Methyl ethers demethylation

Xn. Demethylation of Aryl Methyl Ethers by Boron Tribromide... 

The present procedure illustrates the facile demethylation of methyl aryl ethers by lithium diphenylphosphide.3 This reaction is specific for methyl ethers and may be carried out in the presence of ethyl ethers in high yield.4 Use of excess reagent allows cleavage in the presence of enolizable ketones.5 In the present case, the cleavage may be performed without protection of the aldehyde, but two equivalents of reagent are required, and the yield is reduced to ca. 60%. 

Aryl methyl ethers. A great deal of attention has been directed to the demethylation of aryl methyl ethers on account of interest in the degradation of lignin and related compounds by both aerobic and anaerobic organisms. 

The last synthesis to evolve which is due to Ito and his coworkers is interesting in that it relies on a stereospecific skeletal rearrangement of a bicyclo[2.2.2]octane system which in turn was prepared by Diels-Alder methodology (Scheme XLVIII) Heating of a toluene solution of cyclopentene 1,2-dicarboxylic anhydride and 4-methylcyclohexa-l,4-dienyl methyl ether in the presence of a catalytic quantity of p-toluenesulfonic acid afforded 589. Demethylation was followed by reduction and cyclization to sulfide 590. Desulfurization set the stage for peracid oxidation and arrival at 591. Chromatography of this intermediate on alumina induced isomerization to keto alcohol 592. Jones oxidation afforded diketone 593 which had earlier been transformed into gymnomitrol. 

Methylbenzofuran-3-carbaldehydes undergo ready condensation with Meldrum s acid (isopropylidene malonate) to afford arylmethylene derivatives 83. These on flash vacuum pyrolysis at 500-600 C give 3-dibenzofuranols 84 (Scheme 21). The arylmethylene derivative, e.g., 85, presumably undergoes conversion to a methylene ketene (86, Scheme 22) on pyrolysis, which undergoes a [1,5-H] shift and subsequent cyclization and tautomerization, yielding the dibenzofuranol 87. The derived methyl ether 88 has been converted by mild acetylation with acetyl chloride and aluminum chloride and subsequent boron trichloride-induced demethylation to the natural product ruscodibenzofuran (8). A limitation is imposed on this method because 3-acetyl-2-methyldibenzofurans fail to condense with Meldrum s acid so that l-methyl-3-dibenzofuranols are not available by this method. ... 

Methylation of carbazole phenolic oxygen has been achieved using dimethyl sulfate without reaction at nitrogen. Demethylation of carbazole methyl ethers has been achieved with hydrobromic acid-acetic acid, boron trichloride,and pyridine hydrochloride. Selective demethylation of methoxyl ortho to an aldehydo function has been achieved using boron trifluoride. ° ° Partial demethylation of 1-methoxy-3-formylcarbazole occurred during Wolff-Kischner reduction." ... 

The corresponding methyl ethers, i.e., alkylated rranj-1-acyl-2,5-bis(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidines 1 (R3 = CH,). are first demethylated by trichloroborane in CH,C12 prior to the acidic hydrolysis (see Tabic l)1. 

The above reactions in this section have been examples of addition alone or addition followed by elimination. Ligand reactions involving nucleophilic substitution are also known and these are of the dealkylation type. Lewis acids such as aluminum chloride or tin(IV) chloride have been used for many years in the selective demethylation of aromatic methyl ethers, where chelation is involved (Scheme 27). Similar cleavage of thioethers, specially using mercury(II) salts, is commonly used to remove thioacetal functions masking ketones (equation 27).104 In some cases, reactions of metal ions with thioether ligands result in isolation of complexes of the dealkylated organic moiety (equations 28 and 29).105-107... 

Demethylation. Cleavage of the methyl ether 2 could not be achieved directly in the desired sense but was accomplished indirectly by treatment with 1, which affords the cyclic bromo ether (3). Reduction of 3 gives the desired hydroxy diene 4.1... 

The lactone ring in decinine (2) was reduced to the cyclic ether (34) with diborane generated from sodium borohydride and boron trifluoride. The Emde degradation of (34) afforded a piperidine derivative (35a). The Cyanogen bromide N-demethylation of the methyl ether (35b) followed by... 

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