Epoxides 5,6-unsaturated. cyclization

Scheme 7.58 31c-catalyzed epoxidation of a,P-unsaturated aldehydes and application to a one-pot epoxidation/Henry/cyclization reaction. 

The cyclization of the homologous epoxide 36 under acidic conditions was also investigated (Table 9.5) [110]. As would be expected, compound 36a reacted by a 6-exo cyclization to give tetrahydropyran 38a (Entry 1). The a, 3-unsaturated hydroxy epoxide 36b gave a 1 3.5 mixture of oxepane 37b and tetrahydropyran 38b (Entry 2). Subjection of 36c and 36d, which both contain more electron-rich 71-systems, to the reaction conditions resulted in preferential 7-endo cyclization to give 37c and 37d, thus confirming the powerful regiodirecting effect of the vinyl moiety (Entries 3 and 4). 

As a first step towards this goal, we managed to develop a titanocene-catalyzed 5 -exo cyclization of radicals derived from suitably unsaturated epoxides. The mechanism of the cyclization is depicted in Scheme 12.18 [31],... 

Highly regioselective cyclizations of 3,4-, 4,5- and 5,6-unsaturated alcohols to yield tetrahydrofuranols and tetrahydropyranols have been carried out with the TS-I-H2O2 system (this is a titanium silicate molecular sieve-H202 complex.) The reactions involve the intermediate formation of epoxides and their Ni ring opening. 

A detailed mechanistic study of acid-catalysed monocyclization of 5,6-unsaturated epoxides, such as (66), has now provided compelling evidence for a pathway in which the oxirane C—O cleavage and the C—C bond formation are concerted. These experimental results are now further supported by theoretical evidence for a concerted mechanism of the oxirane cleavage and A-ring formation in epoxysqualene cyclisation, obtained at the RHF/6-31G and B3LYP/6-31 + G levels. The chemical pathway thus parallels the mechanism of the enzymatic cyclization that plays a role in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids. 

Oxazine derivatives are formed from unsaturated AAs. Vinylglycine, after epoxidation at the double bond, yielded methyl l,3-oxazin-2-one-4-carboxylate after treatment with sodium methoxide or p-chlorophenol (90TL2291). Similarly, some alkenes react with methyl a-methoxyhippurate and cyclization occurs with BF3-Et20 (75TL3737). In sulfuric acid butyro-lactones are formed. 

Acid-catalyzed intramolecular attack of nucleophilic hydroperoxide function on an oxirane ring results in formation of 3-(l-hydroxyalkyl)endoperoxides. For example, epoxidation of unsaturated hydroperoxide 320 affords oxirane-hydroperoxide 321 (66%), which through acid-catalyzed regioselective cyclization gives 1,2-dioxolane 322 (70%) (Scheme 79) . This type of reaction is applicable also to a more complex epoxide-hydroperoxide such as 323, which cyclizes to polyfunctionalized 5-membered cyclic... 

The preparation of 1 started with the addition of lithiated 4 to the enantiomcrically-pure epoxide 5, which was prepared from the racemate using the Jacobsen protocol. Reduction followed by selective protection of the primary alcohol gave the monosilyl ether, which was further protected with MOM chloride to give 7. Pd-mediated oxidation to the methyl ketone followed by condensation with the Horner-Emmons reagent gave the unsaturated ester 8 as an inconsequential mixture of geometric isomers. Oxidation then set the stage for the crucial cyclization. 

This reaction was used to introduce the final two skeletal carbons in a total synthesis of maytansine (4).2 The reaction of the 2,/ -unsaturated aldehyde (2) with I (R = C6H5) gives the desired 4,5-unsaturated 3-hydroxy ester 3 in 80% yield. The ratio of the desired (S)-alcohol to the epimer is 93 7. The resulting amino acid was cyclized to the lactam in 80% yield with mesitylenesulfonyl chloride (8, 318-319). Epoxidation by the Sharpless procedure (9, 78 79) was also highly stereoselective, giving the desired epoxide and the undesired epimer in the ratio > 200 1. 

