Hydroxyketones lactones, synthesis

The 1,6-difunctional hydroxyketone given below contains an octyl chain at the keto group and two chiral centers at C-2 and C-3 (G. Magnusson, 1977). In the first step of the antithesis of this molecule it is best to disconnect the octyl chain and to transform the chiral residue into a cyclic synthon simultaneously. Since we know that ketones can be produced from add derivatives by alkylation (see p. 45ff,), an obvious precursor would be a seven-membered lactone ring, which is opened in synthesis by octyl anion at low temperature. The lactone in turn can be transformed into cis-2,3-dimethyicyclohexanone, which is available by FGI from (2,3-cis)-2,3-dimethylcyclohexanol. The latter can be separated from the commercial ds-trans mixture, e.g. by distillation or chromatography. 

In a similar approach, Shishido et al. (241) used oxime 215 [derived from the monoterpene (+)-citronellal (214)] for the synthesis of (—)-mintlactone (218) and (+)-isomintlactone (219), sweet compounds isolated from some Mentha species (Scheme 6.89). Bicyclic isoxazoline 216 was obtained in good yield from the cycloaddition. As expected, the product possessing tra i-l,4-substimtion prevailed. Reductive hydrolysis of the major isomer of 216 using hydrogen-Raney Ni-trimethyl borate provided p-hydroxyketone 217. This compound was dehydrated to give an enone and this was followed by carbonyl reduction-lactonization to complete the synthesis of both lactones 218 and 219 (241). 

So when the hydroxyketone 49 was needed for a pheromone synthesis, it was made by nucleophilic displacement on the lactone 50 by an organo-lithium compound. This lactone is of the right kind (cf. 45) to be made by a Baeyer-Villiger rearrangement from the cyclohexanone 51 and this can be made by total reduction of the phenol 52 (chapter 36). 

Dilithium tetrachlorocuprate is recommended as an additive for cross coupling of Grignard compounds with tosylates even allylic and benzylic acetates give good yields . a-Methylene-ketones, -carboxylic acids and -lactones have been prepared via sulfides and sulfoxides. A convenient and general synthesis of acetylene derivatives from boranes via the reaction of iodine with lithium 1-alkynyltriorganoborates has been published ar-Nitrostyrenes can be easily obtained by a Wittig synthesis with formaldehyde in an aqueous medium . A new synthesis of unsym. ketones by reaction of dialkyldiloroboranes with lithium aldimines has recently been published . Metallo aldimines have also served for the synthesis of a variety of other compound classes such as a-hydroxyketones, a-keto acids, nitriles, and for the asym. synthesis of a-amino acids . Polycondensations of malononitriles with benzylic chlorides have been carried out quantitatively under mild conditions in dimethyl sulfoxide with triethylamine as acid acceptor . Carbonyl compounds can react with dibromoacetonitrile to yield a-bromo esters with additional carbon atom . ... 

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