Annulation, 3 + 2-, alkyl methyl

Ireland and co-workers used a Wichterle sequence in their stereoselective syntheses of diterpenoid resin acids when annulations with methyl vinyl ketone resulted in polymeric tars. Stereoselective alkylation of cyclohexanone 34 with Wichterle s reagent afforded 35 as a single stereoisomer. Studies performed on this system determined that alkylation was favored cis to the C2 methyl group. After hydrolysis of the vinylic chloride 35 to the diketone 36, cyclization proved difficult due to the large amount of steric hindrance present in the molecule. Base-catalyzed cyclization resulted in only partial conversion to the desired octalone 37. It was found that a significant portion of the material was cleaved to the starting material for this sequence, monoketone 34, via facile reverse Michael addition when the side chain adopted an equatorial confirmation. 

Takeda, K., Nakajima, A., and Yoshii, E. (1997) Synthesis of clavulones (claviridenones) via [3+2] annulation using reaction of (P-(phenyllhio)actyloyl)silane with lithium enolate of alkyl methyl ketone. Synlett, 255—256. 

Methyl ketones are important intermediates for the synthesis of methyl alkyl carbinols, annulation reagents, and cyclic compounds. A common synthetic method for the preparation of methyl ketones is the alkylation of acetone derivatives, but the method suffers limitations such as low yields and lack of regioselectivity. Preparation of methyl ketones from olefins and acetylenes using mercury compounds is a better method. For example, hydration of terminal acetylenes using HgSO gives methyl ketones cleanly. Oxymercuration of 1-olefins and subsequent oxidation with chromic oxide is... 

Catalytic asymmetric methylation of 6,7-dichloro-5-methoxy-2-phenyl-l-indanone with methyl chloride in 50% sodium hydroxide/toluene using M-(p-trifluoro-methylbenzyDcinchoninium bromide as chiral phase transfer catalyst produces (S)-(+)-6,7-dichloro-5-methoxy-2-methyl-2--phenyl-l-indanone in 94% ee and 95% yield. Under similar conditions, via an asymmetric modification of the Robinson annulation enqploying 1,3-dichloro-2-butene (Wichterle reagent) as a methyl vinyl ketone surrogate, 6,7 dichloro-5-methoxy 2-propyl-l-indanone is alkylated to (S)-(+)-6,7-dichloro-2-(3-chloro-2-butenyl)-2,3 dihydroxy-5-methoxy-2-propyl-l-inden-l-one in 92% ee and 99% yield. Kinetic and mechanistic studies provide evidence for an intermediate dimeric catalyst species and subsequent formation of a tight ion pair between catalyst and substrate. 

On the basis of their earlier aromatic annulation strategy (see Scheme 5.64) (596), Shin and Ogasawara reported the first enantioselective total synthesis of carbazo-quinocins A (272) and D (275) (639). The required methyl-substituted secondary chiral stereogenic center of the alkyl side chain at C-1 of carbazoquinocins A and D was introduced starting from the O-benzyl (R)-glycidol (R)-897. 

Two explanations have been suggested for this anomalous result83,84. Huffman and coworkers84 have proposed that the 2,2-disubstituted cyclohexanone (38) is derived directly from a 2,6-disubstituted enolate intermediate by simultaneous alkylation at C2 and dealkylation at C6. This is in effect a S 2 mechanism for which there is no precedent in enamine chemistry (Scheme 24). The basis for this suggestion is the anomalous solvent-dependent annulation of 2-substituted cyclohexanone enamines with methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and the assumption that direct C-alkylation of a tetrasubstituted enamine is improbable for it is known that there is considerably less overlap of the unshared electrons on nitrogen with the n system of the double bond in this isomer relative to the more stable trisubstituted isomer, thereby greatly decreasing the rate of alkylation . 

On the basis of distribution of products obtained in these reactions with the change of solvents, temperature and molar ratio of reactants, a mechanism has been suggested for the anomalous annulation which does not involve an initial attack of the tetrasub-stituted isomer of the enamine (equation 16)51. Alkylation of the more stable cis isomer of the enamine (80) with methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) would afford zwitterion 81 (attack by the other side of the enamine leads to strong steric interactions in the transition state). Reaction of the thermodynamically less favorable trans isomer 83 gives rise to zwitterions 84 and 89 (both without axial-axial interactions), and ion 84 is sterically able to undergo intramolecular proton shift to afford enamine 85. Zwitterionic intermediates 81 and 89 can be stabilized by conversion to dihydropyrans 82 and 90, or protonated to immonium ions. The pair 81-82 will lead to enamine 85, while the pair 89-90 will afford enamine 91. Then, cyclization of 85 or 91 will afford the enone expected from the normal enamine version of the Robinson annulation. 

This sequence of reactions consists of an alkylation of a 1,3-diketone, followed by a Robinson annulation. The carbon-carbon double bond appears where the second carbonyl group of the diketone used to be and is the site of the ring-forming aldol reaction. A Michael reaction between the diketone and the Michael acceptor 3-buten-2-one adds the carbon atoms used to form the second ring, and an alkylation with CH3I adds the methyl group. 

Ito and coworkers developed a mild and efficient procedure for generating o-quinodimethanes" as reactive intermediates in [4 -I- 2] cycloadditions. The key step in the sequence, illustrated here by the synthesis of Estrone methyl ether (146 Scheme 53) involves a fluoride-induced fragmentation of the o-[a-(trimethylsilyl)alkyl]benzyltrimethylammonium iodide (144) to give the o-quinodimethane (145), which underwent stereoselective intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition to give the desired tetracyclic framework in (146). The entire process was conducted at room temperature. The annulation reaction is not limited to intramolecular cycloadditions intermolecular versions of the reaction proceed equally well. 

Therefore several reactions were subjected to various antibody catalyses, e. g., ester and enol ether cleavage, transesteiification, ketone reduction. Cope rearrangement, ring closure via epoxide opening, or Diels-Alder cycloaddition [74, 75]. An exceptional reaction is the antibody-catalyzed Robinson annulation of triketone 28 to the Wieland-Miescher ketone 29 on a preparative scale. Surprisingly, even the alkylation of diketone 27 with methyl vinyl ketone was catalyzed by the same antibody, but at moderate rates (Scheme 15) [76]. 

In analogy to the mono-alkylated cyclopropanes annulated cyclopropanes gave methylated cyclic products 10, 11,and 12 upon catalytic hydrogenolysis. 

The continued fascination chemists possess with asymmetric synthesis provides the basis for the next four procedures. The synthesis of (R)-(-)-10-METHYL-l(9)-OCTALONE-2 is a nice demonstration of an asymmetric Michael addition by a chiral imine followed by an aldol—in short an asymmetric Robinson annulation. The asymmetric glycolization to STILBENE DIOL (R,R-l,2-DIPHENYL-I,2-ETHANEDIOL) represents an olefin oxidation using catalytic alkaloids in tandem with osmium tetroxide. As reagents for a variety of asymmetric alkylations, the preparation of 2-CYANO-6-PHENYLOXAZOLOPIPERIDINK is pavscnicd as well as another route to... 

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