Michael-type addition of a suitable nucleophile, e.g. thiols, on to the a,f)-unsaturated lactone. Such alkylation reactions are believed to explain biological activity, and, indeed, activity is typically lost if either the double bond or the carbonyl group is chemically reduced. In some structures, additional electrophilic centres offer further scope for alkylation reactions. In parthenolide (Figure 5.31), an electrophilic epoxide group is also present, allowing transannular cyclization and generation of a... 

Cyclization of unsaturated epoxides.1 Reaction of the epoxy alcohol (2) derived from linalool with cobaloxime(I), (1), forms the P-hydroxycobaloxime 3. 

Fig (20) Bromide (172), prepared from alcohol (171) on alkylation yields (173) which is converted to (174) without any difficulty. Conversion of (174) to homoallylic bromide (175) is accomplished by the method of Julia. On alkylation followed by cyclization generated the tricyclic alcohol which undergoes dehydration to yield unsaturated ester (177) which is converted to unsaturated lactone (146) by epoxidation and elimination. 

Cyclization of epoxy alkenes.2 The reaction of 8,e-unsaturated epoxides with 2 equiv. of Cp2TiCl in THF results in cyclization to cyclopentanemethanols. The reaction is compatible with keto and nitrile groups but not aldehyde groups. 

In the first approach shown in Scheme 9, ketoester 77 was alkylated successively with 4-bromobutene and 1,3-dibromopropene. After decarboxylation, 78 was converted into iV-aziridinylimine 79 in good yield. The pivotal radical cyclization reaction proceeded smoothly to produce a mixture of isomeric propellane compounds 80, which was purified after the epoxidation step. For the synthesis of modhephene, the mixture of epoxides was rearranged into the corresponding allylic alcohols 81 and then the allylic alcohols were oxidized, giving a separable mixture of unsaturated ketones 82a and 82b. The major product 82a possessed the correct stereochemistry of the methyl group of modhephene. Since 82a had already been converted into modhephene, a formal total synthesis of dZ-modhephene has thus been completed. The isomeric ratio of 80 reflects the stereoselectivity during the radical cyclization reaction. The selectivity was very close to the ratio reported by Sha in his radical cyclization reaction. ... 

The authors used (5)-carvotanacetone (dihydrocarvone) as starting material (Scheme 34). To prepare the linearly conjugated sUylenol ether, they used the Kharash protocol and attained y-alkylation by Mukaiyama aldol reaction with trimethylorthoformate (195). The ketoacetal 295 was a-hydroxylated according to Rubottom by silylenol ether formation followed by epoxidation and silyl migration. Acid treatment transformed 296 to the epimeric cyclic acetals 297 and 298. endo-Aceta 297 was equilibrated thereby increasing the amount of exo-acetal 298. The necessary unsaturated side chain for the prospected radical cyclization was introduced by 1,4-addition of a (trimethylsilyl)butynylcopper compound. 

This titanocene-catalyzed procedure was immediately extended by Gansauer et al. to the enantioselective opening of meso-epoxides by employing substoichiometric quantities of titanocene complexes with chiral hgands [58-60]. It has also been applied by this group in racemic form not only for reductive epoxide openings and intermolecular additions to a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, but also to achieve 3-exo, 4-exo, and 5-exo cycliza-tions, as well as tandem cyclization addition reactions featuring vinyl radicals (Scheme 9) [8,9,44,46,57,61-65]. 

A preferential 2,5-trans relationship is also observed in the cyclization of unsaturated epoxythio-carbonylimidazolides to 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans. By treatment with tributyltin hy-dride/2,2 -azobisisobutyronitrile, an allyloxy radical, generated by epoxide cleavage, attacks the double bond, and the corresponding tetrahydrofurans are obtained in low to moderate yield. The diastereoselection is low, with the trans-isomer predominant in the reaction mixture46. 

The one-pot epoxidation/cyclization of unsaturated terpene alcohols, for example linalool and a-terpineol, to mono- and bicyclic derivatives also required the catalysis of large-pore Ti,Al-P (Scheme 18.10) [93, 107]. 

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