A Pyrone

Barrelene was obtained via a double Diels-Alder reaction from a-pyrone with methyl acrylate (H.E. Zimmerman, I969A). The primarily forming bicyclic lactone decarboxylates in the heat, and the resulting cyclohexadiene rapidly undergoes another Diels-Alder cyclization. Standard reactions have then been used to eliminate the methoxycarbonyl groups and to introduce C—C double bonds. Irradiation of barrelene produces semibullvalene and cyclooctatetraene (H.E. Zimmerman. 1969B). 

Additional applications are exemplified by the well-known Meystre-Miescher degradation of the bile acid side chain and, more recently, in the preparation of a-pyrones from a,iS-unsaturated lactones. ... 

The use of trifluoromethyl-substituted a-pyrones in Diels-Alder reactions with all types of dienophiles provides an interesting route to trifluoromethyl-benzenes [I/Sj (equation 98)... 

The reaction of ketene with the enamine (113) is reported (88) to give l-morpholino-2-acetyl-l-cyclohexene i.e., the enamino ketone expected from acylation of (113). The pyrrolidine enamine (28), however, has been shown to react (73) with excess ketene to give the a-pyrone (124). On the... 

Methanesulfonyl chloride reacts with enamino ketones (104), (e.g., 151) to give good yields of the enol sulfones (e.g., 152). The analogy with ketene addition to form a-pyrones (Section IV.A) is obvious. 

The reactions of vinylogous amides and vinylogous urethanes with excess ketene were found to give a-pyrones (421), which could also be obtained from further reactions of acylated enamines with ketene (383,421). 

Analogously, the reactions of ketene aminals with ketene or dimethyl ketene gave y-amino-a-pyrones and the linear acylation products, respectively 422). 

Synthesis, structure, and transformations of a-pyrone derivatives, viz., xanthy-rones, glaucyrones, and chelated magnesium enolates 98T8243. 

Coumalic acid, decarboxylation of, apparatus for, 46, 102 to give a-pyrone, 46,101 purification of, 46,102 Coumarilic acid, 46, 29 Coumarone, 46, 28... 

Pyridones from 1,3,5 triketones, 46,60 Pyrolysis, diketene to ketene, 46, SO a-PYRONE, 46,101 in Diels Alder reactions, 46, 104 4-Pyrones, 2,6 disubstituted, from 1,3,5 pentanetnones by acid cycliza tion, 46, 61... 

The general features of this elegant and efficient synthesis are illustrated, in retrosynthetic format, in Scheme 4. Asteltoxin s structure presents several options for retrosynthetic simplification. Disassembly of asteltoxin in the manner illustrated in Scheme 4 furnishes intermediates 2-4. In the synthetic direction, attack on the aldehyde carbonyl in 2 by anion 3 (or its synthetic equivalent) would be expected to afford a secondary alcohol. After acid-catalyzed skeletal reorganization, the aldehydic function that terminates the doubly unsaturated side chain could then serve as the electrophile for an intermolecular aldol condensation with a-pyrone 4. Subsequent dehydration of the aldol adduct would then afford asteltoxin (1). 

A novel use of a chlorofluorocarbon is in the synthesis of a pyrone (30) from 1,1,1-trichlorotrifluoroethane. The key step involves Cu(I) catalysis. Pyrone (30) is a useful CF3 aromatic synthon, as it readily underwent (4 + 2) cycloaddition followed by spontaneous elimination of C02 (85-TL3947). 

Dihydro-2f/-pyran-2-one has been prepared by reductive cycliza-tion of 5-hydroxy-2-pentynoic acid [2-Pentynoic acid, 5-hydroxy-], which is obtained in two steps from acetylene [Ethyne] and ethylene oxide [Oxirane] 3 and by the reaction of dihydropyran [277-Pyran, 3,4-dihydro-] with singlet oxygen [Oxygen, singlet].4,5 2ff-Pyran-2-one has been prepared by pyrolysis of heavy metal salts of coumalic acid [2//-Pyran-5-carboxylic acid, 2-oxo-],8 by pyrolysis of a-pyrone-6-carboxylic acid [211 - Pyran-6-carboxyl ic acid, 2-oxo-] over copper,7 and by pyrolysis of coumalic acid over copper (66-70% yield).8... 

Propionic acid, 2-iodo-3-nitro-, ethyl ester [Propanoic acid, 2-iodo-3-mtro-, ethyl ester], 65 2//-Pyran, 3,4-dihydro-, 51 2//-PYR AN-2-ONE, 49 2H Pyran 2-one, 5 bromo 5,6-dihydro, 50 27/-PYRAN-2-ONE, 5,6 DIHYDRO-, 49 PYRIDINE, 2,3,4,5 TETRAHYDRO, 118 Pyridines, -substituted, 34 a Pyrone-6-carboxyhc acid [2H Pyran-6-Larboxyhc acid 2-oxo ], 51 Pyrroles, 34... 

Fig. 6 RCM-based formation and synthetic potential of dihydropyrans VIII and a-pyrones II...

The course of the reaction has not been fully clarified. Hydrolytic and aromatization processes are probably responsible for the formation of colored or fluorescent deriva4 tives (cf. Potassium Hydroxide Reagent). For instance, sevin is converted to a-naphthalkali metal salt of the o-hydroxycinnamic acid pro- duced by hydrolytic cleavage of the pyrone ring is converted from the non-fluorescent cis- to the fluorescent trans-form by the action of long-wavelength UV light (X = 365 nm) [2]. 

Scheme 15. Thermal cycloaddition of a-pyrone to sila[3]pericycline 74...

BINOL in conjunction with TiCl2(0-/-Pr)2 gives good enantioselectivity in a D-A reaction with a pyrone as the diene.116 This is a case of an inverse electron demand reaction and the catalysts would be complexed to the diene. 

Later, a nickel-catalyzed cascade conversion of propargyl halides and propargyl alcohol into a pyrone in water was reported. The reaction involved a carbonylation by CO and a cyanation by KCN (Eq. 4.55).96 Recently, Gabriele et al. explored a facile synthesis of maleic acids by palladium catalyzed-oxidative carbonylation of terminal alkynes in aqueous DME (1,2-dimethoxyethane) (Eq. 4.56).97... 

The lactone-peroxides 17 are derived from the corresponding ot-pyrones. Singlet oxygenation at low temperature affords the unstable a-pyrone endoperoxides which, on warming up, readily decarboxylate into 1,2-diacylethylenes. However, subambient diimide reduction leads to the desired lactone peroxides 17 (Eq. 12)29). 

The pharmacological potential of this tree is unexplored. Note that Cryptocarya species are very interesting, as they have the tendency to elaborate a series of stilbenes derivatives known as a-pyrones (112,113). The neuropharmacological potential of such... 

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