Abstract
In order to investigate the effect of an N-substituent on thermal cis-trans isomerization of the 5-ethyl-2-oxo-4-piperidineacetic acid system, the N-alkyl analogs (±)-1b, c and (±)-2b, c and the N-(2-arylethyl) analogs (-)-1f, g, i and (+)-2f, g, i were separately heated neat at 180°C, and the propress of their cis-trans isomerization reactions was followed by determining the isomer ratios in the reaction mixtures according to the previously reported C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic method. It has been found that in all cases the reaction comes to equilibrium within 28-130 min, when the cis and trans isomers exist in a ration of 1 : 2. These results together with those obtained previously with the analogs (±)-1a, d, e, (-)-1h, (±)-2a, d, e, and (+)-2h indicate that a higher and/or bulkier N-substituent tends to decrease the rate of cis-trans isomerization of the 5-ethyl-2-oxo-4-piperidineacetic acid system, which is a useful synthon for the synthesis of benzo-[a] quinolizidine-type Alangium alkaloids. Among the substrates used in the present equilibration study, (±)-1b, c and (±)-2b, c were prepared from the corresponding N-unsubstituted lactam esters (±)-3 and (±)-7 by the"lactim ether method."
