Cyclobutanone ketals

The cyclobutanone (255) reacted with acid to furnish the keto-acid (259). Upon esterification, ketalization and reduction, (259) was converted to the alcohol (260). Mesylation of the alcohol (260) and then treatment of the mesylate with NaN3 in DMSO provided the azide (261). The azide (261) was then transformed to the urethane (262) by reduction and ethyl chloroformate reaction. The urethane (262) was deketalized by acid, nitrosated by N204—NaOAc and decomposed by NaOEt—EtOH to give the ketone (263) 89). The ketone (263) served as a starting material for the synthesis of veatchine (264)90). 

Lithium aluminium hydride reduction of 235 followed by mesylation afforded 236. The latter was oxidized with osmium tetroxide and sodium metaperiodate to yield the cyclobutanone 237. Treatment of 237 with acid afforded in 48% yield the ketoacid (238), which was esterified with diazomethane to 239. The latter was converted to the ketal 240 by treatment with ethylene glycol and /7-toluenesulfonic acid. Compound 240 was reduced with lithium aluminium hydride to the alcohol 241. This alcohol had been synthesized previously by Nagata and co-workers (164) by an entirely different route. The azide 242 was prepared in 80% yield by mesylation of 241 and treatment of the product with sodium azide. Lithium aluminium hydride reduction of 242 gave the primary amine, which was converted to the urethane 243 by treatment with ethyl chloroformate. The ketal group of 243 was removed by acidic hydrolysis and the resulting ketone was nitro-sated with N204 and sodium acetate. Decomposition of the nitrosourethane with sodium ethoxide in refluxing ethanol afforded the ketone 244 in 65% yield. The latter had been also synthesized previously by Japanese chemists (165). The ketone 244 was converted to the ketal 246 and the latter to 247... 

Alicyclic ketones, even cyclobutanone, react well with Vilsmeier reagents without the ambiguity of stereochemistry observed in acyclic examples. Thus cyclohexanone 101 gives a chloroenal as does A-benzoylpiperidone (102 Eq. 94). " The products may be converted into the synthetically useful ketal... 

Aldol condensation of acetals spiroannelation.. lapanese chemists have reported a new method of annelation that involves as the first step aldol condensation of acetals or ketals with the bissilylated succinoin mediated with BF3 etherate or TiC U. The method is formulated in equation (I) for the reaction of the acetal of bcnzaldchydc. Owing to the ring strain of cyclobutanone, the aldol... 

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