1.3- Dithianes formyl anion equivalents

The (V-methyldihydrodithiazine 125 has also been used as an effective formyl anion equivalent for reaction with alkyl halides, aldehydes, and ketones (77JOC393). In this case there is exclusive alkylation between the two sulfur atoms, and hydrolysis to give the aldehyde products is considerably easier than for dithianes. However, attempts to achieve a second alkylation at C2 were unsuccessful, thus ruling out the use of this system as an acyl anion equivalent for synthesis of ketones. Despite this limitation, the compound has found some use in synthesis (82TL4995). 

H. Chikashita, T. Nikaya, and K. Itoh,.Iterative and stereoselective one-carbon homologation of 1,2-O-cyclohexylidene-D-glyceraldehyde to aldose derivatives by employing 2-lithio-l,3-dithiane as a formyl anion equivalent, Nat. Product Lett. 2 183 (1993). 

A considerable number of electrophiles were used, and the dithiane route found great utility for the syntheses of simple monofunctional compounds as well as for polyfunctional molecules, for which the dithiane moiety affords an invaluable temporary protection of a future carbonyl group. Some experimental procedures published in Organic Syntheses — cyclobutanone [277] and 3-hydroxy-l-cyclohexene-l-carboxaldehyde [278] — are illustrative. A similar route to aldehydes [279] makes use of sym-trithiane as a formyl anion equivalent. 

Several cyclic thioacetals 266-268, closely related to 1,3-dithiane, have been described as formyl anion equivalents. 1,3,5-Trithiane (266)442,443, as well as 4,5-dihydro-5-methyl-... 

Dithiane itself has been widely exploited as a formyl anion equivalent and 2-chloro-... 

The preparation of protected 4-deoxy-L-threose 440 can be realized by addition of a formyl anion equivalent to the ester group of 427 followed by stereoselective reduction. The reagent of choice is lithiated bis-/7-tolylthiomethane, which gives ketone 436 in high yield (at a reaction temperature of —78 °C) without formation of any tertiary alcohol. Compare this to lithiated 1,3-dithiane, which must be added at —90 °C or below (see compound 416). 

Full details for the preparation of 1,3-dithian have been published. The anion of methylthiomethyl sulphoxide functions as a new formyl anion equivalent (Scheme 73) acid-catalysed hydrolysis is very rapid, perhaps explaining the low yields observed in the attempted oxidation of some thioacetals to disulphoxides. ... 

Meyers, A. I. Heterocycles in Organic Synthesis Wiley-Interscience, 1974 (332 pages). DegITnnocenti, A. Pollicino, S. Capperucci, A. Synthesis and Stereoselective Functionalization of Silylated Heterocycles as a New Class of Formyl Anion Equivalents Chemical Communications 2006, 4881—4893. Yus, M. Najera, C. Foubelo, F. The Role of 1,3-Dithianes in Natural Product Synthesis Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 6147-6212. Albright, J. D. Reactions of Acyl Anion Equivalents Derived from Cyanohydrins, Protected Cyanohydrins and a-Dialkylaminonitriles Tetrahedron 1983, 39, 3207-3233. Seebach, D. Corey, E. J. Generation and Synthetic Applications of 2-Lithio-l,3-dithianes /. Orpi. Chem. 1975, 40, 231-237. 

Lithiated dithiane 35 is another example of a formyl anion equivalent. Acylation would provide 36 and thioacetal hydrolysis would provide 29. The thioacetal hydrolysis is the FGT that establishes the equivalency. Acylation of dimsyl anion 37 (from metallation of DMSO) would afford )8-ketosulfoxide 38. Once again an oxidation is needed to establish the desired equivalency. This can be accomplished using a Pummerer rearrangement wherein oxidation occurs at carbon with reduction at sulfur. Hydrolysis of the resulting S,0-acetal would complete the required FGT. 

The acyl anion (R-C=0) is not stable as such, but when an aldehyde is converted into a 1,3-dithiane by reaction with propane-1,3-dithiol and then treated with base, it forms an acyl anion equivalent, and hence is susceptible to attack by electrophilic reagents (see Section 5.9). Two extensive compilations of formyl and acyl anion synthons together with references to their reactions... 

Formaldehyde dithioacetals are often utilized as synthetic equivalents of formyl anion ( CHO) and carbonyl dianion ( "C=0). 1,3-Dithiane is commonly used its 2-H is quite acidic (pKt = 31.1) due to sta-... 

The most utilized Umpolung strategy is based on formyl and acyl anion equivalents derived from 2-lithio-l,3-dithiane species. These are readily generated from 1,3-dithianes (thioacetals) because the hydrogens at C(2) are relatively acidic (p f 31). In this connection it should be noted that thiols (EtSH, pi 11) are stronger acids compared to alcohols (EtOH, 16). Also, the lower ionization potential and the greater polarizability of the valence electrons of sulfur compared to oxygen make the divalent sulfur compounds more nucleophilic in Sj,2 reactions. The polarizability factor may also be responsible for the stabilization of carbanions a to sulfur. ... 

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