Cyclobutanones dimethyl acetals

Ketene acetals and thioacetals can be used as ketene equivalents in cyclobutanone synthesis in situations where ketene to alkene cycloadditions are inefficient such as in the case of electron-deficient alkenes.14 Although thermal cycloadditions of ketene acetals and thioacetals with electron-deficient alkenes have been observed (see Section 1,3.2.1.), such cycloadditions proceed more efficiently and under milder conditions with metal catalysts. Efficient cycloadditions between ketene dimethyl acetal and alkenes substituted by a single electron-withdrawing group have been reported.15... 

In hydrogenolyses with HAICU, the dimethyl acetals of cyclobutanone and cyclohexanone are cleaved more slowly than that of 3-pentanone, while those of cyclopentanone and cycloheptanone are cleaved more rapidly (Table 1), as would be expected for a carbonium ion process. The differences in rate are small, suggesting that carbonium ion character is not strongly developed in the transition state. With the dimethyl acetal of 4-t-butylcyclohexanone, the hydride addition step occurs with strongly predominating axial addition when HAlCh is used Zn(BH4)2 with TMS-Cl, and TMS-H with TMSO-Tf are less selective (Table 2). Equatorial attack predominates, however, in the reduction of the ketone itself with TBDMS-H and TBDMS-OTf. ... 

Several comparative procedures are included. The formation of 1-BENZYLINDOLE and GERANYL CHLORIDE by two different procedures are representative. An interesting comparison of three of the recent adaptations of the Claisen rearrangement on the same substrate is presented in the preparations of N.N-DIMETHYL-5/ -CHOLEST-3-ENE-5-ACETAMIDE, ETHYL-5/S-CHOLEST-3-ENE-5-ACETATE, and 5/9-CHOLEST-3-ENE-5-ACETALDEHYDE. For the utility of the procedure itself as well as for comparison with previously presented syntheses, the preparation and use of triflates in the synthesis of CYCLOBUTANONE is included. 

The photochemical transformations of a series of 2-isopropylidenecyclobutanones in alcoholic media have been reported (15b,36). Irradiation of 2-isopropylidene-cyclobutanone [79a] in methanol afforded a quantitative yield of ring-expanded acetal [80a] with a quantum efficiency (at 313 nm) of 0.11. When irradiations were carried out in methanol-O-d, the acetal [80a] isolated contained >95% deuterium incorporation (nmr) at the indicated position. Completely analogous results were obtained with the 4,4-dimethyl derivative [79b] and 3,3,-... 

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