Ring regioselectivity

The combination of titanium(IV) fluoride with antimony(lll) fluoride was found to open the epoxide ring regioselectively to yield the more-substituted fluoride, but only one example with a moderate yield was given. In another case, it was reported that regioselective epoxide cleavage could be best achieved with bis(isopropoxy)titanium difluoride. 

Some straightforward, efficient cyclopentanellation procedures were developed recently. Addition of a malonic ester anion to a cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylic ester followed by a Dieckmann condensation (S. Danishefsky, 1974) or addition of iJ-ketoester anions to a (l-phenylthiocyclopropyl)phosphonium cation followed by intramolecular Wittig reaction (J.P, Marino. 1975) produced cyclopentanones. Another procedure starts with a (2 + 21-cycloaddition of dichloroketene to alkenes followed by regioselective ring expansion with diazomethane. The resulting 2,2-dichlorocyclopentanones can be converted to a large variety of cyclopentane derivatives (A.E. Greene. 1979 J.-P. Deprds, 1980). 

In principle, the direct hydride addition or catalytic hydrogenation, which did not give chlorins, was replaced by an electrocyclic intramolecular addition which is much easier with the above system. Complete regioselectivity was also achieved since electrocyclization did not occur with the resonance-stabilized ring C. 

In his cephalosporin synthesis methyl levulinate was condensed with cysteine in acidic medium to give a bicyclic thiazolidine. One may rationalize the regioselective formation of this bicycle with the assumption that in the acidic reaction mixture the tMoI group is the only nucleophile present, which can add to the ketone. Intramolecular amide formation from the methyl ester and acid-catalyzed dehydration would then lead to the thiazolidine and y-lactam rings. The stereochemistry at the carboxylic acid a-... 

The high regioselectivity ( stereoelectronic control ) in the ring cleavage by chlorination of sulfur was anticipated. It had been found before that in corresponding bicyclic systems such as in the scheme below oxidation of the sulfur atom always led to the undesired cleavage of the S—Cg bond. This was rationalized through the observation on molecular models that... 

The regioselectivity of the reaction appears to be determined by a balance of electronic and steric factors. For acrylate and propiolate esters, the carb-oxylate group is found preferentially at C3 of the carbazole product[6-8]. Interestingly, a 4-methyl substituent seems to reinforce the preference for the EW group to appear at C3 (compare Entries 4 and 5 in Table 16.2). For disubstituted acetylenic dicnophiles, there is a preference for the EW group to be at C2 of the carbazole ring[6]. This is reinforced by additional steric bulk in the other substituent[6,9]. 

The regioselectivity of electrophilic addition is governed by the ability of an aro matic ring to stabilize an adjacent carbocation This is clearly seen m the addition of hydrogen chloride to mdene Only a single chloride is formed... 

How do the charges on the ring carbons of toluene and (tri fluoromethyl)benzene relate to the regioselectivity of nitration" ... 

The reaction of Grignard reagents with epoxides is regioselective m the same sense Attack occurs at the less substituted carbon of the ring... 

How do the bond distances of 1 2 epoxypropane change on protonation of the nng oxygen" Assum ing that the longer C—O bond is the weaker of the two do the bond distances in the protonated form correlate with the regioselectivity of acid catalyzed ring opening ... 

Ring contraction of 2-thiocephems has also been examined as a route to penems. Desulfurization of (82, n = 0) using triphenylphosphine gave mixtures of 5(R)- and 5(5)-penems (121). The stereochemical problem was neatiy overcome by regioselective oxidation to the thiosulfonate (82, n = 2) which underwent stereospecific thermal extmsion of sulfur dioxide (122) to give the S(R)-penem (83). 

Photochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition is a powerful way to produce cyclobutanes, which, in turn, are reactive synthesis intermediates. N-Methylpyrrole adds aldehydes via [2 -I- 2] photocycloaddition to give transient oxetanes with high regioselectivity Ring-opening produces 3-(oi-hydroxyalkyl)pyrroles which are oxidized easily to 3-arylpyrroles, such as 3-BUTYROYL-l-METHYL-PYRROLE. With a special apparatus, ethylene is conveniently added to 3-methyl-... 

Cycloaddition involves the combination of two molecules in such a way that a new ring is formed. The principles of conservation of orbital symmetry also apply to concerted cycloaddition reactions and to the reverse, concerted fragmentation of one molecule into two or more smaller components (cycloreversion). The most important cycloaddition reaction from the point of view of synthesis is the Diels-Alder reaction. This reaction has been the object of extensive theoretical and mechanistic study, as well as synthetic application. The Diels-Alder reaction is the addition of an alkene to a diene to form a cyclohexene. It is called a [47t + 27c]-cycloaddition reaction because four tc electrons from the diene and the two n electrons from the alkene (which is called the dienophile) are directly involved in the bonding change. For most systems, the reactivity pattern, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity are consistent with describing the reaction as a concerted process. In particular, the reaction is a stereospecific syn (suprafacial) addition with respect to both the alkene and the diene. This stereospecificity has been demonstrated with many substituted dienes and alkenes and also holds for the simplest possible example of the reaction, that of ethylene with butadiene ... 

Table 12.3. Regioselectivity of Radical Cyclization as a Function of Ring Size "...

Section 12.15 When two or more substituents aie present on a ring, the regioselectivity of electrophilic aiomatic substitution is generally controlled by the directing effect of the more powerful activating substituent. 

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