4-Methoxybenzyl group alcohol protection

The para-methoxybenzyl group belongs to a class of alcohol protecting groups that are stable to basic conditions but can be removed by oxidation. Here DDQ (2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-l,4-benzoquinone) is used to yield the free primary alcohol 3. 

An intermediate in the synthesis of laulimalide by Davidson8 illustrates the differential protection of alcohols. The starting materials 56 and 57 already have an alcohol protected as a TBDMS silyl ether and a diol protected as an acetal. The alcohol in 58 is protected as a p-methoxybenzyl ether and the acetal hydrolysed by acetal exchange to give the free diol 60. Selective protection of the primary alcohol by a bulky acyl group (pivaloyl, i-BuCO ) 61 allows silylation of the secondary alcohol with a TIPS group 62. Finally the pivaloyl group is selectively removed by DIBAL reduction to release just one free alcohol 63. 

Red-Al) or the Z-olefin 341 after benzylation. Stereoselective dihydroxylation and regiose-lective protection of the diol provides protected polyol 342 that is transformed in three steps to terminal epoxide 343. Removal of the p-methoxybenzyl group followed by acid-catalyzed epoxide opening yields exclusively tetrahydropyran 344 after protection of the primary alcohol and deacetylation. Inversion of the C2 stereocenter by an oxidation-reduction sequence and deprotection furnishes the C-mimic of a,a-trehalose 345. 

Full details are now available of the oxidative cleavage of ethers by uranium hexafluoride. An interesting new mild method of oxidative removal of p-methoxybenzyl ethers (used as alcohol protecting groups) employs as an electron-transfer reagent the stable cation radical (69), used either stoicheiometrically or in catalytic quantities, and regenerated electrochemically during the reaction (Scheme 48). 

Six protective groups for alcohols, which may be removed successively and selectively, have been listed by E.J. Corey (1972B). A hypothetical hexahydroxy compound with hydroxy groups 1 to 6 protected as (1) acetate, (2) 2,2,2-trichloroethyl carbonate, (3) benzyl ether, (4) dimethyl-t-butylsilyl ether, (5) 2-tetrahydropyranyl ether, and (6) methyl ether may be unmasked in that order by the reagents (1) KjCO, or NH, in CHjOH, (2) Zn in CHjOH or AcOH, (3) over Pd, (4) F", (5) wet acetic acid, and (6) BBrj. The groups may also be exposed to the same reagents in the order A 5, 2, 1, 3, 6. The (4-methoxyphenyl)methyl group (=MPM = p-methoxybenzyl, PMB) can be oxidized to a benzaldehyde derivative and thereby be removed at room temperature under neutral conditions (Y- Oikawa, 1982 R. Johansson, 1984 T. Fukuyama, 1985). 

NaH, /7-MeOQH4CH2Br, DMF, —5°, 1 h, 65%. Other bases, such as BuLi, ° dimsyl potassium," and NaOH under phase-transfer conditions," have been used to introduce the MPM group. The use of (n-Bu)4N I for the in situ preparation of the very reactive p-methoxybenzyl iodide often improves the protection of hindered alcohols." In the following example, selectivity is probably achieved because of the increased acidity of the 2 -hydroxyl group ... 

An intramolecular acetal has also been introduced by the treatment of a mixture of a 1-thio-mannoside, having a methoxybenzyl protecting group at C-2 and an alcohol with DDQ [71] (Scheme 4.4c). Activation of the thioglycoside with methyl triflate gave a P-mannoside as the only anomer. This approach was employed for the synthesis of the core pentasaccharide of N-linked glycoproteins. 

Oxidation-sensitive protecting groups, such as /i-methoxybenzyl ethers59 and esters,60 resist the action of active M11O2 during the oxidation of allylic and benzylic alcohols. 

Access to derivatives with protecting groups other than benzyl was also desired. Tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal (13) was deacetylated and benzylated with p-methoxybenzyl chloride to give 14. Cleavage of the olefin in 14 gave formate aldehyde 15. Hydrolysis of the formate ester led to lactol 16 and Wittig olefination then furnished the PMB protected olefin alcohol Id (Scheme 3). 

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