Isomerization allylic rearrangement

Carboxylic acids react with butadiene as alkali metal carboxylates. A mixture of isomeric 1- and 3-acetoxyoctadienes (39 and 40) is formed by the reaction of acetic acid[13]. The reaction is very slow in acetic acid alone. It is accelerated by forming acetate by the addition of a base[40]. Addition of an equal amount of triethylamine achieved complete conversion at 80 C after 2 h. AcONa or AcOK also can be used as a base. Trimethylolpropane phosphite (TMPP) completely eliminates the formation of 1,3,7-octatriene, and the acetoxyocta-dienes 39 and 40 are obtained in 81% and 9% yields by using N.N.N M -tetramethyl-l,3-diaminobutane at 50 in a 2 h reaction. These two isomers undergo Pd-catalyzed allylic rearrangement with each other. 

Double-bond isomerization can also take place in other ways. Nucleophilic allylic rearrangements were discussed in Chapter 10 (p. 421). Electrocyclic and sigmatropic rearrangements are treated at 18-27-18-35. Double-bond migrations have also been accomplished photochemically, and by means of metallic ion (most often complex ions containing Pt, Rh, or Ru) or metal carbonyl catalysts. In the latter case there are at least two possible mechanisms. One of these, which requires external hydrogen, is called the nwtal hydride addition-elimination mechanism ... 

Their precursors must be the tricarbonyl o-allenyls with the uncoordinated C=C bonds. Neither an allylic rearrangement nor cis-trans isomerization has been observed in the reaction of CpMo(CO)3(cw-CH2CH=CHMe) with PPhj, the product being CpMo(CO)2(PPh3)(cw-COCH2CH=CHMe) (81). The interesting reaction leading to the formation of cationic carbene compounds was mentioned earlier [Eq. (17) and Section V] (78). 

Allylic C/H insertion accompanied by an allylic rearrangement has been observed for carbenoid reactions of ethyl diazoacetate with allylamines (Scheme 23)1S1). Apparently, metal-catalyzed isomerization 117 118 proceeds the C/H insertion process. Although mechanistic details have not yet been unraveled, T)3-allyl complexes... 

An irreversible consecutive reaction as a driving force to shift an unfavorable Cope rearrangement equilibria in the needed direction can be illustrated by the Cope-Claisen tandem process used for the synthesis of chiral natural compounds243. It was found that thermolysis of fraws-isomeric allyl ethers 484 or 485 at 255 °C leads to an equilibrium mixture of the two isomers in a 55 45 ratio without conversion into any other products (equation 184). Under the same conditions the isomer 487 rearranges to give the Cope-Claisen aldehyde 491 (equation 185). Presumably, the interconversion 484 485 proceeds via intermediate 486 whose structure is not favorable for Claisen rearrangement. In contrast, one of the two cyclodiene intermediates of process 487 488 (viz. 490 rather than 489) has a conformation appropriate for irreversible Claisen rearrangement243. 

Methoxycyclopropanemcthanols, as potential precursors of cyclobutanones. are also obtained by addition of 1-methoxy-l-vinyllithium to carbonyl compounds followed by cyclo-propanation of the resulting allylic alcohol. Starting with cyclohexanone the final product was spiro[3.5]nonan-l-one (3).154 Cyclopropanation and rearrangement of an isomeric allylic alcohol 4 yielded spiro[3.5]nonan-2-one (5).15S... 

Hydroperoxide formation is characteristic of alkenes possessing tertiary allylic hydrogen. Allylic rearrangement resulting in the formation of isomeric products is common. Secondary products (alcohols, carbonyl compounds, carboxylic acids) may arise from the decomposition of alkenyl hydroperoxide at higher temperature. 

Oxidation of the allylic carbon of alkenes may lead to allylic alcohols and derivatives or a, 3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Selenium dioxide is the reagent of choice to carry out the former transformation. In the latter process, which is more difficult to accomplish, Cr(VI) compounds are usually applied. In certain cases, mixture of products of both types of oxidation, as well as isomeric compounds resulting from allylic rearrangement, may be formed. Oxidation of 2-alkenes to the corresponding cc,p-unsaturated carboxylic acids, particularly the oxidation of propylene to acrolein and acrylic acid, as well as ammoxidation to acrylonitrile, has commercial importance (see Sections 9.5.2 and 9.5.3). 

Another route to sugar isothiocyanates involves thermal isomerization of the corresponding thiocyanates. Ferrier and Vethaviyasar20,21 and, later, Guthrie and Williams22-23 reported the allylic rearrangement of unsaturated thiocyanates to isothiocyanates see formulas 9-14. 

The copper-chromium oxide has two different active sites in a reduced state. The cuprous ions associated with a hydride and two anionic vacancies are the hydrogenation (HYD) sites. The chromium ions in the same environment are the sites where occur the isomerization (I) and the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactions. The use of unsaturated ethers permits to confirm and to precise the nature and the role of the active sites. With the compounds which have the oxygen atom kept away of the catalyst s surface, the HYD activity is very low and the HDO/I ratio too, whereas, in the opposite case, these values increase. With the vinylic ethers, the saturated compound is the main product because the I and the HDO reactions proceed via a concerted mechanism with a common preliminar step and an allylic rearrangement which is impossible with geminate functions. 

Reductive alkene isomerizations can also be induced by photochemical excitation. Geometric isomerization and rearrangement can be observed upon electron transfer sensitization with molecules with inverse electron demand. Thus, a substituted cinnamyl alcohol in the presence of excited p-dimethoxybenzene gave geometric isomerization and rearrangement characteristic of a free allyl cation, eq. 32 (94) ... 

It has been found that the thermodynamic ratio of isomeric allylic azides, interchangeable by stereoselective [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement, can be affected by steric and electronic factors in the presence of a bulky (chiral) auxiliary. Under Mit-sunobu conditions, treatment of allylic alcohols (48 R Ph) was shown to give a... 

This reaction based on the petrochemical crude material isobutylene makes the synthetic route to P-ionone (36) substantially shorter and cheaper, especially since the isomeric double bond proves to be advantageous in the subsequent reactions. In addition, i-methylheptenone (37 a) can be converted into methylheptenone (37) by noble metal-catalyzed isomerization. The reaction steps ethynylation (C2 addition), Carroll reaction (C3 addition), ethynylation and partial hydrogenation (C2 addition) lead from methylheptenone (37) via dehydrolinalool (42), pseudoionone (43) and p-ionone (36) to the C15 alcohol p-vinylionol (44). With triphenylphosphine (15), the desired C15 phosphonium salt (13), which is the second important synthetic building block for vitamin A and carotenoids16), is obtained directly from p-vinylionol, by allyl rearrangement. 

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