Ketones, preparation from carboxylic acid Lithium, methyl

As outlined in Scheme 28, the synthesis of the P-ketophosphonate 131 began with a one-pot anh -aldol/reduction step between ethyl ketone 101 and aldehyde 133, giving the 1,3-syn diol 134 (>30 ldr) [130, 132-136, 145, 146], The diol 134 was then converted into the carboxylic acid 135 in six steps. Completion of the subunit 131 required conversion into the acid chloride and reaction with the lithium anion of methyl-(di-l,l,l-trifluoroethyl)-phosphonate. The C9-C24 aldehyde 132 was prepared in two steps from 136, an intermediate from previous routes [55-58], The Still-Gennari-type coupling of 131 and 132 was readily achieved via treatment with... 

The a-chloro-a-sultinyl ketone 20 was prepared from methyl benzoate and chloromethyl phenyl sulfoxide 19 after in situ a-lithiation. Compound 20 is dimetallated by KH and f-BuLi to give the keto dianion 21, which is converted into a potassium/lithium ynolate 22 (equation 7). The resulting metal ynolates are converted into thioesters, carboxylic acids, amides and esters (Section V). 

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