Methyl oxetane-2-carboxylate

The 2-trifluoromethanesuIfonates of the four diastereomeric 3,5-di-O-benzyl-pentono-1,4-lactones (such as D-ribono-1,4-lactone, 283) gave, upon treatment with potassium carbonate in methanol, the ring-contraction product, methyl oxetane-2-carboxylate (284). The stereochemistry at C-2 of the resulting oxetanes is determined by the configuration at C-3, rather than C-2, of the starting lactones (267). 

Methyl oxetane-2-carboxylate derivatives (e.g., 284), obtained by ring contraction of aldonolactones, have been employed for the synthesis (279) of the nucleoside / -noroxetanocin [9-(/ -D-eryt/iro-oxetanosyl)adenine, 304] and its a-anomer via an a-chloride obtained by a modified Hunsdiecker reaction. Displacement of chloride by adenine and debenzylation gave 304. The threo isomer of304, /J-epinoroxetanocin (305), was likewise synthesized from D-lyxono-1,4-lactone. The oxetane nucleosides display potent antiviral activity against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 

Potassium permanganate oxidation of S-hydroxymethyl-S-methyloxetane gave the potassium salt of S-methyl-S-oxetane carboxylic acid in 56% yield. ... 

The photochemistry of more complex and highly substituted alkenic partners has been studied. In 1978, Hartmann and coworkers reported the photocycloaddition of 4-oxazolin-2-one with acetone, used as a photosensitizer in the reaction of 4-oxazolin-2-one with alkenyl and alkynyl partners, to form oxe-tane (44). Recently, Scharf has described the photochemistry of 3-acetyl-2,3-dihydio-2,2-dimcthyloxa-zole (45). Irradiation of (45) in the presence of acetophenone produced the oxetane (46) with the phenyl group endo (17%), in addition to 21% of a ring-opened derivative. The stereoselectivity is in agreement with the high exo carboxyl selectivity observed in the photocycloaddition of methyl phe-nylglyoxylate with 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxole to produce oxetane (47). 

R and R may be H, methyl, cyclopropyl, cyano, or ester groups. The phenylcarbene formed on irradiation of trans-l,2-diphenyloxirane has been trapped and identified in the form of a cyclopropane derivative in methanol in the presence of benzyl methyl ether and alkenes. Photolysis in the presence of 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene proceeds by cycloaddition with the formation of cyclopropane-carboxylic acid and oxetane derivatives (Eq. 368). ... 

A typical case in point would be cationic formulations using the main resin as 3,4-epoxy cydohexyl methyl-3,4 epoxy cyclohexane carboxylate and employing trimethylolpropane oxetane (TMPO) as a reactive diluent. 

Coyle has summarized the photochemistry of carboxylic acid derivatives. For arene carboxylic acid esters it has been shown that [2-1-2]-cycloaddition competes with hydrogen abstraction by the excited ester from an allylic position of the alkene. The addition of methyl benzoate 17 to 2-methyl-2-butene gave a 1 1 mixture of the Paterno-Bilchi adduct 18 and the coupling product 19. Less electron-rich alkenes (e.g., cyclopentene) did add preferentially toward the benzene ring of 17 in an ortho- and metacycloaddition manner. Furans could also be added photochemically to methyl benzoate and other aren-ecarboxylic acid esters. The resulting bicyclic oxetanes could be transformed into a series of synthetically valuable products. [2-1-2]-Cycloadducts and/or their cleavage or rearrangement products have also been described for photoreactions of alkenes with diethyl oxalate,benzoic acid, " and carbamates. ... 

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