Intramolecular nucleophilic reactions hydroperoxide cyclization

The nucleophiles that are used for synthetic purposes include water, alcohols, carboxylate ions, hydroperoxides, amines, and nitriles. After the addition step is complete, the mercury is usually reductively removed by sodium borohydride. The net result is the addition of hydrogen and the nucleophile to the alkene. The regioselectivity is excellent and is in the same sense as is observed for proton-initiated additions.16 Scheme 4.1 includes examples of these reactions. Electrophilic attack by mercuric ion can affect cyclization by intramolecular capture of a nucleophilic functional group, as illustrated by entries 9-11. Inclusion of triethylboron in the reduction has been found to improve yields (entry 9).17... 

Acid-catalyzed intramolecular attack of nucleophilic hydroperoxide function on an oxirane ring results in formation of 3-(l-hydroxyalkyl)endoperoxides. For example, epoxidation of unsaturated hydroperoxide 320 affords oxirane-hydroperoxide 321 (66%), which through acid-catalyzed regioselective cyclization gives 1,2-dioxolane 322 (70%) (Scheme 79) . This type of reaction is applicable also to a more complex epoxide-hydroperoxide such as 323, which cyclizes to polyfunctionalized 5-membered cyclic... 

Other Heteroatom Nucleophiles. Alcohols and carboxylic acids also add to metal-activated alkenes, and processes for the industrial conversion of ethylene to vinyl acetate and acetals are well established. However, these processes have not been extensively used with more cort5)lex alkenes. In contrast, a number of intramolecular versions of the processes have been developed, a few examples of which are given here. Allylphenols cyclize readily in the presence of palladium(II) to form benzofurans (eq 4). Catalytic amounts of palladium acetate can be used if the reaction is carried out under 1 atm of molecular oxygen with copper diacetate as cooxidant, or in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide. If instead of palladium acetate a chiral jr-allylpalladium acetate complex is used, the cyclization proceeds to yield 2-vinyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran with up to 26% ee. ... 

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