2-Ene-1,4-diols by dimerization of terminal epoxides using hindered lithium amides

[reaction: see text] Reaction of hindered lithium amides with readily available (enantiopure) terminal epoxides gives 2-ene-1,4-diols via carbenoid dimerization of the corresponding alpha-lithiated epoxides. D-Mannitol and D-iditol were synthesized using this method in three steps from (S)-tritylglycidyl ether.     

Synthesis of Mixed Aryl 2,3-Diarylsulphanyl-1,4-naphthoquinones

The reaction of 2-arylsulphanyl-1,4-napththoquinone with aromatic thiols and sodium dithionate leads to bis-2,3-(arylsulphanyl)naphthalene-1,4-diols in high yield. Corresponding oxidized products, namely 2,3-diarylsulphanyl-1,4-naphthoquinones, are prepared in near quantitative yield by a copper(II)-catalyzed aerial oxidation reaction of bis-2,3-(arylsulphanyl)naphthalene-1,4-diols under mild condition.     

Isomerisation d'endoperoxydes-1,4 de polyarylfulvenes en dioxetannes-1,2

The sensitized photo-oxygenation of polyarylfulvenes gives the corresponding 1,4-endoperoxides, which rearrange into 1,2-dioxetanes, these undergo thermal induced luminescence and reduction into cis-1,2-diols. A polar mechanism for the rearrangement is supported by the influence of the acidity of the reaction medium and by the effects due to the substitution of the fulvene ring. This is the first example of isomerisation of 1,4-endoperoxides into 1,2-dioxetanes with characterization and isolation of intermediates.     

Expedient two-step synthesis of phenolic cyclitols from benzene

The benzeneselenol-catalyzed, tributyltin hydride-mediated addition of phenolic iodides to benzene gives the 3-(hydroxyaryl)-1,4-cyclohexadienes, predominantly. Under conditions of controlled osmoylation, these are converted to the racemic 1,2-syn-2,3-anti-3-(hydroxyaryl)-4-cyclohexene-1,2-diols, whereas exhaustive osmoylation gives the 3-(hydroxyaryl)-3,5-dideoxymucoinositols, whose stereochemistry is established by X-ray crystallography.     

Reactions of organolithium reagents with p-benzoquinones and cyclohexadienones. Synthesis of 4-alkyl-4-hydroxycyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ones and 1,4-dialkylcyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-diols.

Addition of organolithium reagents to p-benzoquinones in ether gives the corresponding 4-alkyl-4-hydroxycyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ones. Addition of excess of the reagent to the p-benzoquinones, or to the 4-alkyl-4-hydroxycyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ones, in tetrahydrofuran, gives the corresponding dialkylcyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-diols.     

Cycloalumination of allylbenzenes with triethylaluminum in the presence of Cp<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZrCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>. One-pot synthesis of 2-benzylbutane-1,4-diols as precursors of dibenzylbutane lignans

One-pot synthesis of 2-[(hydroxy- and methoxyphenyl)methyl]butane-1,4-diols in an overall yield of 60–65% by cycloalumination of allylbenzenes (4-allyl-1-methoxybenzene, 4-allyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene, 5-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, and 5-allyl-1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene) with triethylaluminum in the presence of Cp₂ZrCl₂ is reported for the first time. The developed procedure opens a new synthetic route to practically important β-substituted butane-1,4-diols that are precursors to dibenzylbutane lignans.     

Lipase-catalyzed monoprotection of 1,4-diols in an organic solvent using vinyl benzoate as acyl transfer agent

Lipase from Mucor miehei (MML) has been selected as the most suitable enzyme to catalyze the efficient monobenzoylation of 1,4-diols using vinyl benzoate as acyl transfer reagent in tert-butyl methyl ether. The regioselectivity of the monobenzoylation of 2-substituted-1,4-diols has been studied as well.     

