Phenylselenide oxidation

The oxidation of higher alkenes in organic solvents proceeds under almost neutral conditions, and hence many functional groups such as ester or lac-tone[26,56-59], sulfonate[60], aldehyde[61-63], acetal[60], MOM ether[64], car-bobenzoxy[65], /-allylic alcohol[66], bromide[67,68], tertiary amine[69], and phenylselenide[70] can be tolerated. Partial hydrolysis of THP ether[71] and silyl ethers under certain conditions was reported. Alcohols are oxidized with Pd(II)[72-74] but the oxidation is slower than the oxidation of terminal alkenes and gives no problem when alcohols are used as solvents[75,76]. 

Glycals are also available from 2-deoxy sugars by acid- or base-induced eliminations ofanomeric substituents. These methods are limited by the availability ofthe 2-deoxy sugars, for which the glycals themselves are the most obvious synthetic precursors. However, examples of these methods (Scheme 5.43) are in the direct preparation oftri-O-benzyl-D-glucal (14) from 2-deoxy-tri-O-benzyl-D-glucopyranose (13) via its 1-O-mesylate [117], and di-O-benzyl-D-ribal (16) from the phenylselenide 15 via oxidation to the selenoxide followed by elimination [118]. 

The introduction of the double bond of rac-14 was performed by conversion of rac-13 into its a-phenylselenide, subsequent peroxide oxidation, and elimination. Following the synthesis reported by Mehta and Srinivas, an alkylative enone transposition was used as the last step towards irradiation... 

Oxophilic phosphomum compound 47 forms from tributylphosphine (46) and the phenylselenide 45, and this then suffers nucleophilic attack by alcohol 18. The resulting free selenium nucleophile 48 displaces phosphine oxide 50 with the formation of phenylsele-nide 51. Phenylselenide 51 is oxidi/ed by hydrogen peroxide to phenylselenoxide 52, which at room temperature undergoes an elimination reaction to (-)-A9tl2)-capnellene (1). The mechanism is similar to that of the Cope elimination, proceeding via a cyclic transition state. 

Another method for the conversion of an alkene into an allylic alcohol, but with a shift in the position of the double bond, proceeds from the corresponding p-hydroxyselenide. The p-hydroxyselenide can be obtained from the epoxide by reaction with phenylselenide anion or directly from the alkene by addition of phenylselenenic acid, phenylselenenyl chloride in aqueous MeCN, or by acid-catalysed reaction with A-phenylseleno-phthalimide. The hydroxyselenide does not need to be isolated, but can be oxidized directly with tert-BuOOH to the unstable selenoxide, which spontaneously eliminates phenylselenenic acid to form the E-allylic alcohol. For example, 4-octene gave 5-octen -ol (6.15). Elimination takes place away from the hydroxy group to give the allylic alcohol no more than traces... 

Depending on the sequence selected, this epoxide can be converted into either the ( Z)- or ( )-isomer of 3-deuterio-PEP. Opening of the epoxide with diisobutyl-aluminum phenylselenide in hexane affords selectively (3 1) the 2-hydroxy-3-phenylseleno ester. Phosphorylation, oxidation to the selenoxide, and syn-elimination then give the Z-isomer. 

The oxidation of (silatranyhnethyl)phenylselenide (116) with 30% hydrogen peroxide in ethanol affords the corresponding selenoxide (117a) in 91% yield (equation 146). The selenone 117b is formed by using 70% H202 . Unstable selenoxide is obtained from (2-silatranylethyl)phenyl selenide under the same conditions . ... 

Primary alkyl 2-pyridylselenides are oxidized under mild conditions to give terminal olefins in much higher yields than can be achieved with the analogous phenylselenides which have been widely used. The pyridylseleno-group is easily introduced by nucleophilic displacement with sodium pyridylselenate. 

Selenides eliminate readily without a base. They are generally prepared from enolate anions by reaction with diphenyldiselenide or phenylselenyl bromide to give phenylselenides. The phenylselenides are oxidized with sodium periodate, hydrogen peroxide, or peracids to the selenoxides, which eliminate even at room temperature to afford the a,p-unsamrated ketones and esters [107]. 

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