A-Tocopherol synthesis

The stereochemical consequences of the cyclization of some 3-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)pro-pan-l-ols (247) have been investigated, with a view to optimizing the chiral economy of a tocopherol synthesis from (S)-chroman-2-carboxylic acid (81JOC2445). It was observed that acid-catalyzed dehydration occurred with retention of configuration and it was proposed (79JA6710) that the process involved the formation of a hemiketal through nucleophilic attack by the side-chain hydroxy group on the keto tautomer. 

Synthesis of the enantiomerically pure (5)-chroman-2-carbaldehyde (257) follows a similar route to the above, but the chirality is introduced through the ketone (256) (82CC205). A particularly interesting feature of this synthesis is the derivation of the diol (255) from 2-methyl-3-(2-furyl)propenal using fermenting baker s yeast. Furthermore, the fermentation also produces the chiral alcohol (258), a source of the C15 unit which is the second component along with the aldehyde (257) in an a-tocopherol synthesis. 

Gan Fanyuna, Xu Chun, Zheng Guangzhi. 1992 Effect of ginseng-oligosaccharin M on the growth rate and a-tocopherol synthesis in cultured cell of Carthamus tinctorius. Acta Phytophysiologica Sinica, 18 355-360. 

X5lenol is an important starting material for insecticides, xylenol—formaldehyde resins, disinfectants, wood preservatives, and for synthesis of a-tocopherol (vitamin E) (258) and i7/-a-tocopherol acetate (USP 34-50/kg, October 1994). The Bayer insecticide Methiocarb is manufactured by reaction of 3,5-x5lenol with methylsulfenyl chloride to yield 4-methylmercapto-3,5-xylenol, followed by reaction with methyl isocyanate (257). Disinfectants and preservatives are produced by chlorination to 4-chloro- and 2,4-dich1oro-3,5-dimethylpheno1 (251). 

Fig. 3. Synthesis via trimethyUiydroquinone [700-13-0] (TMHQ) (13) and isophytol [505-32-8] (14) of a-tocopherol (15a) and a-tocopherol acetate (15b).

Woodward-Eschenmoser method, 4, 431-440 neo-Vitamin B,2, 4, 421 Vitamin C — see Ascorbic acid Vitamin E — see a-Tocopherol Vitamin K epoxide, 7, 119 synthesis, 1, 439 Vitamins heterocyclic... 

Scheme 9. Synthesis of the side chain of a-tocopherol by Noyori et al.

The term vitamin E describes a family of eight antioxidants, four tocopherols, alpha (a), beta ((3), gamma (y) and delta (8), and four tocotrienols (also a, (3, y, and 8). a-Tocopherol is present in nature in only one form, RRR a-tocopherol. The chemical synthesis of a-tocopherol results in eight different forms (SRR, SSR, SRS, SSS, RSR, RRS, RSS, RRR), only one of which is RRR a-tocopherol. These forms differ in that they can be right (R) or left (S) at three different places in the a-tocopherol molecule. RRR a-tocopherol is the only form of vitamin E that is actively maintained in the human body and is therefore the form of vitamin E found in the largest quantities in the blood and tissue. A protein synthesized in the liver (a-TTP alpha-tocopherol transfer protein) preferentially selects the natural form of vitamin E (RRR a-tocopherol) for distribution to the tissues. However, the mechanisms for the regulation of vitamin E in tissues are not known... 

The carbanions of 1-alkenyl sulphoxides 400 also react with carbonyl compounds to give the corresponding condensation products384 (equation 237). Solladie and Moine have used this type of reaction in their enantiospecific synthesis of the chroman ring of a-tocopherol 401. Addition of the lithio reagent 402 to the aldehyde 403 affords the allylic alcohol 404 in 75% yield as a sole diastereoisomer481 (equation 238). 

Encouraged by the short synthesis of K vitamins, the chromium-mediated benzannulation was extended to the synthesis of vitamin E 68 [59]. The problem of imperfect regioselectivity of alkyne incorporation - which did not hamper the approach to vitamin K due to the final oxidation to the quinone - was tackled by demethylation of both regioisomeric hydroquinone monomethyl ethers 67 to give the unprotected hydroquinone. Subsequent ring closure yielded a-tocopherol (vitamin E) 68 (Scheme 39). 

