Reactivity chemo-differentiating

The intramolecular Alder-ene reaction (enyne cydoisomerization reaction) with alkynes as the enophiles has found wide application compared with diene systems. The reason may be the ready chemo-differentiation between alkene and alkyne functionality and the more reactive alkyne moiety. Furthermore, the diene nature of the products will promote further applications such as Diels-Alder reactions in organic synthesis. Over the past two decades the transition metal-catalyzed Alder-ene cycloisomerization of l,n-enynes (typically n= 6, 7) has emerged as a very powerful method for constructing complicated carbo- or heterocydic frameworks. The transition metals for this transformation indude Pd, Pt, Co, Ru, Ni-Cr, and Rh. Lewis acid-promoted cydoisomerization of activated enynes has also been reported [11],... 

One approach to enantioselective reduction of prochiral carbonyl compounds is to utilize chiral ligand-modified metal hydride reagents. In these reagents, the number of reactive hydride species is minimized in order to get high chemo-selectivity. Enantiofacial differentiation is due to the introduced chiral ligand. 

Dialkyl acetals and ketals can easily be formed from carbonyl compounds with alcohols under acidic conditions. Some representative examples for the great variety of methods available for this transformation are given in Scheme 77. As is demonstrated, both simple alcohols themselves or formic acid ortho esters can be used for acetal formation in the presence of hydrochloric acid, toluenesulfonic acid °° or activated alumina (Montmorrilonite clay K-10). ° Owing to different carbonyl reactivities, regio- and chemo-selective differentiation is often realizable, as has been shown, for example, on androstane-3,17-dione (78). Acid-catalyzed acetalization selectively delivers the 3-ketal, whereas the sterically hindered 17-carbonyl function remains unaffected. Under neutral conditions the reactions are promoted by cata-... 

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