Xanthate esters pyrolysis

The syn-periplanar eliminations by pyrolysis of esters, xanthates, sulfoxides and amine oxides are symmetry-allowed. With respect to the alkene portion of the transition state, the centers presumably are or... 

Scheme 8.69. The Chugaev reaction. The salt of an alcohol is allowed to react with carbon disulfide, producing the sodium salt of a dithiocarbonate derivative, which, on Sn2 reaction with methyl iodide (CH3I), produces the corresponding xanthate ester. Heating the xanthate (pyrolysis) results in loss of carbon oxysulfide (COS), methane thiol (thiomethane), and the corresponding alkene.

Alcohols can be dehydrated via xanthate esters at temperatures that are much lower than those required for acetate pyrolysis. The preparation of xanthate esters involves reaction of the alkoxide with carbon disulfide. The resulting salt is alkylated with methyl iodide. 

The pyrolysis of xanthates (84)—the Chugaev reaction—and of carboxylic esters (85) differ from the above in proceeding via six-membered, cyclic transition states, e.g. (86) and (87), respectively ... 

The xanthate esters are of interest in that if the O-alkyl group contains at least one a-hydrogen atom, pyrolysis produces an olefin, a thiol and carbon oxysul-phide (the Chugaev reaction, Section 5.2.1, p. 489). 

The same products, but in different ratios, occur in the gas phase eliminations of HCl from bornyl and isobornyl chlorides and from the pyrolysis reaction of bornyl and isobornyl benzoates and methyl xanthates . The isobornyl reaction is appreciably faster than that of the bornyl ester ((iso-B/B) = 6.8 at 345 °C), but proceeds at a slightly slower rate than that of cyclohexyl acetate, (CH/iso-B) = 2.1 at 600 °K. By analogy with the nonclassical carbonium ion interpretation of the solvolysis rates of bornyl and isobornyl chlorides, the participation of nonclassical carbonium ion intimate ion-pairs, e.g. 

The loss of C(0)S and MeSH occur at lower temperatures than the carboxylic ester pyrolysis and thus is more suitable for the preparation of sensitive alkenes. For example, heating the xanthate derived by sequential treatment of c -2-benzylcyclopen-tanol with sodium in toluene followed by addition of excess carbon disulfide and methyl iodide furnishes, via a 5yn-elimination, 3-benzylcyclopentene in 90% yield... 

CHUGAEV ELIMINATION REACTION (XANTHATE ESTER PYROLYSIS)... 

In the late stages of the total synthesis of dihydroclerodin, A. Groot and co-workers used the Chugaev elimination reaction to install an exocyclic double bond on ring Before employing the xanthate ester pyrolysis, the authors tried several methods that failed to convert the primary alcohol to the exocyclic methylene functionality. The corresponding xanthate ester was prepared followed by heating to 216 °C in n-dodecane for 2 days to afford the desired alkene in 74% yield. 

The utility of the Chugaev elimination for the formation of olefins without rearrangement of the carbon skeleton can be observed upon pyrolysis of the xanthate of alcohol 14.17 The desired vinyl cyclopropane (IS) was isolated in reasonable yield (42%) along with a small amount of the rearranged xanthate. Alternatively, acid-mediated dehydration with sulphuric acid yielded a variety of rearranged products in low yield. Ester pyrolysis (of the acetate of 14) also furnished a variety of compounds, with the major product being cyclopentene 16. 

C.iv. Xanthate Ester Pyrolysis.2H 209a,b temperatures required for acetate pyrolysis... 

PRODUCTS OF PYROLYSIS OF cis- AND Ira i-2-S U BSTIT UTE D CYCLOHEXYL ESTERS AND XANTHATES... 

For four- or five-membered cyclic transition states, pyrolysis only leads to beta-elimination if the C -H and C -X bonds can eclipse so as to ensure the necessary proximity for reaction. The syn nature of the amine oxide decomposition has been demonstrated by elimination from the diastereoisomeric pairs of the 1,2-diphenylpropyl system. In the cyclohexyl series, an eclipsed transition state is only achieved if elimination proceeds through the boat conformer and consequently the pyrolysis of 1-methylcyclohexylamine oxide gives an almost quantitative yield of the less stable exo-olefin. This orientation contrasts markedly with that of the six-membered cyclic transition states of the corresponding esters and xanthates which yield predominantly the endo-olefin, syn-clinal stereochemistry being preferred. For all the other ring... 

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