General Route to Purin-2-ylmagnesium Halides by Metal–Halogen Exchange in Dichloromethane

Treatment of a solution of a 9-alkyl- or 9-aryl-2-iodopurine in dichloromethane with an ethereal solution of ethylmagnesium bromide at –5 °C generates the corresponding purin-2-ylmagnesium bromide, which reacts with aldehydes to give the corresponding 2-(hydroxyalkyl)purines in yields of 53–84%. The purin-2-yl Grignard reagents show good functional-group tolerance to ester and nitro groups, and the method permits the synthesis of the previously unknown 6-unsubstituted 2-magnesiopurines for the first time. Performing the same procedure in THF as solvent resulted either in extensive decomposition or rapid isomerization to give purin-8-ylmagnesium halides.

2-Zincoethylzincation of 2-Alkynylamines and 1-Alkynylphosphines Catalyzed by Titanium(IV) Isopropoxide and Ethylmagnesium Bromide

Titanium(IV) isopropoxide and ethylmagnesium bromide catalyzed reaction of 2-alkynylamines with Et2Zn, followed by deuterolysis/hydrolysis and iodinolysis, affords substituted (Z)-pent-2-en-2,5-d 2-1-amines, (Z)-pent-2-en-1-amines (65–88%), and substituted (Z)-2,5-diiodopent-2-en-1-amines (55–63%). It is suggested that the reaction proceeds through the formation of cyclic organotitanium derivatives. The reaction between 1-alkynylphosphines and Et2Zn in the presence of catalytic amounts of Ti(O-iPr)4 and EtMgBr leads to trisubstituted 1-alkenylphosphine oxides with high regioselectivity and stereoselectivity.

An Improved Route to Purin-6-yl Magnesium Halides by Metal–Halogen Exchange in Dichloromethane

Treatment of a solution of 9-benzyl or 9-phenyl 6-iodopurine in dichloromethane with an ethereal solution of ethylmagnesium bromide at ambient temperature generates the corresponding purin-6-yl magnesium halides which react with aldehydes to give carbinols in 55–80% yield. Performing the same procedure with THF as solvent gave carbinols in much lower yields (≤15%).

Enantioselective Synthesis of Antiepileptic Drug: (-)-Levetiracetam—Synthetic Applications of the Versatile New ChiralN-Sulfinimine

We report an asymmetric synthesis of (-)-Levetiracetam (1) in six steps starting from versatile new chiralN-sulfinimine (3). The key step, stereoselective 1,2-addition of ethylmagnesium bromide (EtMgBr) to chiralN-sulfinimine derived from (R)-glyceraldehyde acetonide and (S)-t-BSA, gave the corresponding sulfonamide (2) in high diastereoselectivity. Simultaneous deprotection and deacetylation followed by NaIO4cleavage and reduction gaveβ-amino alcohol (6). Subsequent reactions yielded the targeted compound levetiracetam (1).