Allyl alcohols arene alkylation

All types of electrophiles have been used with 2-lithio-l,3-dithiane derivatives, including alkyl halides, sulfonates, sulfates, allylic alcohols, arene-metal complexes, epoxides, aziridines, carbonyl compounds, imines, Michael-acceptors, carbon dioxide, acyl chlorides, esters and lactones, amides, nitriles, isocyanates, disulfides and chlorotrialkylsilanes or stannanes. The final deprotection of the dithioacetal moiety can be carried out by means of different types of reagents in order to regenerate the carbonyl group by heavy metal coordination, alkylation and oxidation184 or it can be reduced to a methylene group with Raney-nickel, sodium or LiAIII4. 

Allyl alcohols and ethers also react with arenes in the presence of Lewis and Brpnsted acid catalysts to give alkylated products. The nature of the product depends upon the natiu of the Lewis acid. However, in most cases the products are mixtures of regioisomeric allylated arenes. 

Friedel-Crafts reactions. Alkylation of arenes with benzylic and allylic alcohols is achieved with Sc(OT03 as catalyst. An interesting variant is the reductive benzylation using arenecarbaldehydes and l,3-propanediol. The diol serves as a reductant. 

Friedel-Crafts alkylations of arenes with mesylates, benzyl or allyl alcohols, aldehyde/diol combinations (reductive alkylation), 1,3-dienes, or alkenes in an ionic liquid are also effectively catalyzed by Sc(OTf)3. Sc(OTf)3 works as an efficient catalyst for the condensation reaction of trimethylhydroquinone with isophytol to afford a-tocopherol. 2-Aminoalkylation of phenols with a-iminoacetates (or glyoxylate/amine) is catalyzed by Sc(OTf)3 to produce amino acid derivatives. The Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed alkylations of indoles with a-hydroxy esters, aziri-dines, acetals, and aldehydes have been utilized as key steps of total syntheses as exemplified in eq 15. ... 

The first systematic investigations of the catalytic Friedel-Crafts-type reaction with alcohols and olefines were performed by Yamamoto and colleagues. After reporting the development of a Pd-catalyzed method for the allylation of different naphthol derivatives [24], the authors used Mo(CO)g for the Friedel-Crafts-type alkylation of electron-rich arenes with allyl acetates [25], The same molybdenum catalyst was additionally used for a Friedel-Crafts-type alkylation of arenes using 1-phenylethanol and styrene as alkylating reagents [26], However, Mo(CO)g is toxic and must be handled under strictly inert conditions. Thus, more stable Lewis acids were necessary. 

Beside the Friedel-Crafts-type alkylation of arenes, the direct functionalization of 2,4-pentanediones is of great interest in Lewis acid catalysis. Although Pd-catalyzed Tsuji-Trost type allylations of 1,3-diketones are known, direct benzylation procedures catalyzed by Lewis acids are less explored [40-43]. Based on the previously described Friedel-Crafts alkylation of arenes and heteroarenes, the Rueping group developed a Bi(OTf)3-catalyzed benzylation of 2,4-pentanediones. Alcohols such as benzyl, allyl or cinnamyl alcohols were used as the electrophilic component to yield important 2-alkylated 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. Initially, different Bi(III) salts were screened. In contrast... 

The concept of a diastereoselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of a-chiral benzyl alcohols was first examined by Bach and coworkers [62, 63]. The initial protocol required stoichiometric amounts of strong Brpnsted acids like HBF4 and was followed by a more valuable methodology in which catalytic amounts of AuC L were employed for the diastereoselective functionalization of chiral benzyl alcohols [64], Beside arenes, allyl silanes, 2,4-pentanediones and silyl enol ethers have been used as nucleophiles. Depending on the diastereodiscriminating group and on the catalyst (Brpnsted or Lewis acid), the authors observed either the syn or the anti diastereoisomer as the major product. 

Scheme 27 Diastereoselective alkylation of propargyl alcohols with silyl enol ethers, allyl silanes and electron-rich arenes...

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