Electrophilic addition iodolactonization

Every example of electrophilic addition of a halogen to an alkene that we have shown you so far has been with bromine. This is quite representative bromine is the most widely used halogen for electrophilic addition, since its reactivity is second only to iodine, yet the products are more stable. However, in these lactonization reactions, iodine is the more commonly used reagent, and the products of iodolactonizations are important intermediates (you will meet them again in Chapter 33). In the next example, the iodolactonization product is treated with sodium methoxide, which appears (a) to hydrolyse the lactone, and (b) to substitute the iodide for OMe. In fact, there is a little more to this than meets the eye. 

Iodine is a very good electrophile for effecting intramolecular nucleophilic addition to alkenes, as exemplified by the iodolactonization reaction71 Reaction of iodine with carboxylic acids having carbon-carbon double bonds placed to permit intramolecular reaction results in formation of iodolactones. The reaction shows a preference for formation of five- over six-membered72 rings and is a stereospecific anti addition when carried out under basic conditions. 

Reactants with internal nucleophiles are also subject to cyclization by electrophilic sulfur reagents, a reaction known as sulfenylcyclization.92 As for iodolactonization, unsaturated carboxylic acids give products that result from anti addition.93... 

In iodolactonization the electrophilic atom E = I, and E—Y represents a source of electrophilic iodine, usually I2 or A-iodosuccinimide. In phenylselenolactonization, E = 0511580 and E—Y is benzeneselenenyl chloride (C6H5SeCl). Anti addition is observed in both iodo- and phenylselenolactonization. 

Scheme 3 shows the flexibility of this approach in more detail. Possible electrophiles for addition to metalated intermediate 4 include iodine to give the halogenated aromatic ring 6, Weinreb amides (e.g., 9) to access the aromatic ketone 10, DMF to give aldehyde 11, or various aldehydes, e.g., 8, 12, 15, or 16, to give differently substituted benzylic alcohols, e.g., 7, 13, 14, and 17, with diverse additional functional handles for further homologation. All these products may be readily further elaborated. Possible transformations include reductions, iodolactonizations, aldol reactions, allylation, epoxidation, or direct lactonization reactions. 

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