4‐Substituted 2,3‐Dihydroisoxazoles as Masked Azomethine Ylides: Access to Pyrrole Derivatives by 1,5‐ and 1,7‐Dipolar Electrocyclizations of Enynyl Derivatives

The enynyl‐substituted 2,3‐dihydroisoxazoles (‘isoxazolines') 9 – 14 were prepared by highly (Z)‐selective Peterson olefination reaction from the corresponding carbaldehydes 6 – 8 . On short‐time thermolysis (280 – 406°/10 s) the TMS derivatives 9 – 11 give rise to the annulated pyrrolines 18 – 20 , which, in some cases, suffer CH₄ elimination affording the pyrroles 15 – 17 . In contrast, thermolysis of the terminal alkyne derivatives 12 – 14 leads to the bicyclic compounds 21 – 23 . The reaction pathways are discussed on the basis of the formation of conjugated azomethine ylides as key intermediates, which either undergo a 1,5‐cyclization to 18 – 20 or a 1,7‐ring‐closure affording cycloallene intermediates of type V , which are further transformed into the azepino pyrroles 21 – 23 .