Cyclization carbocations

The particular example shown also has a special mechanism for stabilization of the cyclized carbocation. The adjacent acetoxy group is captured to form a stabilized dioxanylium cation. After reductive demercuration (see Section 4.1.3) and hydrolysis,... 

The first cyclized triterpene in plants is cycloartenol. Suggest a way in which the cyclized carbocation formed in the cyclization of squalene... 

Analogous processes involving cyclizations and rearrangements of carbocations derived from farnesyl pyrophosphate produce a rich variety of structural types m the... 

Other, removable cation-stabilizing auxiliaries have been investigated for polyene cyclizations. For example, a sdyl-assisted carbocation cyclization has been used in an efficient total synthesis of lanosterol. The key step, treatment of (257) with methyl aluminum chloride in methylene chloride at —78° C, followed by acylation and chromatographic separation, affords (258) in 55% yield (two steps). When this cyclization was attempted on similar compounds that did not contain the C7P-silicon substituent, no tetracycHc products were observed. Steroid (258) is converted to lanosterol (77) in three additional chemical steps (225). 

Vinyl and phenyl mfluoromethyl groups are reactive in the presence of aluminum chloride [10] Replacement of fluorine by chlorine often occurs Polyfluori-nated trifluoromethylbenzenes form reactive a,a-difluorobenzyl cations in antimony pentafluoride [11] 1 Phenylperfluoropropene cyclizes in aluminum chloride to afford 1,1,3-trichloro 2 fluoroindene [10] (equation 10) The reaction IS hypothesized to proceed via an allylic carbocation, whose fluoride atoms undergo halogen exchange... 

In some instances the attack of the arene on the nitrilium salt occurs at the ipso carbon rather than the ortho carbon. For example, the Bischler-Napieralski cyclization of phenethyl amide 10 affords a 2 1 mixture of regioisomeric products 11 and 12. The formation of 12 presumably results from attack of the ipso aromatic carbon on the nitrilium salt 13 followed by rearrangement of the spirocyclic carbocation 14 to afford 15, which upon loss of a proton vields product 12. ... 

More often than what has been mentioned above regarding the cyclization of paraffins over the platinum catalyst, the formed olefin species reacts with the acid catalyst forming a carbocation. Carbocation formation may occur by abstraction of a hydride ion from any position along the hydrocarbon chain. However, if the carbocation intermediate has the right configuration, cyclization occurs. For example, cyclization of 1-heptene over the alumina catalyst can occur by the following successive steps ... 

Aromatization of paraffins can occur through a dehydrocyclization reaction. Olefinic compounds formed by the beta scission can form a carbocation intermediate with the configuration conducive to cyclization. For example, if a carbocation such as that shown below is formed (by any of the methods mentioned earlier), cyclization is likely to occur. 

Once cyclization has occurred, the formed carbocation can lose a proton, and a cyclohexene derivative is obtained. This reaction is aided by the presence of an olefin in the vicinity (R-CH=CH2). 

The second part of lanosterol biosynthesis is catalyzed by oxidosqualene lanosterol cyclase and occurs as shown in Figure 27.14. Squalene is folded by the enzyme into a conformation that aligns the various double bonds for undergoing a cascade of successive intramolecular electrophilic additions, followed by a series of hydride and methyl migrations. Except for the initial epoxide protonation/cyclization, the process is probably stepwise and appears to involve discrete carbocation intermediates that are stabilized by electrostatic interactions with electron-rich aromatic amino acids in the enzyme. 

Step 3 of Figure 27.14 Third Cyclization The third cationic cyclization is somewhat unusual because it occurs with non-Markovnikov regiochemistry and gives a secondary cation at C13 rather than the alternative tertiary cation at C14. There is growing evidence, however, that the tertiary carbocation may in fact be formed initially and that the secondary cation arises by subsequent rearrangement. The secondary cation is probably stabilized in the enzyme pocket by the proximity of an electron-rich aromatic ring. 

Propose a mechanism for the biosynthesis of the sesquiterpene trichodiene from famesyl diphosphate. The process involves cyclization to give an intermediate secondary carbocation, followed by several carbocation rearrangements. 

The rearrangement of the intermediate alkyl cation by hydrogen or methyl shift and the cyclization to a cyclopropane by a CH-insertion has been studied by deuterium labelling [298]. The electrolysis of cyclopropylacetic acid, allylacetic acid or cyclo-butanecarboxylic acid leads to mixtures of cyclopropylcarbinyl-, cyclobutyl- and butenylacetamides [299]. The results are interpreted in terms of a rapid isomerization of the carbocation as long as it is adsorbed at the electrode, whilst isomerization is inhibited by desorption, which is followed by fast solvolysis. 

