Diketones, intramolecular aldol

Cydopentane reagents used in synthesis are usually derived from cyclopentanone (R.A. Ellison, 1973). Classically they are made by base-catalyzed intramolecular aldol or ester condensations (see also p. 55). An important example is 2-methylcydopentane-l,3-dione. It is synthesized by intramolecular acylation of diethyl propionylsucdnate dianion followed by saponification and decarboxylation. This cyclization only worked with potassium t-butoxide in boiling xylene (R. Bucourt, 1965). Faster routes to this diketone start with succinic acid or its anhydride. A Friedel-Crafts acylation with 2-acetoxy-2-butene in nitrobenzene or with pro-pionyl chloride in nitromethane leads to acylated adducts, which are deacylated in aqueous acids (V.J. Grenda, 1967 L.E. Schick, 1969). A new promising route to substituted cyclopent-2-enones makes use of intermediate 5-nitro-l,3-diones (D. Seebach, 1977). 

In an intramolecular aldol condensation of a diketone many products are conceivable, since four different ends can be made. Five- and six-membered rings, however, wUl be formed preferentially. Kinetic or thermodynamic control or different acid-base catalysts may also induce selectivity. In the Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol condensation given below, the more substituted enol is formed preferentially (E.J. Corey, 1963 B, 1965B). 

The decarboxylation of allyl /3-keto carboxylates generates 7r-allylpalladium enolates. Aldol condensation and Michael addition are typical reactions for metal enolates. Actually Pd enolates undergo intramolecular aldol condensation and Michael addition. When an aldehyde group is present in the allyl fi-keto ester 738, intramolecular aldol condensation takes place yielding the cyclic aldol 739 as a main product[463]. At the same time, the diketone 740 is formed as a minor product by /3-eIimination. This is Pd-catalyzed aldol condensation under neutral conditions. The reaction proceeds even in the presence of water, showing that the Pd enolate is not decomposed with water. The spiro-aldol 742 is obtained from 741. Allyl acetates with other EWGs such as allyl malonate, cyanoacetate 743, and sulfonylacetate undergo similar aldol-type cycliza-tions[464]. 

Intramolecular Claisen condensations can be carried out with diesters, just as intramolecular aldol condensations can be carried out with diketones (Section 23.6). Called the Dieckmann cyclization, the reaction works best on 1.6-diesters and 1,7-diesters. Intramolecular Claisen cyclization of a 1,6-diester gives a five-membered cyclic /3-keto ester, and cyclization of a 1,7-diester gives a six-membered cyclic /3-keto ester. 

The Robinson annulation is a two-step process that combines a Michael reaction with an intramolecular aldol reaction. It takes place between a nucleophilic donor, such as a /3-keto ester, an enamine, or a /3-diketone, and an a,/3-unsaturated ketone acceptor, such as 3-buten-2-one. The product is a substituted 2-cyclohexenone. 

The first step of the Robinson annulation is simply a Michael reaction. An enamine or an enolate ion from a jS-keto ester or /3-diketone effects a conjugate addition to an a-,/3-unsaturated ketone, yielding a 1,5-diketone. But as we saw in Section 23.6,1,5-diketones undergo intramolecular aldol condensation to yield cyclohexenones when treated with base. Thus, the final product contains a six-membered ring, and an annulation has been accomplished. An example occurs during the commercial synthesis of the steroid hormone estrone (figure 23.9). 

In this example, the /3-diketone 2-methyJ-l,3-cyclopentanedione is used to generate the enolate ion required for Michael reaction and an aryl-substituted a,/3-unsaturated ketone is used as the acceptor. Base-catalyzed Michael reaction between the two partners yields an intermediate triketone, which then cyclizes in an intramolecular aldol condensation to give a Robinson annulation product. Several further transformations are required to complete the synthesis of estrone. 

The aldol reaction is a carbonyl condensation that occurs between two aldehyde or ketone molecules. Aldol reactions are reversible, leading first to a /3-hydroxy aldehyde or ketone and then to an cr,/6-unsaturated product. Mixed aldol condensations between two different aldehydes or ketones generally give a mixture of all four possible products. A mixed reaction can be successful, however, if one of the two partners is an unusually good donor (ethyl aceto-acetate, for instance) or if it can act only as an acceptor (formaldehyde and benzaldehyde, for instance). Intramolecular aldol condensations of 1,4- and 1,5-diketones are also successful and provide a good way to make five-and six-inembered rings. 

Carbonyl condensation reactions are widely used in synthesis. One example of their versatility is the Robinson anuulation reaction, which leads to the formation of an substituted cyclohexenone. Treatment of a /3-diketone or /3-keto ester with an a,/3-unsaturated ketone leads first to a Michael addition, which is followed by intramolecular aldol cyclization. Condensation reactions are also used widely in nature for the biosynthesis of such molecules as fats and steroids. 

The ozonolysis of cyclobutene derivatives in the preparation of 1,4-diketones was also applied to the total synthesis of eyclopentanoid antibiotics 161 162k The oxidative cleavage of (470) by ozone and reductive work-up yielded the diketone (471) in 73 % yield. Diketone (471) underwent intramolecular aldol cyclization to give the key intermediate (472), which was used to synthesize ( )-xanthocidin161,162), (+)-epi-xanthocidin 162), ( )-p-isoxanthocidin161,162) as well as ( )-desdihydroxy-4,5-didehydroxanthocidin162). 

