Lactones, preparation from amino alcohols

A direct catalytic conversion of esters, lactones, and carboxylic acids to oxazolines was efficiently achieved by treatment with amino alcohols in the presence of the tetranuclear zinc cluster Zn4(0C0CF3)60 as catalyst, essential for condensation and cyclodehydration reactions. For example, the use of (5)-valinol allowed the easy synthesis of oxazolines 125 and 126 in satisfactory yields <06CC2711>. A one-pot direct preparation of various 2-substituted oxazolines (as well as benzoxazoles and oxadiazoles) was also performed from carboxylic acids and amino alcohols (or aminophenols or benzhydrazide) using Deoxo-Fluor reagent <06TL6497>. 

The chiral lactone alcohol derivative (178)181) can be readily prepared from natural (S)-glutamic acid, the cheapest chiral a-amino acid. Lactone (178) was alkylated to yield optically active 3-substituted lactone alcohol derivatives, (179) and (180), which were intermediates in the stereoselective synthesis of various natural products 182). 

Vinyloxiranes are used for facile 7i-allyl complex formation [14], The -allylic ferralactone complex 41 was prepared by oxidative addition of Fe2(CO)9 to the functionalized vinyloxirane 40 and CO insertion. Treatment of the ferralactone complex 41 with optically active a-methylbenzylamine (42) in the presence of ZnCl2 gave the 7r-allylic ferralactam complex 45 via 44. In this case, as shown by 43, the amine attacks the terminal carbon of the allylic system and then the lactone carbonyl. Then, elimination of OH group generates the 7r-allylic ferralactam complex 45. Finally the /1-lactam 46 was obtained in 64% yield by oxidative decomplexation with Ce(TV) salt. The <5-lactam 47 was a minor product (24%). The precursor of the thienamycin 48 was prepared from 46 [15,16]. This mechanistic explanation is supported by the formation of both 7r-allyllactone and lactam complexes (49 and 51) from the allylic amino alcohol 50 [17]. 

Distinct NMR resonances were first observed for the enantiomers of 2,2,2-trifluoro-l-phenylethanol in the presence of (/ )-phenylethylamine. With (/ )-2-naphthylethylamine the magnitude of the non-equivalence was increased. A systematic study of a series of aryl alcohols in the presence of amines showed a consistent correlation between the sense of non-equivalence and the absolute configuration of the alcohol. From the simple solvation models proposed, the reciprocality of the CSA approach is evident, i.e. if chiral A can be used to assay racemic B then chiral B can be used to assay racemic A. With this in mind 1 -(9-anthryl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (15a) was developed as a CSA for chiral amines. It is also effective with alcohols, lactones, a-amino acid esters, a-hydroxy acid esters and sulphoxides and is the most widely used chiral solvating agent. Other more specific solvating agents have been developed. Kagan has developed A -(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-l-phenylethylamine,forexample, as a CSA specifically for the assay of chiral sulphoxides prepared from sulphides by a modified Sharpless oxidation (section 6.3.2). 

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