Synthesis and Properties of Chiral Pyrazolidines Derived from (+)-Pulegone

Several enantiomerically pure N(2)‐substituted octahydroindazoles were prepared as bicyclic pyrazolidine derivatives of (+)‐pulegone. Condensation of pulegone with hydrazine delivered a hexahydroindazole intermediate, which underwent N(2)‐substitution with various electrophiles (alkyl halides, acyl chlorides, phenyl isocyanate). The resulting N(2)‐substituted hexahydroindazoles could be reduced with LiBEt3H in THF to the target compounds. In addition, a N(2)‐thiobenzoyl and some N(2)‐carbamoyl derivatives as well as a N(1)‐substituted octahydroindazole were synthesized. The compounds showed medium activity as iminium ion catalysts promoting quantitatively the Michael addition of nitroethane to cinnamaldehyde in up to 82 % ee for the resulting syn‐diastereoisomer and 78 % ee for the anti‐diastereoisomer. Unexpectedly, the N(2)‐acyloctahydroindazoles were readily oxidized under aerobic conditions. Moreover, it was shown that an oxidation of methyl phenyl sulfide to the corresponding sulfoxide is promoted by an N(2)‐acyloctahydroindazole in deuterochloroform as solvent. It is proposed that the oxidation of N(2)‐acyloctahydroindazoles proceeds by in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide, which in turn can act as an oxidant. Abundant pulegone served as the starting material for a two‐step synthesis of octahydroindazoles 1. The compounds were evaluated for their potential to be used as iminium ion catalysts in a Michael‐type reaction. In addition, they turned out to be good reducing agents for atmospheric oxygen capable of promoting the sulfoxidation of methyl phenyl sulfide.