5-Alkyl-2,3-dihydrofurans

Another procedure relies on a domino Michael-O-alkylation reaction sequence to yield a variety of dihydrofurans. Combination of cyclohexanedione (30) with vinyl bromide 50 in the presence of l,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) provides dihydrofuran 51 in 83% yield. Numerous 1,3-dicarbonyls and vinyl bromides are amenable to this methodology, and thus a wide range of products like 51 are available via this strategy. 

Diazomalonic esters, in their behavior towards enol ethers, fit neither into the general reactivity pattern of 2-diazo-l,3-dicarbonyl compounds nor into that of alkyl diazoacetates. With the enol ethers in Scheme 17, no dihydrofurans are obtained as was the case with 2-diazo-l,3-dicarbonyl compounds. Rather, copper-induced cyclo-propanation yielding 70 occurs with ethoxymethylene cyclohexane u4). However,... 

The Cu(I)-catalyzed cyclization for the formation of ethyl ( )-tetrahydro-4-methylene-2-phenyl-3-(phenylsulfonyl)furan-3-carboxylate 82 has been accomplished starting from propargyl alcohol and ethyl 2-phenylsulfonyl cinnamate. Upon treatment with Pd(0) and phenylvinyl zinc chloride as shown in the following scheme, the methylenetetrahydrofuran 82 can be converted to a 2,3,4-trisubstituted 2,5-dihydrofuran. In this manner, a number of substituents (aryl, vinyl and alkyl) can be introduced to C4 <00EJO1711>. Moderate yields of 2-(a-substituted N-tosyIaminomethyl)-2,5-dihydrofurans can be realized when N-tosylimines are treated with a 4-hydroxy-cis-butenyl arsonium salt or a sulfonium salt in the presence of KOH in acetonitrile. The mechanism is believed to involve a new ylide cyclization process <00T2967>. 

As also shown in Scheme 4, when rac-20, prepared from simple alkylation of the corresponding allylic alcohol with allylbromide, is treated with 2 mol% la and the reaction mixture is then treated with 10 mol% (R)-3b and five equivalents of EtMgCI at 70°C, (S)-21 and (3S,4k)-22 are obtained in >99% ee and 41% and 47% yield after silica gel chromatography,respectively (chiral GLC analysis) [5b]. Thus, from simple starting materials and in a single vessel, compounds of excellent optical purity can be obtained efficiently (88% yield). As before, the racemic dihydrofuran intermediate need not be isolated. 

In 1997, Whitby reported that treatment of 2,5-dihydrofuran with Et3Al in the presence of 5 mol% 31 leads to the enantioselective formation of 39 (Scheme 6.13), rather than the product obtained from catalytic carbomagnesations (40) [34]. This outcome can be rationalized on the basis of Dzhemilev s pioneering report that with Et3Al, in contrast to the mechanism that ensues with EtMgCl (see Scheme 6.2), the intermediate alumina-cyclopentane (i) is converted to the corresponding aluminaoxacyclopentane ii. To ensure the predominant formation of 39, catalytic alkylations must be carried out in absence of solvent. 

However, considerable amounts of 2,3-dihydrofuran 50 and tetrahydro-furan-2-carbaldehyde 53 were present because of an isomerization process. The isomerization takes place simultaneously with the hydroformylation reaction. When the 2,5-dihydrofuran 46 reacts with the rhodium hydride complex, the 3-alkyl intermediate 48 is formed. This can evolve to the 2,3-dihydrofuran 50 via /3-hydride elimination reaction. This new substrate can also give both 2- and 3-alkyl intermediates 52 and 48, respectively. Although the formation of the 3-alkyl intermediate 48 is thermodynamically favored, the acylation occurs faster in the 2-alkyl intermediates 52. Regio-selectivity is therefore dominated by the rate of formation of the acyl complexes. The modification of the phosphorus ligand and the conditions of the reaction make it possible to control the regioselectivity and prepare the 2- or 3-substituted aldehyde as the major product [78]. As far as we know, only two... 

Dibromoethane normally reacts with activated methylene groups to produce cyclopropyl derivatives [e.g. 25, 27], but not with 1,3-diphenylpropanone. Unlike the corresponding reaction of 1,3-dibromopropane with the ketone to form 2,6-diphenylcyclohexanone, 1,2-dibromoethane produces 2-benzylidene-3-phenyl-tetrahydrofuran and the isomeric 2-benzyl-3-phenyl-4,5-dihydrofuran via initial C-alkylation followed by ring closure onto the carbonyl oxygen atom (Scheme 6.2) [28],... 

