Epoxides Grignard reactions

In some cases products of rearrangement are obtained either partially or exclusively on treatment of Grignard reagents with epoxides. Thus, reaction of the 2/ ,3/ -epoxide (14) with methyl Grignard reagent affords a mixture of two epimeric secondary A-nor alcohols (15) in 80% yield and the tertiary hydroxy compound, 2a-methyl-5a-cholestan-2/f-ol (16) in 15 % yield. ... 

Finally, the necessity arose for the synthesis of pentulose 21, labeled with, 3C on the central carbons, C-2 and C-3, for an independent biosynthetic study, which is reported in Section III.5.27 The doubly labeled ester 34 (Scheme 14) is readily available by a Wittig- Homer condensation of benzyloxyacetaldehyde with commercially available triethylphosphono-(l,2-l3C2)acetate. Chirality was introduced by the reduction of ester 34 to the allylic alcohol, which produced the chiral epoxide 35 by the Sharpless epoxidation procedure. This was converted into the tetrose 36, and thence, into the protected pentulose 37 by the usual sequence of Grignard reaction and oxidation. 

F-17(20)-dehydro-20-cyanopregnene, which may be isomerized in base to the Z-isomer. Elaboration of the side-chain by successive Grignard reaction, reduction, and removal of the 22-hydroxy-group followed. Key steps in two stereospecific syntheses of Z-20(22)-dehydrocholesterol (234) from pregnenolone were (a) stereospecific removal of the 20- and 22-oxygen atoms of (20i ,22S)-20,22-dihydroxycholesterol by conversion into the thiocarbonate (232) and treatment with triethyl phosphite and (b) selective epoxidation of iE -20(22)-dehydrocholes-teryl benzoate to the epoxides (233), which were allowed to react with hexamcthyIdisilane-KOMe in HMPA (see also ref. 179). Syntheses of the 24-... 

T. D. Inch and G. J. Lewis, The synthesis of branched-chain, deoxysugars by sugar epoxide-Grignard reagent reactions, Carbohydr. Res., 15 (1970) 1-10. 

The reaction of a Grignard reagent with an epoxide is the only Grignard reaction we have seen where the new OH group is NOT on the same carbon atom where the Grignard formed a new bond. In this case, the new OH group appears on the second carbon from the new bond. 

Organometallic Reagents. The major product of the Dilithium Tetrachlorocuprate(II)- or Copper(I) /odide-catalyzed Grignard reaction in THF or ether at low temperature arises from epoxide opening rather than from direct tosylate displacement (Table... 

Allylic halides couple effectively with vinyltin reagents to provide the corresponding 1,4-dienes in high yields.2 Like nickel- and palladium-catalyzed Grignard reactions with allylic ethers, this reaction also proceeds with net inversion of configuration at the allylic center. Similarly, vinyl epoxides react... 

The unusual cyclopropane 551 was isolated [probably as the (5)-isomer] from Pistacia vera, together with the hydrated analog 552 551 was synthesized by Grignard reaction of cyclopropylmagnesium bromide with 4-methyl-3-cyclohexenone, and the diol 552 by lithium aluminum reduction of the epoxide of 551. ... 

---