Regio- and stereoselective microwave-assisted synthesis of 5-alkyl-4-alkenyl-4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones

Chiral symmetrical alk-2-yne-1,4-diols have been stereoselectively transformed into 5-alkyl-4-alkenyl-4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones, which are precursors of quaternary α-amino β-hydroxy acids. The key step was the cyclization of the bis(tosylcarbamates) of 2-phenylalk-2-yne-1,4-diols, easily obtained from the starting chiral diols. These cyclizations were accomplished with complete regioselectivity and up to 92:8 dr in the presence of catalytic amounts of Ni(0) or Pd (II) derivatives under microwave heating.     

Asymmetric desymmetrization based on an intramolecular haloetherification: a highly effective and recyclable chiral nonracemic auxiliary, 2-exo-methyl-3-endo-phenyl-5-norbornene-2-carboxaldehyde, for meso-1,3- and meso-1,4-diols

A new chiral auxiliary, a 3-endo-phenyl norbornene aldehyde derivative, which is a crystalline, very stable, and easily handled, was developed for the desymmetrization of meso-1,3- and meso-1,4-diols. The key step of the method, an intramolecular bromoetherification, proceeded in a highly diastereoselective manner. A four-step sequence, 1) acetalization, 2) intramolecular bromoetherification followed by acid hydrolysis, 3) protection of the alcohol, and 4) retrobromoetherification, transformed the meso-diols into optically active derivatives. The 3-endo-phenyl norbornene aldehyde derivative was simultaneously reformed and could be used repeatedly. This is the first chemical example of a single auxiliary that is applicable for highly enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-1,3- and meso-1,4-diols; to the best of our knowledge, this is the best chemical method available for the desymmetrization of meso-1,4-diols.     

Calculation of electric dipole intensity parameter to explore some interaction between hard metal ions Pr(III) and Nd(III) with pi-electron density of butene-1,4 and butyne-1,4-diols in non-aqueous solutions: an absorption spectral study

Pr(III) and Nd(III) are hard acceptors in HSAB (hard and soft acid base) sense and hence are known to exhibit practically a little affinity towards electrons. At the same time these metal ions show strong preference for oxygen donor chelating ligands. The ligands chosen for this study are structurally related diols, viz. butane-1,4, butene-1,4 and butyne-1,4-diols which form identical seven membered chelate ring by coordinating to metals in a bidentate manner through oxygen on 1 and 4 positions of the diol molecules. Complexation of these diols with Pr(III) and Nd(III) was carried out in DMF, CH3OH, CH3CN and their equimolar binary mixtures using comparative absorption spectrophotometry of 4f-4f transitions. The variation of oscillator strengths (P) of different 4f-4f bands as well as the magnitude and variation of Judd-Ofelt electric dipole intensity parameters (T lambda, lambda = 2, 4, 6) was discussed. They correlate the interaction between the metal 4f-orbitals of Pr(III) and Nd(III) with the pi-electron densities of the double and triple bonds present in butene-1,4 and butyne-1,4-diols, respectively. The value of empirical intensity parameter [T lambda(complex)/T lambda (aquo)] was calculated and its plot against oscillator strength (P) is drawn.     

Hydroboration-oxidation of ricinoleic acid ester derivatives

The chiral center in ricinoleic acid methyl ester (ee ～100%) strongly affects the regioselectivity of its hydroboration-oxidation, so that the resulting 1,3-diol dominates by 74% over the 1,4-isomer. Furthermore, new asymmetric centers are formed preferentially with (S)-configuration, up to 87% for 1,3-diols and up to 100% for 1,4-diols.     

Asymmetric Induction via an Intramolecular Haloetherification Reaction of Chiral Ene Acetals: A Novel Approach to Optically Active 1,4- and 1,5-Diols

An asymmetric synthesis of chiral 1,4- and 1,5-diols has been developed from the ene acetals 1a and 1c, prepared from the corresponding aldehydes and chiral C(2)-symmetric diols, involving remote asymmetric induction as a key step. In the first step, treatment of 1 with I(coll)(2)ClO(4) in the presence of an alcohol afforded the macrocyclic acetals (3-5 and 7) in a highly stereoselective manner. Subsequent nucleophilic substitution of iodide followed by a Grignard reaction with complete retention of stereochemistry and a final deprotection of the diphenylethylene or diphenylpropylene unit successfully gave optically active 1,4- and 1,5-diols in good yields.     

