Highly chemoselective calcium-catalyzed propargylic deoxygenation

A calcium-catalyzed direct reduction of propargylic alcohols and ethers has been accomplished by using triethylsilane as a nucleophilic hydride source. At room temperature a variety of secondary propargylic alcohols was deoxygenated to the corresponding hydrocarbons in excellent yields. Furthermore, for the first time, a catalytic deoxygenation of tertiary propargylic alcohols was generally applicable. The same protocol was suitable for an efficient reduction of secondary as well as tertiary propargylic methyl, benzyl and allyl ethers. Substrates containing an additional keto-, ester or secondary hydroxyl function were reduced with exceptional chemoselectivity at the propargylic position.     

Highly Chemoselective Calcium‐Catalyzed Propargylic Deoxygenation

A calcium‐catalyzed direct reduction of propargylic alcohols and ethers has been accomplished by using triethylsilane as a nucleophilic hydride source. At room temperature a variety of secondary propargylic alcohols was deoxygenated to the corresponding hydrocarbons in excellent yields. Furthermore, for the first time, a catalytic deoxygenation of tertiary propargylic alcohols was generally applicable. The same protocol was suitable for an efficient reduction of secondary as well as tertiary propargylic methyl, benzyl and allyl ethers. Substrates containing an additional keto‐, ester or secondary hydroxyl function were reduced with exceptional chemoselectivity at the propargylic position.     

Preparation and use of enantioenriched allenylsilanes for the stereoselective synthesis of homopropargylic ethers

A convenient procedure for the synthesis of highly enantioenriched allenylsilanes by Johnson orthoester Claisen rearrangement of 1-silyl propargylic alcohols is described. Allenylsilanes are then used as carbon nucleophiles in three-component, Lewis acid mediated additions to in situ generated oxonium ions, resulting in enantioenriched homopropargylic ethers.     

Formal [4+2]-annulation of chiral crotylsilanes: synthesis of the C19-C28 fragment of phorboxazoles

A stereoselective synthesis of the C19-C28 fragment of phoborxazole A and B is described. The key step is an enantioselective [4 + 2]-annulation of a crotylsilane 10 with a propargylic aldehyde 11 affording a functionalized dihydropyran 12. A solvent-dependent stereoselective epoxidation of dihydropyrans is also documented.     

Gold-catalyzed synthesis of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles from alkynyl ethers: application to the total synthesis of andrachcinidine

In this paper we report that homopropargylic ethers containing pendent oxygen or nitrogen nucleophiles react with electrophilic gold catalysts in the presence of water to form saturated heterocyclic ketones. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the reactions proceed through a sequence of alkyne hydration, alkoxy group elimination, and intramolecular conjugate addition. Diastereoselectivities for tetrahydropyran and piperidine formation are very good to excellent. This method has been applied to an efficient total synthesis of the natural product andrachcinidine. Utilizing propargylic ether substrates rather than homopropargylic ethers promotes regioselective hydration of internal alkynes, thereby expanding the scope of products that can be accessed through this protocol.     

Practical and Highly Selective CH Functionalization of Structurally Diverse Ethers

A trityl ion mediated C? H functionalization of ethers with a wide range of nucleophiles at ambient temperature has been developed. The reaction displays high chemoselectivity and good functional group tolerance. The protocol also exhibits excellent regio‐ and diastereoselectivities for the unsymmetric ethers, thus stereoselectively generating highly functionalized disubstituted 2,5‐trans tetrahydrofurans (THF), 2,6‐trans tetrahydropyrans (THP), 2,6‐trans dihydropyrans (DHP), and 1,3‐trans isochromans, and highlighting the capacity of the protocol in complex molecule synthesis.     

Synthesis of conjugated γ- and δ-lactones from aldehydes and ketones via a vinylation(allylation)-ring closing metathesis-oxidation sequence

Nucleophilic C-vinylation and C-allylation of aldehydes and ketones followed by O-allylation of the obtained carbinols gave the corresponding allyl or homoallyl ethers, respectively. Ring-closing metathesis of these compounds afforded in many cases cyclic ethers (dihydrofurans and dihydropyrans, respectively) bearing disubstituted and trisubstituted CC bonds. These were then subjected to allylic oxidation to yield conjugated γ- and δ-lactones. Reasons for the observed failures are presented and discussed.     

