Cyclic enol ethers, Claisen rearrangements, allylic alcohols

To exploit the whole capacity of the Claisen rearrangement, appropriate methods for the preparation of the allyl vinyl ethers starting from allyl alcohols are necessary. The classical approach involves vinyl-ation with simple vinyl ethers or acetals. Unfortunately these methods fail with more complex systems and do not allow, except in the case of cyclic enol ethers, control of the stereochemistry of the substituted enol ether double bond. Until recently it was only possible to generate such substituted systems with appreciable stereocontrol via ketene N.O-acetals. Their preparation by addition of lyl alcohols to substituted ynamines can lead to adducts of either ( )- or (Z)-geometry, depending upon the conditions used (Scheme 60). 

The Pd(PhCN)2Cl2-catalyzed reaction of cyclic enol ethers with allylic alcohols gave the Claisen rearrangement products a-allylic cyclic ketones (eqs 183 and 184). The same reaction of acyclic vinylic ethers with allyl alcohols afforded the corresponding y,i5-unsaturated enones (eqs 185 and 186).i In most cases, CF3COOH was used as the cocatalyst. 

The quaternary center was constructed stereospecifically by Claisen rearrangement (Scheme 46). The necessary enol ether was obtained by reaction of the secondary alcohol of 399 with ethyl vinyl ether and mercuric acetate. To change the polarity of the endocyclic double bond, the unsaturated ketone was reduced with lithium aluminum hydride to the allylic alcohol, 400, at low temperature. Then, prolonged heating with xylene led to the aldehyde, 401. Protection of the secondary alcohol was achieved by bromoether formation with W-bromosuccinimide in acetonitrile before the aldehyde of 402 was reacted with methyllithium. The epimeric mixture of secondary alcohols was protected as acetates 403. Then, the cyclic ketone... 

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