Enol ethers, hydrogenation

The hydrogenolyaia of cyclopropane rings (C—C bond cleavage) has been described on p, 105. In syntheses of complex molecules reductive cleavage of alcohols, epoxides, and enol ethers of 5-keto esters are the most important examples, and some selectivity rules will be given. Primary alcohols are converted into tosylates much faster than secondary alcohols. The tosylate group is substituted by hydrogen upon treatment with LiAlH (W. Zorbach, 1961). Epoxides are also easily opened by LiAlH. The hydride ion attacks the less hindered carbon atom of the epoxide (H.B. Henhest, 1956). The reduction of sterically hindered enol ethers of 9-keto esters with lithium in ammonia leads to the a,/S-unsaturated ester and subsequently to the saturated ester in reasonable yields (R.M. Coates, 1970). Tributyltin hydride reduces halides to hydrocarbons stereoselectively in a free-radical chain reaction (L.W. Menapace, 1964) and reacts only slowly with C 0 and C—C double bonds (W.T. Brady, 1970 H.G. Kuivila, 1968). 

The 7, i5-unsaturated alcohol 99 is cyclized to 2-vinyl-5-phenyltetrahydro-furan (100) by exo cyclization in aqueous alcohol[124]. On the other hand, the dihydropyran 101 is formed by endo cyclization from a 7, (5-unsaturated alcohol substituted by two methyl groups at the i5-position. The direction of elimination of /3-hydrogen to give either enol ethers or allylic ethers can be controlled by using DMSO as a solvent and utilized in the synthesis of the tetronomycin precursor 102[125], The oxidation of the optically active 3-alkene-l,2-diol 103 affords the 2,5-dihydrofuran 104 in high ee. It should be noted that /3-OH is eliminated rather than /3-H at the end of the reac-tion[126]. 

The Pd-catalyzed elimination of the mesylate 909 at an anomeric center, although it is a saturated pseudo-halide, under mild conditions is explained by the facile oxidative addition to the mesylate C—O bond, followed by elimination of /3-hydrogen to give the enol ether 910[767],... 

The most recent, and probably most elegant, process for the asymmetric synthesis of (+)-estrone appHes a tandem Claisen rearrangement and intramolecular ene-reaction (Eig. 23). StereochemicaHy pure (185) is synthesized from (2R)-l,2-0-isopropyhdene-3-butanone in an overall yield of 86% in four chemical steps. Heating a toluene solution of (185), enol ether (187), and 2,6-dimethylphenol to 180°C in a sealed tube for 60 h produces (190) in 76% yield after purification. Ozonolysis of (190) followed by base-catalyzed epimerization of the C8a-hydrogen to a C8P-hydrogen (again similar to conversion of (175) to (176)) produces (184) in 46% yield from (190). Aldehyde (184) was converted to 9,11-dehydroestrone methyl ether (177) as discussed above. The overall yield of 9,11-dehydroestrone methyl ether (177) was 17% in five steps from 6-methoxy-l-tetralone (186) and (185) (201). 

Catalytic hydrogenation of the 14—15 double bond from the face opposite to the C18 substituent yields (196). Compound (196) contains the natural steroid stereochemistry around the D-ring. A metal-ammonia reduction of (196) forms the most stable product (197) thermodynamically. When R is equal to methyl, this process comprises an efficient total synthesis of estradiol methyl ester. Birch reduction of the A-ring of (197) followed by acid hydrolysis of the resultant enol ether allows access into the 19-norsteroids (198) (204). 

Silylated cyanohydrins have also been prepared via silylation of cyanohydrins themselves and by the addition of hydrogen cyanide to silyl enol ethers. Silylated cyanohydrins have proved to be quite useful in a variety of synthetic transformations, including the regiospecific protection of p-quinones, as intermediates in an efficient synthesis of a-aminomethyl alcohols, and for the preparation of ketone cyanohydrins themselves.The silylated cyanohydrins of heteroaromatic aldehydes have found extensive use as... 

Another route to 5a compounds (57) proceeds from the dienol ether (58) by selective catalytic hydrogenation of the A -double bond with concomitant shift of the 3,4-double bond to the 2,3-position. If the hydrogenation is carried out in the presence of traces of base, double bond migration is suppressed and the difficultly accessible A -enol ethers of 5a-series (59) are thus obtained. 

Steroidal 17-cyanohydrins are relatively stable towards chromium trioxide in acetic acid (thus permitting oxidation of a 3-hydroxyl group ) and towards ethyl orthoformate in ethanolic hydrogen chloride (thus permitting enol ether formation of a 3-keto-A system ). Sodium and K-propanol reduction produces the 17j -hydroxy steroid, presumably by formation of the 17-ketone prior to reduction. ... 

