The ethoxyethynyl carbinol—αβ-unsaturated ester conversion: Stereomutation accompanying a selenium dioxide oxidation

Benzsuberone reacts with ethoxyethynyl magnesium bromide to give 1-ethoxyethynyl-1-hydroxy-2,3-benzocycloheptene, which on rearrangement with mild acid (carbon dioxide) yields ethyl cis-1,2-benzo-3-cycloheptenylidene acetate (4, R′= CO₂Et, R¹ = H) and the corresponding trans -compound. With selenium dioxide, both esters yield the same γ-lactone,     

The Diastereoselective Formation of 1,2,4-Trioxanes and 1,3-Dioxolanes by the reaction of endoperoxides with chiral cyclohexanones

1,4-Diphenyl-2,3-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene ( 2 ), on treatment with a catalytic amount of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (Me₃SiOTf) in CH₂Cl₂ at ?78°, reacts with excess (?)-menthone ( 10 ) to give (1S,2S,4′aS,5R,7′aS)-4′a,7′a-dihydro-2-isopropyl-5-methyl-6′,7′-diphenylspiro[cyclohexane-1,3′-[7′H]cyclopenta-[1,2,4]trioxine] ( 11 ) and its (1R,2S,4′aR,5R,7′aR)-diastereoisomer 12 in a 1:1 ratio and in 21% yield. Repeating the reaction with 1.1 equiv. of Me₃SiOTf with respect to 2 affords 11 , 12 , and (1S,2S,3′a.R,5R,6′aS)-3′a,6′a-dihydro-2-isopropyl-5-methyl-3′a-phenoxy-5′-phenylspiro[cyclohexane-l,2′-[4′H]cyclopenta[1,3]dioxole] ( 13 ) together with its(1R,2S,3′aS,5R,6′aR)-diastereoisomer 14 in a ratio of 3:3:3:1 and in 56% yield. (+)-Nopinone( 15 ) in excess reacts with 2 in the presence of 1.1 equiv. of Me₃SiOTf to give a pair of 1,2,4-trioxanes ( 16 and 17 ) analogous to 11 and 12 , and a pair of 1,3-dioxolanes ( 18 and 19 ) analogous to 13 and 14 , in a ratio of 8:2:3:3 and in 85% yield. (?)-Carvone and racemic 2-(tert-butyl)cyclohexanone under the same conditions behave like 15 and deliver pairs of diastereoisomeric trioxanes and dioxolanes. In general, catalytic amounts of Me₃SiOTf give rise to trioxanes, whereas 1.5 equiv. overwhelmingly engender dioxolanes. Adamantan-2-one combines with 2 giving only (4′aRS,7′aRS)-4′a,7′a-dihydro-6′.7′a-diphenylspiro[adamantane-2,3′-[7′H]cyclopenta[1,2,4]trioxine] in 98% yield regardless of the amount of Me3SiOTf used. The reaction of 1,4-dipheny 1-2,3-dioxabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-5-ene ( 32 ) with 10 and 1.1 equiv. of Me3SiOTf produces only the pair of trioxanes 33 and 34 homologous to 11 and 12 . Treatment of the (S,S)-diastereoisomer 33 with Zn and AcOH furnishes (1S,2S)-1,4-diphenylcyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol. The crystal structures of 11 – 13 and 16 are obtained by X-ray analysis. The reaction courses of 10 and the other chiral cyclohexanones with prochiral endoperoxides 2 and 32 to give trioxanes are rationalized in terms of the respective enantiomeric silylperoxy cations which are completely differentiated by the si and re faces of the ketone function. The origin of the 1,3-dioxolanes is ascribed to 1,2 rearrangement of the corresponding trioxanes, which occurs with retention of configuration of the angular substituent.     

Wittig rearrangement of 1-[(1E)-3-(Benzyloxy)prop-1-en-1-yl]adamantane

Wittig rearrangement of an allyl benzyl ether containing an adamantane fragment has been studied. 1-[(1E)-3-(Benzyloxy)prop-1-en-1-yl]adamantane reacts with butyllithium to give [2,3]- and [1,2]-rearrangement products. The [2,3]-rearrangement product is a mixture of threo and erythro diastereoisomers, the latter prevailing.     

