An Alkoxide Anion Triggered tert-Butyloxycarbonyl Group Migration. Mechanism and Application

Tetrahedron Lett. 2010 May 5;51(18):2536-2538. doi: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2010.03.009.

Abstract

We report a fast N→O tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) migration of the imide (3R,4R)-tert-butyl 3-((6-(bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino)-4-methylpyridin-2-yl)methyl)-4-hydroxypyrrolidine-1-carboxylate (2) via a base-generated alkoxide. The mechanism of the migration is intramolecular, involving an unusual nine-membered cyclic transition state.