Studies on Cu(I)-catalyzed synthesis of simple 3-substituted 1,2-allenes and optically active 2-substituted secondary 2,3-allenols

The sequential treatment of terminal alkynes or propargylic alcohols with n-BuLi and MOMCl afforded the corresponding propargylic methyl ethers, which would react with primary alkyl Grignard reagents under the catalysis of CuBr to afford 3-substituted 1,2-allenes or 2-substituted secondary 2,3-allenols, respectively. The reaction may be applied to the synthesis of optically active 2-substituted secondary 2,3-allenols with up to >99% ee without any protection to the free hydroxyl group in the starting 4-hydroxy-2-alkynyl methyl ethers.     

Practical and Highly Selective C?H Functionalization of Structurally Diverse Ethers

A trityl ion mediated C H functionalization of ethers with a wide range of nucleophiles at ambient temperature has been developed. The reaction displays high chemoselectivity and good functional group tolerance. The protocol also exhibits excellent regio‐ and diastereoselectivities for the unsymmetric ethers, thus stereoselectively generating highly functionalized disubstituted 2,5‐trans tetrahydrofurans (THF), 2,6‐trans tetrahydropyrans (THP), 2,6‐trans dihydropyrans (DHP), and 1,3‐trans isochromans, and highlighting the capacity of the protocol in complex molecule synthesis.     

Enhanced diastereoselectivity in asymmetric crotylation reactions using propargylic dicobalt hexacarbonyl complexes

[reaction: see text] Hexacarbonyl dicobalt complexes of propargylic acetals undergo Lewis acid catalyzed crotylation reactions with enhanced levels of diastereoselectivity (dr 6 to >20:1, syn/anti) while efficiently producing stereochemically well-defined homoallylic ethers. These results are in contrast to uncomplexed propargylic acetals, which undergo the crotylation reactions with low selectivity (dr < 2:1, syn/anti). After removal of the cobalt complex, the reactions afford propargylic ethers in high yields.     

“Alcoxypropargylation” des ceto-17 steroides

Zinc derivatives of propargylic ethers silylated on the acetylenic carbon atom react smoothly with 17-keto steroids, affording almost stereospecifically 22-silylated 17β-hydroxy 20-alcoxy ω-homo pregn 21-ynes. The reaction mechanism appears different from that followed with aldehydes.The silyl group can be easily removed in alkali. When the ether substituent is tetrahydropyranyloxy, acidic cleavage under moderate conditions leads to the corresponding 17,20-diol.     

Metal carbene-promoted sequential transformations for the enantioselective synthesis of highly functionalized cycloheptadienes

A two-step, three-component coupling of an alkyne, enol ether, and vinyl diazoester was accomplished by use of successive metal carbene-catalyzed transformations. This efficient approach to cycloheptadienes is both diastereo- and enantioselective. Kinetic resolution was accomplished on dienol ethers bearing a racemic chiral center at the propargylic position. A model is offered which explains the observed selectivity and accounts for the reactivity difference between trans- and cis-dienol ethers.     

Dicobalt octacarbonyl-catalyzed cationic polymerization of allylic and enolic ethers

In the presence of silanes bearing Si H groups, dicobalt octacarbonyl [Co₂(CO)₈] efficiently catalyzes the cationic polymerization of a wide variety of enol ether and other related monomers including vinyl ethers, 1-propenyl ethers, 1-butenyl ethers, 2,3-dihydrofuran, 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran, ketene acetals, and allene ethers. In addition, this catalyst system is also effective for the polymerization of complimentary allylic and propargylic ethers by a process involving tandem isomerization and cationic polymerization. This latter process occurs by a stepwise mechanism in which the allylic or propargylic ether is first isomerized, respectively, to the corresponding enol ether or allenic ether and then this latter compound is rapidly cationically polymerized in the presence of the catalyst. In accord with this mechanism, it has been shown that the structure of the polymers prepared from related enol and allyl ethers using the above catalyst system are identical. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1579–1591, 1997     

Gold(I)-catalyzed propargyl Claisen rearrangement

Homoallenic alcohols are prepared from propargyl vinyl ethers using a trinuclear gold(I)-oxo complex, [(Ph3PAu)3O]BF4, as a catalyst for propargyl Claisen rearrangement at room temperature. The gold(I)-catalyzed reaction is effective for a diverse collection of propargyl vinyl ethers, including substrates containing aryl and alkyl groups at the propargylic position, and hydrogen, aryl, and alkyl substituents at the alkyne terminus. Tertiary propargyl vinyl ethers can be employed in the reaction, at slightly elevated temperatures, to afford tetrasubstituted allenes. Importantly, the rearrangement of 1,2-disubstituted vinyl ethers proceeds with excellent diastereoselectivity, and the rearrangement of chiral nonracemic propargyl vinyl ethers proceeds with excellent chirality transfer to furnish enantioenriched allenes.     

