Allyl alcohols stereoselective

The combined action of zinc and tantalum(V) chloride on alkynes generates low-valent tantalum-alkyne complexes, which react with carbonyl compounds to yield ( )-allylic alcohols stereoselectively. The tantalum-6-dodecyne complex, for instance, and j -phenyl-propionaldehyde afford the alcohol 370 in 96% yield. Mixtures of structurally isomeric a,/ -unsaturated ( )-amides 371 and 372 (R, = alkyl or Mc3Si) are obtained from the... 

The Pd-catalyzed hydrogenolysis of vinyloxiranes with formate affords homoallyl alcohols, rather than allylic alcohols regioselectively. The reaction is stereospecific and proceeds by inversion of the stereochemistry of the C—O bond[394,395]. The stereochemistry of the products is controlled by the geometry of the alkene group in vinyloxiranes. The stereoselective formation of stereoisomers of the syn hydroxy group in 630 and the ami in 632 from the ( )-epoxide 629 and the (Z)-epoxide 631 respectively is an example. 

The stereoselective allylic rearrangement of the allylic alcohol 798 catalyzed by PdCl2(MeCN)2 and Ph3P under Mitsunobu inversion conditions is explained as proceeding via a rr-allylpalladium intermediate[496]. The smooth rearrangement of the allylic p-tolylsulfone 799 via a rr-allylpalladium intermediate is catalyzed by a Pd(0) catalyst[497]. 

Dipolar cydoadditions are one of the most useful synthetic methods to make stereochemically defined five-membered heterocydes. Although a variety of dia-stereoselective 1,3-dipolar cydoadditions have been well developed, enantioselec-tive versions are still limited [29]. Nitrones are important 1,3-dipoles that have been the target of catalyzed enantioselective reactions [66]. Three different approaches to catalyzed enantioselective reactions have been taken (1) activation of electron-defident alkenes by a chiral Lewis acid [23-26, 32-34, 67], (2) activation of nitrones in the reaction with ketene acetals [30, 31], and (3) coordination of both nitrones and allylic alcohols on a chiral catalyst [20]. Among these approaches, the dipole/HOMO-controlled reactions of electron-deficient alkenes are especially promising because a variety of combinations between chiral Lewis acids and electron-deficient alkenes have been well investigated in the study of catalyzed enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions. Enantioselectivities in catalyzed nitrone cydoadditions sometimes exceed 90% ee, but the efficiency of catalytic loading remains insufficient. 

Stereoselective preparation of CEi-allyl alcohols via radical elimination from ruin -y-phenylthio-fi-nkro alcohols has been reported. The requisiteruin -fi-nitro sulfides are prepared by protonadon of nitronates at low temperanire Isee Chapter 4, and subsequent treatment v/ith Bu-vSnH induces and eliminadon to givelE -alkenes selecdvely IseeEq. 7.112. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get the pure syu-fi-nitro sulfides. Treatment of a rruxnire of syu- and ruin -fi-nitrosulfides v/ith Bu- SnH results in formadon of a rruxnire of (Ey and lZ -alkenes. 

The emergence of the powerful Sharpless asymmetric epoxida-tion (SAE) reaction in the 1980s has stimulated major advances in both academic and industrial organic synthesis.14 Through the action of an enantiomerically pure titanium/tartrate complex, a myriad of achiral and chiral allylic alcohols can be epoxidized with exceptional stereoselectivities (see Chapter 19 for a more detailed discussion). Interest in the SAE as a tool for industrial organic synthesis grew substantially after Sharpless et al. discovered that the asymmetric epoxidation process can be conducted with catalytic amounts of the enantiomerically pure titanium/tartrate complex simply by adding molecular sieves to the epoxidation reaction mix-... 

The aldehyde function at C-85 in 25 is unmasked by oxidative hydrolysis of the thioacetal group (I2, NaHCOs) (98 % yield), and the resulting aldehyde 26 is coupled to Z-iodoolefin 10 by a NiCh/CrCH-mediated process to afford a ca. 3 2 mixture of diaste-reoisomeric allylic alcohols 27, epimeric at C-85 (90 % yield). The low stereoselectivity of this coupling reaction is, of course, inconsequential, since the next operation involves oxidation [pyridinium dichromate (PDC)] to the corresponding enone and. olefination with methylene triphenylphosphorane to furnish the desired diene system (70-75% overall yield from dithioacetal 9). Deprotection of the C-77 primary hydroxyl group by mild acid hydrolysis (PPTS, MeOH-ClHhCh), followed by Swem oxidation, then leads to the C77-C115 aldehyde 28 in excellent overall yield. 

The data presented demonstrate that allylic sulfoxides can provide an easy and highly stereoselective route to allylic alcohols taking advantage of the facility of the allylic sulfoxide-sulfenate [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. This is of considerable synthetic utility, since a number of stereoselective and useful transformations of allylic alcohols and their derivatives have become available in recent years107-109. 

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. 

When the substrate is an allylic alcohol or amine, the addition is generally anti," though the stereoselectivity can be changed to syn by the use of catecholborane and the rhodium complexes mentioned above. Because the mechanism is different, use of this procedure can result in a change in regioselectivity as well, [e.g., styrene PhCH=CH2 gave PhCH(OH)CH3]. ... 

Potential precursors to stereoselective INOC and ISOC reactions (e.g., 195 and 196, respectively) have been prepared via stereoselective conjugate additions of several allylic alcohols (e.g., 194,X = 0) and an allylic thiol (e.g., 194,X = S) to a chiral (E)-nitro alkene (e. g., 193) that was derived from (P)-2,3-isopropylidene... 

An interesting way to control the stereoselectivity of metathesis-reactions is by intramolecular H-bonding between the chlorine ligands at the Ru-centre and an OH-moiety in the substrate [167]. With this concept and enantiomerically enriched allylic alcohols as substrates, the use of an achiral Ru-NHC complex can result in high diastereoselectivities like in the ROCM of 111-112 (Scheme 3.18). If non-H-bonding substrates are used, the selectivity not only decreases but proceeds in the opposite sense (product 113 and 114). 

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