Oximes pinacol coupling reactions

Previously, tin-ketyl radicals have been added to alkenes only in an intramolecular fashion. [9] In recent publications, however, pinacols and amino alcohols have been prepared by cyclisation of dicarbonyl compounds [10] or keto-oximes [11] with tributyltin hydride. Cyclisation of 1,5-ketoaldehydes 1 and 1,5-dialdehydes with tributyltin hydride yields cw-diols 2 with excellent stereoselectivities, whereas the keto-oxime 4 with four benzyloxy-substituents affords a 58 42 cis trans) mixture. The tran -product was transformed in two more steps to the potent glycosidase inhibitor 1-deoxynojirimycin (6). [lib] The reversibility of both the addition of the tributyltin-radical to the carbonyl group and the intramolecular radical C-C bond formation is believed to be responsible for the high selectivity in the formation of 2. In the cyclisation of 1,5-pentanedial the unhydrolyzed coupling product 3 could be isolated, therefore providing evidence for a new mechanistic variant of the pinacol reaction, in which only 1.2 equivalent of the reducing agent are necessary. 

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