Alcohols, secondary, oxidation with lead tetraacetate

Oxides of copper and silver are used to oxidize secondary alcohols in the vapor phase at 250-300 °C [349] or in the liquid phase at room temperature [380], respectively. A similar effect is achieved with lead tetraacetate in pyridine at room temperature. Benzhydrol is thus converted into benzophenone in 80% yield [442], The oxidation of codeine with silver carbonate requires 1 h of refluxing in benzene to give a 75% yield of codeinone [376],... 

If homolytic reaction conditions (heat and nonpolar solvents) can be avoided and if the reaction is conducted in the presence of a weak base, lead tetraacetate is an efficient oxidant for the conversion of primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. The yield of product is in many cases better than that obtained by oxidation with chromium trioxide. The reaction in pyridine is moderately slow the intial red pyridine complex turns to a yellow solution as the reaction progresses, the color change thus serving as an indicator. The method is surprisingly mild and free of side reactions. Thus 17a-ethinyl-17jS-hydroxy steroids are not attacked and 5a-hydroxy-3-ket-ones are not dehydrated. 

Barton oxidation was the key to form the 1,2-diketone 341 in surprisingly high yield, in order to close the five-membered ring (Scheme 38). The conditions chosen for the deprotection of the aldehyde, mercuric oxide and boron trifluoride etherate, at room temperature, immediately led to aldol 342. After protection of the newly formed secondary alcohol as a benzoate, the diketone was fragmented quantitatively with excess sodium hypochlorite. Cyclization of the generated diacid 343 to the desired dilactone 344 proved very difficult. After a variety of methods failed, the use of lead tetraacetate (203), precedented by work performed within the stmcmre determination of picrotoxinin (1), was spectacularly successful (204). In 99% yield, the simultaneous formation of both lactones was achieved. EIcb reaction with an excess of tertiary amine removed the benzoate of 344 and the double bond formed was epoxidized with peracid affording p-oxirane 104 stereoselectively. Treatment of... 

Some oxidants are rather specific in their action and tend to bring about a preferred type of oxidation. A few such oxidants are periodate ion, lead tetraacetate, bismuthate ion, or trivalent silver, which oxidize adjacent secondary alcohol groups with chain cleavage to dialdehydes, and nitrogen dioxide, which preferentially oxidizes primary alcohol groups to carboxyl groups. 

Moving forward from 59, six steps were required to convert this compound to 60. Vicinal dihydroxylation of the olefin was followed by oxidative cleavage of the intermediate diol using lead tetraacetate. Reductive amina-tion of the resulting aldehyde with methylamine, followed by acylation of the intermediate secondary amine gave the desired carbamate. Swern oxidation of the secondary alcohol, followed by enol ether formation gave 60. Elimination of -toluenesulfinic acid from 60 provided 61. Oxidation of this dienol ether to dienone 62 was followed by release of the secondary amine, followed by a conjugate addition reaction to establish the critical C-N bond. The remainder of the synthesis followed known chemistry. The mixture of enones 63 was converted to codeinone (35), codeine (3) and then morphine (1). 

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