mCPBA-mediated metal-free intramolecular aminohydroxylation and dioxygenation of unfunctionalized olefins

Abstract

mCPBA-mediated metal-free intramolecular aminohydroxylation and dioxygenation reactions of unfunctionalized olefins are reported. In the presence of 1.2 equiv. of m-chlorobenzoic peracid, different N-sulfonyl 4-penten-1-amine substrates could be cyclized via epoxide intermediates, producing the corresponding 2-hydroxymethylpyrrolidine products in up to 92% yields. The reaction could be carried out at gram-scale, and the hydroxyl group could be further converted to a variety of different functional groups via conventional functional group transformation reactions. When N-sulfonyl carboxylimides were subjected to the same reaction, O-cyclization products oxolanimines were obtained. The skeletons of these compounds were confirmed using X-ray diffraction experiments.