Completely stereospecific 1,2-migration of alkyl groups in Et2AlCl promoted pinacol-type rearrangement

Completely stereospecific 1,2-migration of alkyl groups was achieved in Et₂AlCl promoted pinacol-type rearrangement of chiral β-mesyloxy alcohols to give optically pure α-alkyl ketones including both enantiomers of 4-methyl-3-hexanone, an alarm pheromone of ant.     

Reductive pinacol-type rearrangement of chiral α-mesyloxy ketones promoted by organoaluminum compounds

Reductive pinacol-type rearrangement of chiral α-mesyloxy ketones was effected by organoaluminums (DIBAL in combination with Et₃Al or Et₂AlCl) leading to enantiomerically pure 2-aryl- or 2-alkenyl-1-propanols.     

Aluminum-controlled reactivity and diastereoselectivity toward radical reactions of optically active aldimines with metallic samarium

The intermolecular pinacol-type coupling reaction and allylation reaction of optically active imines bearing a beta-hydroxy group were performed stereoselectively with metallic samarium after treatment of the imines with trimethylaluminum.     

Asymmetric synthesis of chiral synthons bearing alkynyl group via organoaluminum-promoted pinacol-type rearrangement

A method is described for the synthesis of chiral alkynyl ketones and alkynols via trimethylaluminum-promoted pinacol-type rearrangement where alkynyl groups behave as “the staying group”, followed by stereoselective reduction leading to the latter.     

Enantioselective synthesis of 2-substituted cyclobutanones

[formula: see text] An enantioselective synthesis of 2-substituted cyclobutanones has been achieved by sequential application of the titanium-mediated cyclopropanation of alpha-hydroxy esters and the pinacol-type rearrangement of the resulting alpha-hydroxycyclopropylcarbinols.     

A Semipinacol Rearrangement Directed by an Enzymatic System Featuring Dual-Function FAD-Dependent Monooxygenase

The biosynthesis of aurachins includes the intriguing migration of the prenyl group by a pinacol-type rearrangement. In vitro analysis of AuaGH revealed that these enzymes catalyze epoxidation coupled with semipinacol rearrangement and ketoreduction. Thus, the AuaGH system was revealed to be a novel enzymatic system for establishing semipinacol rearrangements.     

Asymmetric synthesis of optically pure α-methyl-β,γ-unsaturated ketones via triethylaluminum-mediated stereospecific pinacol rearrangement of alkenyl groups

Optically pure α-methyl-β,γ-unsaturated ketones are synthesized by the Et₃Al-mediated pinacol-type rearrangement where alkenyl groups migrate stereospecifically with complete retention of the olefin-geometry.     

Conformational effects in organoaluminum-promoted pinacol-type rearrangement

Conformational effects on the reaction course were examined in organoaluminum-promoted pinacol-type rearrangement, using stereo-defined unsymmetrical β-mesyloxy alcohols as the probe, where combinational use of DIBAL-Et₂AlCl achieved highly selective migration.     

Divergent synthetic routes for ring expansion or cyclization from 1,4-allylic diol derivatives via gold(I) catalysis or zinc(II) mediation

A new efficient method was developed to transform cyclic alkanols into one-carbon higher homologated ketones using various esters as the leaving groups through gold-catalyzed allylic cation-promoted pinacol-type rearrangement. This reaction, coupled with oxy-Cope rearrangement, provided a new strategy to synthesize five-carbon homologated ring ketones. In addition, using ZnBr(2), 2,5-dihydrofuran products were obtained in moderate to good yields via an intramolecular cyclization process.     

Convenient one-pot synthesis of 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-cyclopentanone

2,2-Bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-cyclopentanone (3a) was unexpectedly obtained in 76% yield from a reductive coupling reaction of 4,4'-dihydroxybenzophenone (1a) and cyclobutanone with TiCl4 and Zn. Further optimization showed that catechol as an external ligand and a hydroxy group on benzophenone facilitated the generation of a quinonemethide (intermediate II) that is involved in the pinacol-type rearrangement of intermediate I to give the rearranged product.     

Preparation of a 24-nor-1,4-dien-3-one triterpene derivative from betulin: a new route to 24-nortriterpene analogues

A new route to 24-nortriterpene derivatives with 2-hydroxy-Delta(1,4)-cyclohexadien-3-one A-rings from triterpene precursors has been demonstrated beginning with betulin to prepare derivatives of betulinic acid. The key steps in the transformation are a Suárez cleavage of the A-ring with a subsequent SmI(2)-mediated pinacol-type coupling to reclose the A-ring following removal of the C-24 carbon by oxidative cleavage.     

Stereoselective synthesis of C(1)–C(9) and C(11)–C(17)fragments of protomycinolide iv based on asymmetric pinacol-typerearrangement

Two chiral intermediates, C(1)–C(9) and C(11)–C(17) portionsof protomycinolide IV, were synthesized both from (S)-ethyl lactatevia asymmetric pinacol-type rearrangement followed bydiastereoselective reactions on α-methyl-β,γ-unsaturatedcarbonyl compounds.     

