Rearrangement of 4,5-epoxy-9-trimethylsilyldecalines. Application to the synthesis of the natural eremophilane (-)-aristolochene

Several 4,5-epoxy-9-trimethylsilyl-eudesmanes and 15-nor-eudesmanes, having different relative stereochemistry and substitution at the oxirane ring, have been prepared starting from (-)-carvone and subjected to acid-promoted rearrangement. The presence of the silicon at C9 favors two different main reaction pathways involving C14-methyl or C1-methylene migration through the stabilization of a C10 carbocation intermediate. Selective 1,2-migration of the bridgehead methyl group takes place with trisubstituted beta-epoxide and tetrasubstituted alpha-epoxide, yielding 4-hydroxy-eremophilane and 15-nor-eremophilane compounds, while the trisubstituted alpha-epoxide suffers successive rearrangements to give a 1-hydroxy-15-nor-eremophilane through a pathway involving the initial migration of the C1 methylene. The synthetic utility of these rearrangements is shown by the synthesis of natural (-)-aristolochene.