrylonitrile provided predominantly one diastereomeric adduct. Furthermore, the regioselectivity exhibited by the two structurally similar dipolarophiles ethyl acrylate and ethyl propiolate was found to be opposite. The molecular mechanisms of these cycloadditions have thus been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) methods with the B3LYP functional and the 6-31G and 6-31+G basis …