Chromium-catalyzed pinacol-type cross-coupling: studies on stereoselectivity

A chromium-catalyzed pinacol-type cross-coupling reaction between alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and aldehydes is reported. Even sterically demanding substrates could be coupled to afford the corresponding pinacols in good yields. Systematic studies concerning the origin of the diastereoselectivities led to the proposal of a mechanism for this synthetically useful reaction. Acroleins with alpha-branched alkyl side chains were coupled to give the corresponding syn pinacols, while on the other hand, acroleins with less bulky substituents furnished the anti derivatives. The effects of both the substrates and the reagents on the diastereo- and enantioselectivities were investigated. An unexpected catalytic formation of cyclopropanols was found.     

Gold-catalyzed reactivity of 3-silyloxy-1,5-enynes: a synthetic tool for the synthesis of complex structures and its limitations

Gold-catalyzed reactions of 3-silyloxy-1,5-enynes in the presence of sterically demanding alcohols afford 4-acylcyclopentenes. The cascade process most likely proceeds through a 6-endo-dig carbocyclization and subsequent pinacol-type rearrangement. Studies that define scope and limitations of the cyclization-migration strategy are also described. An alternative cascade yields highly substituted aryls through an unprecedented cyclization-fragmentation pathway.     

1,2-Alkyl migration as a key element in the invention of cascade reactions catalyzed by pi-acids

This brief overview highlights recent progress in the field of cascade reactions that are initiated by the activation of a pi-system using platinum and gold catalysts and that are coupled with a 1,2-alkyl migration step. While the reactions discussed aim to rapidly evolve molecular complexity, they are experimentally straightforward and easy to perform. Primarily guided by the type of 1,2-alkyl migration, methods are categorized as shifts to metal carbenoid centers and pinacol-type rearrangements.     

Total synthesis of (+)-asteltoxin

A convergent synthesis of (+)-asteltoxin (1) has been achieved by the Horner-Emmons olefination of bis(tetrahydrofuran) aldehyde 53 and alpha-pyrone phosphonate 5. A key step features the stereoselective construction of a sterically congested quaternary center embedded in the densely functionalized bis(tetrahydrofuran) subunit by a Lewis acid-catalyzed, pinacol-type rearrangement of an epoxy silyl ether. This pivotal rearrangement methodology parallels the proposed biosynthetic pathway of 1 and is ripe for applications to the stereocontrolled synthesis of structurally complex natural products.     

Study on the biosynthesis of the notoamides: Pinacol-type rearrangement of the isoprenyl unit in deoxybrevianamide E and 6-hydroxydeoxybrevianamide E

Two reverse-prenylated indole alkaloids, deoxybrevianamide E and 6-hydroxydeoxybrevianamide E, are proposed as biosynthetic precursors for advanced metabolites isolated from the marine-derived Aspergillus sp. In order to uncover the role of the alkaloids in the biosynthetic pathway, the feeding experiments of the [¹³C]₂-[¹⁵N]-labeled deoxybrevianamide E and 6-hydroxydeoxybrevianamide E were performed to afford the metabolites, which were produced by oxidation and successive pinacol-type rearrangement of the isoprenyl units.     

A general strategy to elisabethane diterpenes: stereocontrolled synthesis of elisapterosin B via oxidative cyclization of an elisabethin precursor

Described is an efficient synthesis of the complex bioactive natural product, elisapterosin B, a potent in vitro inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rb. The synthesis elisapterosin B, prepared in its enantiomeric form, proceeds by a highly stereocontrolled sequence commencing with a simple glutamic acid derived compound. Pivotal steps in the sequence include (a) a pinacol-type ketal rearrangement to transfer chirality, (b) an IMDA reaction of an E,Z-diene to construct the elisabethin skeleton, and (c) a biosynthesis-inspired oxidative cyclization of the elisabethin precursor to elisapterosin B.     

Synthesis of cis-3,4-diarylpiperidines and cis-3,4-diaryltetrahydropyrans

Substituted cis-3,4-diarylpiperidines and cis-3,4-diaryltetrahydropyrans are synthesized in modest overall yields starting from 4-aryl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridines and 4-aryl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyrans via the following sequence: (1) pinacol-type ring contraction having the combination of m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid and boron trifluoride etherate, (2) Grignard addition with arylmagnesium bromide reagents and followed by boron trifluoride etherate-mediated intramolecular ring-expanded rearrangement, and (3) hydrogenation with hydrogen on 10% palladium-activated carbon. A facile synthesis of 3,4-diarylpyridines was also described by base-induced aromatization.     

Selective oxidation of zirconocyclopentenes via organoboranes

[reaction: see text] A new, convenient, one-pot protocol is described for oxidation of zirconocyclopent-2-enes selectively at the sp(3) carbon by efficient transfer to electrophilic ((c)Hex)(2)BCl followed by oxidation with H(2)O(2)/NaOH to afford 1-alkylidene-2-hydroxymethylcyclopentanes. Results with several substrates show that overall reaction efficiencies for the zirconocene-mediated enyne cyclization, boron transmetalation, and oxidation sequence are generally comparable to yields obtained from protonation of intermediate zirconocycles. The formation of E/Z olefin isomers from the cyclization-oxidation sequence and an acid-catalyzed pinacol-type rearrangement of a vinylsilane are described.