Allyl alcohols 1,3-diene synthesis

In addition to the synthetic applications related to the stereoselective or stereospecific syntheses of various systems, especially natural products, described in the previous subsection, a number of general synthetic uses of the reversible [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic sulfoxides are presented below. Several investigators110-113 have employed the allylic sulfenate-to-sulfoxide equilibrium in combination with the syn elimination of the latter as a method for the synthesis of conjugated dienes. For example, Reich and coworkers110,111 have reported a detailed study on the conversion of allylic alcohols to 1,3-dienes by sequential sulfenate sulfoxide rearrangement and syn elimination of the sulfoxide. This method of mild and efficient 1,4-dehydration of allylic alcohols has also been shown to proceed with overall cis stereochemistry in cyclic systems, as illustrated by equation 25. The reaction of trans-46 proceeds almost instantaneously at room temperature, while that of the cis-alcohol is much slower. This method has been subsequently applied for the synthesis of several natural products, such as the stereoselective transformation of the allylic alcohol 48 into the sex pheromone of the Red Bollworm Moth (49)112 and the conversion of isocodeine (50) into 6-demethoxythebaine (51)113. 

Suitably positioned vinyl halide can undergo Heck-type intramolecular coupling to generate dienes (equations 124 and 125)216,217. When one of the reacting partners in the Heck reaction is a diene, trienes are obtained (equation 126)218. Heck coupling of ally lie alcohols and alkenyl iodides has been employed for the synthesis of vitamin A and related compounds (equation 127)219,220. A similar double Heck reaction on a Cio-diiodide with a Cis-allylic alcohol leads to -carotene as a mixture of isomers (equation 128)209e. 

Chiral alkenyl and cycloalkenyl oxiranes are valuable intermediates in organic synthesis [38]. Their asymmetric synthesis has been accomplished by several methods, including the epoxidation of allyl alcohols in combination with an oxidation and olefination [39a], the epoxidation of dienes [39b,c], the chloroallylation of aldehydes in combination with a 1,2-elimination [39f-h], and the reaction of S-ylides with aldehydes [39i]. Although these methods are efficient for the synthesis of alkenyl oxiranes, they are not well suited for cycloalkenyl oxiranes of the 56 type (Scheme 1.3.21). Therefore we had developed an interest in the asymmetric synthesis of the cycloalkenyl oxiranes 56 from the sulfonimidoyl-substituted homoallyl alcohols 7. It was speculated that the allylic sulfoximine group of 7 could be stereoselectively replaced by a Cl atom with formation of corresponding chlorohydrins 55 which upon base treatment should give the cycloalkenyl oxiranes 56. The feasibility of a Cl substitution of the sulfoximine group had been shown previously in the case of S-alkyl sulfoximines [40]. 

Much effort has been devoted to the synthesis of derivatives of chroman-6-ols as model compounds for studies of the chemistry of the tocopherols. Many routes concentrate on the acid-catalyzed alkylation of substituted benzene-1,4-diols by allyl alcohols or dienes. Trimethylhydroquinone and isoprene react in acetic acid in the presence of zinc chloride to give 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethylchroman-6-ol (39JOC311) isomer formation is not possible here and so the route is particularly attractive. 

Another approach in the study of the mechanism and synthetic applications of bromination of alkenes and alkynes involves the use of crystalline bromine-amine complexes such as pyridine hydrobromide perbromide (PyHBts), pyridine dibromide (PyBn), and tetrabutylammonium tribromide (BiMNBn) which show stereochemical differences and improved selectivities for addition to alkenes and alkynes compared to Bn itself.81 The improved selectivity of bromination by PyHBn forms the basis for a synthetically useful procedure for selective monoprotection of the higher alkylated double bond in dienes by bromination (Scheme 42).80 The less-alkylated double bonds in dienes can be selectively monoprotected by tetrabromination followed by monodeprotection at the higher alkylated double bond by controlled-potential electrolysis (the reduction potential of vicinal dibromides is shifted to more anodic values with increasing alkylation Scheme 42).80 The question of which diastereotopic face in chiral allylic alcohols reacts with bromine has been probed by Midland and Halterman as part of a stereoselective synthesis of bromo epoxides (Scheme 43).82... 

Iron carbonyls have been used in stoichiometric and catalytic amounts for a variety of transformations in organic synthesis. For example, the isomerization of 1,4-dienes to 1,3-dienes by formation of tricarbonyl(ri4-l,3-diene)iron complexes and subsequent oxidative demetallation has been applied to the synthesis of 12-prostaglandin PGC2 [10], The photochemically induced double bond isomerization of allyl alcohols to aldehydes [11] and allylamines to enamines [12,13] can be carried out with catalytic amounts of iron carbonyls (see Section 1.4.3). 

