Enol ethers, alkyl ketones

Silyl enol ethers, enol esters and alkyl enol ethers of ketones and aldehydes can be C-alkylated with reactive alkylating agents in the presence of Lewis acids86-90. However, information regarding the use of these reactions for diastereoselcctive or asymmetric synthesis is still limited. 

Examples of the preparation of cyclopropanes by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution are illustrated in Scheme9.17. The first example is a synthesis of [l.l.ljpro-pellane, which yields the product in acceptable yields, despite the high strain and poor stability of this compound [66]. The second and third examples illustrate the remarkable ease with which 3-halopropyl ketones cyclize to yield cyclopropanes instead of cyclic, five-membered enol ethers or ketones. Similarly, carbamates of 2-haloethylglycine esters do not undergo intramolecular N- or O-alkylation on treatment with bases, but yield cyclopropanes instead [67, 68]. Some nucleophiles can undergo Michael addition to 3-halomethyl acrylates faster than direct Sn2 reaction, to yield cyclopropanes by cyclization of the intermediate enolates (fourth example, Scheme9.17) [69]. 

Phenylthioalkylation of silyl enol ethers. Silyl enol ethers of ketones, aldehydes, esters, and lactones can be alkylated regiospecifically by a -chloroalkyl phenyl sulfides in fhe presence of a Lewis acid. Zinc bromide and titanium(IV) chloride are the most effective catalysts. The former is more satisfactory for enol ethers derived from esters and lactongs. ZnBr2 and TiCL are about equally satisfactory for enol ethers of ketones. The combination of TiCL and Ti(0-f-Pr)4 is more satisfactory for enol ethers of aldehydes. Since the products can be desulfurized by Raney nickel, this reaction also provides a method for alkylation of carbonyl compounds. Of more interest, sulfoxide elimination provides a useful route to a,B-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. 

Alkylation of trimethylsUyllenol ethers. Trimethylsilyl enol ethers of ketones can be alkylated under Friedel-Crafts conditions by f-butyl chloride in CH2CI2 at —23° in the presence of 1 equiv. of a Lewis acid. The order of effectiveness of catalysts is TiCL > ZnCla > SnCU > AICI3. ... 

Low molecular mass enol esters (e.g. acetates H.O. House, 1965) or enol ethers (e.g. silyl ethers H.O. House, 1969) of ketones can be synthesized regioselectively and/or separated by distillation. Treatment with lithium alkyls converts them into the corresponding lithi-... 

Silyl enol ethers are other ketone or aldehyde enolate equivalents and react with allyl carbonate to give allyl ketones or aldehydes 13,300. The transme-tallation of the 7r-allylpalladium methoxide, formed from allyl alkyl carbonate, with the silyl enol ether 464 forms the palladium enolate 465, which undergoes reductive elimination to afford the allyl ketone or aldehyde 466. For this reaction, neither fluoride anion nor a Lewis acid is necessary for the activation of silyl enol ethers. The reaction also proceed.s with metallic Pd supported on silica by a special method[301j. The ketene silyl acetal 467 derived from esters or lactones also reacts with allyl carbonates, affording allylated esters or lactones by using dppe as a ligand[302]... 

Me3SiI, CH2CI2, 25°, 15 min, 85-95% yield.Under these cleavage conditions i,3-dithiolanes, alkyl and trimethylsilyl enol ethers, and enol acetates are stable. 1,3-Dioxolanes give complex mixtures. Alcohols, epoxides, trityl, r-butyl, and benzyl ethers and esters are reactive. Most other ethers and esters, amines, amides, ketones, olefins, acetylenes, and halides are expected to be stable. 

A -dien-3-ol ethers gives rise to 6-substituted A" -3-ketones. 6-Hydroxy-A" -3-ketones can be obtained also by autooxidation.Structural changes in the steroid molecule may strongly affect the stability of 3-alkyl-A -ethers. Thus 11 j5-hydroxyl and 9a-fluorine substituents greatly increase the lability of the enol ether/ while halogens at C-6 stabilize this system to autooxidation and acid hydrolysis. 

