Ireland rearrangement iridomyrmecin

Snider has shown that thermolysis of 2,6-dimethyl-2,7-octadienal at 350°C yielded three compounds, 365-367, having the iridoid skeleton. The lactone 368 was made by cyclization of the corresponding hydroxy acid ( 8-hydroxy-citronellic acid ), and its tert-butyldimethylsilyl enol ether rearranged in an Ireland-type Claisen rearrangement, yielding the iridoid acid 369 after removal of the silyl group with HF in acetonitrile. The latter was converted (by hydrobora-tion-oxidation) into both isomers of dihydronepetalactone (370) (erroneously considered to be unsynthesized by the authors, who clearly did not read Vol. 4, p. 497). Iridomyrmecin (371) is also accessible from 369 (Scheme 30). 

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