Enantioselective preparation of C2-symmetrical 1,4-diols

The catalytic enantioselective addition of functionalized dialkylzincs to the γ-alkoxyaldehydes 5, 6 and 7 provides 1,4-diols 1–3 with 73–99 %ee. After a simple reaction sequence, these diols are converted to chiral γ-alkoxyaldehydes which undergo a second catalytic enantioselective addition of the same diorganozinc providing C₂-symmetrical 1,4-diols 10a–f with excellent diastereoselectivity (up to 97 : 3).     

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Cyclododeca-1,6-diallenes ( = cyclododeca-l,2,6,7-tetraenes)

The synthesis of substituted cyclododeca-1,6-diallenes.( = cyclododeca-1,2,6,7-tetraenes) from cyclododeca-5,11-diyne-1,4-diols is described (Schemes 1 and 3). The ca. 1:1 mixtures of the stereoisomers of the cyclododeca-1,6-diallenes were formed in high yields from the ca. 1:1 diastereoisomer mixtures of the 1,4-disubstituted cyclododeca-5,11-diynes by reactions with Me₂CuLi or t-BuMgCl/Cu^II. In mechanistically relevant experiments with the pure diastereoisomers of 1,4-dimethylcyclododeca-5,11-diyne-1,4-diol, it is demonstrated that the configuration is conserved in these reactions. The first synthesis of a 1-substituted cyclododeca-2,8-diyne bearing only one propargylic leaving group gives access to a mixed 12-membered allen-yne (Scheme 5).     

Synthetic Approach Towards Hexaprismane. A Novel Entry to Homosecohexaprismane Skeleton by Cage Enlargement

A series of caged 1,4-diols, 26, 29a/29b, 31 , were synthesized from the Diels-Alder cycloadduct 21 of 1,2,3,4-tetrachloro-5,5-dimethoxycyclopentadiene and 1,4-benzoquinone. Reduction of enedione 21 with aqueous TiCl₃, followed by base-catalyzed enolization in the presence of acetic anhydride, gave diene 23b , which reacted with maleic anhydride and 1,4-benzoquinone to produce the corresponding [4+2] cycloadducts 24b and 27 , respectively. The adduct 24b was converted to birdcaged 1,4-diol 26 by photocyclization followed by decarboxylative olefination of resulted caged anhydride 25b . The adduct 27 was photocyclized to cage compound 28 , which was aromatized to dihydroquinone 29a by acid-catalyzed enolization, or benzo-annulated compound 31 by reduction and dehydration. The birdcaged 1,4-diols 26 and 31 underwent fragmentation induced by (diacetoxyiodo)benzene to give enediones 38/39 and 41/42 , respectively. Photocyclization of 38 and 39 produced the corresponding caged compounds 43 and 44 , respectively, possessing homosecohexaprismane skeletons. The corresponding monohydrate 43a of 43 was structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.     

Nickel-catalyzed indium(I)-mediated double addition of aldehydes to 1,3-dienes

In the presence of InI, Ni(acac)2 and PPh3, several 1,3-dienes were reacted with two molecules of aldehyde to give the corresponding 1,4- and 1,6-diols. The regioselectivity of the 1,4-/1,6-diol was efficiently regulated by the addition of water; the 1,6-diol was obtained selectively in dry THF, whereas the 1,4-diol was obtained predominantly in DMI containing a small amount of water.     