Schemes 3-7 describe the synthesis of cyanobromide 6, the A-D sector of vitamin Bi2. The synthesis commences with an alkylation of the magnesium salt of methoxydimethylindole 28 to give intermediate 29 (see Scheme 3a). The stereocenter created in this step plays a central role in directing the stereochemical course of the next reaction. Thus, exposure of 29 to methanol in the presence of BF3 and HgO results in the formation of tricyclic ketone 22 presumably through the intermediacy of the derived methyl enol ether 30. It is instructive to point out that the five-membered nitrogen-containing ring in 22, with its two adjacent methyl-bearing stereocenters, is destined to become ring A of vitamin Bi2. A classical resolution of racemic 22 with a-phenylethylisocyanate (31) furnishes tricyclic ketone 22 in enantiomerically pure form via diaster-eomer 32.

Longifolene has also been synthesized from ( ) Wieland-Miescher ketone by a series of reactions that feature an intramolecular enolate alkylation and ring expansion, as shown in Scheme 13.26. The starting material was converted to a dibromo ketone via the Mr-silyl enol ether in the first sequence of reactions. This intermediate underwent an intramolecular enolate alkylation to form the C(7)—C(10) bond. The ring expansion was then done by conversion of the ketone to a silyl enol ether, cyclopropanation, and treatment of the siloxycyclopropane with FeCl3. 

Nitration of ketones or enol ethers provides a useful method for the preparation of a-nitro ketones. Direct nitration of ketones with HN03 suffers from the formation of a variety of oxidative by-products. Alternatively, the conversion of ketones into their enolates, enol acetates, or enol ethers, followed by nitration with conventional nitrating agents such as acyl nitrates, gives a-nitro ketones (see Ref. 79, a 1980 review). The nitration of enol acetates of alkylated cyclohexanones with concentrated nitric acid in acetic anhydride at 15-22 °C leads to mixtures of cis- and rrans-substituted 2-nitrocyclohexanones in 75-92% yield. 4-Monoalkylated acetoxy-cyclohexanes give mainly m-compounds, and 3-monoalkylated ones yield fra/w-compounds (Eq. 2.40).80... 

More traditional carbon nucleophiles can also be used for an alkylative ring-opening strategy, as exemplified by the titanium tetrachloride promoted reaction of trimethylsilyl enol ethers (82) with ethylene oxide, a protocol which provides aldol products (84) in moderate to good yields <00TL763>. While typical lithium enolates of esters and ketones do not react directly with epoxides, aluminum ester enolates (e.g., 86) can be used quite effectively. This methodology is the subject of a recent review <00T1149>. 

Silyl enol ethers have also been used as a trap for electrophilic radicals derived from a-haloesters [36] or perfluoroalkyl iodides [32]. They afford the a-alkylated ketones after acidic treatment of the intermediate silyl enol ethers (Scheme 19, Eq. 19a). Similarly, silyl ketene acetals are converted into o -pcriluoroalkyl esters upon treatment with per fluoro alkyl iodides [32, 47]. The Et3B/02-mediated diastereoselective trifluoromethylation [48,49] (Eq. 19b) and (ethoxycarbonyl)difluoromethylation [50,51] of lithium eno-lates derived from N-acyloxazolidinones have also been achieved. More recently, Mikami [52] succeeded in the trifluoromethylation of ketone enolates... 

Regiospecific mono-C-alkylation (60-90%) of trimethylsilyl enol ethers is promoted by benzyltriethylammonium fluoride [34, 35]. A similar alkylation of tin(IV) enolates is aided by stoichiometric amount of tetra-n-butylammonium bromide and has been utilized in the synthesis of y-iminoketones [36]. Carbanions from weakly acidic carbon acids can be generated by the reaction of their trimethylsilyl derivatives with tetra-n-butylammonium triphenyldifluorosilicate [37] (see also Section 6.3). Such carbanions react readily with haloalkanes. Tautomeric ketones in which the enol form has a high degree of stabilization are O-alkylated to form the enol ether, e.g. methylation of anthrone produces 9-methoxyanthracene [26],... 

It should be mentioned in connection with the use of 119 and its etherates that conversions of alkyl phenyl ketones to the corresponding carbinols were approximately 90%, and addition and enolization were not significant. Rates of reductions were found to be lower in the ether solvents, particularly THF, than in pentane (157). The decrease has been attributed to competition between ether and ketone for the aluminum moiety (eq. [32]). 

Treatment of aldehydes or ketones with acceptor-substituted carbene complexes leads to formation of enol ethers [1271-1274], oxiranes [1048], or 1,3-dioxolanes [989,1275] by O-alkylation of the carbonyl compound. Carboxylic acid derivatives... 

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