IChO 2014 · Theory problem 8

Star anise

Illicium verum, commonly called Star anise, is a small native evergreen tree grown in northeast Vietnam. Star anise fruit is used in traditional Vietnamese medicine. It is also a major ingredient in the making the flavor of ‘phở’, a Vietnamese favorite soup. Acid A is isolated from the star anise fruit. The constitutional formula of A has been deduced from the following sequence of reactions:

Figure 1

(I): this overall process results in an alkene cleavage at the \(\ce{C=C}\) bond, with each carbon of this becoming doubly bonded to an oxygen atom.

(II): this oxidative cleavage process of 1,2-diols breaks \(\ce{C(OH)-C(OH)}\) bond and produces corresponding carbonyl compounds.

8.1 Draw the structures for the compounds Y₁ and Y₂ and hence deduce the structure of Y₃ and A, B, C, D, given that in A there is only one ethylenic hydrogen atom.

Anethole, a main component of star anise oil, is an inexpensive chemical precursor for the production of many pharmaceutical drugs.

Figure 2

Treating anethole with sodium nitrite in acetic acid gives a crystalline solid E (\(\ce{C10H10N2O3}\)). The IR spectrum of E shows there is no non-aromatic \(\ce{C=C}\) double bond. The \({}^{1}\mathrm{H}\) NMR spectrum of E is given below.

Figure 3

8.2 What differences in the structure between E and anethole can be obtained from the \({}^{1}\mathrm{H}\) NMR data? Pick one of the following statements.

i) E contains a cis-\(\ce{C=C}\) ethylenic bond while that of anethole is trans.

ii) E cannot contain a non-aromatic \(\ce{C=C}\) bond.

iii) E is the adduct of anethole and \(\ce{N2O2}\).

iv) E is the adduct of anethole and \(\ce{N2O3}\).

v) E does not contain two trans ethylenic protons as anethole.

On heating at \(150\,^\circ\mathrm{C}\) for several hours, E is partially isomerized into F. Under the same conditions, F gives the identical equilibrium mixture to that obtained from E. On heating with phosphorus trichloride, both E and F lose one oxygen atom giving compound G. Compounds E and F have the same functional groups.

Figure 4

The chemical shifts of methyl protons in E, F and G are given below.

E F G
\(\ce{CH3-O}\) 3.8 ppm 3.8 ppm 3.8 ppm
\(\ce{CH3-C}\) 2.3 ppm 2.6 ppm 2.6 ppm

8.3 Suggest structures for E, F and G, assuming that they do NOT contain three-membered rings.

A simplified structure for compound E is shown below; the R group does not change throughout the rest of this question. Compound E is nitrated and subsequently reduced with sodium dithionite to H. Treatment of H with sodium nitrite and hydrochloric acid at \(0\text{–}5\,^\circ\mathrm{C}\) and subsequently reduced with stannous chloride to provide I (\(\ce{R-C7H9N2O}\)). One-pot reaction (three component reaction) of H, benzaldehyde and thioglycolic acid (\(\ce{HSCH2CO2H}\)) leads to the formation of J. Reaction of I and methyl phenyl ketone in the presence of \(\ce{ZnCl2}\) affords K.

8.4 Give the structures for H, I, J and K in the following scheme:

Figure 5

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 8.1. The structures are given below. Stereochemistry is left unspecified because the question determines constitution.
Compound Name SMILES
Y₁ 4-Hydroxy-2,5-dioxopentanoic acid O=CC(O)CC(=O)C(=O)O
Y₂ Glyoxal (ethanedial) O=CC=O
Y₃ Methanol CO
A 3,4,5-Trihydroxycyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxylic acid—the constitution of shikimic acid O=C(O)C1=CC(O)C(O)C(O)C1
B, open form 4,5,6-Trihydroxy-2,7-dioxoheptanoic acid O=CC(O)C(O)C(O)CC(=O)C(=O)O
B, cyclic hemiacetal 3-(3,4,5-Trihydroxyoxolan-2-yl)-2-oxopropanoic acid O=C(O)C(=O)CC1OC(O)C(O)C1O
C 3-(3,4-Dihydroxy-5-methoxyoxolan-2-yl)-2-oxopropanoic acid O=C(O)C(=O)CC1OC(OC)C(O)C1O
D 4-(1-Methoxy-2-oxoethoxy)-2,5-dioxopentanoic acid O=C(O)C(=O)CC(C=O)OC(OC)C=O
  • 8.2. v) E does not contain two trans ethylenic protons as anethole.

