Epoxides with aryllithium compounds

Solutions of aryllithium obtained by bromine-lithium exchange with butyllithium contain butyl bromide. In THF the aryllithium compounds are smoothly alkylated by this alkyl halide at temperatures above —10 °C. However, if Et20 is used as a solvent, this butylation is much slower. This observation permits successful hydroxyalkylation with epoxides (assisted by coordination between lithium and oxygen) and paraformaldehyde at temperatures between —10 and +35 °C. 

Starting with (5)-1 -phenylethyl amine, a chiral sulfonyloxaziridine has been prepared by A,T-sul-fonylation and subsequent formation of an imine with an aromatic aldehyde (best example pentafluorobenzaldehyde). Oxidation leads to a 1 1 mixture of diastereomeric oxaziridines 77 which can be separated by HPLC76. The compounds behave similarly to the chiral camphor-derived sulfonyloxaziridines, as they are able to epoxidize alkenes not containing special functional groups with some enantioselectivity (Section D.4.5.2.1.). Another attractive starting material is cheap commercial saccharin. Reaction with alkyl- or aryllithium compounds leads to addition... 

The first cyclisations to be put to synthetic use were those of aryl lithiums onto carbonyl compounds, imines and epoxides. These are known as Parham cyclisations , and the method for transforming an aryl bromide to an aryllithium the Parham protocol , after W. E. Parham, who developed the reaction. We will survey the use of Parham cyclisations in synthesis, before assessing intramolecular attack of other electrophiles. The most important of these are the alkenes, and the usefulness of anionic cyclisations onto unactivated double bonds compares very favourably with radical cyclisations, particularly with regard to stereochemical control. 

Electrophilic quench of aryllithium species with carbonyl electrophiles is particularly efficient. However, alkyl halides (other than iodomethane) are poor electrophiles, probably owing to competing elimination reactions (see Section 2.1). The formation of alkyl-substituted aromatic compounds can be achieved, however, by using epoxide electrophiles or by lithiation and reaction of 2-methylbenzamides, themselves generated by orr/ o-lithiation. For example, the benzamide 128 can be deprotonated at the benzylic position and treated with a variety of electrophiles. Addition of aromatic aldehydes gives, after lactonization, 3-aryl-3,4-dihydroisocoumarins (1.119). 

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