Functionalization stereospecific

In contrast to the pure aliphatic alkylmetal derivatives, compounds hke tri-phenylmethylpotassium also function stereospecifically at high polymerization temperatures (23), although the released anion due to possible resonance stability is less active as shown by the slower polymerization rate. 

Intramolecular C H amination can also be used to install nitrogen functionality stereospecifically in a very complex substrate, such as a late precursor of (—)-tetro-dotoxin (Scheme 5.5) [64]. This example illustrates the power of this method, in which the tethering effect allows the functionalization of a specific C—H bond. 

Microorganisms and their enzymes have been used to functionalize nonactivated carbon atoms, to introduce centers of chirahty into optically inactive substrates, and to carry out optical resolutions of racemic mixtures (1,2,37—42). Their utifity results from the abiUty of the microbes to elaborate both constitutive and inducible enzymes that possess broad substrate specificities and also remarkable regio- and stereospecificities. 

The synthesis of ovalicin was accomplished following a line of analysis which was totally different from that employed for the synthesis of the structural relative fumagillol. The plan for ovalicin was based on S-goal, appendage, stereochemical and functional group derived strategies. A key requirement for the synthesis was the stereospecific construction of the -l,4-pentadienyl subunit, which was achieved by a method of potentially wide utility. 

Catalytic hydrogenation has been utilized extensively in steroid research, and the method has been found to be of great value for the selective and stereospecific reduction of various functional groups. A number of empirical correlations concerning selectivity and product stereochemistry compiled for steroid hydrogenations has been listed in a previous review. ... 

Since the stereochemical course of a catalytic hydrogenation is dependent on several factors, " an understanding of the mechanism of the reaction can help in the selection of optimal reaction conditions more reliably than mere copying of a published recipe . In the first section the factors which can influence the product stereochemistry will be discussed from a mechanistic viewpoint. In subsequent sections the hydrogenation of various functional groups in the steroid ring system will be considered. In these sections both mechanistic and empirical correlations will be utilized with the primary emphasis being placed on selective and stereospecific reactions. 

Lithium aluminum deuteride reduction of the 2a,3a-oxide function has been carried out with a number of different 5a-steroids (227). ° The isotopic purity of the resulting 2 -d,-3a-ols (228) is usually 96-100%. By mild oxidation, under Jones conditions, these alcohols can be converted into stereospecifically labeled monodeuterio ketones (229) ° of high isotopic purity. (For an alternate preparation of certain a-monodeuterio ketones, see section VI-B.)... 

Similar methodology has been used to prepare the dialkoxyphosphinyldi-fluoromethylcopper compound 242 (equation 160) Functionalization with allyl bromide, methyl iodide, and iodobenzene occurs readily, as well as stereospecific syn addibon to hexafluoro-2-butyne [243. ... 

For the construction of oxygen-functionalized Diels-Alder products, Narasaka and coworkers employed the 3-borylpropenoic acid derivative in place of 3-(3-acet-oxypropenoyl)oxazolidinone, which is a poor dienophile in the chiral titanium-catalyzed reaction (Scheme 1.55, Table 1.24). 3-(3-Borylpropenoyl)oxazolidinones react smoothly with acyclic dienes to give the cycloadducts in high optical purity [43]. The boryl group was converted to an hydroxyl group stereospecifically by oxidation, and the alcohol obtained was used as the key intermediate in a total synthesis of (-i-)-paniculide A [44] (Scheme 1.56). 

Borane 2 adds to carbon-carbon double bonds without the need of catalytic activation. This reaction has been discovered and thoroughly investigated by H. C. Browm, and is called hydroboration It permits a regioselective and stereospecific conversion of alkenes to a variety of functionalized products. 

Scheme 27).43b A regiospecific monohydroboration of enyne 107 with disiamylborane furnishes (A)-vinylborane 108, a substance that combines stereospecifically with vinyl iodide 109 under the indicated conditions to give conjugated triene 110 (52% overall yield). Trisporol B benzyl ether (111) is obtained after acid-induced hydrolysis of the dioxolane ketal functions.

It was anticipated all along that the vinylsilane residue could serve as a vinyl iodide surrogate. After protection of the C-14 secondary hydroxyl in 180 in the form of a triisopropylsilyl ether, the vinyltrimethylsilyl function can indeed be converted to the requisite vinyl iodide with AModosuccinimide (NIS) (see 180—>181, Scheme 43). Vinyl iodide 181 is produced stereospecifically with retention of the A17,18 double bond geometry. This transformation is stereospecific since the stereochemistry of the starting vinylsilane and the vinyl iodide product bear a definite relationship to each other.67b 75... 

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. 

---