Boronate alcohol formation

In addition to the results described, enantioselective access to 2-phosphino alcohols could be accomplished, too [71]. Starting from a borane-protected a-phosphino aldehyde hydrazone 91 as the key intermediate and available by two different approaches, the enantioselective synthesis of the desired 2-phosphino alcohols 93 could be accomplished. Thus, the electrophilic phosphinylation of aldehyde hydrazones 90 (via route I with the chlorodiphenylphosphine-borane adduct or via route II with chlorophosphines and subsequent phosphorus-boron bond formation) and the alkylation of phosphino acetaldehyde-SAMP hydrazones 92 (route III) was carried out (Scheme 1.1.26). 

Allylation with allyl borates takes place smoothly under neutral conditions. Allylic alcohols are also used for allylation in the presence of boron oxide by in situ formation of allylic borates[125]. Similarly, arsenic oxide is used for allylation with allylic aleohols[126]. In addition, it was claimed that the allyl alkyl ethers 201. which are inert by themselves, can be used for the allylation in the presence of boron oxide[127]. 

From Boric Oxide and Alcohol. To avoid removing water, boric oxide, B2O3, can be used in place of boric acid. The water of reaction (eq. 4) is consumed by the oxide (eq. 5). Because boric acid reacts with borates at high temperatures, it is necessary to filter the reaction mixture prior to distillation of the product. Only 50% of the boron can be converted to ester by this method. In cases where this loss can be tolerated, the boric oxide method is convenient. This is particularly tme for methyl borate and ethyl borate preparation because formation of the undesirable azeotrope is avoided. 

The reaction is irreversible and can be used to synthesize aUphatic and aromatic esters. In addition, there are no complications involving water removal or azeotrope formation. Boron tribromide can be used ia place of boron trichloride, but the bromide has a stronger tendency to halogenate the alkyl group of the alcohol (26). Boron tritiuoride does not give the ester, but gives either a complex or dehydrated product. 

Boron trifluoride etherate (in HOAc, 60-80°, 15 min, high yields) also catalyzes formation of 5-diphenylmethyl and 5-triphenylmethyl thioethers from aralkyl alcohols. 

The C(9)-C(14) segment VI was prepared by Steps D-l to D-3. The formation of the vinyl iodide in Step D-3 was difficult and proceeded in only 25-30% yield. The C(15)-C(21) segment VII was synthesized from the common intermediate 17 by Steps E-l to E-6. A DDQ oxidation led to formation of a 1,3-dioxane ring in Step E-l. The A-methoxy amide was converted to an aldehyde by LiAlH4 reduction and the chain was extended to include C(14) and C(15) using a boron enolate of an oxazo-lidinone chiral auxiliary. After reductive removal of the chiral auxiliary, the primary alcohol group was converted to a primary iodide. The overall yield for these steps was about 25%. 

Unexpected formation of the oxoadamantane skeleton is observed during a series of transformations of the alkaloid lycopoline 153 lead tetraacetate oxidation of the alcohol (131) gives a 90% yield of the oxaadamantane (132), which is opened to 133 with boron trifluoride in acetic anhydride and re-cyclized to 132 with aqueous hydrogen bromide. 

Secondary Alkyl Alcohols. Treatment of secondary alkyl alcohols with tri-fluoroacetic acid and organosilicon hydrides results only in the formation of the trifluoroacetate esters no reduction is reported to occur.1,2 Reduction of secondary alkyl alcohols does take place when very strong Lewis acids such as boron trifluoride126 129 or aluminum chloride136,146 are used. For example, treatment of a dichlo-romethane solution of 2-adamantanol and triethy lsilane (1.3 equivalents) with boron trifluoride gas at room temperature for 15 minutes gives upon workup a 98% yield of the hydrocarbon adamantane along with fluorotriethylsilane (Eq. 10).129... 

The formation of alkenes and alkene-related polymerization products can seriously reduce the yields of desired alkane products from secondary alcohols, which can undergo elimination reactions. For example, reduction of 2-octanol at 0° with boron trifluoride gas in dichloromethane containing 1.2 equivalents of tri-ethylsilane gives only a 58% yield of n-octane after 75 minutes (Eq. II).129 The remainder of the hydrocarbon mass comprises nonvolatile polymeric material.126... 

