Ethers, benzyl Jones reagent

With a secure route to pentacyclic amine 2, the completion of the total synthesis of 1 requires only a few functional group manipulations. When a solution of 2 in ethanol is exposed to Pd-C in an atmosphere of hydrogen, the isopropenyl double bond is saturated. When a small quantity of HCI is added to this mixture, the hydro-genolysis of the benzyl ether is accelerated dramatically, giving alcohol 15 in a yield of 96%. Oxidation of the primary alcohol in 15 with an excess of Jones reagent, followed by Fischer esterification, gives ( )-methyl homosecodaphniphyllate [( )-1] in an overall yield of 85 % from 2. 

Because of the special structural requirements of the resin-bound substrate, this type of cleavage reaction lacks general applicability. Some of the few examples that have been reported are listed in Table 3.19. Lactones have also been obtained by acid-catalyzed lactonization of resin-bound 4-hydroxy or 3-oxiranyl carboxylic acids [399]. Treatment of polystyrene-bound cyclic acetals with Jones reagent also leads to the release of lactones into solution (Entry 5, Table 3.19). Resin-bound benzylic aryl or alkyl carbonates have been converted into esters by treatment with acyl halides and Lewis acids (Entry 6, Table 3.19). Similarly, alcohols bound to insoluble supports as benzyl ethers can be cleaved from the support and simultaneously converted into esters by treatment with acyl halides [400]. Esters have also been prepared by treatment of carboxylic acids with an excess of polystyrene-bound triazenes here, diazo-nium salts are released into solution, which serve to O-alkylate the acid (Entry 7, Table 3.19). This strategy can also be used to prepare sulfonates [401]. 

In fact, it has been reported34 that benzyl ethers can react with Jones reagent, resulting in the formation of ketones and benzoates. This happens under relatively harsh conditions, and nonnally no interference from benzyl ethers is observed during the oxidation of alcohols with Jones reagent. 

The acid 350 was demethylated with pyridine hydrochloride, then realkylated with benzyl bromide in aqueous potassium hydroxide to give 351. The latter was converted to the diazoketone 352 by the sequential treatment of 351 with oxalyl chloride and etheral diazomethane. Reaction of 352 with concentrated hydrobromic acid gave the bromoketone 353. The latter was reduced with sodium borohydride at pH 8 -9 to yield a mixture of diastere-omeric bromohydrins 354. Protection of the free hydroxyl as a tetrahydro-pyranyl ether and hydrogenolysis of the benzyl residue afforded 355. The phenol 355 was heated under reflux with potassium m/V-butoxide in tert-butyl alcohol for 5 hr to give a 3 1 epimeric mixture of dienone ethers 356 and 357 in about 50% yield. Treatment of this mixture with dilute acid gave the epimeric alcohols 358 and 359. This mixture was oxidized with Jones reagent to afford the diketone 349. 

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