An example with stereochemistry comes in the synthesis of halicholactone by Takemoto.17 The diene 67 (the various R groups are protecting groups) gives only one cyclopropane the allylic alcohol alone reacts and the cyclopropane appears on the same face of the alkene as the allylic OH group 68. 

Ferulic acid, a phenolic acid that can be found in rapeseed cake, has been used in the synthesis of monomers for ADMET homo- and copolymerization with fatty acid-based a,co-dienes [139]. Homopolymerizations were performed in the presence of several ruthenium-based olefin metathesis catalysts (1 mol% and 80°C), although only C5, the Zhan catalyst, and catalyst M5i of the company Umicore were able to produce oligomers with Tgs around 7°C. The comonomers were prepared by epoxidation of methyl oleate and erucate followed by simultaneous ring opening and transesterification with allyl alcohol. Best results for the copolymerizations were obtained with the erucic acid-derived monomer, reaching a crystalline polymer (Tm — 24.9°C) with molecular weight over 13 kDa. 

A concentrated solution of LiCl04 in EtzO is effective in the allylation of silyl enolates with allyl alcohols and acetates.310 The LiClCL-promoted reaction with silyl enolates enables ring opening of 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octa-2,6-dienes to highly functionalized 1,4-cycloheptadienes, which can be further manipulated for use in natural product synthesis (Equation (83)).311... 

In 2002 the same author demonstrated the usefulness of this method in a rather demanding context including an intramolecular cycloaddition with an W-sulfinyl urea as a new type of N-sulfinyl dienophile (Scheme 60) [144]. As key steps in the total synthesis of freshwater cyanobacterial hepatotoxins, ( , )-diene 238 was transformed into N-sulfinyl urea 239 which immediately cycloadds intramolecularly yielding tricycle 240 as a single isomer in excellent yield. After reaction with phenylmagnesium bromide the intermediate allylic sulfoxide rearranges cleanly to diastereomerically pure allylic alcohol... 

Another isohypsic transformation of special significance involves elimination of H-X elements from allylic derivatives to form 1,3-dienes. Besides being extremely important compounds as monomers, 1,3-dienes occupy a unique position in synthetic practice as components in the Diels-Alder reaction. One of the common routes of synthesis of 1,3-dienes also employs a vinyl Grignard addition to carbonyl compounds as the initial step (Scheme 2.55). Allylic alcohols thus formed can easily undergo 1,2-elimination (in some cases it is preferable first to transform the alcohols into their respective acetates). 

Heck reaction is a diene, trienes are obtained (equation l26). Heck coupling of allylic alcohols and alkenyl iodides has been employed for the synthesis of vitamin A and related compounds (equation A similar double Heck reaction on a Cio-diiodide with... 

The role of allylic sulfoxides as homoaldol equivalents in the synthesis of ( )-allylic alcohols was summarized earlier. A more recent finding is that allylic sulfoxides are precursors for conjugated dienes (equation 70). The elimination is regioselective but stereorandom. The 2,3-rearrangement of propar-gylic sulfenates gives allenyl sulfoxides. Allenyl sulfoxides are valuable synthetic intermediates. They can be converted into stereochemically homogeneous allenes, e.g. (205 equation 71). ... 

When the reaction was performed on a 100 mg scale, the diene was obtained in 55% yield as a mixture of ( )- and (Z)-stereoisomers. However, when the scale was increased to lOOg, various by-products, such as cyclized products or alkyl group-migrated compounds, were produced presumably because of acid-catalyzed reactions of the diene. The formation of such by-products can be reduced using a microflow system composed of a micromixer and a microtube reactor. Thus, a solution of the allylic alcohol in tetrahydrofuran (THF) was mixed with a solution of p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) in THF/toluene at 90 °C. After the reaction mixture was allowed to flow for 47 s, the reaction was quenched with a saturated NaHCOs solution at room temperature. In this case the desired diene was obtained in 80% yield. It is noteworthy that the acid-mediated by-products were not detected. This process was applied to the synthesis of pristane, a biologically important natural product that is widely used as an adjuvant for monoclonal antibody production. 

The diene alcohol derivative 68 is used to prepare the starting material 69 for an intramolecular hetero-Diels-Alder reaction to give a new heterocyclic ring 70 that can be cleaved with phenyl Grignard to release a sulfoxide 71 for the preparation of a new allylic alcohol 72. Notice that the stereochemistry of the sulfoxide is shown and that there is complete control over 2D and 3D stereochemistry. The allylic alcohol 72 was used in Weinreb s synthesis of toxins10 produced by fresh water blue-green algae. 

The many recent publications affirm the importance of this reaction in modem synthesis. Tanaka and Takemoto s synthesis of the marine metabolite halicholactone uses a sulfoxide route to the allylic alcohol 115. Notice the suprafacial [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement and that the OH group ends up in the middle of the diene. Attempted cyclopropanation of 115 gave a poor yield of a mixture of products.21... 

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