Ethers, benzyl alcohol protection

Bu2BOTf, BH3-THF, CH2CI2, 0°, 70-91% yield. In a variety of pyrano-sides, cleavage occurs primarily to give the primary alcohol, with the secondary alcohol protected as the benzyl ether." ... 

The C2-symmetric epoxide 23 (Scheme 7) reacts smoothly with carbon nucleophiles. For example, treatment of 23 with lithium dimethylcuprate proceeds with inversion of configuration, resulting in the formation of alcohol 28. An important consequence of the C2 symmetry of 23 is that the attack of the organometallic reagent upon either one of the two epoxide carbons produces the same product. After simultaneous hydrogenolysis of the two benzyl ethers in 28, protection of the 1,2-diol as an acetonide ring can be easily achieved by the use of 2,2-dimethoxypropane and camphor-sulfonic acid (CSA). It is necessary to briefly expose the crude product from the latter reaction to methanol and CSA so that the mixed acyclic ketal can be cleaved (see 29—>30). Oxidation of alcohol 30 with pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) provides alde-... 

The oxirane ring in 175 is a valuable function because it provides a means for the introduction of the -disposed C-39 methoxy group of rapamycin. Indeed, addition of CSA (0.2 equivalents) to a solution of epoxy benzyl ether 175 in methanol brings about a completely regioselective and stereospecific solvolysis of the oxirane ring, furnishing the desired hydroxy methyl ether 200 in 90 % yield. After protection of the newly formed C-40 hydroxyl in the form of a tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBS) ether, hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ether provides alcohol 201 in 89 % overall yield. 

Noyori and coworkers found that tetrafluorosilane or trimethylsilyl tri-flate catalyzes the condensation of appropriately protected glycopyranosyl fluorides with trimethylsilyl ethers or alcohols. The strong affinity of silicon for fluorine was considered to be the driving force for this reaction. In the case of Sip4, attack of a nucleophile on the glycosyl cation-SiFj ion-pair intermediate was anticipated. Thus, condensation of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-a- and - -D-glucopyranosyl fluorides (47a and 47fi) with methyl... 

Benzyloxy-2-methylpropane-l,2-diol, a desymmetrized form of 2-methylpropane-1,2,3-triol with its terminal hydroxy being protected as a benzyl ether, was prepared using the B. subtilis epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed enantioselective hydrolysis of the racemic benzyloxymethyl-l-methyloxirane readily available from methallyl chloride and benzyl alcohol. The preparation of the racemic epoxide, a key intermediate, was described in Procedures 1 and 2 (Sections 5.6.1 and 5.6.2), its overall yield being 78 %. The combined yield of enantiomerically pure (7 )-3-benzyloxy-2-methylpropane-l,2-diol was 74 % from ( )-benzyloxymethyl-l-methyloxirane, as described in Procedures 3-5 (Sections 5.6.3 and 5.6.5), with the overall procedures leading to the biocatalytic dihydroxylation of benzyl methallyl ether . 

Direct reduction of an aldehyde or ketone to the corresponding ether could potentially telescope two reactions, reduction and protection, into one step. S. Chandrasekhar of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, reports (Tetrahedron Lett. 2004,45,5497) that in the present of polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) and catalytic B(C6F,), TMS ethers of alcohols will convert aldehydes to the corresponding dialkyl ethers. The reaction works well for both saturated and benzylic alcohols. This may prove to be a useful alternative to Williamson synthesis for the preparation of complex ethers. 

Path B in Fig. 2 is the convergent method. It is the outside-inward method, proposed independently by Miller and Neenan [9] and by Hawker and Frechet [10]. This method is well suited when the branch point is an aromatic ring. As an example of the convergent process we show in Scheme 3 the preparation of poly(benzyl ether) dendrimers. The phenol functionality of 2,5-dihydroxyben-zyl alcohol is first protected by Williamson reaction with benzyl bromide to provide the first generation dendron [G-l]-OH. The benzyl alcohol in [G-l]-OH is then converted to the benzyl bromide form [G-1]-Br. This in turn reacts with... 

The ether and ester derivatives of benzyl alcohols are widely utilized as protecting groups. In the case of protected peptides hydrogenolysis often has advantages over hydrolysis. This conversion is use-... 

Similar utilization for cleavage of benzyl alcohols, ethers and esters has made this method the preferred one where regioselectivity is required, but for allylic cleavage double bond isomerization becomes a problem. A number of benzylic ethers and alcohols (equation 13), and benzhydric ethers and acetals (equation 14) have been cleaved in relatively high yield using cyclohexene in the presence of AlCb. Mild conditions of cleavage are frequently required for debenzylation of carbohydrates and a number of protected carbohydrates have been cleaved with formic acid as donor (equation 15). ... 

Reductive cleavage of a C-0 bond requires activation of the bond such activation can be obtained in different ways. Conjugated carbinols, like allylic and benzylic alcohols, tt-electron-deficient heterocyclic carbinols, and a-hydroxyketones and the ethers of these compounds, may be reductively cleaved. Reductive elimination of two vicinal hydroxyl groups or derivatives thereof may also be possible. These reactions have been exploited in the electrochemical removal of protecting groups [40,41]. 

Benzyl alcohols [95] and ethers [96] may be oxidized anodically. This has been employed in an anodic removal of benzylic protecting groups. Anisyl ethers of the protected alcohols were preferred because of the relatively low oxidation potential of these ethers [1.65 V (SCE)] [97] ... 

The benzyloxycarbonyl group (Cbz or Z) is useful in carbohydrate syuithesis, not only for IV-protection of amino sugars, but also to protect alcohols [262,263]. The main advantage of this group is that it is cleaved by hydrogenolysis, and when compared to benzyl ethers, benzyl carbonates are not only removed more readily [264] but also allow hydroxyl group protection under softer conditions than those employed for benzylation. 

---