Unsaturated <5-lactones

Lactonization. Unsaturated cycloalkanoic acids are converted by treatment with CeHsSCl into phenylsulfenyl lactones, which arc useful intermediates to a number of products. ... 

Lactones and larger a, 6-Unsaturated 5-lactones fi-y, 5-Unsaturated 5-lactones (unsaturated six-membered ring)... 

Review Problem 7 a-p-Unsaturated lactones are nsefhl intermediates in syntliesis as they take part in Diels-Alder reactions to buhd larger molecules with more complex functionahty. How would you make tliis one ... 

Analysis Another lactone FGl reveals the true TM (A). Our normal discormection a of an a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compound gives us the 1,5-dicarbonyl compound (B) and the ketone (C) clearly derived from phenol. Alternatively we could disconnect bond b to the keto-ester (D) with the further discormection shown ... 

The reductive coupling of aldehydes or ketones with 01, -unsaturated carboxylic esters by > 2 mol samarium(II) iodide (J.A. Soderquist, 1991) provides a convenient route to y-lactones (K. Otsubo, 1986). Intramolecular coupling of this type may produce trans-2-hy-droxycycloalkaneacetic esters with high stereoselectivity, if the educt is an ( )-isomer (E.J. Enholm, 1989 A, B). 

The furo- and pyranobenzopyranones 114 and 115 are prepared by the reaction of 0-enolate of i(-keto lactone 113[132], The isoxazolc 117 is obtained by the oxidation of the oxime 116 of a, /3- or, d, 7-unsaturated ketones with PdCh and Na2C03 in dichloromethane[l 33], but the pyridine 118 is formed with PdCl2(Ph3P)2 and sodium phenoxide[134]. 

The intramolecular reaction oF allcenes with various O and N functional groups offers useful synthetic methods for heterocycles[13,14,166]. The reaction of unsaturated carboxylic acids affords lactones by either exo- or endo-cyclization depending on the positions of the double bond. The reaction of sodium salts of the 3-alkenoic acid 143 and 4-alkenoic acid 144 with Li2PdCl4 affords mostly five-membcrcd lactones in 30-40% yields[167]. Both 5-hexe-noic acid (145) and 4-hexenoic acid (146) are converted to five- or six-mem-bered lactones depending on the solvents and bases[168]. Conjugated 2,4-pentadienoic acid (147) is cyclized with Li2PdCl4 to give 2-pyrone (148) in water[i69]. 

Allylalion of the alkoxymalonitrile 231 followed by hydrolysis affords acyl cyanide, which is converted into the amide 232. Hence the reagent 231 can be used as an acyl anion equivalent[144]. Methoxy(phenylthio)acetonitrile is allylated with allylic carbonates or vinyloxiranes. After allylation. they are converted into esters or lactones. The intramolecular version using 233 has been applied to the synthesis of the macrolide 234[37]. The /i,7-unsaturated nitrile 235 is prepared by the reaction of allylic carbonate with trimethylsilyl cyanide[145]. 

The reaction can be applied to the synthesis of q, /3-unsaturated esters and lactones by treatment of the ketene silyl acetal 551 with an allyl carbonate in boiling MeCN[356]. The preparation of the q,, 3-unsaturated lactone 552 by this method has been used in the total synthesis of lauthisan[357]. 

The unsaturated c.vo-enol lactone 17 is obtained by the coupling of propargylic acetate with 4-pentynoic acid in the presence of KBr using tri(2-furyl)-phosphine (TFP) as a ligand. The reaction is explained by the oxypalladation of the triple bond of 4-pentynoic acid with the ailenyipailadium and the carbox-ylate as shown by 16, followed by reductive elimination to afford the lactone 17. The ( -alkene bond is formed because the oxypalladation is tnins addition[8]. 

PdCb, and the allylated lactone 232 is formed. Regeneration ofPdCl2 as shown by 231 makes the reaction catalytic. In this reaction, use of the Li salt 227 of 4-pentynoic acid (223) is recommended. Reaction of lithium 3-octynoate (233) with allyl chloride affords the unsaturated lactone 234, which is converted into the 7-keto acid 235 by hydrolysis[126]. 

