Polyenes cyclization

Intramolecular condensation reactions to generate six-membered carbocycles are mentioned in section 1.12, the polyene cyclization in section 1.15. 

Other, removable cation-stabilizing auxiliaries have been investigated for polyene cyclizations. For example, a sdyl-assisted carbocation cyclization has been used in an efficient total synthesis of lanosterol. The key step, treatment of (257) with methyl aluminum chloride in methylene chloride at —78° C, followed by acylation and chromatographic separation, affords (258) in 55% yield (two steps). When this cyclization was attempted on similar compounds that did not contain the C7P-silicon substituent, no tetracycHc products were observed. Steroid (258) is converted to lanosterol (77) in three additional chemical steps (225). 

Acyl radicals can be generated and they cyclize in the usual manner. A polyene-cyclization reaction generated four rings, initiating the sequence by treatment of a phenylseleno ester with Bu3SnH/AIBN to form the acyl radical, which added to the first alkene unit. The newly formed carbon radical added to the next alkene, and so on. Acyl radicals generated firom Ts(R)NCOSePh derivatives cyclize to form lactams. ... 

Polyene Cyclization. Perhaps the most synthetically useful of the carbo-cation alkylation reactions is the cyclization of polyenes having two or more double bonds positioned in such a way that successive bond-forming steps can occur. This process, called polyene cyclization, has proven to be an effective way of making polycyclic compounds containing six-membered and, in some cases, five-membered rings. The reaction proceeds through an electrophilic attack and requires that the double bonds that participate in the cyclization be properly positioned. For example, compound 1 is converted quantitatively to 2 on treatment with formic acid. The reaction is initiated by protonation and ionization of the allylic alcohol and is terminated by nucleophilic capture of the cyclized secondary carbocation. 

As the intermediate formed in a polyene cyclization is a carbocation, the isolated product is often found to be a mixture of closely related compounds resulting from competing modes of reaction. The products result from capture of the carbocation by solvent or other nucleophile or by deprotonation to form an alkene. Polyene cyclizations can be carried out on reactants that have structural features that facilitate transformation of the carbocation to a stable product. Allylic silanes, for example, are stabilized by desilylation.12... 

The incorporation of silyl substituents not only provides for specific reaction products but can also improve the effectiveness of polyene cyclization. For example, although cyclization of 2a gave a mixture containing at least 17 products, the allylic silane 2b gave a 79% yield of a 1 1 mixture of stereoisomers.13 This is presumably due to the enhanced reactivity and selectivity of the allylic silane. 

Polyene cyclizations are of substantial value in the synthesis of polycyclic terpene natural products. These syntheses resemble the processes by which the polycyclic compounds are assembled in nature. The most dramatic example of biosynthesis of a polycyclic skeleton from a polyene intermediate is the conversion of squalene oxide to the steroid lanosterol. In the biological reaction, an enzyme not only to induces the cationic cyclization but also holds the substrate in a conformation corresponding to stereochemistry of the polycyclic product.17 In this case, the cyclization is terminated by a series of rearrangements. 

Scheme 10.1 gives some representative examples of laboratory syntheses involving polyene cyclization. The cyclization in Entry 1 is done in anhydrous formic acid and involves the formation of a symmetric tertiary allylic carbocation. The cyclization forms a six-membered ring by attack at the terminal carbon of the vinyl group. The bicyclic cation is captured as the formate ester. Entry 2 also involves initiation by a symmetric allylic cation. In this case, the triene unit cyclizes to a tricyclic ring system. Entry 3 results in the formation of the steroidal skeleton with termination by capture of the alkynyl group and formation of a ketone. The cyclization in Entry 4 is initiated by epoxide opening. 

As with carbocation-initiated polyene cyclizations, radical cyclizations can proceed through several successive steps if the steric and electronic properties of the reactant provide potential reaction sites. Cyclization may be followed by a second intramolecular step or by an intermolecular addition or alkylation. Intermediate radicals can be constructed so that hydrogen atom transfer can occur as part of the overall process. For example, 2-bromohexenes having radical stabilizing substituents at C(6) can undergo cyclization after a hydrogen atom transfer step.348... 

Both the E- and Z-isomers of vinylsilane 13-A have been subjected to polyene cyclization using TiCl4-Ti(0-i-Pr)4. Although the Z-isomer gives an 85-90% yield, the -isomer affords only a 30-40% yield. Offer an explanation. 

Besides taxodione and taxodone, these synthetic approaches have been conveniently modified to synthesize other related derivatives such as ferruginols, sugiols, and royleanones.51-52,56-57,60-62 In addition, the enantiomeric-selective synthesis of (+ )-taxodione 1 has been reported using (—)-abietic acid as the starting material63 or with a chiral ligand in the polyene cyclization process.64... 

Johnson, W. S. Shenvi, A. B. Boots, S. G. An approach to taxodione involving biomimetic polyene cyclization methodology. Tetrahedron 1982, 38, 1397-1404. 

Harring, S. R. Livinghouse, T. Sulfenium ion promoted polyene cyclizations in natural product synthesis. An efficient biomimetic-like synthesis of ( )-nimbidiol. Tetrahedron Lett. 1989, 30, 1499-1502. 

Scheme 25 Oltra s and Cuerva s catalytic epoxy polyene cyclizations...

The tetracyclic alcohol 179 is produced by the action of boron trifluoride etherate or tin(IV) chloride on the oxirane 178 (equation 85)95. A similar cyclization of the oxirane 180 yields DL-<5-amyrin (181) (equation 86)96. In the SnCLt-catalysed ring-closure of the tetraene 182 to the all-fraws-tetracycle 183 (equation 87) seven asymmetric centres are created, yet only two of sixty-four possible racemates are formed97. It has been proposed that multiple ring-closures of this kind form the basis of the biosynthesis of steroids and tetra-and pentacyclic triterpenoids, the Stork-Eschenmoser hypothesis 98,99. Such biomimetic polyene cyclizations, e.g. the formation of lanosterol from squalene (equation 88), have been reviewed69,70. 

As with carbocation-inititated polyene cyclizations, radical cyclizations can proceed through several successive steps if the steric and electronic properties of the reactant 249 250 251 252... 

Epoxides can also serve as effective carbocyclization promotors, either through a polyene cyclization, as in the biomimetic epoxy-olefin cyclization of 100 in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate <99CC325>, or by a Friedel-Crafts approach, as exemplified by the cycli-alkylation of arylalkyl epoxides 102 under the influence of solid acid catalysts <99EJOC837>. 

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