Homoallylic thioethers

Very recently, Davies and coworkers have reported a silver-catalyzed Doyle-Kirmse reaction of ally lie and propargylic sulfides with ethyl diazophenylacetate (35). A selection of examples was investigated providing the rearranged products, either homoallylic thioethers (76 —> 77, Scheme 8.14a) or allenyl thioethers (78 —> 79, Scheme 8.14b) in good yields, and with good overall scope.40... 

Zinc and Mercury.—As in previous years, reports of new transformations and methodologies involving zinc have been at a low level. A useful high-yielding conversion has been published, however, of allylic thioethers such as (84) into homoallylic thioethers (85). The initial ylide formation with a homogeneous solution of diethylzinc and methylene (R = H) or ethylidene (R = Me) iodide is followed by a 2,3-sigmatropic rearran ment to the observed products, and the poor yields found in previous experiments can be avoided by quenching the reaction mixture with acetaldehyde. Conventional Simmons-Smith cyclo-propanation of these compounds fails, as does the cyclopropanation of cyclohexene in the presence of various thioethers. 

As the final example in this section, a Li-mediated carboaddition/carbocycliza-tion process will be described. Thus, Cohen and coworkers observed a 5-e%o-trig-cy-clization by reaction of the lithium compound 2-349 and a-methyl styrene 2-350 to give 2-352 via 2-351 (Scheme 2.82). Quenching of 2-352 with methanol then led to the final product 2-353 [189]. In this process, 2-349 is obtained by a reductive lithia-tion of the corresponding phenyl thioether 2-348 with the radical anion lithium 1-(dimethylamino)naphthalenide (LDMAN) (2-354). Instead of the homoallylic substance 2-348, bishomoallylthioesters can also be used to provide substituted six-membered ring compounds. 

Homofamesyl iodide 7 was prepared by the reaction sequence shown in the margin. Of interest here is the two-step transformation of an alkyl halide into a Crextended alkyl halide.9 Compound 30 is first subjected to a nucleophilic substitution by an urganolithium species with formation of a homoallylic phenyl thioether This is then methylated in a second step to an intermediate sulfonium salt. The final SN2 reaction with an iodide ion releases thioanisol as a stable leaving group to give compound 7. 

Acetals result from oxidative coupling of alcohols with electron-poor terminal olefins followed by a second, redox-neutral addition of alcohol [11-13]. Acrylonitrile (41) is converted to 3,3-dimethoxypropionitrile (42), an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of thiamin (vitamin Bl), by use of an alkyl nitrite oxidant [57]. A stereoselective acetalization was performed with methacrylates 43 to yield 44 with variable de [58]. Rare examples of intermolecular acetalization with nonactivated olefins are observed with chelating allyl and homoallyl amines and thioethers (45, give acetals 46) [46]. As opposed to intermolecular acetalizations, the intramolecular variety do not require activated olefins, but a suitable spatial relationship of hydroxy groups and the alkene[13]. Thus, Wacker oxidation of enediol 47 gave bicyclic acetal 48 as a precursor of a fluorinated analogue of the pheromone fron-talin[59]. 

In contrast with unreactive, unfunctionalised terminal alkenes, allylic and homoallylic ethers (22, 24) and alcohols (20) from which the product organolithiums (21, 23, 25) can be chelated in a (preferably) five-membered, oxygen-containing ring, carbolithiate rapidly and cleanly.23 Coordination overrides any preference for the lithium to be bonded to the primary carbon, but cannot overcome the unfavourability of forming a tertiary organolithium - 26 gives 27, but 28 cannot be carbolithiated. Coordination to sulfur in similar thioethers 29 works too. 

C). Also, the presence of a lithium alkoxide group allows the cyclization of primary as well as tertiary alkyllithiums at temperatures as low as — 78 °C. Thus, cyclopentanol derivatives 160 are easily obtained from alcohols 159 in very high yields and as single diastereoisomers (Scheme 45). As shown with thioether 161, when the alkoxide group is placed in a homoallylic position, the reaction is even more effective and cyclized product... 

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