  • 8.3. E and F are the two N-oxide regioisomers of the same substituted furazan. Furoxan means 1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxide; furazan means 1,2,5-oxadiazole.

Compound Name SMILES
E 4-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-3-methylfuroxan COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1
F 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-4-methylfuroxan COc1ccc(C2=[N+]([O-])ON=C2C)cc1
G 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-4-methylfurazan COc1ccc(C2=NON=C2C)cc1

In E, the N-oxide is adjacent to the methyl-bearing ring carbon; in F, it is adjacent to the aryl-bearing ring carbon.

  • 8.4. Here \(R\) is 3-methylfuroxan-4-yl, with attachment-point SMILES *C1=NO[N+]([O-])=C1C; * marks attachment to the aromatic ring.
Compound Name SMILES
H 4-(3-Amino-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-methylfuroxan COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1N
I 4-(3-Hydrazinyl-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-methylfuroxan COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1NN
J 3-[2-Methoxy-5-(3-methylfuroxan-4-yl)phenyl]-2-phenyl-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1N1C(=O)CSC1c1ccccc1
K 7-Methoxy-4-(3-methylfuroxan-4-yl)-2-phenyl-1H-indole COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)c2cc(-c3ccccc3)[nH]c12

The labels on the printed templates are:

\[ \boxed{ R^1=\text{phenyl},\quad R^2=\text{2-methoxy-5-}R\text{-phenyl},\quad R^3=R,\quad R^4=\text{methoxy},\quad R^5=\text{phenyl}. } \]

J has a new stereocentre at thiazolidinone C2; a racemic product is expected under the stated achiral conditions.

Solution

8.1

The explicitly supplied degradation products are

\[ \begin{aligned} Y_1&:\ \ce{OHC-CH(OH)-CH2-C(=O)-COOH},\\ Y_2&:\ \ce{OHC-CHO}. \end{aligned} \]

Thus Y₁ contains five carbons and Y₂ contains two. Together they account for all seven carbons originally present in A. The additional carbon introduced when B reacts with methanol must therefore leave during hydrolysis as Y₃, methanol.

The important feature of C is its cyclic methyl acetal, which protects both an aldehyde and one hydroxyl group during periodate oxidation.

Reversing the carbon–carbon cleavage that produces Y₁ and Y₂ gives the open-chain structure of B:

\[ \ce{OHC-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-CH2-C(=O)-COOH}. \]

The aldehyde reacts intramolecularly with the third hydroxyl group counted from the aldehyde end. This forms a five-membered hemiacetal ring: four carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. Methanol then converts the hemiacetal hydroxyl group into a methoxy group, giving C.

Consequently, C has:

  • one cyclic acetal carbon bearing hydrogen and methoxy;
  • two adjacent, unprotected secondary hydroxyl groups;
  • a side chain \(\ce{-CH2-C(=O)-COOH}\).

Periodate cleaves the bond between the two unprotected hydroxyl-bearing carbons. The resulting structure is

\[ \ce{HOOC-C(=O)-CH2-CH(CHO)-O-CH(OCH3)-CHO}, \]

which is D. Its acetal linkage still connects the future five-carbon and two-carbon fragments.

Acidic hydrolysis restores the hydroxyl group of Y₁ and the second aldehyde group of glyoxal, while releasing methanol:

\[ \ce{D + H2O ->[H+] Y1 + Y2 + CH3OH}. \]

To recover A, reverse the ozonolysis of B. The aldehyde carbon at one end and the ketone carbon adjacent to the carboxyl group were the two alkene carbons. Reconnecting them produces a six-membered ring.

The constitution of A is therefore a cyclohexene bearing:

  • \(\ce{COOH}\) at alkene carbon C1;
  • the sole ethylenic hydrogen at C2;
  • hydroxyl groups at C3, C4 and C5;
  • a methylene group at C6.

This is the shikimic-acid constitution.