Triethylammonium formate is another reducing agent for q, /3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Pd on carbon is better catalyst than Pd-phosphine complex, and citral (49) is reduced to citronellal (50) smoothly[55]. However, the trisubstituted butenolide 60 is reduced to the saturated lactone with potassium formate using Pd(OAc)2. Triethylammonium formate is not effective. Enones are also reduced with potassium formate[56]. Sodium hypophosphite (61) is used for the reduction of double bonds catalyzed by Pd on charcoal[57]. 

Cycloaddition of COj with the dimethyl-substituted methylenecyclopropane 75 proceeds smoothly above 100 °C under pressure, yielding the five-membered ring lactone 76. The regiocheraistry of this reaction is different from that of above-mentioned diphenyl-substituted methylenecyclopropanes 66 and 67[61], This allylic lactone 76 is another source of trimethylenemethane when it is treated with Pd(0) catalyst coordinated by dppe in refluxing toluene to generate 77, and its reaction with aldehydes or ketones affords the 3-methylenetetrahy-drofuran derivative 78 as expected for this intermediate. Also, the lactone 76 reacts with a, /3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The reaction of coumarin (79) with 76 to give the chroman-2-one derivative 80 is an example[62]. 

P-Hydroxy acids lose water, especially in the presence of an acid catalyst, to give a,P-unsaturated acids, and frequendy P,y-unsaturated acids. P-Hydroxy acids do not form lactones readily because of the difficulty of four-membered ring formation. The simplest P-lactone, P-propiolactone, can be made from ketene and formaldehyde in the presence of methyl borate but not from P-hydroxypropionic acid. P-Propiolactone [57-57-8] is a usehil intermediate for organic synthesis but caution should be exercised when handling this lactone because it is a known carcinogen. 

Composition. Shellac is primarily a mixture of aUphatic polyhydroxy acids in the form of lactones and esters. It has an acid number of ca 70, a saponification number of ca 230, a hydroxyl number of ca 260, and an iodine number of ca 15. Its average molecular weight is ca 1000. Shellac is a complex mixture, but some of its constituents have been identified. Aleuritic acid, an optically inactive 9,10,16-trihydroxypalmitic acid, has been isolated by saponification. Related carboxyflc acids such as 16-hydroxy- and 9,10-dihydroxypalmitic acids, also have been identified after saponification. These acids may not be primary products of hydrolysis, but may have been produced by the treatment. Studies show that shellac contains carboxyflc acids with long methylene chains, unsaturated esters, probably an aliphatic aldehyde, a saturated aliphatic ester, a primary alcohol, and isolated or unconjugated double bonds. 

Perbenzoic acid gave a doubly unsaturated triol monobenzoate. Only two hydroxyl groups could be acetylated, and one was tertiary. The saturated triol reacted with lead tetracetate to give an a glycol. When reacted with chromic acid, it gave a hydroxy lactone. From these observations, Windaus and Gmndmann (11) described the correct stmcture for ergosterol (1). 

Telomerization Reactions. Butadiene can react readily with a number of chain-transfer agents to undergo telomerization reactions. The more often studied reagents are carbon dioxide (167—178), water (179—181), ammonia (182), alcohols (183—185), amines (186), acetic acid (187), water and CO2 (188), ammonia and CO2 (189), epoxide and CO2 (190), mercaptans (191), and other systems (171). These reactions have been widely studied and used in making unsaturated lactones, alcohols, amines, ethers, esters, and many other compounds. 

The chemical properties of coumarin are those of the lactone of an a,P-unsaturated aromatic acid. 

Additional applications are exemplified by the well-known Meystre-Miescher degradation of the bile acid side chain and, more recently, in the preparation of a-pyrones from a,iS-unsaturated lactones. ... 

An important side reaction observed during methylenation of 17a-acetoxy 20-ketones (4) is the formation of the unsaturated lactones (6) in high yield. These compounds arise by aldol condensation and dehydration. 

Hydroxy steroids afford 18,20-lactones in 48-74 % yield in the presence of other substituents such as acetates, ketals and saturated and unsaturated ketones. However only a 24% yield is reported in the presence of an 11-ketone . Tertiary 20-hydroxy-20-methyl pregnanes still give 18,20-lactones in 45% yield although a competitive cleavage of the 17,20-bond is also observed. 

Again reductive opening of the lactone ring can be achieved at the chloro lactone or a,j5-unsaturated keto lactone stages. ... 

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