Enol ethers reduction

An alternative to the above eliminations, which in principle offers a great many advantages, is the metal induced elimination of the elements of ROBr from a 2-halocyclopropyl ether. Thus the sequence of addition of dibromocarbene to an enol ether, reduction to a monobromide and reaction with magnesium in tetrahydro-furan provides a route to cyclopropene itself45). 

The protic acid and Lewis acid-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of electron-rich alkenes with imines derived from anilines and aryl aldehydes constitute an extensively explored class of 2-azadienes capable of providing the products of a formaJ Diels-Alder reaction (equation 9).i5.27.i77 a useful extension of these studies and in efforts to increase the rate of the Att participation of simple 2-aza-1,3-buta-dienes in [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions, Mariano and coworkers have examined the Lewis acid-catalyzed intermolecular reactions of (l ,3 )-l-phenyl-2-aza-l,3-pentadiene with electron-rich dienophiles, including enol ethers. Reductive work-up of the cycloaddition reactions provided the pro-... 

Several syntheses are available to the 13,14-dihydroprostaglandins, some of which are metabolites of the E and F series. The first of these routes [143, 144] started from the formyl derivative (LVII) of the enol ether of cyclo-pentan-l,3-dione which on reaction with ethyl 6-bromosorbate and tri-phenylphosphine followed by selective catalytic reduction afforded the ester (LVIII). A second formylation followed by elaboration with n-hexanoyl-methylenetriphenylphosphonium chloride 1 to the ketone (LIX) which on reduction of the exocyclic double bond and acid-catalysed solvolysis in benzyl alcohol afforded the benzyl ether (LX) and its isomeric enol ether. Reduction with lithium tri-t-butoxyaluminium hydride to the corresponding 15-hydroxy-compound and palladium-charcoal catalysed hydrogenolysis followed by prolonged catalytic hydrogenation with rhodium-charcoal led to ( )-dihydro-PGEi ethyl ester. 

The (3-azidation reaction of triisopropylsilyl enol ethers (Schemes 3.186 and 3.187) has been effectively utilized in organic synthesis [563-565]. Magnus and coworkers have developed a mechanistically different enone synthesis that involves treatment of (3-azido TIPS enol ethers 469 and 471 with fluoride anion to effect desilylation and concomitant (3-elimination to give an a,(3-enone [563]. Alternatively, the (3-azido group in 469 or 471 can be ionized with MesAl or Me2AlCl and the intermediate enonium ion trapped by various nucleophiles, such as an allylstannane, electron-rich aromatics and trimethylsilyl enol ethers, to give various (3-substituted TIPS enol ethers. Reduction of the (3-azido TIPS enol ether provides access to the synthetically useful p-amino TIPS enol ethers [563]. 

An alternative furan synthesis is based upon allylic C-H insertion upon reaction with a ketone-derived enol ether. Reduction and hydrolysis affords the furan (eq 6). With aldehyde-derived enol ethers, copper(I) induced reaction with dimethyl diazomalonate yields an alkoxycyclopropane diester, whose reduction, hydrolysis, and oxidation affords a spiro- -methylene-y-lactone (eq7). 

Selective reduction of a benzene ring (W. Grimme, 1970) or a C C double bond (J.E. Cole, 1962) in the presence of protected carbonyl groups (acetals or enol ethers) has been achieved by Birch reduction. Selective reduction of the C—C double bond of an a,ft-unsaturated ketone in the presence of a benzene ring is also possible in aprotic solution, because the benzene ring is redueed only very slowly in the absence of a proton donor (D. Caine, 1976). 

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). 

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]... 

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). 

Hoffmaim-La Roche has produced -carotene since the 1950s and has rehed on core knowledge of vitamin A chemistry for the synthesis of this target. In this approach, a five-carbon homologation of vitamin A aldehyde (19) is accompHshed by successive acetalizations and enol ether condensations to prepare the aldehyde (46). Metal acetyUde coupling with two molecules of aldehyde (46) completes constmction of the C q carbon framework. Selective reduction of the internal triple bond of (47) is followed by dehydration and thermal isomerization to yield -carotene (21) (Fig. 10). 