The degree of unsaturation provides a check:

\[ \mathrm{DBE}(A)=\frac{2(7)+2-10}{2}=3, \]

accounted for by one carboxyl carbonyl, one alkene and one ring.

Using the compound labels for the organic structures, the balanced transformations are

\[ \ce{A + O3 + (CH3)2S -> B + (CH3)2SO}, \]

\[ \ce{B + CH3OH <=>[H+] C + H2O}, \]

\[ \ce{C + H5IO6 -> D + HIO3 + 3H2O}, \]

\[ \ce{D + H2O ->[H+] Y1 + Y2 + Y3}. \]

The formulas also agree throughout:

\[ \begin{aligned} B &: \ce{C7H10O7},\\ C &: \ce{C8H12O7},\\ D &: \ce{C8H10O7}. \end{aligned} \]

A methyl ester alone would not provide the required protection of the adjacent hydroxyl groups; the degradation requires the methyl acetal described above.

8.2

The starting material is trans-anethole, or \((E)\)-anethole, COc1ccc(/C=C/C)cc1.

Its side chain contains two ethylenic hydrogens. In E, the displayed spectrum instead shows two aromatic proton sets and the methoxy and carbon-bound methyl signals. Together with the molecular formula, these account for four aromatic hydrogens and two three-hydrogen methyl groups. The original pair of ethylenic proton signals is absent.

Therefore the conclusion supported by the proton NMR is

\[ \boxed{\text{v) E does not contain two trans ethylenic protons as anethole.}} \]

Option ii is stronger than proton NMR alone permits: a double bond bearing no hydrogens need not produce an ethylenic proton signal. The IR observation supplies the separate information about the absence of a non-aromatic alkene.

Options iii and iv also fail as simple addition formulas. Addition of either \(\ce{N2O2}\) or \(\ce{N2O3}\) to anethole would retain twelve hydrogens, whereas E has ten.

8.3

For E,

\[ \mathrm{DBE}(E) =\frac{2(10)+2+2-10}{2} =7. \]

The benzene ring accounts for four degrees of unsaturation. The remaining three can be accommodated by a five-membered ring containing two double bonds.

The retained methoxyphenyl and methyl groups leave two additional carbon atoms, two nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms to form the transformed side-chain unit. A furoxan ring satisfies these constraints:

  • its ring sequence is \(\ce{O-N-C-C-N}\);
  • its Kekulé structure has two \(\ce{C=N}\) bonds;
  • one nitrogen bears an exocyclic N-oxide oxygen;
  • its two carbon atoms carry methyl and 4-methoxyphenyl substituents.

The SMILES in the answer explicitly show the N-oxide as \(\ce{N^{+}-O^{-}}\).

Removal of the exocyclic oxygen gives the corresponding furazan, G. Because the methyl and aryl substituents make the two nitrogen sites inequivalent, oxidation at either nitrogen gives a different furoxan. These are E and F, and removal of either N-oxide oxygen gives the same G.

The methyl shifts distinguish their assignments. Relative to G,

\[ \Delta\delta_E=2.3-2.6=-0.3\ \mathrm{ppm}, \qquad \Delta\delta_F=2.6-2.6=0.0\ \mathrm{ppm}. \]

The methyl group is appreciably shielded only in E. Accordingly, E is assigned the N-oxide adjacent to the methyl-bearing carbon; F has the N-oxide adjacent to the aryl-bearing carbon.

For a precise drawing, number the furoxan ring consecutively O1–N2–C3–C4–N5, with N2 bearing the exocyclic oxygen:

  • E: methyl at C3 and 4-methoxyphenyl at C4.
  • F: 4-methoxyphenyl at C3 and methyl at C4.
  • G: the corresponding ring without the exocyclic N-oxide oxygen.

The thermal interconversion and deoxygenations are

\[ \ce{E <=> F} \qquad (150\,^\circ\mathrm{C}), \]

\[ \ce{E + PCl3 -> G + POCl3}, \]

\[ \ce{F + PCl3 -> G + POCl3}. \]

A balanced overall equation for formation of E from anethole under the stated nitrite/acetic-acid conditions is

\[ \ce{ C10H12O + 2NaNO2 + 2CH3COOH -> C10H10N2O3 + 2CH3COONa + 2H2O }. \]

This is an overall material balance, rather than an elementary mechanistic step.

