Oxetane rings

The polymerizations of tetrahydrofuran [1693-74-9] (THF) and of oxetane [503-30-0] (OX) are classic examples of cationic ring-opening polymerizations. Under ideal conditions, the polymerization of the five-membered tetrahydrofuran ring is a reversible equiUbtium polymerization, whereas the polymerization of the strained four-membered oxetane ring is irreversible (1,2). 

The four-membered oxetane ring (trimethylene oxide [503-30-0]) has much higher ring strain, and irreversible ring-opening polymerization can occur rapidly to form polyoxetane [25722-06-9] ... 

Analytical and Test Methods. Most of the analytical and test methods described for THF and PTHF are appHcable to OX and POX with only minor modifications (346). Infrared and nmr are useful aids in the characterization of oxetanes and their polymers. The oxetane ring shows absorption between 960 and 980 cm , regardless of substituents on the ring (282). Dinitro oxetane (DNOX) has its absorption at 1000 cm . In addition, H-nmr chemical shifts for CH2 groups in OX and POX are typically at 4.0—4.8 5 and 3.5—4.7 5, respectively (6,347,348) C-nmr is especially useful for characterizing the microstmcture of polyoxetanes. 

The Patemo-Buchi reaction " is the photo-eatalyzed eJeetrocyeJization of a carbonyl 1 with an alkene 2 to form polysubstituted oxetane ring systems 3. 

Given the relatively rare appearance of oxetanes in natural products, the more powerful functionality of the Patemo-Biichi reaction is the ability to set the relative stereochemistry of multiple centers by cracking or otherwise derivitizing the oxetane ring. Schreiber noted that Patemo—Btlchi reactions of furans with aldehydes followed by acidic hydrolysis generated product 37, tantamount to a threo selective Aldol reaction. This process is referred to as photochemical Aldolization . Schreiber uses this selectivity to establish the absolute stereochemistry of the fused tetrahydrofuran core 44 of the natural product asteltoxin. ... 

Proceeding with the retrosynthetic analysis, it is now timely to address the issue of the rather sensitive oxetane ring. Disconnection of the C5-0 bond as indicated in structure 5 and engagement of... 

The synthesis of S. J. Danishefsky s group is outlined in Scheme 13.55. The starting material is a protected derivative of the Wieland-Miescher ketone. The oxetane ring is formed early in this synthesis. An epoxide is formed using dimethylsulfonium methylide (Step A-3) and opened to an allylic alcohol in Step A-4. The double bond... 

Photoinduced electrocyclization of a carbonyl with an alkene to form polysubsti-tuted oxetane ring systems... 

Fig. 2. Schematic representation of paclitaxel biosynthesis. Dimethylallyl-diphosphate and isopentenyl-diphosphate are condensed through geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase activity to render geranylgeranyl-diphosphate (GGPP). GGPP is converted into taxa-4(5), 11 (12)-diene in a reaction catalyzed by the taxane synthase (TS). A series of reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450 monoxygenases lead to the production of a taxane intermediate that is further converted to baccatin III through enzymes-driven oxidation and oxetane ring formation. The side chain moiety of paclitaxel is derived from L-phenylalanine. Three consecutive arrows mean multiple steps. Ac, acetyl Bz, benzoyl.

T. K. Wu The largest ring used so far was oxepane, but we are planning to go in the other direction, using four membered rings. However, in this case complications arise because the strained oxetane ring does not undergo equilibrium polymerization. 

A mechanistic scheme involves intramolecular single-electron transfer (SET) from the enamino moiety toward carbon 5 of the ring, and subsequent transannular interaction in zwitter-ionic biradical 259 with formation of stabilized zwitter-ion 260. Opening of the oxetane ring in 260 leads to cyclobutene 256, while secondary photolysis of the latter gives olefin 257 and alkyne 258 (Scheme 100). 

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. 

Interestingly, the oxetane ring is essentially planar, presumably because the lone pairs on oxygen cause fewer eclipsing problems than a lone pair and an N-H bond do in the non-planar aza equivalent azeti-dine (Box 8.3). 

When the ketone and olefin are unsymmetrical, two diasterio-isomeric oxetanes are formed. This point can be illustrated with the benzoylpyridines and norbornene, where the two stereoisomers result from the pyridine group being on the same or opposite side of the oxetane ring, with respect to the norbornane.37 In the case of 3-benzoyl-pyridine, the two isomers 49b and 50b were formed in about equal... 

The action of sodium methoxide on l-[5-0-(methylsulfonyl)-/3-D-lyxofuranosyl Juracil (60) leads78 to l-(2,5-anhydro-/3-D-lyxofuranosyl)-uracil (61) the 3,5-oxetane ring that might equally well have been... 

The synthesis of an alditol having a 4-membered (oxetane) ring was first reported by Ustyuzhanin and coworkers,50 who prepared 1,3-anhydro-5,6-di-0-methyl-2,4-0-methylene-D-glucitol by saponification of the 1-p-toluenesulfonate of the corresponding derivative of D-... 

The n.mj. spectrum67 of dianhydro-xylitol23 and its methyl ether confirmed the chemical evidence that it has a 4-membered and a 5-membered ring, and hence is l,4 3,5-dianhydro-xylitol. This conclusion was further supported by the i.r. spectrum of the methyl ether, which has bands at 980 cm"1 (oxetane ring) and at 1050 cm"1 (oxolane ring).67... 

Substitution of alkyl and aryl groups on the oxetane ring, on the other hand, increases the barrier of the puckering vibration. 2-Methyloxetane and 3-methyloxetane are non-planar, existing as mixtures of stable equatorial and axial conformers at room temperature (79JST(56)157>. 

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