Caryophyllene derivatives, rearrangements

By using betulin as substrate, some mechanistic studies were performed and it was demonstrated that these reactions are catalyzed by Brpnsted acid species generated in situ from the hydrolysis of Bi(0Tf)3-.vH20. This process was also applied to other terpenic compounds. The sesquiterpene ( )-caryophyllene oxide originated clov-2-en-9a-ol by a cariophyllene-clovane rearrangement (Scheme 41) whereas 3-oxo- l 8a-olean-28- l 3(3-olide was obtained from oleanonic acid (Scheme 42). With this triterpene derivative, only 28,13(3-lactonization occurred, with inversion of the configuration of the stereocenter at C18 [133],... 

Collado and co-workers made detailed studies of the chemistry of the sesquiter-penoid caryophyllene and its hydroxylated products including rearrangements in-duced by superacids. They have recently reported novel rearrangements of the sesquiterpenoid panasinsane derivatives 213 to provide three products and interpreted the transformations by the involvement of the common carbocationic intermediate 214 [Eq. (5.304)]. 

Although isocomene (668), mentioned above, is included in this section it is likely that this hydrocarbon, together with modhephene (679), is derived from a caryophyllene-type precursor. Indeed one can conceive of a biogenetic pathway (Scheme 87) which encompasses both these compounds as well as botrydial (681), quadrone (682), and the recently isolated senoxydene (304). " To lend partial credence to this scheme is the fact that the hydrocarbon (680) is a product of acid-catalysed rearrangement of isocaryophyllene (678). ... 

Naya and Kotake, in an examination of Japanese hop oil, have isolated three humulane-type compounds, viz., humuladienone (161, R = Me), humulenone II (161,R = =CH2), and humulol (162), in addition to the tricyclic diol (163, R = OH), m.p. 207 °C. This diol has already been prepared in two different ways (a) Sutherland et treated humulene (164) with AT-bromosuccini-mide in aqueous acetone and converted the resultant bromohydrin (163, R = Br) to the diol (163, R = OH), m.p. 205—206 °C, by hydrolysis, (b) McKervey and Wright obtained the same diol, m.p. 201—203 °C, by acid-catalysed (20% sulphuric acid) rearrangement of humulene 1,2-epoxide (165), a known natural product. On the basis of these findings and the fact that both caryophyllene (166) and humulene can be derived from the above bromohydrin by two in vitro steps, McKervey and Wright postulated that humulene 1,2-epoxide may be involved in the biosynthesis of the tricyclic diol and caryophyllene. This postulate does not, however, readily accommodate the observed rotations of the relevant... 

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