Cleavage, reductive of sulfones

An asymmetric synthesis of estrone begins with an asymmetric Michael addition of lithium enolate (178) to the scalemic sulfoxide (179). Direct treatment of the cmde Michael adduct with y /i7-chloroperbenzoic acid to oxidize the sulfoxide to a sulfone, followed by reductive removal of the bromine affords (180, X = a and PH R = H) in over 90% yield. Similarly to the conversion of (175) to (176), base-catalyzed epimerization of (180) produces an 85% isolated yield of (181, X = /5H R = H). C8 and C14 of (181) have the same relative and absolute stereochemistry as that of the naturally occurring steroids. Methylation of (181) provides (182). A (CH2)2CuLi-induced reductive cleavage of sulfone (182) followed by stereoselective alkylation of the resultant enolate with an allyl bromide yields (183). Ozonolysis of (183) produces (184) (wherein the aldehydric oxygen is by isopropyUdene) in 68% yield. Compound (184) is the optically active form of Ziegler s intermediate (176), and is converted to (+)-estrone in 6.3% overall yield and >95% enantiomeric excess (200). 

The reductive cleavage of sulfonated azo dyes by several bacterial strains in aerobiosis and in the presence of other carbon and energy sources has been observed [22, 32-36]. 

REDUCTION WITH ZINC AND SODIUM IODIDE Reductive Cleavage of Sulfonates to Hydrocarbons [700]... 

Reductive cleavage of sulfonates with reducing agents may proceed either via C-0 or 0-S cleavage leading to alkanes and alcohols, respectively. For example, reduction of primary mesylates or tosylates with LAH furnishes preferentially the corresponding alkanes. ... 

Reductive cleavage of sulfonates. Sulfonates are cleaved by lithium or potassium in HMPT in the presence of a proton donor, NH4C1. ... 

The a-sulfonyl carbanions can be trapped with a variety of electrophiles19. The method provides a synthetically useful synthon for a propylene 1,3-dipole. Reductive cleavage of the sulfone 28 thus prepared, with lithium phenanthrenide in THF, furnishes bicyclooctane 29 (equation 19)16. 

Rossi and Bunnett64 studied the chemical reductive cleavage of diphenyl sulfoxide, diphenyl sulfone and methyl phenyl sulfone under the action of potassium metal in liquid ammonia in the presence of acetone. The enolate ion is used to trap phenyl radicals formed eventually during the process, in order to determine whether one or two electrons are required for the mechanism of cleavage (Scheme 7). In all the runs, phenyl anion is... 

Scheme 52 Sulfone anion radical in the reductive cleavage of arylsulfones.

It is also appropriate to recognize the role of enolates stabilized by an exocyclic carbonyl function in C-glycoside synthesis. The use of LN to achieve reductive cleavage of anomeric sulfones to provide access to an ester-stabilized enolate and, ultimately, 2-deoxy- -C-glycosides has already been illustrated in Scheme 11 (Sect. 2.1.1). 

Reduction of a,P-unsaturated sulfones.1 Sodium amalgam (7, 326-327) is not satisfactory for reductive cleavage of alkenyl sulfones, R CH=CR2S02C6H5. These substrates are best reduced to alkcncs wth potassium-graphite (65-85% yields). 

Review. Use of C8K as a heterogeneous reagent in organic synthesis has been reviewed, particularly as a reducing agent for C=C and C—N bonds, and for reductive cleavage of the C—S bond of a,p-unsaturated sulfones. C8K has been used to obtain active metals dispersed on graphite by reduction of metal halides. 

In case (a), labelled secondary alkyl benzenesulfonates (alkyl = 2-adamantyl, 2-propyl, cyclopentyl, etc.) with 18-28% of lsO in the sulfonyl group were partially solvolysed in a range of solvents (SOH), and recovered unreacted alkyl benzenesulfonates were then subject to reductive cleavage of the O—S bond of the sulfonate ester [39]. For water as solvent, the... 

Tab. 2. Formation of C-H and C-C bonds upon reductive cleavage of ally esters and sulfonates. 

The nitrogen-sulfur bond in 161 (X = S, R = NPhth X = S02, R = OMe) is easily broken under certain conditions. For instance, attempts to obtain a palladium-catalyzed carbonylation reaction with the iodide gave only the ring-opened disulfide 162 and the sulfonic acid 163, presumably by reductive cleavage of the N-S bond by the triphenylphosphine in the reaction mixture <2000T5571>. 

Reductive desulfurization of 9-(phenylsulfonyl)furo[2,3- ]quinoline and its 2-methyl derivative can be effected by treatment with LAH in THF solution at reflux, but proceeded poorly with aluminum amalgam, the reagent of choice for the reductive cleavage of vinyl sulfones <83JOC774>. Raney nickel was used to remove a thiomethyl substituent from the central ring of a furochromone direct precursor to visnagan <89JOC448l>. 

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