Steric and kinetic effects of changing solvent and reactant in grignard reactions: Conformationally mobile versus rigid δ-keto esters

trans-7α-carbomethoxy-decal-1-one (2) yields a mixture of the two oxy-esters 6 and 7 on reacting with MeMgX. Ratios $\text{6}\text{7}$ were measured for reactions performed in benzene (with X = I) and in THF (with X = Cl). The small variations of the ratios $\text{6}\text{7}$ as compared to those obtained in analogous experiments performed with methyl (2-oxo-cyclohexyl)-propionate 4 and methyl 4-methyl-5-oxo-hexanoate 5 suggest that conformational mobility plays a fundamental role in determining the variations of stereospecificity with varying the reaction conditions. Competitive Grignard reactions among 2,4 and 5 show that their reactivities are in the order 4>2>5 ($\text{K}{}_4\text{k}{}_2$ = 1.7; $\text{k}{}_5\text{k}{}_2$=0.8) when reactions are performed in benzene with X  I and 2>4>5 ($\text{k}{}_4\text{k}{}_2$= 0.56; $\text{k}{}_5\text{k}{}_2$=0.25) when reactions are performed in THF with X  C1. The experimental data are interpreted in terms of anchimeric assistance given by the ester group to the reactions of the keto group in conformationally mobile δ-keto esters. The occurrence of this effect depends on the reaction conditions which can favour, or not, folded transition states.