8.4

Throughout this part, \(R\) remains the furoxan substituent identified above. For the following equations, let \(\ce{Ar}\) denote 2-methoxy-5-\(R\)-phenyl.

Formation of H. Methoxy directs electrophilic nitration ortho and para. Its para position is occupied by \(R\), and its two ortho positions are equivalent in E. Nitration therefore introduces the nitro group ortho to methoxy.

The intermediate is 4-(4-methoxy-3-nitrophenyl)-3-methylfuroxan, COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1[N+](=O)[O-].

Its formation is balanced by

\[ \ce{C10H10N2O3 + HNO3 ->[H2SO4] C10H9N3O5 + H2O}. \]

Dithionite reduces the nitro group to an amino group, giving H, equivalently 2-methoxy-5-\(R\)-aniline. A balanced net reduction, expressing the oxidized sulfur product as hydrogen sulfite, is

\[ \ce{ArNO2 + 3S2O4^{2-} + 4H2O -> ArNH2 + 6HSO3^-}. \]

Formation of I. Diazotization replaces the amino group by a diazonium group:

\[ \ce{ArNH2 + NO2^- + 2H+ -> ArN2+ + 2H2O}. \]

The intermediate is the 2-methoxy-5-\(R\)-benzenediazonium ion, COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1[N+]#N.

Reduction by tin(II) gives the arylhydrazine I:

\[ \ce{ArN2+ + 3H+ + 2Sn^{2+} -> ArNHNH2 + 2Sn^{4+}}. \]

The displayed organic structure is the neutral hydrazine after work-up. Its substituent formula is correctly

\[ \ce{R-C6H3(OCH3)(NHNH2)} =\ce{R-C7H9N2O}. \]

Formation of J. Benzaldehyde, O=Cc1ccccc1, first condenses with H to form its imine. This intermediate is N-benzylidene-2-methoxy-5-\(R\)-aniline, COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1N=Cc1ccccc1.

The sulfur of thioglycolic acid, O=C(O)CS, adds to the imine carbon. Subsequent intramolecular amide formation closes the five-membered thiazolidin-4-one ring.

Consequently:

  • the benzaldehyde-derived phenyl group is attached to ring C2, so \(R^1=\) phenyl;
  • the original aryl group of H remains attached to nitrogen, so \(R^2=\) 2-methoxy-5-\(R\)-phenyl;
  • the thioglycolic-acid carboxyl group becomes the ring carbonyl;
  • its methylene becomes ring C5.

The balanced overall condensation is

\[ \ce{ArNH2 + C6H5CHO + HSCH2COOH -> J + 2H2O}. \]

The product has formula \(\ce{C19H17N3O4S}\). Its newly formed C2 stereocentre is not assigned an absolute configuration.

Formation of K. I reacts with acetophenone, CC(=O)c1ccccc1, through a Fischer indole synthesis.

The initial condensation product is acetophenone (2-methoxy-5-\(R\)-phenyl)hydrazone, COc1ccc(C2=NO[N+]([O-])=C2C)cc1NN=C(C)c1ccccc1. Its geometrical configuration is not specified by the problem.

During indole formation:

  • the nitrogen originally bonded to the aromatic ring becomes the indole nitrogen;
  • the other nitrogen is eliminated as ammonia;
  • the acetophenone carbonyl carbon becomes indole C2 and retains phenyl;
  • the acetophenone methyl carbon becomes indole C3.

One position ortho to the hydrazine group is occupied by methoxy. Cyclization therefore occurs at the other, unsubstituted ortho position. Mapping the original aromatic ring onto the indole gives methoxy at C7 and \(R\) at C4.

Thus the printed template requires

\[ \boxed{R^3=R,\qquad R^4=\ce{OCH3},\qquad R^5=\ce{C6H5}.} \]

The balanced overall reaction is

\[ \ce{I + C6H5COCH3 -> K + NH3 + H2O}, \]

with \(\ce{ZnCl2}\) and heat. The resulting formula, \(\ce{C18H15N3O3}\), agrees with the structure given for K.

The answers were checked against the official answers published by the organisers.