A carbonyl group cannot be protected as its ethylene ketal during the Birch reduction of an aromatic phenolic ether if one desires to regenerate the ketone and to retain the 1,4-dihydroaromatic system, since an enol ether is hydrolyzed by acid more rapidly than is an ethylene ketal. 1,4-Dihydro-estrone 3-methyl ether is usually prepared by the Birch reduction of estradiol 3-methyl ether followed by Oppenauer oxidation to reform the C-17 carbonyl function. However, the C-17 carbonyl group may be protected as its diethyl ketal and, following a Birch reduction of the A-ring, this ketal function may be hydrolyzed in preference to the 3-enol ether, provided carefully controlled conditions are employed. Conditions for such a selective hydrolysis are illustrated in Procedure 4. 

The application of the Birch reduction to ethers of estradiol by A. J. Birch opened up the area of 19-norsteroids to intensive research. The major Birch reduction product is an enol ether which affords either a 3-keto-A -or a 3-keto-A -19-norsteroid depending upon the hydrolysis conditions. Various 19-norsteroids have been found to have useful clinical activity compounds (30), (31), and (32) are oral contraceptive agents and compound (33) has been used as an oral anabolic agent. Several of these compounds were prepared on an industrial scale for a number of years by the Birch reduction of estradiol derivatives. 

The crude ketal from the Birch reduction is dissolved in a mixture of 700 ml ethyl acetate, 1260 ml absolute ethanol and 31.5 ml water. To this solution is added 198 ml of 0.01 Mp-toluenesulfonic acid in absolute ethanol. (Methanol cannot be substituted for the ethanol nor can denatured ethanol containing methanol be used. In the presence of methanol, the diethyl ketal forms the mixed methyl ethyl ketal at C-17 and this mixed ketal hydrolyzes at a much slower rate than does the diethyl ketal.) The mixture is stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 10 min and 56 ml of 10% potassium bicarbonate solution is added to neutralize the toluenesulfonic acid. The organic solvents are removed in a rotary vacuum evaporator and water is added as the organic solvents distill. When all of the organic solvents have been distilled, the granular precipitate of 1,4-dihydroestrone 3- methyl ether is collected on a filter and washed well with cold water. The solid is sucked dry and is dissolved in 800 ml of methyl ethyl ketone. To this solution is added 1600 ml of 1 1 methanol-water mixture and the resulting mixture is cooled in an ice bath for 1 hr. The solid is collected, rinsed with cold methanol-water (1 1), air-dried, and finally dried in a vacuum oven at 60° yield, 71.5 g (81 % based on estrone methyl ether actually carried into the Birch reduction as the ketal) mp 139-141°, reported mp 141-141.5°. The material has an enol ether assay of 99%, a residual aromatics content of 0.6% and a 19-norandrost-5(10)-ene-3,17-dione content of 0.5% (from hydrolysis of the 3-enol ether). It contains less than 0.1 % of 17-ol and only a trace of ketal formed by addition of ethanol to the 3-enol ether. 

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. ... 

The 2,2 -bis(phenylthiomethyl) dispiroketal (dispoke) derivative is cleaved by oxidation to the sulfone, followed by treatment with LiN(TMS)2. The related bromo and iodo derivatives are cleaved reductively with LDBB (lithium 4,4 -di- -butylbiphenylide) or by elimination with the P4- -butylphosphazene base and acid hydrolysis of the enol ether. The 2,2-diphenyl dispiroketal is cleaved with FeCl3 (CH2CI2, rt, overnight)." The dimethyl dispiroketal is cleaved with TFA, and the allyl derivative is cleaved by ozonolysis followed by elimination. ... 

The chiral BOX-copper(ll) complexes, (S)-21a and (l )-21b (X=OTf, SbFg), were found by Evans et al. to catalyze the enantioselective cycloaddition reactions of the a,/ -unsaturated acyl phosphonates 49 with ethyl vinyl ether 46a and the cyclic enol ethers 50 giving the cycloaddition products 51 and 52, respectively, in very high yields and ee as outlined in Scheme 4.33 [38b]. It is notable that the acyclic and cyclic enol ethers react highly stereoselectively and that the same enantiomer is formed using (S)-21a and (J )-21b as the catalyst. It is, furthermore, of practical importance that the cycloaddition reaction can proceed in the presence of only 0.2 mol% (J )-21a (X=SbF6) with minimal reduction in the yield of the cycloaddition product and no loss of enantioselectivity (93% ee). 

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