Selective Hydrogen Chloride Elimination from Primary Chlorides Induced by the Fluoride Anion. Anchimeric participation of the chloromethyl group in the heterolytic opening of an epoxide. Stereospecific syntheses of 5,6-bis (methylidene)-syn-2-norbornen-7-ol and 5,6-bis (methylidene)-endo-3-chloro-exo-2-norbornanol

Syntheses of the alcohols 10 and 18 , and the corresponding ketones 11 and 19 are presented. Endo-5, exo-6-bis (chloromethyl)-endo-3-chloro-exo-2-norbornanol ( 16 ) and endo-5-(bromomethyl)-exo-6-(chloromethyl)-endo-3-chloro-exo-2-norbornanol ( 17 ) were obtained by HCl- and, respectively, HBr-addition to endo-5, exo-6-bis (chloromethyl)-exo-2, 3-epoxynorbornane ( 5 ). The Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement was precluded in these reactions probably because of the formation of a relatively stable chloronium ion 15 arising from the participation of the 1,4-chlorine atom of the endo-5-chloromethyl group in the heterolytic ring opening of the epoxide 5 . The ‘naked’ fluoride anion (excess CsF in DMF or KF in DMF with 18-crown-6-ether) permitted the selective elimination of 2 equivalents of HCl from 16 and yielded the chlorohydrin-diene 18 .