Examples of the use of dimethylsulfonium methylide and dimethylsulfoxonium methylide are listed in Scheme 2.21. Entries 1 to 5 are conversions of carbonyl compounds to epoxides. Entry 6 is an example of cyclopropanation with dimethyl sulfoxonium methylide. Entry 7 compares the stereochemistry of addition of dimethylsulfonium methylide to dimethylsulfoxonium methylide for nornborn-5-en-2-one. The product in Entry 8 was used in a synthesis of a-tocopherol (vitamin E). 

Tocopherol can be produced as the pure 2R,4 R,8 R stereoisomer from natural vegetable oils. This is the most biologically active of the stereoisomers. The correct side-chain stereochemistry can be obtained using a process that involves two successive enantioselective hydrogenations.28 The optimum catalyst contains a 6, 6 -dimethoxybiphenyl phosphine ligand. This reaction has not yet been applied to the enantioselective synthesis of a-tocopherol because the cyclization step with the phenol is not enantiospecific. 

S )-3-nydroxy-2-mcthylpropanoic acid, 13-A, can be obtained in enantiomeri-cally pure form from isobutyric acid by a microbiological oxidation. The aldehyde 13-B is available from a natural product, pulegone, also in enantiomerically pure form. Devise a synthesis of enantiomerically pure 13-C, a compound of interest as a starting material for the synthesis of a-tocopherol (vitamin E). 

FIGURE 6.21 Synthesis of 6-0-acetyl-5-nitro-a-tocopherol (27) and four resonance forms of the cationic intermediate (26). 

FIGURE 6.33 Synthesis of 5a-bromo-a-tocopherol (46) from a-tocopherol (1) according to an oxidation-addition mechanism involving the o-QM intermediate 3. 

The reaction of 5a-bromo-a-tocopherol (46) with amines was further elaborated into a procedure to use this compound as a protecting group Toe for amines and amino acids (Fig. 6.35).62 The protection effect was due to a steric blocking of the amino function by the bulky tocopheryl moiety rather than due to conversion into a non-nucleophilic amide derivative, and the Toc-protected amino acids were employed in the synthesis of dipeptides according to the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) coupling method.64 The overall yield of the reaction sequence was reported to be largely dependent on the coupling reaction, since both installation and removal of the... 

Tocopheryl)propionic acid (50) is one of the rare examples that the o-QM 3 is involved in a direct synthesis rather than as a nonintentionally used intermediate or byproduct. ZnCl2-catalyzed, inverse hetero-Diels-Alder reaction between ortho-qui-none methide 3 and an excess of <2-methyl-C,<9-bis-(trimethylsilyl)ketene acetal provided the acid in fair yields (Fig. 6.37).67 The o-QM 3 was prepared in situ by thermal degradation of 5a-bromo-a-tocopherol (46). The primary cyclization product, an ortho-ester derivative, was not isolated, but immediately hydrolyzed to methyl 3-(5-tocopheryl)-2-trimethylsilyl-propionate, subsequently desilylated, and finally hydrolyzed into 50. 

FIGURE 6.37 Synthesis of 3-(5-tocopheryl)-propionic acid (50) by trapping the intermediate ortho-QM 3 with a ketene acetal. Reaction products of 50 are formed in complete analogy to a-tocopherol (1). 

FIGURE 6.39 Synthesis of 4-oxo-a-tocopherol (55) and its oxidative rearrangement into... 

Diirckheimer, W. Cohen, L. A. Mechanisms of a-tocopherol oxidation synthesis of the highly labile 9-hydroxy-a-tocopherone. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1962,9,262-265. 

Rosenau, T. Habicher, W. D. Novel tocopherol compounds-X. A facile synthesis of 0-trimethylsilyl-5a-halo-cx-tocopherols. Tetrahedron Lett. 1997, 38, 5959-5960. 

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