Ethynyl carbinols substitution

Prior to our original report7 on this method, acceptable and general preparative routes to a-iodocycloalkenones had not been described. Treatment of a p-substituted cycloalkenone with trimethylsilyl azide and a mixture of iodine and pyridine sequentially in dichloromethane has now been reported as a method for the preparation of p-substituted-a-iodocycloalkenones.8 The combination of iodine and pyridinium dichromate has also been reported to provide a-iodoenones from enones as well as from ethynyl carbinols.9 10 Some successes have also been achieved with enones and iodine azide (IN3)11 and iodine/ceric ammonium nitrate.12-14 The submitters first variant5 of the present procedure used carbon tetrachloride as a solvent. In this procedure this solvent has been replaced with the more benign diethyl ether. 

The work of Nazarov on vinyl ethynyl carbinols involves condensation of vinylacetylene with ketones in the presence of caustic potash and also their conversions, many of which are catalytic in nature. A review of his work involving polymerization, isomerization, hydrogenation, and other conversions was published by him (252). Hydration of divinylacetylenes in methanol solution in the presence of mercuric sulfate and sulfuric acid gave vinyl alkyl ketones. These can be reacted with hydrogen sulfide, amines, etc., to yield heterocyclic compounds. Substituted vinyl alkyl ketones underwent spontaneous cyclization to cyclopentenones. Nazarov summarized a decade of this research in this field in 1951 (253). His general review of organic syntheses based on acetylene is also of interest in this connection (254). 

The largest industrial use of LiC2H is in the production of vitamin A, where it effects ethynyl-ation of methyl vinyl ketone to produce a key tertiary carbinol intermediate. The acetylides and dicarbides of the other alkali metals are prepared similarly. It is not always necessary to prepare this type of compound in liquid ammonia and, indeed, further substitution to give the bright red perlithiopropyne Li4C3 can be effected in hexane under reflux ... 

Enyne synthesis. Ethynyl cyclopiopyl carbinols undergo dehydrative metallation on exposure to the Ru complex, the metallocarbenoids thus formed are attacked by common nucleophile (e.g., H2O, ArNH2) at a cyclopiopyl carbon. The different carbenoids originated from ynoxy triflates engage in tpyo-substitution. ... 

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