Reactions of dodecacarbonyltriosmium with dienic ligands

Dodecacabonyltriosmium reacts with diene ligands (D) such as 2,4-trans, trans- and 2,4-cis, trans-hexadiene and 1,6- and 1,5-heptadiene to give H₂Os₃D(CO)₉, H₄Os₄(CO)₁₂ and two isomers of molecular formula HOs₃-(D  H)(CO)₉ in addition to Os₂(D  2H)(CO)₆ and OsD(CO)₃. The structures of the trimetal complexes show that dehydrogenation, isomerization and rearrangement of the organic substrates occur before the coordination to the metal cluster. 2,3-Dimethyl-1,3-butadiene and dodecacabonyltriosmium give only the well known bi- and mono-metal complexes. The results are compared with those obtained in the reactions of the some organic molecules with dodecacabonyltriruthenium.     

New reactions of 2,3-diaminonaphthaline with carbonyl electrophiles

The reaction of 2,3-diaminonaphthalene with dimedone gave 3-[(3-amino-2-naphthyl)amino]-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-one that reacts with alloxan to afford a product of addition at the enamine moiety. The latter is converted to a spiro derivative on heating in CF₃COOH, or undergoes condensation with 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone to give a benzophenazinone derivative with a sterically hindered phenol substituent.     

Cyclopropanation reactions with α, β-epoxy diazomethyl ketones and rearrangement of α, β-epoxy cyclopropyl ketones

The cyclopropanation reactions of α, β-epoxy diazomethyl ketones 1 with olefins using Pd(OAc)₂ as catalyst is described. Differently substituted epoxy diazo ketones 1a-1f give with cyclohexene exo-norcarane derivatives. 3, 3-Diphenyloxiranyl-2 diazomethyl ketone 1a reacts with olefins like isobutene, E- and Z- butene-2 to give epoxy cyclopropyl ketones. 3, 3-Diphenyloxiranyl-2 cyclopropyl ketones 2a and 9 undergo two consecutive rearrangement reactions with BF₃ as catalyst. In the first step an epoxide rearrangement of 9 takes place to give β-ketoaldehyde 10, which in a second step rearranges to enolester 12. The latter reaction is most likely restricted to β-ketoaldehydes which have a quaternary α-C atom. A rationale for this unusual reaction has been proposed.     

The stoichiometric hydrogenation of 9-methylidenefluorene and related compounds with hydridocobalt tetracarbonyl

9-Methylideneflourene (IIa) reacts rapidly with HCo(CO)₄ at -67° C to give a quantitative yield of 9-methylfluorene (IIIa); k₂  (13.4 ± 0.5) × 10^-2 l mol^-1_S^-1. Although the internal olefin, 9-ethylidenefluorene (IIb) reacts more slowly than IIa, it is hydrogenated about 2.5 times as fast as the terminal olefin, 1,1-diphenylethylene (I). Measurement of the rate of the reaction of IIb with DCo(CO)₄ and comparison with HCo(CO)₄ shows a very large inverse isotope effect k_H/k_D of 0.43.     

2,3-Epoxyperfluoro-2-methylpentane in reactions with urea and thiourea

2,3-Epoxyperfluoro-2-methylpentane reacts with thiourea in protic (methanol, 2-propanol) and aprotic (dioxane) solvents, and also with urea in acetonitrile affording unexpected products: 1-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropionyl)-2-(2,2,2-trifluoro-1-trifluoro-methylethyl)isothiourea, and 1-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropionyl)-3-(2,2,2-trifluoro-1-trifluoro-methylethyl)urea respectively that result from the rearrangement of the intermediately formed ketone in the process of the intramolecular “haloform” cleavage. At the same time in dioxane the 2,3-epoxyperfluoro-2-methylpentane reacts with urea with the formation of a heterocyclic compound, 2-amino-4-pentafluoroethyl-5,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydrooxazol-4-ol. From 1-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropionyl)-2-(2,2,2-trifluoro-1-trifluoromethylethyl)isothiourea and Cu(OAc)₂ a stable fluorine-containing chelate complex was obtained.     

Specificity of the reaction of (−)-1-{(1S,2R,4R)-1-ethenyl-2-hydroxy-7,7-dimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl}xethanone with ethenylmagnesium bromide

Ethenylmagnesium bromide (1.5 equiv) forms a chelate with (?)-1-{(1S,2R,4R)-1-ethenyl-2-hydroxy-7,7-dimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl} ethanone in THF and promotes its fast primary α-ketol rearrangement into 1-ethenyl-2-hydroxy-2,8,8-trimethylbicyclo[3.2.1]octan-3-one. The latter reacts with excess magnesium reagent (0.5 equiv) according to common 1,2-addition pattern at the carbonyl group and is simultaneously involved in the second α-ketol rearrangement which leads to 1-ethenyl-3-hydroxy-3,8,8-trimethylbicyclo[3.2.1]octan-2-one as thermodynamically more stable regioisomer.     

