Benzyl ether formation

The tert-butyl ethers of serine and threonine are available by tert-butylation of various starting materials, e.g. Z-Ser-OMe/Z-Thr-OMe,P l Z-Ser-ONbz/Z-Thr-ONbz,P l and H-Ser-OMe TosOH/H-Thr-OMe -TosOHt l (see also Table 3). Analogous to benzyl ether formation, the tert-butyl ethers can also be produced via 4-substituted 2,2-difluoro-l,3,2-ox-azaborolidin-5-ones.t In most cases, isobutylene with 4-toluenesulfonic add, or a concentrated inorganic acid is used as catalyst for tert-butylation. The use of Fmoc-Ser(tBu)-OH and Fmoc-Thr(tBu)-OH in solid-phase peptide synthesis is very well established. These annino acid derivatives can be synthesized either by introduction of the Fmoc group into H-Ser(tBu)-OH and H-Thr(tBu)-OH or by tert-butylation of the Fmoc-protected serine and threonine (Table 3). ... 

The classical permanent protecting group of carbohydrate hydroxyl functions is probably the benzyl ether. It is very stable and can be readily removed under essentially neutral conditions. For this reason, numerous benzylation and 0-debenzylation procedures have been described. Benzyl ether formation is usually achieved by the reaction of alcohols and benzyl halides in the presence of a base such as sodium hydride in anhydrous DMF (O Scheme 2) [11], or a mild base (Ag20) in THF using a phase-transfer catalyst [12]. Benzylation can also be accomplished by the use of an acidic catalyst with benzyltrichloroacetimidate as the reagent [13]. A method using the reductive etherification of TMS ethers under non-basic conditions has also been reported [14]. 

The LiBCCfjFjla-LiOTf/MgO combination catalyzes benzyl ether formation from alcohols (10 examples, 72-100%). The method is valuable for dealing with substrates containing base sensitive funetionalities. ... 

For the final part (Scheme 5.3), the 20-carbon chain of fumonisin Bj was coupled from the Uthium acetylide derived from 273 and the Weinreb amide 279 (233). After enantioselective reduction of the alkynyl ketone 281 (234, 235), the C-10 stereochemistiy was set, followed by benzyl ether formation and acid-catalyzed acetonide removal, to provide diol 282 (236). Using tricarballylic acid dibenzyl ester, the two hydroxy groups were esterified (237) and the hydrogenation of the azide, the alkyne, and the benzylic ethers led to the target product, fumonisin Bj (249). The spectroscopic analysis matched with those of commercial fumonisin Bj and further experiments on the synthetic material showed inhibitoiy activity on sphingoUpid biosynthesis. 

In entry 9, the general reaction pattern from the DAST treatment of 1,2-0-iso-propylidene-a-D-glucofuranose and its derivatives with the OH-3 position free (or protected as an ether) is depicted. Besides the 8 2 product 100 [69], varying proportions of 3,6-anhydro compounds are additionally formed by IS[6,0-3] (when starting from a 3-benzyl ether, formation of benzyl fluoride is observed by NMR spectroscopy). In the case of the 3-acetate shown in entry 10, no NG participation but (to a minor extent) E[5,H-6] was observed [70]. 

The protection of quinic acid was accomplished by T lactone formation, benzyl ether formation at the least hindered secondary equatorial alcohol, and methylation of the remaining two alcohols. The secondary alcohol of the resulting 167 was deprotected (hydrogenolysis) and the alcohol was oxidized to provide ketone 168. A transesterification followed by a )3-elimination provided 169. Protection of the secondary alcohol provided intermediate... 

Debenzylation of benzylamines and benzyl ethers is carried out with ammonium formate[l 13,l 14]. Hydrosilanes are also used for debenzylation[l I5. ... 

Reactions of the Side Chain. Benzyl chloride is hydrolyzed slowly by boiling water and more rapidly at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of alkaHes (11). Reaction with aqueous sodium cyanide, preferably in the presence of a quaternary ammonium chloride, produces phenylacetonitrile [140-29-4] in high yield (12). The presence of a lower molecular-weight alcohol gives faster rates and higher yields. In the presence of suitable catalysts benzyl chloride reacts with carbon monoxide to produce phenylacetic acid [103-82-2] (13—15). With different catalyst systems in the presence of calcium hydroxide, double carbonylation to phenylpymvic acid [156-06-9] occurs (16). Benzyl esters are formed by heating benzyl chloride with the sodium salts of acids benzyl ethers by reaction with sodium alkoxides. The ease of ether formation is improved by the use of phase-transfer catalysts (17) (see Catalysis, phase-thansfer). 

The section on the formation of benzyl ethers should also be consulted. 

Mel, K2CO3, acetone, reflux, 6 h. This is a veiy common and often veiy efficient method for the preparation of phenolic methyl ethers it is also applicable to the. formation of phenolic benzyl ethers. 

Me3SiI, CH3CN, 25-50°, 100% yield. Selective removal of protective groups is possible with this reagent since a carbamate, =NCOOCMe3, is cleaved in 6 min at 25° an aryl benzyl ether is cleaved in 100% yield, with no formation of 3-benzyltyrosine, in 1 h at 50°, at which time a methyl ester begins to be cleaved. 

