Epoxidations allenes, dimethyldioxirane

Epoxidation of allenes.1 The spirodioxides formed by epoxidation of allenes are unstable to acids, and only hindered ones have been obtained on epoxidation with peracids. They can be obtained, however, in 90-95% yield by epoxidation of allenes (even monosubstituted ones) with dimethyldioxirane in acetone buffered with solid K2C03. 

Epoxidation of amidoallenes with dimethyldioxirane leads to allene oxides as reactive intermediates which can be trapped with dienes in a [4+ 3]-cycloaddition reaction. Exposure of a mixture of amidoallene 177 with cydopentadiene to a small excess of dimethyldioxirane at -45 °C produced endo-bicydooctanone 178 in 60% yield (Eq. 13.60) [69]. The allene oxide is electrophilic, since no reaction takes place with methyl acrylate. 

The reaction of allenes with peracids and other oxygen transfer reagents such as dimethyldioxirane (DM DO) or hydrogen peroxide proceeds via allene oxide intermediates (Scheme 17.17). The allene oxide moiety is a versatile functionality. It encompasses the structural features of an epoxide, an olefin and an enol ether. These reactive intermediates may then isomerize to cyclopropanones, react with nucleophiles to give functionalized ketones or participate in a second epoxidation reaction to give spirodioxides, which can react further with a nucleophile to give hydroxy ketones. 

The preparation of the allene bis-epoxide 1 started with isovaleraldehyde 9. Addition of the protected propargyl alcohol 10 under the Carreira conditions led to 11 in > 95% . Mesylation followed by displacement with methyl cuprate provided the allene without loss of enantiomeric excess. Oxidation of the allene 12 with dimethyldioxirane could have led to any of the four diastereomers of the spiro bis epoxide. In the event, only two diastereomers were observed, as a 3 1 mixture. That 1 was the major diastereomer followed from its conversion to 3. The configuration of the minor diastereromer was not noted. Exposure of 1 to nucleophilic azide then gave the easily-purified 2. 

Simple allenes (209) react with dimethyldioxirane (200) to give the corresponding spiro-dioxides 210 in instances where diastereoisomeric spiro-dioxides are possible, there is usually an acceptable stereochemical preference for epoxidation to occur anti to the alkyl substituents324,325. Allenic alcohol 211 yields the highly functionalized tetrahydro-furan 212 and tetrahydropyran derivatives by intramolecular nucleophilic addition of the hydroxy group to an intermediate allene diepoxide324. 

AMI and PM3 calculations reveal that epoxidations by DMDO and TFDO involve peroxide-bond cr at a very early stage and that TFDO is the most reactive dioxirane as the CF3 group in it stabilizes this cr level. In accord with previous calculations a spiro transition state is predicted. Furthermore, allene is predicted to be less reactive than alkenes toward epoxidation by DMDO.192 DFT calculations on the oxidation of primary amines by dimethyldioxirane predict a late transition state with a barrier of 17.7 kcal mol-1 which is drastically lowered by hydrogen bonding to the O—O bond to just 1.3 kcal mol-1 in protic solvents.193... 

Excellent reviews on dioxirane-mediated oxidations have appeared. One of the most eharacteristic points is that dioxiranes can be applied to the epoxidation of labile olefins such as enol ethers, enol acrylates, allenes and others. Dioxiranes have also been utilized for phenolic oxidation, but in relatively rare cases. Oxidation of simple phenols and anisoles with dimethyldioxirane (544) provided only a complex mixture, so that hindered phenols are more favorable. On treatment with dimethyldioxirane (4 equiv.) in acetone, 2,4-di(terf-butyl)phenol (216) was oxidized to afford in 79% yield the corresponding o-benzoquinone 220, which reacted with 544 and aq. NaHS03 to give catechol 545. Dimethyldioxirane-promoted oxidation of 545 provided again a quantitative yield of 220. Further oxidation of 220 produced a 52% yield of two epoxides 546 and 547 in a ratio of 1 20. Oxidation of thymol (548) was effected with dimethyldioxirane in acetone to afford fhe four oxidation producfs 549-552 in 10, 20, 10 and 10% yields, respectively (Scheme 102). ... 

---