Spiro tetrahydrofurans, formation

Acetalization or ketalization with silylated glycols or 1,3-propanediols and the formation of thioketals by use of silylated 1,2-ethylenedithiols and silylated 2-mer-captoethylamines have already been discussed in Sections 5.1.1 and 5.1.5. For cyclizations of ketones such as cyclohexanone or of benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal 121 with co-silyl oxyallyltrimethylsilanes 640 to form unsaturated spiro ethers 642 and substituted tetrahydrofurans such as 647, see also Section 5.1.4. (cf. also the reaction of 654 to give 655 in Section 5.2) Likewise, Sila-Pummerer cyclizations have been discussed in Chapter 8 (Schemes 8.17-8.20). 

According to the coordinatoclathrate predict, the Spiro compound 23 will not allow the formation of inclusion compounds with dimethylformamide and other polar solvents, but with benzene, tetrahydrofuran, and 1-bromopentane (Table 3). Due to the limited number of guest inclusions, a lattice cavity of rather restricted dimensions is suggested for 23 e.g. toluene, cyclohexane or dioxane are not suitable guest partners for 23, whereas lower homologues (cf. benzene, tetrahydrofuran) are readily included 37). The behavior of a reduced analogue of 23, the hydroxymethyl — substituted spiro compound 24, is in some way comparable since an inclusion compound with benzene is the only one known interestingly it is formed exclusively with optically resolved but not with racemic 24 49). 

Reactions of 2-(3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropylseleno)benzoxazole with KH in tetrahydrofuran (THF) give selenetane 31. In the cases of /< rt-alcohols (R1 = C2H5 or CH2Ph), complex mixtures of products and no expected selenetane 31 are obtained because of steric hindrance at the reaction site. The formation of a selenetane is explained by a spiro intermediate which is converted into a selenolate anion. Intramolecular displacement of 30 gives the selenetane 31 (Scheme 7) <1998H633>. 

A similar [2+2] cyclization has also been performed with 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutan-l,3-dithione 164 and trifluoromethyltrimethylsilane in tetrahydrofuran (THF), in the presence of tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) at 0°C and led to the formation of spiro-1,3-dithietane 165 in 70% yield (Equation 23) <2002HCA1644>. 

The spiro-dihydrofuran (61) is converted into the cyclobutane derivative (62) under the influence of trifluoroacetic acid. The lithium dienolate (64), derived from the furanone (63), yields solely y-alkylated products on treatment with alkyl halides. Thermolysis of the t-butylperoxybutenolide (65) produces about equal amounts of the hydroxy-furanone (67) and the indenone (68), presumably via the oxide radical (66). Attack of iodide ion on the salt (69) results in the formation of methyl iodide, butanolide, and (surprisingly) methyl 4-iodobutanoate. A description of a study of the photochemical rearrangement of the tetrahydrofurans (70) to the bicyclic oxetans (71) has been presented. ... 

Electrochemical fluorination of tetrahydrofuran carboxylic acids derivatives proceeds with preferential formation of F-tetrahydrofurane (5), however, in case of furans containing carbonyl group in the side chain, an interesting formation of spiro-ethers 7 is observed. F-Oxanes 8 and 9 are prepared in low yield by ECF of the corresponding oxane derivatives (Fig. 9.2). 

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