The general features of the monensin synthesis conducted by Kishi et al. are outlined, in retrosynthetic format, in Scheme 1. It was decided to delay the construction of monensin s spiroketal substructure, the l,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane framework, to a very late stage in the synthesis (see Scheme 1). It seemed reasonable to expect that exposure of the keto triol resulting from the hydrogen-olysis of the C-5 benzyl ether in 2 to an acidic medium could, under equilibrating conditions, result in the formation of the spiroketal in 1. This proposition was based on the reasonable assumption that the configuration of the spiroketal carbon (C-9) in monensin corresponds to the thermodynamically most stable form, as is the case for most spiroketal-containing natural products.19 Spiro-ketals found in nature usually adopt conformations in which steric effects are minimized and anomeric effects are maximized. 

The C2-symmetric epoxide 23 (Scheme 7) reacts smoothly with carbon nucleophiles. For example, treatment of 23 with lithium dimethylcuprate proceeds with inversion of configuration, resulting in the formation of alcohol 28. An important consequence of the C2 symmetry of 23 is that the attack of the organometallic reagent upon either one of the two epoxide carbons produces the same product. After simultaneous hydrogenolysis of the two benzyl ethers in 28, protection of the 1,2-diol as an acetonide ring can be easily achieved by the use of 2,2-dimethoxypropane and camphor-sulfonic acid (CSA). It is necessary to briefly expose the crude product from the latter reaction to methanol and CSA so that the mixed acyclic ketal can be cleaved (see 29—>30). Oxidation of alcohol 30 with pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) provides alde-... 

Scheme 1). Introduction of a jt bond into the molecular structure of 1 furnishes homoallylic amine 2 and satisfies the structural prerequisite for an aza-Prins transform.4 Thus, disconnection of the bond between C-2 and C-3 affords intermediate 3 as a viable precursor. In the forward sense, a cation ji-type cyclization, or aza-Prins reaction, could achieve the formation of the C2-C3 bond and complete the assembly of the complex pentacyclic skeleton of the target molecule (1). Reduction of the residual n bond in 2, hydro-genolysis of the benzyl ether, and adjustment of the oxidation state at the side-chain terminus would then complete the synthesis of 1. 

The use of iodotrimethylsilane for this purpose provides an effective alternative to known methods. Thus the reaction of primary and secondary methyl ethers with iodotrimethylsilane in chloroform or acetonitrile at 25—60° for 2—64 hours affords the corresponding trimethylsilyl ethers in high yield. The alcohols may be liberated from the trimethylsilyl ethers by methanolysis. The mechanism of the ether cleavage is presumed to involve initial formation of a trimethylsilyl oxonium ion which is converted to the silyl ether by nucleophilic attack of iodide at the methyl group. tert-Butyl, trityl, and benzyl ethers of primary and secondary alcohols are rapidly converted to trimethylsilyl ethers by the action of iodotrimethylsilane, probably via heterolysis of silyl oxonium ion intermediates. The cleavage of aryl methyl ethers to aryl trimethylsilyl ethers may also be effected more slowly by reaction with iodotrimethylsilane at 25—50° in chloroform or sulfolane for 12-125 hours, with iodotrimethylsilane at 100—110° in the absence of solvent, " and with iodotrimethylsilane generated in situ from iodine and trimcthylphenylsilane at 100°. ... 

Aliphatic and benzylic ethers are degraded by hydroxylation of the a-methylene group followed by scission of the ether bond with the formation of an aldehyde and an alkanol (White et al. 1996 Kim and Engesser 2004). In contrast, the degradation of 2-chloroethylvinyl ether by Ancylobacter... 

Sections D through H of Scheme 3.2 involve oxygen nucleophiles. The hydrolysis reactions in Entries 12 and 13 both involve benzylic positions. The reaction site in Entry 13 is further activated by the ERG substituents on the ring. Entries 14 to 17 are examples of base-catalyzed ether formation. The selectivity of the reaction in Entry 17 for the meta-hydroxy group is an example of a fairly common observation in aromatic systems. The ortho-hydroxy group is more acidic and probably also stabilized by chelation, making it less reactive. 

Toikka, M. Sipila, J. Teleman, A. Brunow, G. Lignin-carbohydrate model compounds. Formation of lignin-methyl arabinoside and lignin-methyl galactoside benzyl ethers via quinone methide intermediates. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1998, 1, 3813-3818. 

The use of trichloroimidates for the preparation of ethers is an effective method for O-alkylation of alcohols [27]. This method has found widespread use in the protection of alcohols as benzyl ethers since the corresponding trichlorobenzylimi-date is inexpensive and commercially available. The mechanism involves activation of the imidate with a catalytic amount of a strong acid (typically TfOH) which leads to ionization of the electrophile and the formation of carbocation which is rapidly trapped by an alcohol. For the preparation of sec-sec ethers, this protocol has been limited to glycosidation reactions, due to the SN1 nature of the reaction which often leads to diastereomeric mixtures of products [26],... 

The last reaction perhaps involves an intermediate such as 33a which expells a proton and dimethyl sulfide. Formation of the Schiff s base with t-butylamine, reduction with sodium borohydride and hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ether produces sulfonterol (28). Despite the fact that the methylene hydrogen of sulfonterol must be much less acidic than of the corresponding urea proton on carbuterol or the sulfonamide proton on soterenol, good bioactivity is retained. 

Pd/CaC03 is also used for the hydrogenolysis of benzyl-oxygen bonds.152 Hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis of an unsaturated benzyl ether over 5% Pt/ C and Pd(OH)2 gave the saturated and deprotected product.153 In contrast, transfer hydrogenolysis with 1,4-cylohexadiene or ammonium formate failed to provide the product cleanly, rapidly, or dependably. 

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