Phosphorus Bromide reaction with ketones

Annelation of steroidal dienamines with substituted phenacyl bromides (7 examples) or with benzenediazonium salts (11 examples) has been shown to lead to the corresponding furano- and indolo-steroids.89 Thus the A3,5-dienamine derived from A4-androstene-3,17-dione reacted with p-bromophenacyl bromide to yield the A5-androstano[3,4-h]furan (199) in 26% yield, and reaction of the same A3,5-dienamine with benzenediazonium fluoroborate at -45 °C led to formation of the hydrazone (200) which underwent Fischer-indole cyclization on treatment with phosphorus oxychloride to produce the A4-androstano[6,7-6]indole (201). The A3,5-dienamine derived from 17/3-acetoxyandrost-4-en-3-one has been converted into the benz[4,5,6]-steroid (202 R1 = Me, R2 = H) by reaction with methyl vinyl ketone and into the analogous benzsteroid (202 R1 = H, R2 = Me) on treatment with crotonal-dehyde.90 A route to the condensed pyrroline ring system (203) has been devised... 

A simple method for introducing a triple bond into an organic compound is to treat an appropriate dihalide with a strong base. Since vicinal dihalides (usually the bromide) are readily formed by reaction of bromine with an alkene, and geminal dihalides from aldehydes or ketones with phosphorus pentachloride, the method is a useful general procedure for the preparation of terminal and non-terminal alkynes from readily available starting materials. 

The formation of the linear carbon-carbon skeletons of lipids and carotenes usually depends on the reaction of the electropositive carbonyl carbon atoms of aldehydes or ketones with carbanions. Most popular is the Wittig reaction between a phosphorus ylene as obtained from alkylbromides and an aldehyde to form alkenes. Catalytic hydrogenation then converts alkenes to alkanes. The reaction has been adjusted to all kinds of functional groups, which can be connected to both educts, namely aldehydes and bromides (Scheme 1.3.1). 

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