Fortune, Dion

Fortune, Dion. The Circuit of Force. Gareth Knight, ed. Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK Thoth, 1998. 

Our third approach to 27 addressed the unavailability of 3-methoxy-2-cyclopentenone (31) in bulk quantities which necessitated the discovery of an alternative route (Scheme 7.7). Fortunately, the precursor to 31,1,3-cyclopentandione (35), was available in the required quantities and our efforts shifted to the use of this reagent Bromination of 35 with NBS, employing either KHC03 or KOH as the base, gave brominated dione 36 in 85% isolated yield. Unfortunately, direct cross-coupling of alkyl bromide 36 with boronic acid 12 under a variety of Suzuki-... 

Before commencing the direct application of the practices in this book, would-be practitioners need to be versed in the philosophy and metaphysics of the holy Qabalah. Most Western esoteric schools use the Qabalah, as Dion Fortune put it, because of its purity and common-sense. Alchemy is, in fact, the practical aspect of the Qabalah (as distinct from the theoretical aspects), the means by which Qabalistic teachings are actually attained. 

Dion Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah (York Beach, ME Samuel Weiser, 1984), p. 289. 

Is the experiment wrong What have we neglected Let us return to the assumption of no destabilization due to the ene-dione and ene-diamine, and no stabilization due to the two aminoenal groups. The sole ene-dione (other than quinones) for which there are enthalpy of formation data is (solid) 1,2-dibenzoylethylene. Fortunately for us, there are also data on its solid, saturated, analog. More precisely, one can take the difference of the enthalpy of hydrogenation of the ene-dione (141 kJ mol"x) and that of other internal olefins (ca 120kJmol-1) and equate this 21 kJmol-1 with the desired ene-dione destabilization. This value is the 30 kJmol-1 destabilization of 1,2-dicyanoalkene interactions as found from the enthalpies of formation of fumaronitrile, acrylonitrile and ethylene (equation 16). 

While conceptually simple, this approach appeared flawed when ozonolytic cleavage of the % bond in the model substrate 129 failed miserably [46]. Fortunately, ruthenium tetraoxide, generated in situ from excess sodium periodate and 10 mol % ruthenium dioxide, worked splendidly [47]. After 10 minutes the reaction was complete, and the dione 130 was isolated in an 80% yield. 

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