Unique structural properties of 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylanilide: isomerization and switching between separable amide rotamers through the reaction of anilide enolates.

Herein, we report a unique structural property of 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylanilide, which can be separated into its amide rotamers at room temperature. Interconversion between the rotamers of anilide enolates occurs readily at room temperature and their reaction with electrophiles gives mixtures of the rotamers in a ratio that depends on the reactivity of the corresponding electrophile. That is, the reaction of the 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylacetanilide enolate with reactive electrophiles, such as allyl bromide or protic acids, gives mixtures of the anilide rotamers in which the E rotamer is the major component, whereas less-reactive electrophiles, such as 1-bromopropane and 2-iodopropane, yield mixtures of the rotamers in which the Z rotamer is the major component.

Highly selective stereodivergent synthesis of separable amide rotamers, by using Pd chemistry, and their thermodynamic behavior.

By using Pd chemistry, a highly selective stereodivergent synthesis of separable amide rotamers was achieved. Allylation of 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylanilides using a pi-allyl-Pd catalyst gave N-allylated anilides with moderate-to-excellent Z-rotamer selectivity (Z/E = 3 to > 50). The Z-rotamer selectivity depends considerably on the substituent on the anilide substrates.