Allylic phenols from allyl aryl ethers

The extent of C-alkylation as a side reaction in etherification varies about 1% of allyl 2-allylphenyl ether is formed when phenol is used in the acetone and potassium carbonate method with allyl bromide with cinnamyl bromide or 7,7-dimethylallyl bromide the extent of C-alkylar tion is greater.16 A complicated mixture of C- and O-alkylation products results from the treatment of phenol with 4-bromo-2-hexene and 4-chloro-2-hexene. 9 4-Hexenylresordnol has been obtained in about 40% yield from the reaction of l-bromo-2-hexene, resorcinol, and potassium carbonate in boiling acetone.99 An appreciable amount of C-alkylation occurs when 2,6-dimethyIphenol is treated with allyl bromide and sodium ethoxide in ethanol.70 Since, in general, the ampunt of C-alkylation is greatly increased by carrying out the alkylation on the sodium salt of the phenol in benzene,16 this method is unsuitable for the preparar tion of allyl aryl ethers. 

For this reaction, the rate was found to vary by a factor of 34 in going from the least polar ( -tetradecane) to the most polar solvent (phenol), and by a factor of 102 in going from the gas phase to the most polar solvent [153]. The small solvent and substituent effects observed suggest that a slightly dipolar activated complex must be formed during the Claisen rearrangement of this allyl aryl ether [153]. 

The most common preparative method to prepare the aryl allyl ether is the Williamson s ether synthesis [la,b]. Typically, aryl allyl ethers can be obtained from phenol derivatives and allylic halide under basic conditions (KjCOj) in refluxing acetone. This method is convenient for the preparation of simple allyl aryl ethers. However, some side reactions such as a competitive C-allylation (Sn2 type reaction) often accompany the formation of undesired byproducts. Mitsunobu reaction of phenol derivatives with allylic alcohols instead of allylic halides can be used under mild conditions [13]. In particular, when the allyl halide is unstable, this procedure is effective instead of the Williamson s ether synthesis. This method is also useful for the preparation of chiral allyl aryl ether from chiral allylic alcohol with inversion at the chiral center. Palladium catalyzed O-allylation of phenols is also applicable, but sometimes a lack of site-selectivity with unsymmetrical allylic carbonate [14] may be a problematic issue. 

Iodine-mediated removal of both prenyl protecting groups from aryl ether 506 leads to the unexpected formation of 3-(3-iodo-2,2-dimethylchroman-6-yl)propan-l-ol. The reaction proceeds via formation of the ortho-allylic phenol intermediate 507 by electrophilic removal of a prenyl species, followed by an iodine promoted electrophilic cycliza-tion (Scheme 111) <2001SL1989, 2002T5689>. 

Danishefsky et al. developed a stereospedfic route for the synthesis of deoxy analog of mitomycin via an aromatic Claisen rearrangement [84]. The aUyl aryl ether 112 was prepared from allylic alcohols and phenol derivative via the Mitsu-nobu reaction. The aromatic Claisen rearrangement of 1,3-disubstituted aUyhc ether 112 proceeded under thermal conditions (N,N-dimethylaniline reflux) to afford the ortho rearrangement product 113 in 80% yield. 

Rethinking suitable methods for the construction of a tertiary alkyl-aryl ether, 1 settled on an asymmetric allylation approach. The Trost ligand was known to favor formation of the branched adduct from unsymmetrical allyl donor substrates, and phenols had been successfully employed as nucleophiles. Accordingly, a retrosynthetic analysis suggested that a differentially protected dopa derivative 4 was required as the nucleophilic component, to be combined with a functionahzed isoleucine derivative containing either a branched (3a) or linear (3b) allyl donor component (Fig. 2). My first postdoc, Phihp Chan, embarked on the synthesis of such functionalized isoleucines in 2000 we were both rather green ... 

Gold(I)-catalyzed synthesis of dihydrobenzo[ >]furans from aryl allyl ethers was reported as depicted below <06SL1278>. Highly efficient AuCl3/AgOTf-catalyzed atom-economical annulation of phenols with dienes was developed. This annulation generated various dihydrobenzo[ >]furans under mild conditions <06OL2397>. 

When, furthermore, phenols (368) are coupled with 1 in the presence of a Pd° catalyst, the phenoxy-methyl-1,3-dienes 369 are produced [158]. As aryl allyl ethers, these can be made to undergo a Claisen rearrangement (205 °C, DMF) and the ensuing 2-(l,3-dienylmethyl)phenols 370 finally cydize in the presence of a trace of acid to a mixture of exo-methylene chromans 371 (major product) and dihydrobenzofur-ans 372 - a remarkable generation of functional and structural complexity from simple starting materials with 100% atom economy and underlining impressively the synthetic versatility of modern allene chemistry ... 

The same catalytic system was used to prepare dihydrobenzofurans 52 from aryl allyl ethers 51 through an intramolecular process (Scheme 26) [169]. This reaction proceeds by a Claisen rearrangement, followed by gold(I)-catalyzed addition of the resulting phenol to the allyl group. 

---