Stereocontrolled asymmetric synthesis of syn-E-1,4-diol-2-enes using allyl boronates and its application in the total synthesis of solandelactone F

The solandelactones A-H comprise a novel class of oxygenated fatty acids bearing an eight-membered lactone, trans cyclopropane, and a 2-ene-1,4-diol subunit. The relative stereochemistry of the 1,4-diol subunit is anti in solandelactones A, C, E & G, and syn in solandelactones B, D, F & H. Having prepared one member of the solandelactones bearing anti stereochemistry (solandelactone E), we have targeted the syn series and developed methodology for the synthesis of enantioenriched syn-2-ene-1,4-diols. The methodology comprises asymmetric deprotonation of an alkyl 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoate using sBuLi/sparteine, followed by addition of the α-lithiobenzoate to β-silyl vinyl boronic acid ethylene glycol ester. The boron-ate complex generated undergoes a 1,2-metallate rearrangement furnishing an intermediate allyl boronic ester which is trapped by an aldehyde in the presence of MgBr(2) to furnish anti-β-hydroxy E-allylsilanes in good yields, high diastereoselectivity and high enantioselectivity. These sensitive products were oxidized using mCPBA to the corresponding epoxides and subsequently treated with acid to furnish syn-E-2-ene-1,4-diols (~4:1 d.r.). Application of the methodology to appropriately functionalized aldehyde and ω-alkenyl 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoate coupling partners, led to a short, highly selective route to solandelactone F (bearing a syn-E-2-ene-1,4-diol).     

Some special features of hydroalumination-iodination of alkyne-1,4-diols

Hydroalumination-iodination of alkyne-1,4-diols of different structure showed that with increasing number of substituents at the C-OH group the amount of β-iodo-substituted products with respect to this group increased. In the case of symmetric secondary 1,4-diols the reaction results in a 1: 1 mixture of stereoisomeric iodoalkenediols, and in the case of phenyl substituents the reaction proceeds regio- and stereoselectively to give an alkenediol iodine atom in the β-position to phenyl group.     

Relative asymmetric induction in the hydroboration of bi-1-cyclohexen-1-yls

Hydroboration-oxidation of the bi-1-cyclohexen-1-yls 1 and 8b gave single 1,4-diols, $\text{d,1}$ 2 and $\text{meso}$ 10b, respectively, whereas the chiral bi-1-cyclohexen-1-yl 8a, synthesized from (?)-$\text{trans}$-3,5-dimethylcyclohexanone, led to a mixture of two 1,4-diols (9a and 10a).     

The unusual reaction of semiquinone radicals with molecular oxygen

Hydroquinones (benzene-1,4-diols) are naturally occurring chain-breaking antioxidants, whose reactions with peroxyl radicals yield 1,4-semiquinone radicals. Unlike the 1,2-semiquinone radicals derived from catechols (benzene-1,2-diols), the 1,4-semiquinone radicals do not always trap another peroxyl radical, and instead the stoichiometric factor of hydroquinones varies widely between 0 and 2 as a function of ring-substitution and reaction conditions. This variable antioxidant behavior has been attributed to the competing reaction of the 1,4-semiquinone radical with molecular oxygen. Herein we report the results of experiments and theoretical calculations focused on understanding this key reaction. Our experiments, which include detailed kinetic and mechanistic investigations by laser flash photolysis and inhibited autoxidation studies, and our theoretical calculations, which include detailed studies of the reactions of both 1,4-semiquinones and 1,2-semiquinones with O2, provide many important insights. They show that the reaction of O2 with 2,5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-semiquinone radical (used as model compound) has a rate constant of 2.4 +/- 0.9 x 10(5) M-1 s-1 in acetonitrile and as high as 2.0 +/- 0.9 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 in chlorobenzene, i.e., similar to that previously reported in water at pH approximately 7. These results, considered alongside our theoretical calculations, suggest that the reaction occurs by an unusual hydrogen atom abstraction mechanism, taking place in a two-step process consisting first of addition of O2 to the semiquinone radical and second an intramolecular H-atom transfer concerted with elimination of hydroperoxyl to yield the quinone. This reaction appears to be much more facile for 1,4-semiquinones than for their 1,2-isomers.