Hydroperoxides cyclization

In the case of the hematin-catalyzed reaction we have proposed that peroxyl radicals are the epoxidizing agents (40). The mechanism is illustrated in Figure 8. Hematin reduces the hydroperoxide to an alkoxyl radical that cyclizes to the adjacent double bond. 

As in the case of linear peroxidation products, the initiation step of the formation of isoprostanes is the abstraction of a hydrogen atom from unsaturated acids by a radical of initiator. Initiation is followed by the addition of oxygen to allylic radicals and the cyclization of peroxyl radicals into bicyclic endoperoxide radicals, which form hydroperoxides reacting with hydrogen donors. 

FIGURE 6 Speculative mechanism of Crl hydrocarbon biosynthesis from fatty acid hydroperoxides in algae. Homolytic cleavage of the hydroperoxide is assumed to give an allyl radical, which cyclizes to the thermolabile (1S,2R)-cyclopropane. The sequence is terminated by transfer of a hydrogen radical from C(16) to the -X-0 function. The cyclopropane rearranges to (6S)-ectocarpene as shown in Figure 4. 

Various transition metals have been used in redox processes. For example, tandem sequences of cyclization have been initiated from malonate enolates by electron-transfer-induced oxidation with ferricenium ion Cp2pe+ (51) followed by cyclization and either radical or cationic termination (Scheme 41). ° Titanium, in the form of Cp2TiPh, has been used to initiate reductive radical cyclizations to give y- and 5-cyano esters in a 5- or 6-exo manner, respectively (Scheme 42). The Ti(III) reagent coordinates both to the C=0 and CN groups and cyclization proceeds irreversibly without formation of iminyl radical intermediates.The oxidation of benzylic and allylic alcohols in a two-phase system in the presence of r-butyl hydroperoxide, a copper catalyst, and a phase-transfer catalyst has been examined. The reactions were shown to proceed via a heterolytic mechanism however, the oxidations of related active methylene compounds (without the alcohol functionality) were determined to be free-radical processes. 

The nucleophiles that are used for synthetic purposes include water, alcohols, carboxylate ions, hydroperoxides, amines, and nitriles. After the addition step is complete, the mercury is usually reductively removed by sodium borohydride. The net result is the addition of hydrogen and the nucleophile to the alkene. The regioselectivity is excellent and is in the same sense as is observed for proton-initiated additions.16 Scheme 4.1 includes examples of these reactions. Electrophilic attack by mercuric ion can affect cyclization by intramolecular capture of a nucleophilic functional group, as illustrated by entries 9-11. Inclusion of triethylboron in the reduction has been found to improve yields (entry 9).17... 

In the context of the synthesis of naturally occurring product cardamom peroxide (7), radical spirocyclizations of the hydroperoxides 190, 193 and 196 were studied (Scheme 44) . It was found that the DBPO-induced oxidative cyclization of 190 follows the 5-exo-mode to give the spiroendoperoxide 191, which was subsequently converted... 

B. Cyclization of Hydroperoxides through Intramolecular Nucleophilic Substitution and Addition... 

Acid-catalyzed intramolecular attack of nucleophilic hydroperoxide function on an oxirane ring results in formation of 3-(l-hydroxyalkyl)endoperoxides. For example, epoxidation of unsaturated hydroperoxide 320 affords oxirane-hydroperoxide 321 (66%), which through acid-catalyzed regioselective cyclization gives 1,2-dioxolane 322 (70%) (Scheme 79) . This type of reaction is applicable also to a more complex epoxide-hydroperoxide such as 323, which cyclizes to polyfunctionalized 5-membered cyclic... 

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