Alkenes, with acids stereochemistry

Diols can be prepared either by direct hydroxylation of an alkene with 0s04 followed by reduction with NaHSOj or by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of an epoxide (Section 7.8). The 0s04 reaction occurs with syn stereochemistry to give a cis diol, and epoxide opening occurs with anti stereochemistry to give a trans diol. 

The 1,1-cycloaddition process also occurs in nonphotolytic reactions involving azomethine ylides. Thermolysis of oxazolinone (147) led to a 3,5-fused bicyclic dihydropyrrole in 80% yield.72 The alkene stereochemistry was maintained in the product, although subsequent photolysis scrambled the methyl and trideuteromethyl groups. Nondeuterated oxazolinone gave the cyclization product which was converted to a dihydropyridine on warming with acid.74... 

It has been long established that Lewis acid-catalysed [2+2] cycloaddition of ketenes and carbonyl compounds provides access to 2-oxetanones. In the development of this reaction prior to 1996, there has been a specific focus on controlling the stereochemistry of the /3-lactone product and cycloadditions have been achieved between trimethyl-silylketene and aldehydes with up to 90% stereoselectivity, as discussed in CHEC-II(1996) <1996CHEC-II(1)721>. CHEC(1984) and CHEC-II(1996) also discuss examples of the Lewis acid-catalyzed, nonphotolytic [2+2] cycloaddition of electron-rich alkenes with aldehydes or ketones <1984CHEC(7)363, 1996GHEC-II(1)721>. While this method can have some advantages over the photolytic reaction in terms of regioselectivity, no examples of this reaction have been reported in recent years. 

Treatment of an alkene with a strong acid, such as sulfuric acid, that has a relatively nonnucleophilic conjugate base results in the addition of the elements of water (H and OH) to the double bond. This reaction has many similarities to the addition of the halogen acids described in Section 11.2. First H+ adds to produce a carbocation and then water acts as the nucleophile. The reaction follows Markovnikov s rule and the stereochemistry is that expected for a reaction that involves a carbocation—loss of stereochemistry. Some examples are provided in the following equations. Note that the mechanism is the exact reverse of the El mechanism for acid-catalyzed dehydration of alcohols described in Section 10.13. 

Examination of this mechanism suggests that the nature of the R group should not make much difference in the reaction. In fact, a number of different percarboxylic acids can be used to epoxidize alkenes, as illustrated in the following examples. As expected, the additions occur with syn stereochemistry. 

Stabilizing the transition state when the epoxidation is occurring syn. This hydrogen bond means that peroxy-acid epoxidations of alkenes with adjacent hydroxyl groups are much faster than epoxidations of simple alkenes, even when no stereochemistry is involved. 

The site-selectivity of oxidations by mCPBA is demonstrated in the conversion of (4 R = Me or Ph) into the corresponding ene epoxide (5). The product is sensitive to acid, so that the conversion is accomplished in a basic two-phase medium. Normal epoxidation of (6) with mCPBA leads to (7), The stereochemistries for such reactions are shown in the predominant formation of the 3-epoxide (8) (81%) from the parent alkene, with 12% of the a-product. Similar epoxidation of the cannabinol (9) leads to a less stereo-specific isomer distribution of 27.3% and 18.2%. Remarkable stereoselectivity has been shown in the epoxidation of the 14,15-unsaturated oestratrienes (10). Whereas oxidation of 17j3-esters and 17/3-ethers gave 14a,15a-epoxides (< 59%), the 17j3-urethane derivatives displayed a s /w-directive effect to yield 14/3,15j3-epoxides (< 87%). 

Schlosser Synthesis of (E)-alkenes. In contrast to the first two examples, this process does not involve equilibration of stereoisomers. The Schlosser method establishes stereochemistry in a kinetically controlled quenching reaction of an oxido ylide with acid. 

The allylic alcohol was subjected to an Eschenmoser-Claisen rearrangement with dimethylacetamide dimethylacetal to introduce the C14 substituent in a stereoselective manner. Reduction of the amide to the corresponding aldehyde with phenyl silane in the presence of Ti(0/Pr)4 was followed by an acid-promoted closure of the C-ring of codeine. In order to prevent N-oxidation, the amine was converted to the corresponding tosylamide, via debenzylation and treatment with tosyl chloride, before the allylic alcohol was introduced by the reaction of the alkene with selenium dioxide (65). The stereochemistry of the C6 hydroxy functionality was corrected by applying the well-known oxidation/reduction protocol [46, 60] before the benzylic double bond was reductively removed under Birch conditions. Codeine (2) was obtained in 17 steps with an overall yield of approximately 0.6%. 

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