Rings Robinson annulation reaction

Carbonyl condensation reactions are perhaps the most versatile methods available for synthesizing complex molecules. By putting a few fundamental reactions together in the proper sequence, some remarkably useful transformations can be carried out. One such example is the Robinson annulation reaction for tire synthesis of polycyclic molecules. The word annulation comes from the Latin annulus, meaning "ring," so an annulation reaction builds a new ring onto a molecule. 

Scheme 2.11 shows some examples of Robinson annulation reactions. Entries 1 and 2 show annulation reactions of relatively acidic dicarbonyl compounds. Entry 3 is an example of use of 4-(trimethylammonio)-2-butanone as a precursor of methyl vinyl ketone. This compound generates methyl vinyl ketone in situ by (3-eliminalion. The original conditions developed for the Robinson annulation reaction are such that the ketone enolate composition is under thermodynamic control. This usually results in the formation of product from the more stable enolate, as in Entry 3. The C(l) enolate is preferred because of the conjugation with the aromatic ring. For monosubstituted cyclohexanones, the cyclization usually occurs at the more-substituted position in hydroxylic solvents. The alternative regiochemistry can be achieved by using an enamine. Entry 4 is an example. As discussed in Section 1.9, the less-substituted enamine is favored, so addition occurs at the less-substituted position. 

A particularly important example is the Robinson annulation, a procedure which constructs a new six-membered ring from a ketone.83 84 The reaction sequence starts with conjugate addition of the enolate to methyl vinyl ketone or a similar enone. This is followed by cyclization involving an intramolecular aldol addition. Dehydration frequently occurs to give a cyclohexenone derivative. Scheme 2.10 shows some examples of Robinson annulation reactions. 

Aldol reactions are often used to close five- and six-membered rings. Because of the favorable entropy (p. 211), such ring closures generally take place with ease, even where a ketone condenses with a ketone. An important example is the Robinson annulation reaction which has often been used in the synthesis of steroids and terpenes. In this reaction a cyclic ketone is converted to another cyclic ketone, with one additional six-membered ring containing a double bond. The substrate is treated with methyl vinyl ketone (or a simple derivative of methyl vinyl ketone) and a base.551 The enolate ion of the substrate adds to the methyl vinyl ketone in a Michael reaction (5-17) to give a diketone that undergoes or... 

Fig. 13.71. Tandem reaction I, consisting of a Michael addition and an aldol condensation Robinson annulation reaction for the synthesis of six-membered rings that are condensed to an existing ring.

The Robinson annulation reaction combines a Michael reaction with an intramolecular aldol condensation to synthesize substituted ring systems. 

Robinson annulation reaction (Section 23.12) a multistep sequence for building a new cyclohexenone ring onto a ketone. The sequence involves an initial Michael reaction of the ketone followed by an internal aldol cyclization. 

The intramolecular aidol condensation is a powerful tool for obtaining five- and six-member rings. This is an important step in the Robinson annulation reaction (see Section 7.9). 

When an a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compound is treated with a carbanion, particularly one that is stabilised by a carbonyl group as well, the resultant 1,4-addition with the formation of a new carbon/carbon bond is called the Michael reaction. Like the Claisen condensation, it is possible for this reaction to occur in an intramolecular manner with a suitably substituted compound. This reaction leads to the formation of a new ring and is called the Robinson annulation reaction. Write down the complete reaction sequence for the reaction between cyclohexanone and but-l-en-3-one. 

Because the Michael addition step involves the thermodynamic enolate, Robinson annulation reactions are regioselective with unsymmetrical ketones. As entry 4 illustrates, the methyl group of 2-methylcyclohexanone appears at the ring junction in the annulated product. In order to achieve the opposite regioselectivity in annulation, recourse is taken to enamine methodology. Since the more stable pyrrolidine enamine of 2-methylcyclohexanone is the less substituted one (as discussed in Chapter 1, Section 1.9), annulation via the enamine occurs away from a 2-alkyl group. Entries 4 and 5 illustrate the complementary nature of annulation using enolates and enamines. 

Robinson Annulations Asilicagel-absorbedaminoacidsalt(39)-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular Robinson annulation reaction with 38 was developed (Scheme 1.12). A tricyclic ring stracture 40 was obtained in 84% yield and up to 97% ee [15]. hitermolecular Robinson annulations with structurally diverse aldehydes and unsaturated ketones were also developed [16]. 

The reaction of a cyclic ketone—e.g. cyclohexanone 1—with methyl vinyl ketone 2 resulting in a ring closure to yield a bicyclic a ,/3-unsaturated ketone 4, is called the Robinson annulation This reaction has found wide application in the synthesis of terpenes, and especially of steroids. Mechanistically the Robinson annulation consists of two consecutive reactions, a Michael addition followed by an Aldol reaction. Initially, upon treatment with a base, the cyclic ketone 1 is deprotonated to give an enolate, which undergoes a conjugate addition to the methyl vinyl ketone, i.e. a Michael addition, to give a 1,5-diketone 3 ... 

The first step of the Robinson annulation is simply a Michael reaction. An enamine or an enolate ion from a jS-keto ester or /3-diketone effects a conjugate addition to an a-,/3-unsaturated ketone, yielding a 1,5-diketone. But as we saw in Section 23.6,1,5-diketones undergo intramolecular aldol condensation to yield cyclohexenones when treated with base. Thus, the final product contains a six-membered ring, and an annulation has been accomplished. An example occurs during the commercial synthesis of the steroid hormone estrone (figure 23.9). 

Johnson has developed two linear approaches to synthesize the C-nor-D-homosteroid skeleton (Scheme 2.2). In his first approach [21], tetralone 19, obtained from reduction of 2,5-dimethoxynaphthalene, was used as the source of the C,D-rings. The B- and A-rings were constructed by sequential Robinson annulations (19 —> 20 —> 21). The Cl 1,12 olefin was then introduced to provide 22. Ozonolysis of 22 followed by an aldol reaction of the resulting dialdehyde gave 23. Subsequent deformylation and deoxygenation afforded the cyclopamine skeleton 24. 

Strategies based on two consecutive specific reactions or the so-called "tandem methodologies" very useful for the synthesis of polycyclic compounds. Classical examples of such a strategy are the "Robinson annulation" which involves the "tandem Michael/aldol condensation" [32] and the "tandem cyclobutene electrocyclic opening/Diels-Alder addition" [33] so useful in the synthesis of steroids. To cite a few new methodologies developed more recently we may refer to the stereoselective "tandem Mannich/Michael reaction" for the synthesis of piperidine alkaloids [34], the "tandem cycloaddition/radical cyclisation" [35] which allows a quick assembly of a variety of ring systems in a completely intramolecular manner or the "tandem anionic cyclisation approach" of polycarbocyclic compounds [36]. 

A rather nice example of enolate anion chemistry involving the Michael reaction and the aldol reaction is provided by the Robinson annulation, a ring-forming sequence used in the synthesis of steroidal systems (Latin annulus, ring). 

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