The western part 97 of tylosin aglycon (96), a 16-membered macrolide, has also been synthesized using this Kocienski metalate rearrangement [66]. Treatment of the lithiated dihydrofuran 99 with the stannyl cuprate [67] obtained from Bu3SnLi and CuCN, followed by Mel alkylation, exclusively gave the E vinyl stan-nane 100, in 80% yield. In the last stage, stannyl cupration [68] of the deprotected enyne diol 101 afforded the desired ( , E) stannyl diene 97 in 85% yield. 

A novel homogeneous process for the catalytic rearrangement of 3,4-epoxy-l-butene to 2,5-dihydrofuran has been successfully developed and scaled-up to production scale. A tri(n-alkyl)tin iodide and tetra-(n-alkyl)phosphonium iodide co-catalyst system was developed which met the many requirements for process operation. The production of a minor, non-volatile side product (oligomer) was the dominating factor in the design of catalysts. Liquid-liquid extraction provided the needed catalyst-oligomer separation process. 

Cationic polymerization of furan (53) and alkylated furans is often complicated by the formation of crosslinked, insoluble materials (77MI11102). Early reports postulated 1,2-polyaddition as a primary reaction followed by crosslinking through the resultant dihydrofuran moieties. More recent results (80MI11106) shed considerable doubt on the 1,2-addition sequence, at least beyond the trimer stage. The ultimately formed poly(furans) are believed to be composed mainly of units with structural features similar to those of tetramers (54 Scheme 14). 

Ring opening is common in the alkali metal and liquid ammonia reduction of furans unless an anion stabilizing group is present, so most work has been done with derivatives of furancarboxylic acids. Treatment of furan-2-carboxylic acid with lithium and ammonia at -78 °C followed by rapid addition of ammonium chloride affords 2,5-dihydrofuran-2-carboxylic acid (80%). Reductive alkylation similarly gives 2-alkyl-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-carboxylic acids. This method has been used in a synthesis of rosefuran, the intermediate dihydrofuran (66) being converted into the product (67) by oxidative decarboxylation with... 

Bamford-Stevens reaction of the tosylhydrazones of the readily available tetrahydrofuran-3-ones provides a useful synthesis of 2,3-dihydrofurans which may be dehydrogenated to furans with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-l,4-benzoquinone (66CJC1083). Tetrahydrofuran-2-ones (y-butyrolactones) may be alkylated in the 3-position with LDA and an alkyl halide. The products on reaction with phenyl selenylchloride and LDA, and subsequent oxidation, yield 3-alkylfuran-2(5//)-ones reducible with DIBAL to furans (75JOC542). 

Mono- and di-alkylated furans were synthesized in a one-pot preparation from 2-propynyl-2-tetrahydropyranyl ether (106), butyllithium and formaldehyde. The intermediate allenyl ether (107) presumably cyclizes via a 2-(2-tetrapyranyloxy)-2,5-dihydrofuran (108) to afford the heterocycle (109) (79AG(E)875). In a similar manner, singly and doubly branched tetrahydropyranyloxybutynolates afforded the substituted furans (110) (Scheme 20). The thermocatalytic isomerization of ethyl l-methyl-2-phenylcyclopropene-3-carboxylate yielded the furan, possibly by a 1,3-sigmatropic displacement step or by a non-concerted biradical intermediate (75T2495). 

Most stereoselective alkylations to the lactone intermediates are accomplished using the method reported by Kleinman and co-workers.1201 The dianion form is prepared by treating the lactone with lithium or sodium hexamethyldisilanazide. Then, the reaction between the dianion and an alkyl halide produces the 2-alkylated lactone (Scheme 11, Section 10.6.2). Kleinman and co-workers reported that the ratio of the trans- and ds-lactone is 47 3. When a doubly protected a-amino aldehyde [e.g., dibenzylamino aldehyde, (/ert-butoxycarbonyl)-benzylamino aldehyde] is used, the c/.v-lactone is not obtained. As an example, the alkylation of (55,1 5)-5-[l -[/V-(/< rt-butoxycarbonyl)benzylamino]-2 -phenylethyl]dihydrofuran-2(3/7)-one to produce (3/ ,55,l 5)-3-benzyl-5-[1 -[/V-(/ert-butoxycarbonyl)benzylamino]-2 -phenyl-ethyl]dihydrofuran-2(3//)-one is described in this section. 

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