Asymmetric [2,3]-Wittig rearrangement of the dienolates of chiral secondary alcohol-substituted β-pyrrolidinyl-γ-allyloxyl-α,β-unsaturated esters: total synthesis of (+)-eldanolide

The asymmetric [2,3]-Wittig rearrangement of the dienolates of various chiral β-pyrrolidinyl-γ-allyloxyl-α,β-unsaturated esters was investigated using different chiral secondary alcohol substitutions. When (1S,2R,4R)-2-hydroxy-7,7-dimethylbicyclo[2,2,1]heptane-1-carboxylic acid diisopropylamide was used as chiral auxiliary, it provided the best enantioselectivity in the rearrangement. When various γ-allyloxy substitutions underwent temperature and additive studies, 1,1-dimethylpropenoxy substitution was found to give the best enantioselectivity. The methodology was applied to the total synthesis of (+)-eldanolide.     

Synthesen von Heterocyclen, 149. Mitt.: Über Reaktionen mit cyclischen Oxalylverbindungen, 3. Mitt.

Propiophenone-N, N-diphenylhydrazone reacts with oxalyl chloride to give 1-diphenylamino-4-methyl-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydropyrrole-2,3-dione (1), which is isomerized at 130–140° yielding 2,3-dioxo-8, 8a-diphenyl-1, 2, 3, 3a, 8, 8a-hexahydro-3a-methyl-pyrrolo[2,3-b]indole (2). Butyrophenone-N, N-diphenylhydrazone and propiophenone-N-methyl-N-phenyl-hydrazone react in a similar way.     

Chemistry of Spontaneous Alkylation of Methimazole with 1,2-Dichloroethane

Spontaneous S-alkylation of methimazole (1) with 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) into 1,2-bis[(1-methyl-1H-imidazole-2-yl)thio]ethane (2), that we have described recently, opened the question about its formation pathway(s). Results of the synthetic, NMR spectroscopic, crystallographic and computational studies suggest that, under given conditions, 2 is obtained by direct attack of 1 on the chloroethyl derivative 2-[(chloroethyl)thio]-1-methyl-1H-imidazole (3), rather than through the isolated stable thiiranium ion isomer, i.e., 7-methyl-2H, 3H, 7H-imidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-4-ium chloride (4a, orthorhombic, space group Pnma), or in analogy with similar reactions, through postulated, but unproven intermediate thiiranium ion 5. Furthermore, in the reaction with 1, 4a prefers isomerization to the N-chloroethyl derivative, 1-chloroethyl-2,3-dihydro-3-methyl-1H-imidazole-2-thione (7), rather than alkylation to 2, while 7 further reacts with 1 to form 3-methyl-1-[(1-methyl-imidazole-2-yl)thioethyl]-1H-imidazole-2-thione (8, monoclinic, space group P 2₁/c). Additionally, during the isomerization of 3, the postulated intermediate thiiranium ion 5 was not detected by chromatographic and spectroscopic methods, nor by trapping with AgBF₄. However, trapping resulted in the formation of the silver complex of compound 3, i.e., bis-{2-[(chloroethyl)thio]-1-methyl-1H-imidazole}-silver(I)tetrafluoroborate (6_, monoclinic, space group P 2₁/c), which cyclized upon heating at 80 °C to 7-methyl-2H, 3H, 7H-imidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-4-ium tetrafluoroborate (4b, monoclinic, space group P 2₁/c). Finally, we observed thermal isomerization of both 2 and 2,3-dihydro-3-methyl-1-[(1-methyl-1H-imidazole-2-yl)thioethyl]-1H-imidazole-2-thione (8), into 1,2-bis(2,3-dihydro-3-methyl-1H-imidazole-2-thione-1-yl)ethane (9), which confirmed their structures.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 3-deoxy-piperidine iminosugars from l-lysine

A new method using electrochemical oxidation and/or OsO₄ oxidation has been used for the stereoselective synthesis of 2,3,6-trihydroxylated (5S)-piperidine derivatives. The electrochemical method was successively used for the conversion of N-protected piperidines to N-protected 1-methoxypiperidines and for the conversion of 2,3-didehydro-1-methoxypiperidine derivatives to 2,3-trans-1,2,3-triacetoxypiperidine derivatives. These triacetates were easily transformed into (2S,3S)-6-triacetoxy-(5S)-methylpiperidine and (2R,3R)-6-triacetoxy-(5S)-methylpiperidine. In addition, the 2,3-cis-dihydroxylation of 2,3-didehydro-1-methoxypiperidine derivatives with OsO₄ afforded (2R,3S)-6-triacetoxy-(5S)-methylpiperidine and (2S,3R)-6-triacetoxy-(5S)-methylpiperidine.     