Intramolecular aldol condensation.1 This base can be effective for intramolecular aldol condensation of extremely hindered diketones that resist cyclization with the usual bases. 

The vinyl silane 247 was unmasked to the ketone 250 by epoxidation, subsequent ring opening of the epoxide with HF in pyridine and concurrent cleavage of the THP and TBS protecting group (Scheme 39). The Stork-Jung annulation was completed through the treatment of the diketone 250 with sodium methoxide to mediate the intramolecular aldol con-... 

Application of this work to a domino process using 51 involves Michael addition of P-ketoesters [91], p-diketones or P-ketosulfones [92] to a,P-unsaturated ketones followed by an intramolecular aldol reaction provides highly functionalised cyclohexanone building blocks with up to four contiguous chiral centres. Gryko has also reported examples of this domino Michael/intramolecular aldol reaction in the coupling of 1,3-diketones and methyl vinyl ketone using L-proUne as catalyst [93],... 

The preparation of 620, a tricyclic intermediate suited for elaboration into quadrone, has been reported by Monti and Dean Following introduction of the proper C5, stereochemistry by alkylation of 618 under kinetically controlled conditions, diketone 619 was subjected to acid-catalyzed rearrangement. After functional group manipulation, a tandem intramolecular aldol-pinacol rearrangement gave 620. 

Other removal procedures include reaction of the bicyclic lactam 4 with hydride (R6 = H) or an alkyl metal (R6 = alkyl). After hydrolysis of the bicyclic azahemiketal 5, ketoaldehydes or diketones 6 result. These can then be used in intramolecular aldol-type reactions to furnish enantiomerically pure cyclopentenones 7 (n = 1). The same reaction sequence can be used to prepare cyclohexenones (see Table 9)3-6 7l 1 ... 

The simplest approach which can be envisaged to 4/f-pyrans involves the ring closure of 1,5-diketones. However, such molecules are frequently able to undergo a facile intramolecular aldol condensation leading to cyclohexenones, which competes successfully with cyclization to the pyran. 

Di- and polysubstituted pyrrolizines are uncommon. The only pyrrolizine isolated from the intramolecular aldol condensation of 2-acetyl-l-(butan-3-on-l-yl)pyrrole was the 6,7-disubstituted compound 223.122 A small amount of the 5,6-disubstituted pyrrolizine (145d) was obtained when the 2-formylpyr-ryl anion was condensed with l,2-di(phenylsulfonyl)ethene.90 By contrast with the production of the single isomer (223), the homologous diketone 224... 

The strategy of the sequence is a Michael addition to an a,/3-unsaturated ketone followed by an intramolecular aldol reaction. Treatment of a ketone enolate with a Michael acceptor gives a diketone intermediate which is poised to produce a six-membered ring if an enolate is produced and it intramolecularly adds to the carbonyl group. 

The /l-hydroxy ketone is the intermediate formed in the intramolecular aldol addition step, and the diketone that leads to it is the intermediate that is formed in the conjugate addition step. The relationship of the starting materials to the intermediates and product is now more evident. 

Intramolecular Aldol Reaction Starting from Diketones... 

Desymmetrization via proline-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular aldol reaction can, however, also be performed with acydic diketones of type 109 as has been reported by the Agami group [106], In the first step a prochiral acyclic diketone reacts in the presence of L-proline as catalyst (22-112 mol%) with formation of the aldol adduct 111 (Scheme 6.49). In this step reaction products with two stereogenic centers, 110, are formed. These chiral hydroxyketones 110 are subsequently converted, via dehydration, into the enones 111, by treatment with p-toluenesulfonic acid. 

Intramolecular aldol reactions of diketones are often useful for making five- and six-Aldol Cyclizations membered rings. Aldol cyclizations of rings larger than six and smaller than five are less... 

Most syntheses make the side-chain alkene by an elimination reaction so the first disconnection is an FGI adding HX back into the alkene. The last C-C bond-forming operation in most syntheses is an intramolecular aldol reaction to make the enone so that can be disconnected next. It is the starting material for the aldol, a simple monocyclic diketone, which is usually made by a fragmentation reaction because this is a good way to set up the stereochemistry. 

Now the diketone is cyclized in HC1 to give a bicyclic enone. A new six-membercd ring has been formed but the old three-membered ring has disappeared. First, an intramolecular aldol reaction closes the new six-membered ring to form an enone and then the stage is set for a fragmentation. 

This approach leads directly to the enone needed for nootkatone. A diketone prepared from a natural terpene (Chapter 51) is also treated with HC1 and much the same reactions ensue except that the fragmentation now breaks open a four-membered ring. First, the intramolecular aldol reaction to make the second six-membered ring. 

Treatment of this diketone with anhydrous acid would cause recyclization to the same furan (see Chapter 44) but it can alternatively be cyclized in base by an intramolecular aldol reaction (Chapter 27) to give a cyclopen ten one. 

Diketones also self-condense rather easily in an intramolecular aldol reaction to give a cyclopentenone with an all-carbon five-membered ring, til is too is a useful reaction but we need to know how to control it. The usual rule is ... 

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