Face Selectivity of the Diels-Alder Additions of Sulfur-Substituted Dienes and Tetraenes Grafted onto 7-Oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes

Stereoselective synthesis of 2-methylidene-3-[(Z)-(2-nitrophenylsulfenyl)methylidene]-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]-heptane ( 16 ), 1,4-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5,8-dimethoxy-2-methylidene-3-[(Z)-(2-nitrophenylsulfenyl)methylidene]anthracene ( 18 ), and 1,4-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5,8-dimethyoxy-2-methylidene-3-[(Z)-(phenylsulfenyl)-methylidene]anthracene ( 19 ) are presented. The Diels-Alder additions of these S-substituted dienes and those of 2,5-dimethylidene-3,6-bis{[(Z)-(2-nitrophenyl)sulfenyl]methylidene}-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane ( 17 ) have been found to be face selective and ‘ortho’ regiospecific. The face selectivity depends on the nature of the dienophile. It is exo-face selective with bulky dienophiles such as ethylene-tetracarbonitrile (TCNE) and 2-nitro-1-butene and endo-face selective with methyl vinyl ketone, methyl acrylate, and 3-butyn-2-one. In the presence of a Lewis acid, the face selectivity of the Diels-Alder reaction can be reversed. The addition of the first equivalent of a dienophile to tetraene 17 is at least 100 times faster than the addition of the second equivalent of the same dienophile to the corresponding mono-adduct. The X-ray structure of the crystalline bis-adduct 43 , a 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene system annellated to two cyclohexene rings, resulting from the successive additions of methyl acrylate and methyl vinyl ketone to tetraene 17 is presented. Only one of the two endocyclic double bonds of the 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene deviates from planarity, the substituents bending towards the endo face by 5.7°.     

The Synthesis of (±)-11-Deoxydaunomycinone via Regioselective Tandem Diels-Alder Reactions

The 2,5-dimethylidene-3,6-bis[(Z)-(2-nitrophenyl)sulfenylmethylidene]-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane ( 13 ) can be used to generate polyfunctional and multicyclic molecules with high regio- and stereoselectivity via two successive Diels-Alder additions using two different dienophiles. This principle has been applied to the synthesis of (±)-11-deoxydaunomycinone ( 7 ), the aglycone of an important antitumor drug. The 2,3-didehydroanisole adds to 13 and gives the monoadduct 14 with high regioselectivity. No trace of bis-adduct is observed. The 1,4-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5-methoxy-3-methylidene-2-[(Z)-(2-nitrophenyl)sulfenylmethylidene]anthracene ( 15 ) obtained on treating 14 with K₂CO₃ adds to methyl vinyl ketone to give [(1RS, 2SR, 5RS,12RS)-5,12-epoxy-1,2,3,4,5,12-hexahydro-7-methoxy-1-(2-nitrophenyl)sulfenyl-2-naphthacenyl]methyl ketone ( 16 ) with high regio- and stereoselectivity. The acid-catalyzed 7-oxanorbornadiene→phenol rearrangement of 16 is regioselective and gives (5-acetoxy-3,4-dihydro-7-methoxy-2-naphthacenyl) methyl ketone ( 20 ) which was transformed into (±)-7,11-dideoxydaunomycinone ((±)- 24 ), a known precursor of 7 .