Opening alcohol synthesis

Scheme 8.11. (a) Group-selective ring-opening of meso epoxides by nucleophiles leads to enantioselective syntheses of 1,2-difunctionalized compounds, (b) Azido alcohol synthesis from epoxides and trimethylsilyl azide as catalyzed by (salen)CrCl complexes (see Scheme 8.6a for general structures of salen catalysts)... 

The synthesis pathway started with the lithiation of ethylbenzene 121 at the benzylic position, followed by acylation of the toluate anirni intermediate at low temperature. It is noteworthy that a potentially competing orf/io-lithiati(Mi of the type championed by Snieckus 85) i.e. between the two stabilizing methoxyl radicals) was not reported under these conditions. Subsequent reduction of benzyUcetone 122 provided smooth access to the t/irco-dimethyl-substituted bicy-clic intermediate 123 via lactonization. DIBAL reduction (—> 124) and reductive debenzylation with palladium on charcoal gave the ring-opened alcohol 125, which was further demethylated to provide a 1,3-diphenol, and then carboxylated under buffered conditions to yield acid 117, also known as phenol B . This compound was formylated with trimethyl orthoformate and acid, then cyclized to give the quinone structure and natural product, 116 (Scheme 3.1). 

Alkene synthesis via alcohol dehydration is complicated by carbocation rearrangements A less stable carbocation can rearrange to a more sta ble one by an alkyl group migration or by a hydride shift opening the possibility for alkene formation from two different carbocations... 

The commonest of these for oxirane opening are amines and azide ion [amide ions promote isomerization to allylic alcohols (Section 5.05.3.2.2)]. Reaction with azide can be used in a sequence for converting oxiranes into aziridines (Scheme 49) and this has been employed in the synthesis of the heteroannulenes (57) and (58) (80CB3127, 79AG(E)962). 

As with i -substituted allyl alcohols, 2,i -substituted allyl alcohols are epoxidized in excellent enantioselectivity. Examples of AE reactions of this class of substrate are shown below. Epoxide 23 was utilized to prepare chiral allene oxides, which were ring opened with TBAF to provide chiral a-fluoroketones. Epoxide 24 was used to prepare 5,8-disubstituted indolizidines and epoxide 25 was utilized in the formal synthesis of macrosphelide A. Epoxide 26 represents an AE reaction on the very electron deficient 2-cyanoallylic alcohols and epoxide 27 was an intermediate in the total synthesis of (+)-varantmycin. 

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