Epoxides ring-expansion reaction

Scheme 7.1. Domino asymmetric epoxidation/ring expansion reaction.

The bismuth ylides, Ph3Bi=CHCOR, do not react with simple ketones and electron-rich olefins probably because of their relatively low electrophilic character. However, Ph3Bi=CHCOR reacts with a-keto esters [46, 67, 68], benzils [46, 67-69], orf/to-quinones [46, 67, 68], and acenaphthenequinone [70] to give epoxides, (9-arovl enolates, 3-hydroxytropones, and 3-hydroxyphenalenones, respectively, accompanied by the formation of Ph3Bi (Scheme 11). In particular, transposition and ring expansion reactions are of interest from a mechanistic point of view, since these reaction modes are unprecedented in ylide chemistry. 

Reactions related to cyclopropanation can also be carried out with (phosphino) (silyl)carbenes (I). For example, benzaldehyde reacts with la at 0 °C leading to the corresponding epoxide, again as only one diastereomer. Even more striking are the reactions with benzonitrile and tert-butylphosphaalkyne that lead initially to azirine and phosphirene. Both three-membered heterocycles subsequently undergo ring expansion reactions affording azaphosphete and diphosphete, respectively (Scheme 8.18). This reaction is a new route for the synthesis of heterocyclobutadienes, and this demontrates the usefulness of (phosphino)(silyl)carbenes (I) for the synthesis of novel species. 

The tetrahydrofuran heterocycle has been incorporated into the main chain of a polymer by a ring expansion reaction of an epoxidized poly(diene) (172) (79BRP1550017). The reaction apparently takes place with equal efficiency (Scheme 85) with either nucleophilic or electrophilic initiation. 

Epoxide ring expansion.1 The reaction of the monoepoxide (1) of 1,5-cy-clooctadiene with bromine in CH2C12 results in the two cyclic ethers 2 and 3 with high stereoselectivity. 

A ring-expansion reaction based on epoxide ring opening and control of stereochemistry by er-participation of a silyl group has been devised.37 An example... 

The iron-catalyzed ring expansion reaction is a complementary alternative to Ti(III) chemistry for the ring expansion of epoxides [110]. However, so far the reaction is limited to styrene oxide derivatives, while the alkene can be broadly varied. 

The series of reactions leading to the 5-silyl-l-pentene - epoxidation, ring expansion, and Peterson elimination -are all stereospecific. Therefore, epoxides with different geometry can be transformed into the corresponding (E)- or (Z)-olefinic silanols <1994BCJ1694, 1991TL4545>. Subsequent Tamao oxidation affords stereodefined pentenols. 

The ring-expansion reaction of epoxides was first reported by Okuma and coworkers, to produce less-substituted oxetanes (Scheme 7.2) [11]. The nudeophilic attack by dimethyloxosulfonium methylide is proposed to react with the less-... 

An intermolecular iron-catalyzed ring expansion reaction involving epoxides and alkenes provided tetrahydrofurans via radical processes <07CEJ4312>. Cp2TiCl is able to promote cyclization of 2,3-epoxy alcohols containing a p-(alkoxy)acrylate moiety to form tetrahydrofurans <07TL6389>. As shown in the following example, an intramolecular addition of carbon radicals to aldehydes was reported to afford tetrahydrofuran-3-ols... 

Recent advances in the synthesis of trans-iused polycyclic ethers by hydroxy epoxide cyclization reactions via monocyclic epoxonium ion intermediates and ether ring expansion reactions via bicyclic epoxonium ion intermediates are described in a review by Fujiwara and Murai. Natural trans-iu eA polycyclic ethers (e.g., brevetoxin A and ciguatoxin), produced by marine sources such as dinoflagellates, are hypothesized to be constructed from the corresponding polyepoxide precursors by a cascade of ring-closure reactions, which has prompted much work in the development of new methods for the construction of cyclic ethers from epoxides <2004BCJ2129>. 

Advances in the synthesis of trans-fused polycyclic ethers by hydroxy-epoxide cyclization and ether-ring-expansion reactions 04BCJ2129. 

The transition-metal-catalyzed carbonylation reaction has been extensively investigated, and especially the carbonylative ring expansion reaction of strained heterocycles has been shown to be a useful and efficient procedure to synthesize lactams, lactones, and thiolactones.203 The carbonylation of epoxides and aziridines 450 is a powerful tool to construct the /Mactone and /Mactam skeletons 451 (Scheme 142).204 This type of reactions can be regarded as a hetero-[3 + 1]-cycloaddition. 

Two representative examples are provided in Scheme 10. The allyloxyl radical is generated, in the first step, by a C-radical-induced epoxide fragmentation [20b[. A ring expansion reaction occurs subsequently to give the ten-membered enedione system (Eq. 33) [60]. Nishida et al. show in the second example (Eq. 34) [61] another interesting case of a double ring expansion reaction induced by alkoxyl radicals similar to the one previously reported by the same authors (Eq. 31) [59]. 

With the same concept, but using the more reactive Ti(III) cationic radical [Cp2TiCl(THF)2] or a cationic salphen aluminum complex in combination with the cobalt anion [Co(CO)4] , Coates et al. succeeded to make the epoxide or aziridine carbonylative ring expansion reaction catalytic (Scheme 60) [149]. For both substrates, it is proposed a nucleophilic attack of the cobalt anion at the least-substituted carbon atom of the three-membered ring, the latter being activated by the Lewis acidic part of the catalyst. Of note, catalysts 106 and 107 used in this reaction are described as ion pairs rather than M-Co bond containing complexes. 

Altihough many of the early examples of the carbonylation of heterocycles included reactions of tetrahydrofurans, oxetanes, and azetidines, the majority of recent work has focused on the reactions of epoxides and aziridines. At this point, the ring-expansive reactions of epoxides are more general than the reactions of aziridines and occur imder milder conditions. Prior to 1994, ring-expansive carbonylation of epoxides was restricted to a few substrates. The patent by Droit and Kragtwijk s in 1994 inspired further work on these t)rpes of carbonylations, and tiiis work led to dramatic improvements in reaction scope. 

Potassium Amides. The strong, extremely soluble, stable, and nonnucleophilic potassium amide base (42), potassium hexamethyldisilazane [40949-94-8] (KHMDS), KN [Si(CH2]2, pX = 28, has been developed and commercialized. KHMDS, ideal for regio/stereospecific deprotonation and enolization reactions for less acidic compounds, is available in both THF and toluene solutions. It has demonstrated benefits for reactions involving kinetic enolates (43), alkylation and acylation (44), Wittig reaction (45), epoxidation (46), Ireland-Claison rearrangement (47,48), isomerization (49,50), Darzen reaction (51), Dieckmann condensation (52), cyclization (53), chain and ring expansion (54,55), and elimination (56). 

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