Ketones synthesis, epoxide ring opening

Key intermediates for the industrial synthesis are firstly, the ( )-bis-(tributylstannyl)-ethylene, which is obtained from trans-selective hydrostannylation of the corresponding alkyne imder irradiation and in presence of a radical initiator, and secondly, the geminaUy disubstituted epoxide, which is accessible from the corresponding ketone by a Corey reaction. The ( )-stann>4-OJ-side-chain is then formed by a regiospecific epoxide ring-opening with a thienyl cyanocuprate. 

A similar protocol has been applied by Wicha and co-workers in efforts toward the synthesis of a cyclopenta[8]annulene ring precursor to ophiobolin metabolites. Using BF3 OEt2 as a Lewis acid catalyst, epoxide ring opening of 87 resulted in the suprafacial 1,2-methyl shift followed by two consecutive hydride migrations to form ketone 88 in moderate yield. 

The synthesis of S. J. Danishefsky s group is outlined in Scheme 13.55. The starting material is a protected derivative of the Wieland-Miescher ketone. The oxetane ring is formed early in this synthesis. An epoxide is formed using dimethylsulfonium methylide (Step A-3) and opened to an allylic alcohol in Step A-4. The double bond... 

More recently, Doris et al. have described the reductive ring-opening of a-keto epoxides [16]. In this manner, p-hydroxy ketones can be obtained in high yields. The synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds can easily be realized. The titanocene] 111) reagents are distinctly superior to samarium diiodide, which is also known to induce this transformation. 

Oxidation is the first step for producing molecules with a very wide range of functional groups because oxygenated compounds are precursors to many other products. For example, alcohols may be converted to ethers, esters, alkenes, and, via nucleophilic substitution, to halogenated or amine products. Ketones and aldehydes may be used in condensation reactions to form new C-C double bonds, epoxides may be ring opened to form diols and polymers, and, finally, carboxylic acids are routinely converted to esters, amides, acid chlorides and acid anhydrides. Oxidation reactions are some of the largest scale industrial processes in synthetic chemistry, and the production of alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, epoxides and carboxylic acids is performed on a mammoth scale. For example, world production of ethylene oxide is estimated at 58 million tonnes, 2 million tonnes of adipic acid are made, mainly as a precursor in the synthesis of nylons, and 8 million tonnes of terephthalic acid are produced each year, mainly for the production of polyethylene terephthalate) [1]. 

The presence of a hydroxyl group at the 1 position (steroid numbering), which also occurs in a vitamin D metabolite, also enhances potency. The synthesis in this case starts with an advanced ring opened intermediate (36-5) already provided with that extra hydroxyl group [30]. Constmction of the side chain begins with condensation of the ylide from phosphonium salt (36-1) with pivalaldehyde. The ketone in the product (36-2) is then reduced to the alcohol (36-3). The olefin is then epoxidized... 

When dienones such as 55 are subjected to the epoxidation conditions the electron-poorer C=C double bond is selectively epoxidized. The other C=C bond can be functionalized further, for example, it can be dihydroxylated, as shown in the synthesis of the lactone 56 (Scheme 10.11) [82]. Stannyl epoxides such as 57 (Scheme 10.11, see also Table 10.8, R1 = n-Bu3Sn) can be coupled with several electrophiles [72], reduction of chalcone epoxide 58 and ring opening with alkyl aluminum compounds provides access to, e.g., the diol 59 and to phenylpropionic acids (for example 60). Tertiary epoxy alcohols such as 61 can be obtained with excellent diastereoselectivity by addition of Grignard reagents to epoxy ketones [88, 89]. 

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