Bistrimethylsilylpropargylic ether: a versatile ambident synthon to access substituted allenyne ethers and alpha-substituted bispropargylic alcohols

The reactivity of 1,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)propargylic ethers 3 toward bases and electrophiles was investigated. Bispropargylic ethers 4, substituted allenyne ethers 6-8, and alpha-substituted bispropargylic ethers 9 were prepared in good yields, respectively, by protodesilylation, isomerization, or metalation/alkylation of bispropargylic protected alcohol 3. The ambident behavior of metalated synthon 3 was discussed and rationalized. Removal of the protecting groups of 9 easily afforded useful alpha-substituted bispropargylic alcohol.     

Addition of hetero allenyl copper reagents to aldehydes: scope and behavior

Cyanocuprates derived from propargylic amines or ethers react with aldehydes to give regioselectively the corresponding anti-homopropargylic alcohols with a high level of diastereoselectivity. Such selectivity could be obtained independently of the nature of the heteroatom (amine or ethers) or the acetylenic substituents. Excellent selectivities can be reached regardless of the aldehydes used, remarkably also with vinylic or acetylenic ones. A reactivity scale for the cuprates bearing different acetylenic substituents was established to be: SiMe3 >Ph> Et. The rate of the addition reaction to aldehydes was also found to be slowed down in the presence of HMPA underlining the crucial role of the Li counterion. DFT calculations have shown that the relationship between the rate and the acetylenic substituent is not connected to a possible metallotropic equilibrium but to the stability of the reactive allenic species compared to the less-stable propargylic isomer.     

Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of α-phosphoryloxy enol ethers with arylboronic acids

The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of cyclic ketene acetal phosphates with arylboronic acids was found to be a convenient and highly efficient method for the construction of aryl vinyl ethers. A wide variety of differentially substituted electron-poor and electron-rich arylboronic acids smoothly underwent the coupling process to provide the desired dihydropyrans in moderate to excellent yields.     

Stereoselective synthesis of cyclic ethers by intramolecular trapping of dicobalt hexacarbonyl-stabilized propargylic cations

The intramolecular attack of a hydroxy group on an exo-biscobalthexacarbonyl propargylic cation provides cyclic ethers with six- to nine-membered rings. The scope and limitations of the methodology are described. The reaction is stereoselective when additional stereocenters are present, providing iterative methodology to access ladder-like cyclic ethers.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed synthesis of alkylidenecyclobutenes via head-to-head dimerization of propargylic alcohols and cyclobutadiene-ruthenium intermediates

The reaction of propargylic alcohols with carboxylic acid, or phenol derivatives, in the presence of the precatalyst [RuCl(cod)(C5Me5)] leads selectively to a variety of alkylidenecyclobutenes through head-to-head dimerization of propargylic alcohol. The first step is the formation of a cyclobutadiene-ruthenium intermediate resulting from the head-to-head coupling of two molecules of propargylic alcohol. On protonation with strong acids (HPF6, HBF4) dehydration of the cyclobutadiene complex leads to formation of an alkylidenecyclobutenyl-ruthenium complex. The X-ray structure of one such complex, [RuCl(C5Me5)(eta4-R'CCH--CH--C=CR2)] (R'=cyclohexen-1-yl, CR2 = cyclohexylidene) has been determined. Carboxylate is added at the less substituted carbon of the cyclic allylic ligand. DFT/B3 LYP calculations confirm that the intermediate arising from head-to-head coupling of alkyne to the RuClCp* species yields the cyclobutadiene-ruthenium complex more easily with propargylic alcohol than with acetylene.     

Preparation of iodoallylic alcohols via hydrostannylation: spectroscopic proof of structures

Hydrostannylation of propargylic alcohols and ethers affords either the E- or Z-β-tributylstannylallylic alcohols and ether as the major products by the use of excess stannane or acetylenic compound, respectively; europium shift studies in the high field ¹H NMR spectra are used to establish the stereochemistry.