1.3- Dithianes reaction with ketones

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). 

In ( )-[2-(l-propenyl)-l, 3-dithian-2-yl]lithium, no problem of EjZ selectivity arises. It is easily prepared by deprotonation of the allylic dithiane87,88 with butyllithium in THF, whereas deprotonation of the 2-propylidene-l, 3-dithiane requires the assistance of HMPA. The addition to saturated aldehydes proceeds with excellent y-regioseleetivity and anti selectivity88,89. As often observed in similar cases, aldehydes which bear an, p2-carbon atom adjacent to the carbonyl group give lower selectivities. The stereoselectivity decreases with ketones (2-bu-tanone y/a 84 16, antiisyn 77 23)88. The reaction with ethyl 2-oxopropanoate is merely nonstereoselective90, but addition of zinc chloride improved the syn/anti ratio to 96 4, leading to an efficient synthesis of ( )-crobarbatic acid. 

The preparation of dithianes from enamines by reaction with trimethylene dithiotosylate (propane-1,3-dithiol di-p-toluenesulfonate) has been applied with enamines derived from oholostan 3 one, aceto-acetic ester, and phenylacetone.6 7 Reactions of trimethylene dithiotosylate with hydroxymethylene derivatives of ketones also give rise to dithianes thus the hydroxymethylene derivative of cholest-4-en-3-one can be converted to 2,2-(trimethylenedithio)cholest-4-en-3-one. 1,3-Dithiolanes are obtained in a similar manner by reaction of ethylene dithiotosylate1 with the appropriately activated substrate.5,7... 

Dithioketals, especially the cyclic dithiolanes and dithianes, are also useful carbonyl-protecting groups. These can be formed from the corresponding dithiols by Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions. The catalysts that are used include BF3, Mg(03SCF3)2, Zn(03SCF3)2, and LaCl3.100 S-Trimethylsilyl ethers of thiols and dithiols also react with ketones to form dithioketals.101... 

Umpolung The reversal of polarity of the carbonyl carbon atom is termed umpolung (German for polarity reversal). Normally the carbonyl carbon atom of an aldehyde (or a ketone) is partially positive i.e., electrophilic and therefore it reacts with nucleophiles. When the aldehyde is converted to a dithiane by reaction with 1,3-propanedithiol and reacted with butyl lithium the same carbon now becomes negatively charged to react with electrophiles. This reversed polarity of the carbonyl carbon is termed umpolung which increases the versatility of the carbonyl group in synthesis. The sulphur atoms stabilize... 

The stoichiometric equivalents of halofluorides have been recently applied to transform alkylene dithioacetals into gcm-difluorides.70-71 Dithioacetals such as 1,3-dithiolanes and 1,3-dithianes arc readily obtained from the corresponding carbonyl compounds by the reaction with ethane-1,2-dithiol or propane-1,3-dithiol in the presence of the complexes boron trifluoride-bis(acetic acid) or boron trifluoride-diethyl ether. Using a two-step procedure, a range of aldehydes and ketones can be converted into gem-difluorides under mild conditions. 

Ketene dithioketals,1 The reagent undergoes Wittig-Horner reactions with aldehydes or ketones to give 2-alkylidene-l,3-dithianes in 80-100% yield. The corresponding P=S analog reacts with aldehydes in only moderate yield (25-65% yield). 

Oxathiolanes (11) are formed from aldehydes and ketones by reaction with 2-mercaptoethanol (HS-CH2-CH2OH) in the presence of, for example, zinc chloride-sodium acetate in dioxane solution at room temperature,139 or boron trifluoride-etherate.140 They are more stable to an acidic medium than the 1,3-dithianes, and therefore may be the protective group of choice in certain instances. 

Dithianes, thioacetals and -ketals, enol thiol ethers. This clay is a useful catalyst for reactions of ketones with thiols. The condensations are usually conducted in refluxing toluene with a Dean-Stark trap for water.1... 

In Scheme 1.3, hexanal on reaction with 1,3-propanedithiol gives the 1,3-dithiane derivative 1.8. A strong base such as u-butyllithium abstracts the proton to give the corresponding 2-lithio-1,3-dithiane 1.9, which reacts with 1-bromopentane to give alkylated product 1.10. Treatment of 1.10 with FIgO and BF3 (boron trifluoride) in aqueous THF (tetrahydrofuran) yields the dipentyl ketone (the corey-seebach reaction ). Thus, dithianyllithium (2-lithio-1,3-dithiane) 1.9 is an acyl anion synthetic equivalent. 

The dithiane anion 1.9 also reacts with acyl halides, ketones and aldehydes to give the corresponding dioxygenated compounds. Schemes 1.4 and 1.5 show the reaction of dithiane anions 1.11 and 1.12 with ketones. The most common example of umpolung reactivity of a carbonyl group is the benzoin condensation (Scheme 1.6). 

In the reaction with a,3-unsaturated ketones (18), 2-lithio-1,3-dithiane (17 R = H) produces 1,2-adduct (20) in THF. By addition of HMPA (1-2 equiv.) to the reaction mixture, 1,4-addidon is successfully attained (equation 11). It is noteworthy that the lithio derivative of 2-aryl-1,3-dithiane tegiospecifically adds to 2-cyclohexenone in a 1,4-manner (25 C in THF). °... 

In dithioacetals the proton geminal to the sulfur atoms can be abstracted at low temperature with bases such as Bu"Li. Lithium ion complexing bases such as DABCO, HMPA and TMEDA enhance the process. The resulting anion is a masked acyl carbanion, which enables an assortment of synthetic sequences to be realized via reaction with electrophiles. Thus, a dithioacetal derived from an aldehyde can be further functionalized at the aldehyde carbon with an alkyl halide, followed by thioacetal cleavage to produce a ketone. Dithiane carbanions allow the assemblage of polyfunctional systems in ways complementary to traditional synthetic routes. For instance, the p-hydtoxy ketone systems, conventionally obtained by an aldol process, can now be constructed from different sets of carbon groups. ... 

Acyclic monothio acetals and ketals can be prepared directly from a carbonyl compound or by fra .v-ketalization, a reaction that does not involve a free carbonyl group, from a 1,3-dithiane or 1,3-dithiolane. They are cleaved by acidic hydrolysis or Hg(II) salts. One of their primary liabilities is that with ketones a new chiral center is introduced which may complicate product analysis. 

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