Benzyl Alcohols. Benzyl alcohols of nearly all kinds undergo reduction when treated with acid in the presence of organosilicon hydrides. The most obvious exception to this is the behavior of benzyl alcohol itself. It resists reduction by the action of trifluoroacetic acid and triethylsilane, even after extended reaction times.26 Reducing systems consisting of triethylsilane and sulfuric acid/acetic acid or p-toluenesullonic acid/acetic acid mixtures also fail to reduce benzyl alcohol to toluene.134 As previously mentioned, substitution of boron trifluoride for trifluoroacetic acid results in the formation of modest yields of toluene, but only when a very large excess of the silane is used in order to capture the benzyl cation intermediate and suppress Friedel-Crafts oligomerization processes.129,143... 

The reduction of aldehydes with the combination Et3SiH/BF3 OEt2 gives both the alcohol and the symmetrical ether,70 as do the Et3SiH/TFA (and other acids) combinations.313 Addition of boron trifluoride etherate to a mixture of 1-octanal and triethylsilane leads to the formation of di-n-octyl ether in 66% yield and //-octyl alcohol in 34% yield (Eq. 155).74... 

They offer the advantage that reductions can be effected under conditions that permit the conversion of substrates that may be adversely sensitive to the presence of strong Brpnsted acids. For example, in the presence of a 10% excess of triethylsilane, addition of one-half equivalent of boron trifluoride etherate to octanal results, within one hour, in the formation of a 66% yield of dioctyl ether after a basic hydrolytic workup. Benzaldehyde provides a 75% yield of dibenzyl ether under the same reaction conditions. The remainder of the mass is found as the respective alcohol.70 Zinc chloride is also capable of catalyzing this reaction. With its use, simple alkyl aldehydes are converted into the symmetrical ethers in about 50% yields.330... 

The formation of a number of spiro compounds by cationic cyclization has been reported. Formic acid transforms the ketal 132 into 133 in 40% yield (equation 67)77 and the alcohol 134 into the formate 135 (35%) (equation 68)78. The alcohols 136 and 138 yield the spiro compounds 137 (45-50%) (equation 69)79 and 139 (25%) (equation 70)80, respectively. Pallescensin A (141) is produced in 84% yield by the twofold cyclization of the furan derivative 140, induced by boron trifluoride (equation 71)81. 

The tetracyclic alcohol 179 is produced by the action of boron trifluoride etherate or tin(IV) chloride on the oxirane 178 (equation 85)95. A similar cyclization of the oxirane 180 yields DL-<5-amyrin (181) (equation 86)96. In the SnCLt-catalysed ring-closure of the tetraene 182 to the all-fraws-tetracycle 183 (equation 87) seven asymmetric centres are created, yet only two of sixty-four possible racemates are formed97. It has been proposed that multiple ring-closures of this kind form the basis of the biosynthesis of steroids and tetra-and pentacyclic triterpenoids, the Stork-Eschenmoser hypothesis 98,99. Such biomimetic polyene cyclizations, e.g. the formation of lanosterol from squalene (equation 88), have been reviewed69,70. 

The electron-rich thiophene ring system can be elaborated into complex, fused thiophenes by acid-mediated intramolecular annelation reactions. For example, treatment of alcohol 96 with trimethylsilyl triflate promoted a Friedel-Crafts acylation and subsequent dehydration giving benzo[b]thiophene 97, a potential analgesic <00JMC765>. Treatment of ketone 98 with p-toluenesulfonic acid resulted in the formation of fused benzo[b]thiophene 99 <00T8153>. Another variant involved the cyclization of epoxide 100 to fused benzo[f>]thiophene 101 mediated by boron trifluoride-etherate . 

Oxidation of 2-(trimethylsilyloxy)furan (301) with iodosobenzene in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate and alcohols or acids results in the formation of 5-substituted 2(5//)-furanones 303. The first step of this conversion gives intermediate 302, which on nucleophilic substitution by alcohols or acids affords the products (89TL3019) (Scheme 75). 

In the interim period, results have accumulated steadily, in endeavors to address and extend the chemistry beyond the initial perceived limitations. These limitations include the following (a) the effective catalytic syntheses are confined to the reactions utilizing catecholborane (b) the scope of alkenes for which efficient rate, regio- and enantio-selectivity can be achieved is limited, and (c) the standard transformation mandates the oxidation of the initially formed (secondary) boronate ester to a secondary alcohol, albeit with complete retention of configuration [8]. Nonetheless, for noncatalytic hydroboration reactions that lead to the formation of a trialkylborane, a wide range of stereo-specific transformations may be carried out directly from the initial product, and thereby facilitate direct C-N and C-C bond formation [9]. 

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