Oxetane rearrangement

While allyl and glycidyl ethers are converted into a mixture of oxetane and oxepine products with xec-butyllithium, Mordini and co-workers reported that allyl, benzyl, and propargyl epoxy ethers can be regioselectively converted into 2-vinyl, 2-phenyl, or 2-aIkynyl-3-(hydroxyalkyl) oxetanes upon treatment with either Schlosser s base or other mixed metal bases. Some of the best results were obtained with the LDA/potassium ferf-butoxide mixture (LIDAKOR, ref 194). While rearrangement of propargylic or benzylic epoxide ethers formed exclusively the four-membered oxetanes, rearrangements of allyl oxiranyl ethers show a selectivity for cyclization to the seven-membered ring. Trialkylsilyl-substituted epoxide allyl ethers also show a preference for the oxepine, and mixtures are obtained as the size of the silyl substituents is increased (Scheme 17). 

MeOTf has been reported to effect the dealkoxylation of a perfluoroalkyltrialkoxyboronate to generate the corresponding boronic ester, l Conversely, an alkenyl boroxycarbene complex was reacted with MeOTf to remove the borane-based chiral auxiliary yielding a Fischer carbene complex. l l ferf-Amide substituted oxetanes rearranged in anhydrous nitrobenzene at 150 °C with a catalytic amount of MeOTf to produce ester-substituted azetidines (eq 16).i Other acids such as boron trifluoride ether-ate, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, and benzylthiolanium hexaflu-oroantimonate led to low yields of the desired azetidines. 

The reaction of alkenyl mercurials with alkenes forms 7r-allylpalladium intermediates by the rearrangement of Pd via the elimination of H—Pd—Cl and its reverse readdition. Further transformations such as trapping with nucleophiles or elimination form conjugated dienes[379]. The 7r-allylpalladium intermediate 418 formed from 3-butenoic acid reacts intramolecularly with carboxylic acid to yield the 7-vinyl-7-laCtone 4I9[380], The /i,7-titisaturated amide 421 is obtained by the reaction of 4-vinyl-2-azetidinone (420) with an organomercur-ial. Similarly homoallylic alcohols are obtained from vinylic oxetanes[381]. 

With appropriately substituted oxetanes, aluminum-based initiators (321) impose a degree of microstmctural control on the substituted polyoxetane stmcture that is not obtainable with a pure cationic system. A polymer having largely the stmcture of poly(3-hydroxyoxetane) has been obtained from an anionic rearrangement polymerisation of glycidol or its trimethylsilyl ether, both oxirane monomers (322). Polymerisation-induced epitaxy can produce ultrathin films of highly oriented POX molecules on, for instance, graphite (323). Theoretical studies on the cationic polymerisation mechanism of oxetanes have been made (324—326). 

A-Substituted pyrroles, furans and dialkylthiophenes undergo photosensitized [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with carbonyl compounds to give oxetanes. This is illustrated by the addition of furan and benzophenone to give the oxetane (138). The photochemical reaction of pyrroles with aliphatic aldehydes and ketones results in the regiospecific formation of 3-(l-hydroxyalkyl)pyrroles (e.g. 139). The intermediate oxetane undergoes rearrangement under the reaction conditions (79JOC2949). 

The precedent is strong for the involvement of oxetanes as Intermediates in carbonyl additions to pyrroles. " NMR evidence has been obtained far an oxetane adduct of acetone and N-methylpyrrole. The initial photoadduct was shown to rearrange readily on workup to the 3-(hydroxyalkyl)pyrrole derivative. 

Kinetic data on the influence of the reaction temperature on the enantioselectivity using chiral bases and prochiral alkenes revealed a nonlinearity of the modified Eyring plot [16]. The observed change in the linearity and the existence of an inversion point indicated that two different transition states are involved, inconsistent with a concerted [3+2] mechanism. Sharpless therefore renewed the postulate of a reversibly formed oxetane intermediate followed by irreversible rearrangement to the product. 

The same process shown in Scheme 88 starting from different 2-substituted oxetanes and using biphenyl as the electron-carrier catalyst under THF reflux has been used to prepare regioselectively substituted primary alcohols. On the other hand, the combination of a DTBB-catalyzed ca 20%) lithiation with triethylaluminium in TFIF at —78 °C has been used for the transformation of strained oxetanes to substituted di- and triquinanes through a rearrangement process . An example is given in Scheme 89 for the transformation of oxetane 299 into the product 302 through radicals 300 and 301. 

The final sequence for conversion of the product from steps 1-1-8 to baccatin III begins with a copper-mediated allylic oxidation and also involves an allylic rearrangement of the halide. The exocyclic double bond was then used to introduce the final oxygens needed to perform the oxetane ring closure. 

The few 3-metalla -l,2-dioxolane complexes of rhodium and iridium isolated so far have been highly reactive species. Simply by exposure to daylight they rearrange to the very unusual formylmethyl hydroxy complexes [M(/c -tpa)M(OH)(iii-CH2CHO)](X) and [Rh(/c4 dpda-Me2)(OH)(Tii-CH2CHO)] (PFe) in the solid state (Scheme 13) [84]. An alternative route to these formylmethyl hydroxy complexes is the oxidation of a 2-rhoda oxetane with hydrogen peroxide [67] (Scheme 13). 

The above synthetic methods for oxetane all involve formation of a new C—O bond. Cyclization by formation of a new C—C bond has been applied with compounds having benzylic or alkylic CH groups. Recent examples of this type of ring closure are the rearrangement of trans- 2,3-epoxycyclohexyl allyl ether by means of s-butyllithium and the dehydrochlorination of a-cyanobenzyl 2-chloroethyl ether with aqueous base and phase transfer catalyst (equation 86). Both reactions probably involve carbanion intermediates (76TL2115, 75MIP51300). 

Appropriately substituted diazo ketones have been converted into oxetanes in two instances by Wolf rearrangement processes. The structure of compound (52) was established by X-ray crystallography (69MI51300, 81CSC345). Reaction of 4,4-dibromo-2,2,5,5-tetramethyltetrahydro-3-furanone with aqueous base is a good method of preparation for 3-hydroxy-2,2,4,4-tetramethyloxetane-3-carboxylic acid (equation 90) (66JA1242). 

Mention should be made of studies of slow, controlled combustion of alkanes, where formation of oxetanes can be detected. For example, oxetane is observed during combustion of propane, while 2-f-butyl-3-methyloxetane and 2-isopropyl-3,3-dimethyloxetane are observed from combustion of isooctane. While the yields are extremely low, the presence of these compounds, along with the other products found, have provided evidence for the mechanism of combustion. The oxetanes are believed to result from rearrangement of peroxy radicals in the radical chain process (equation 114) (70MI51300,73MI51301). 

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