Addition of hydrogen bromide to 3,3-dichloropropene in presence of benzoyl peroxide

Summary When hydrogen bromide reacts with 3,3-dichloropropene in presence of benzoyl peroxide, homolytic rearrangement of radicals occurs (CHCl₂CHCH₂Br CHClCHCl-CH₂Br) with formation of 1-bromo-2,3-dichloropropane.     

An efficient asymmetric synthesis of Fmoc-l-cyclopentylglycine via diastereoselective alkylation of glycine enolate equivalent

Stereoselective alkylation of the enolate derived from benzyl (2R,3S)-(−)-6-oxo-2,3-diphenyl-4-morpholinecarboxylate (1) with cyclopentyl iodide afforded anti-α-monosubstituted product, benzyl (2R,3S,5S)-(−)-6-oxo-2,3-diphenyl-5-cyclopentyl-4-morpholinecarboxylate (3) in 60% yield. Catalytic hydrogenolysis over PdCl₂ cleaved the auxiliary ring system to give l-cyclopentylglycine (4) in 84% yield. Subsequent protection of the α-amino function with Fmoc-OSu gave Fmoc-l-cyclopentylglycine (5) in high yield.     

Stereocontrolled synthesis of all of the four possible stereoisomers of erythro-3,7-dimethyl-pentadec-2-yl acetate and propionate,the sex pheromone of the pine sawflies

All of the four possible stereoisomers of 2,3-erythro-3,7-dimethylpentadecan-2-ol 1 were synthesized by a stereospecific S_N2 oxirane cleavage of (2S,3S)-2,3-epoxybutane or its antipode with lithium di[(R)- or (S)-4-methyldodecyl]cuprate. Their acetates or propionates were prepared to test their pheromone activity.     

Synthesis of four enantiomers of 2,3-di(N-Boc-amino)-1-hydroxypropylphosphonates

Enantiomerically pure diethyl (1S,2R)-, (1S,2S)-, (1R,2R)- and (1R,2S)-2,3-di(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino-1-hydroxypropylphosphonates were synthesised from diethyl (1S,2R,1′S)-, (1S,2S,1′R)-, (1R,2R,1′S)- and (1R,2S,1′R)-[N-(1-phenylethyl)]-2,3-epimino-1-hydroxypropylphosphonates, respectively, via aziridine ring opening with neat TMSN₃ followed by hydrogenolysis in the presence of Boc₂O. A plausible mechanism for the aziridine ring opening in 2,3-epimino-1-hydroxypropylphosphonates involving the intermediate aziridinium ions was proposed. Significant differences in the rates of the aziridine ring opening between diastereoisomeric phosphonates (1S,2R,1′S) and (1S,2S,1′R) were rationalised taking into account different conformations of the 1-phenylethyl group in both diastereoisomers.     

SmI2-induced cyclization of optically active (E)- and (Z)-β-alkoxyvinyl sulfoxides with aldehydes

SmI₂-induced reaction of (E)-β-alkoxyvinyl (R)- and (S)-sulfoxides with aldehydes effected a highly stereoselective intramolecular cyclization to give 2,6-anti-2,3-cis- and 2,6-syn-2,3-trans-tetrahydropyran-3-ols, respectively. The reaction of (Z)-(R)-isomer gave 2,6-syn-2,3-cis-tetrahydropyran-3-ol and a ring-opened product, and that of (Z)-(S)-isomer yielded many products.     

Cascade reaction of 2,3-naphthalenediol with benzene in the presence of aluminum halides

2,3-Naphthalenediol on superelectrophilic activation with aluminium halides smoothly reacts with benzene to give 4-((3-phenyl-1H-inden-1-yl)methyl)benzene-1,2-diol, which in turn undergoes intramolecular cyclization to form 5,10-methano-5-phenyldibenzo[a,d]cycloheptane-2,3-diol. The mechanistic aspects of these unusual transformations are discussed.