Methyl-5-heptene-2-one

Methyl-5-hepten-2-one is a constituent of lemongrass oil. How could you synthesize this substance from methyl 4-oxopentanoate ... 

Representatives of the subfamilies Omaliinae and Proteininae (omaliine group) possess an abdominal defensive gland reservoir that opens out between sternite 7 and 8 [ 120]. The multi-component mixtures contained in these glands are used for defence. In Omaliinae and Proteininae the secretion is characterized by mixtures of acids (e.g. 2-methylpropanoic acid, hexanoic acid, 2-octenoic acid, 2-methylbutanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, butyric acid, and tiglic acid), aldehydes (( )-2-hexenal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal), ketoaldehydes such as 4-oxo-2-hexenal 41 (Scheme 5), 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, alcohols (octanol, ( )-2-hexen-l-ol, 2-methylbutan-l-ol), alkanes (nonadecane), esters (2-methylbutyl tiglate 42, various propanoates, 2-hexenyl 3-methylbutanoate, 2-methylbutyl 2-methylbutanoate, octanoates,butanoates), and aromatic compounds (e.g. 2-phenethyl 3-methylbutanoate 43). Unusual compounds are 2-... 

Adults of the Steninae possess paired eversible abdominal defensive gland reservoirs [119,128]. When the beetles walk on the water surface the spreading secretion propels the beetle forward which represents an unique escape mechanism. The secretion contains isopiperitenole 57,1,8-cineole 58,6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one and the unique spreading alkaloid stenusine, N-ethyl-3-(2-methylbutyl)piperidine 59. Natural stenusine was found to be a mixture of all four stereoisomers in a ratio of (S, S) (S, R) (R, R) (R, S)=43 40 13 4. An enantioselective synthesis of stenusine has been carried out via an Enders-approach [129]. 

Recordings from Staphylininae [115] include 3-methylbutanal, the corresponding alcohol, and its acetate, various ketones such as 4-methyl-3-hexanone, 4-methyl-3-heptanone, 5-methyl-3-hexanone (and the corresponding alcohol), 2-heptanone, 6-methyl-2-heptanone, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one as well as methyl-cyclopentene and methylfuran. In addition, the secretions of Ontholestes murinus contain the spiroacetals (2S,6R,8S)-2,8-dimethyl-l,7-dioxaspiro[5,5]-... 

The first suitable representative of this class of substances, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, was investigated by Neuberg and Lewite. This ketone, which is a natural constituent of ethereal oils, can also be obtained by degradation of various aliphatic and cyclic terpenes. By means of fermenting yeast it is converted to 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-ol,... 

FIGURE 6.28 Oxidation of squalene to 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, acetone, geranyl acetone, and 4-oxopentanal (adapted from Fruekilde et al., f998). 

Fruekilde, P J. Hjorth, N. R. Jensen, D. Kotzias, and B Larsen, Ozonolysis at Vegetation Surfaces A Source of Acetone, 4-Oxopentanal, 6-Methyl-5-hepten-2-one, and Geranyl Acetone in the Troposphere, Atmos. Environ., 32, 1893-1902 (1998). 

Grosjean, E., D. Grosjean, and J. H. Seinfeld, Gas-Phase Reaction of Ozone with tra/rx-2-Hexenal, tra/rx-2-Hexenyl Acetate, Eth-ylvinyl Ketone, and 6-Methyl-5-hepten-2-one, Int. J. Chem. Kinet., 28, 373-382 (1996). 

It is a yellow liquid with a powerful, green, cucumber-like and melon odor. It can be prepared by Darzens reaction of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one with ethyl chloroacetate. The intermediate glycidate is saponified and decarboxylated to yield the title compound. 

Since linalool is an important intermediate in the manufacture of vitamin E, several large-scale processes have been developed for its production. Preferred starting materials and/or intermediates are the pinenes and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one. Most perfumery-grade linalool is synthetic. 

Addition of acetylene to acetone results in the formation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol, which is hydrogenated to 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol in the presence of a palladium catalyst. This product is converted into its acetoacetate derivative with diketene [38] or with ethyl acetoacetate [39]. The acetoacetate undergoes rearrangement when heated (Carroll reaction) to give 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one ... 

Methyl-5-hepten-2-one is converted into linalool in excellent yield by base-catalyzed ethynylation with acetylene to dehydrolinalool [45]. This is followed by selective hydrogenation of the triple bond to a double bond in the presence of a palladium carbon catalyst. 

Industrial synthesis of nerolidol starts with linalool, which is converted into ger-anylacetone by using diketene, ethyl acetoacetate, or isopropenyl methyl ether, analogous to the synthesis of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one from 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol. Addition of acetylene and partial hydrogenation of the resultant dehydroner-olidol produces a mixture of cis- and trans-nerolidol racemates. 

Synthesis from Dehydrolinalool. Dehydrolinalool is produced on a large scale from 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one and acetylene and can be isomerized to citral in high yield by a number of catalysts. Preferred catalysts include organic orthovanadates [55], organic trisilyl oxyvanadates [56], and vanadium catalysts with silanols added to the reaction system [57]. 

Methyl-5-hepten-2-one is an important intermediate in the synthesis of terpenoids. Its odor properties are not impressive. It occurs in nature as a decomposition product of terpenes. Tagetone [6752-80-3] is a major component of tagetes oil. Solanone [1937-45-8] and pseudoionone [141-10-6] are acyclic Cn ketones with a terpenoid skeleton. Solanone is one of the flavor-determining constituents of tobacco, pseudoionone is an intermediate in the synthesis of ionones. 

Dehydrolinalool, obtained by ethynylation of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, can be converted into dehydrolinalyl acetate with acetic anhydride in the presence of an acidic esterification catalyst. Partial hydrogenation of the triple bond to linalyl acetate can be carried out with, for example, palladium catalysts deactivated with lead [73]. 

Learning is not required for the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi to recognize pea plants that are damaged by its specific host, the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Du et al, 1998 Powell et al., 1998). This parasitoid is far more attracted by pea plants infested by this host than by pea plants infested by a non-host, Aphis fabae. Implicated in the specificity of the signal is 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, a substance that was only detected in the odor profile of plants infested by A. pisum (Wadhams et al., 1999) the pure compound was found to be highly attractive to A. ervi (Du etal., 1998). 

Based on these data, two pathways for the degradation of geraniol (20) were proposed by Madyastha [32], Fig. (7). Pathway A involves an oxidative attack on the 2,3-double bond resulting in the formation of an epoxide. Opening of the epoxide yields the triol (31) which upon oxidation forms a ketodiol (32). The ketodiol (32) is then converted to 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (33) by an oxidative process. Pathway B is... 

---