Treatment of dibromocarbene adduct (43) (Rji, = O) with aqueous methanol containing silver nitrate or perchlorate gives A-homo-estra-1 (10), 2,4a-triene-4,17-dione (45) in 21 % overall yield from the enol ether (42). The exact pathway is not known, but the first step may be formation of a bromo-homo-dienone facilitated by the methoxyl group, which then undergoes further loss of hydrogen bromide involving shift of a double bond by enolization. ... 

Selective fluonnation in polar solvents has proved commercially successful in the synthesis of 5 fluorouracil and its pyrimidine relatives, an extensive subject that will be discussed in another section Selective fluonnation of enolates [47], enols [48], and silyl enol ethers [49] resulted in preparation of a/phn-fluoro ketones, fieto-diketones, heta-ketoesters, and aldehydes The reactions of fluorine with these functionalities is most probably an addition to the ene followed by elimination of fluonde ion or hydrogen fluoride rather than a simple substitution In a similar vein, selective fluonnation of pyridmes to give 2-fluoropyridines was shown to proceed through pyridine difluondes [50]... 

Systems usually fluonnated by electropositive fluorine reagents include acti-vated alkenes (enol ethers, enol acetates, silyl enol ethers, and enamines), activated aromatic systems, certain slightly activated carbon-hydrogen bonds, and selected organometallics. 

The tnmethylsilyl enol ether of 1 mdanone (3 2 mmol) in 2 mL of methylene chlonde is added to a mixture of xenon difluonde (4 mmol) and a catalytic amount of pyndimum poly (hydrogen fluonde) m 5 mL of methylene chlonde The mixture IS stured at 0 C for 2 h and poured into dilute sodium bicarbonate solution, tlie organic layer is separated and dned After concentration and column chromatogra phy (silica gel, hexanes), 2-fluoro-1 -mdanone (mp, 59 C) is obtamed in 87% yield... 

The reaction of tnfluoromethyl-substituted A -acyl umnes toward nucleophiles in many aspects parallels that of the parent polyfluoro ketones Heteronucleophiles and carbon nucleophiles, such as enarmnes [37, 38], enol ethers [38, 39, 40], hydrogen cyanide [34], tnmethylsilylcarbomlnle [2,47], alkynes [42], electron-nch heterocycles [43], 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds [44], organolithium compounds [45, 46, 47, 48], and Gngnard compounds [49,50], readily undergo hydroxyalkylation with hexafluoroace-tone and amidoalkylation with acyl imines denved from hexafluoroacetone... 

A solution of the trimethylsilyl enol ether of propionyl trimethylsilane (5 mmol) (Chapter 12) and benzaldehyde diethyl acetal (5 mmol) in dichloromethane (10ml) was added to a solution of BF3.OEt2 (5 mmol) in dichloromethane (5ml), cooled to —78 C. After being stirred for lh at -78°C and 2h at -30°C, the mixture was quenched with excess saturated sodium hydrogen carbonate solution, and extracted with ether. Concentration and distillation gave the product -ethoxy acylsilane, (4.6mmol, 95%). b.p. 105-106 C/2mmHg. Treatment of this alkoxy... 

Boron trifluoride etherate (1 mmol) was added dropwise to a stirred solution of the epoxysilane (1 mmol) in dichloromethane (5 ml) at -78 °C, and the mixture was stirred for 5min. The reaction mixture was quenched with saturated sodium hydrogen carbonate solution (1 ml), and allowed to warm gradually to ambient temperature. The organic phase was washed with brine (3 x 5 ml), dried and concentrated. The (Z)-epoxysilane gave the (Z)-silyl enol ether (68%, 96 4(Z) (E)), and the (E)-isomer gave the (E)-silyl enol ether (69%, 95 5 ( ) (Z)). 

A mixture of lead(iv) acetate (20 mmol) and KOAc (100 mmol) in AcOH (30 ml) was treated with the neat aldehyde-derived silyl enol ether (20mmol) at ambient temperature. After being stirred for 1 h at ambient temperature, the reaction mixture was diluted with water (30ml), and then extracted with pentane (3 x200ml). The combined pentane extracts were washed with saturated sodium hydrogen carbonate solution (2x50ml), dried, concentrated and distilled to give the product a-acetoxyaldehyde (45-78%). 

If the original aldehyde or ketone has an a hydrogen, it is possible for water to split out in that way and enol ethers can be prepared in this manner ... 

Silyi enol ethers can be dimerized to symmetrical 1,4-diketones by treatment with Ag20 in DMSO or certain other polar aprotic solvents." The reaction has been performed with R , R = hydrogen or alkyl, though best yields are obtained when r = r = H. In certain cases, unsymmetrical 1,4-diketones have been prepared by using a mixture of two silyi enol ethers. Other reagents that have been used to achieve either symmetrical or cross-coupled products are iodosobenzene-Bp3-Et20," ceric ammonium nitrate," and lead tetraacetate." If R =0R (in which case the substrate is a ketene silyi acetal), dimerization with TiCU leads to a dialkyl succinate (34, r =0R)." ... 

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