In vanadium-dependent haloperoxidases, the metal center is coordinated to the imidazole system of a histidine residue, which is similarly responsible for creating hypochlorite or hypobromite as electrophilic halogenating species [274]. Remarkably, a representative of this enzyme class is capable of performing stereoselective incorporation of halides, as has been reported for the conversion of nerolidol to various snyderols. The overall reaction commences through a bromonium intermediate, which cyclizes in an intramolecular process the resulting carbocation can ultimately be trapped upon elimination to three snyderols (Scheme 9.37) [275]. 

The acyclic oligoynes 23-26 can be cyclized under Friedel-Crafts conditions, i. e. by treatment with AICI3 in CS2, which presumably proceeds via the intermediate tertiary propargylic 27 and )3-silyl-substituted vinylic carbocations of type 28 (Scheme 5). 

A plausible mechanism for this new alkyne aza-Prins cyclization is outlined in Scheme 27. Thus, reaction of the homopropargyl tosyl amine with an aldehyde promoted by ferric halide generates the W-sulfonyl iminium ion. This intermediate evolves to the corresponding piperidine, via the vinyl carbocation. Ah initio theoretical calculations support the proposed mechanism. 

Polyene Cyclization. Perhaps the most synthetically useful of the carbo-cation alkylation reactions is the cyclization of polyenes having two or more double bonds positioned in such a way that successive bond-forming steps can occur. This process, called polyene cyclization, has proven to be an effective way of making polycyclic compounds containing six-membered and, in some cases, five-membered rings. The reaction proceeds through an electrophilic attack and requires that the double bonds that participate in the cyclization be properly positioned. For example, compound 1 is converted quantitatively to 2 on treatment with formic acid. The reaction is initiated by protonation and ionization of the allylic alcohol and is terminated by nucleophilic capture of the cyclized secondary carbocation. 

As the intermediate formed in a polyene cyclization is a carbocation, the isolated product is often found to be a mixture of closely related compounds resulting from competing modes of reaction. The products result from capture of the carbocation by solvent or other nucleophile or by deprotonation to form an alkene. Polyene cyclizations can be carried out on reactants that have structural features that facilitate transformation of the carbocation to a stable product. Allylic silanes, for example, are stabilized by desilylation.12... 

Scheme 10.1 gives some representative examples of laboratory syntheses involving polyene cyclization. The cyclization in Entry 1 is done in anhydrous formic acid and involves the formation of a symmetric tertiary allylic carbocation. The cyclization forms a six-membered ring by attack at the terminal carbon of the vinyl group. The bicyclic cation is captured as the formate ester. Entry 2 also involves initiation by a symmetric allylic cation. In this case, the triene unit cyclizes to a tricyclic ring system. Entry 3 results in the formation of the steroidal skeleton with termination by capture of the alkynyl group and formation of a ketone. The cyclization in Entry 4 is initiated by epoxide opening. 

As with carbocation-initiated polyene cyclizations, radical cyclizations can proceed through several successive steps if the steric and electronic properties of the reactant provide potential reaction sites. Cyclization may be followed by a second intramolecular step or by an intermolecular addition or alkylation. Intermediate radicals can be constructed so that hydrogen atom transfer can occur as part of the overall process. For example, 2-bromohexenes having radical stabilizing substituents at C(6) can undergo cyclization after a hydrogen atom transfer step.348... 

The reactions can also be effected by phenyliodonium diacetate.377 A mechanistic prototype can be found in the conversion of pentanol to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran. The secondary radical is most likely captured by iodine or oxidized to the carbocation prior to cyclization.378... 

Entry 6 involves formation of a stabilized benzylic carbocation and results in a very efficient closure of a six-membered ring. Entry 7 involves an activated ring. The reaction was done using enantiomerically pure alcohol, but, as expected for a carbocation intermediate, the product was nearly racemic (6% e.e.). This cyclization was done enantiospecifically by first forming the Cr(CO)3 complex (see Section 8.5). 

Chapter 10 considers the role of reactive intermediates—carbocations, carbenes, and radicals—in synthesis. The carbocation reactions covered include the carbonyl-ene reaction, polyolefin cyclization, and carbocation rearrangements. In the carbene section, addition (cyclopropanation) and insertion reactions are emphasized. Recent development of catalysts that provide both selectivity and enantioselectivity are discussed, and both intermolecular and intramolecular (cyclization) addition reactions of radicals are dealt with. The use of atom transfer steps and tandem sequences in synthesis is also illustrated. 

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