Sigmatropic rearrangements allylic alcohols

Conjugate addition of vinyllithium or a vinyl Grignard reagent to enones and subsequent oxidation afford the 1.4-diketone 16[25]. 4-Oxopentanals are synthesized from allylic alcohols by [3,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of their vinyl ethers and subsequent oxidation of the terminal double bond. Dihydrojasmone (18) was synthesized from allyl 2-octenyl ether (17) based on Claisen rearrangement and oxidation[25] (page 26). 

A slereoselectrve base catalyzed [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement of allyl ethers to honwallylic alcohols (stereoselectrve)... 

N,O-acetal intermediate 172, y,<5-unsaturated amide 171. It is important to note that there is a correspondence between the stereochemistry at C-41 of the allylic alcohol substrate 173 and at C-37 of the amide product 171. Provided that the configuration of the hydroxyl-bearing carbon in 173 can be established as shown, then the subsequent suprafacial [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement would ensure the stereospecific introduction of the C-37 side chain during the course of the Eschenmoser-Claisen rearrangement, stereochemistry is transferred from C-41 to C-37. Ketone 174, a potential intermediate for a synthesis of 173, could conceivably be fashioned in short order from epoxide 175. 

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. 

The allyl sulphenate-allyl sulphoxide rearrangement is a general reaction and is applicable to structurally diverse allyl alcohols (Table 13). Mechanistically, it represents a typical example of a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement as shown by the detailed investigations of Mislow and Braverman and their coworkers. 

Nucleophilic addition to allenyl sulphoxides 547 proceeds across the a, /(-double bond to produce the corresponding )3-substituted allylic sulphoxides which undergo readily a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement affording substituted allyl alcohols (equation 345). Under proper basic conditions, the initially formed allylic sulphoxides can rearrange to the corresponding vinyl sulphoxides which can be elaborated to 2,4-dienones 549 (equation 346) and a-ketosulphoxides (equation 347) . ... 

As a continuation to the studies by Darwish and Braverman on the [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic sulfinates to sulfones, and in view of its remarkable facility and stereospecificity (see Chapter 13), Braverman and Stabinsky investigated the predictable analogous rearrangement of allylic sulfenates to sulfoxides, namely the reverse rearrangement of that attempted by Cope and coworkers . These authors initiated their studies by the preparation of the claimed allyl trichloromethanesulfenate using the method of Sosnovsky . This method involves the reaction between trichloro-methanesulfenyl chloride and allyl alcohol in ether at 0 °C, in the presence of pyridine (equation 6). 

O-Allyl imidate esters undergo [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements to /V-allyl amides. Trichloromethyl imidates can be made easily from allylic alcohols by reaction with trichloroacetonitrile. The rearrangement then provides trichloroacetamides of IV-allylamines.260... 

Sulfoxide elimination in conjunction with [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement has been used to convert allylic alcohols to dienes. 

Selenium dioxide is a useful reagent for allylic oxidation of alkenes. The products can include enones, allylic alcohols, or allylic esters, depending on the reaction conditions. The mechanism consists of three essential steps (a) an electrophilic ene reaction with Se02, (b) a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement that restores the original location of the double bond, and (c) solvolysis of the resulting selenium ester.183... 

Allylic nitro compounds undergo [2.3]sigmatropic rearrangement to afford rearranged alcohols, as shown in Eq. 7.4346 and Eq. 7.44 47 Because the allylic nitro compounds used in these reactions are readily prepared either by the Henry reaction or the Michael addition, these reactions may be useful in organic synthesis. 

The [3, 3] sigmatropic rearrangement of allyl vinyl ethers is known as Claisen rearrangement. Allylic alcohols can be converted to allyl vinyl ethers by mercuric acetate catalysed exchange with ethyl vinyl ether. The allyl vinyl ether need not be isolated because it undergoes rearrangement to 4-pentenal. 

The cycloaddition of allenyl sulfoxide 135 and cydopentadiene occurred at room temperature, giving the single adduct 136. The initially formed allylic sulfoxide underwent a rapid [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. Treatment of 136 with trimethyl phosphite furnished alcohol 137. It should be noted that the reaction of methyl 4-hydroxy-2-butynoate with cydopentadiene failed to give 137. Thus, the allene 135 is considered as a masked and more reactive alkyne equivalent. 

Thermolysis of allylic nitro compounds results in the formation of rearranged allyl alcohols the cyclohexene 416, for instance, affords a 4 1 mixture of the cyclohexanol derivatives 417 and 418. It is proposed that the process involves a [2,3] sigmatropic shift of a nitro group (equation 137)451. 

Heating of an allylic alcohol with an excess of trialkyl orthoacetate in the presence of trace amounts of a weak acid to give a mixed orthoester. The orthoester loses ethanol to generate the ketene acetal, which undergoes [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement to give a Y,5-unsaturated ester. 

Sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic sulfoxide to allylic alcohol. 

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