Stereospecific reactions sulfoxides

A method for the stereospecific synthesis of thiolane oxides involves the pyrolysis of derivatives of 5-t-butylsulfinylpentene (310), and is based on the thermal decomposition of dialkyl sulfoxides to alkenes and alkanesulfenic acids299 (equation 113). This reversible reaction proceeds by a concerted syn-intramolecular mechanism246,300 and thus facilitates the desired stereospecific synthesis301. The stereoelectronic requirements preclude the formation of the other possible isomer or the six-membered ring thiane oxide (equation 114). Bicyclic thiolane oxides can be prepared similarly from a cyclic alkene301. 

Since its discovery two decades ago, the reversible interconversion of allylic sulfenates to sulfoxides has become one of the best known [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements. Certainly this is not only because of the considerable mechanistic and stereochemical interest involved, but also because of its remarkable synthetic utility as a key reaction in the stereospecific total synthesis of a variety of natural products such as steroids, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, etc. 

In addition to the synthetic applications related to the stereoselective or stereospecific syntheses of various systems, especially natural products, described in the previous subsection, a number of general synthetic uses of the reversible [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic sulfoxides are presented below. Several investigators110-113 have employed the allylic sulfenate-to-sulfoxide equilibrium in combination with the syn elimination of the latter as a method for the synthesis of conjugated dienes. For example, Reich and coworkers110,111 have reported a detailed study on the conversion of allylic alcohols to 1,3-dienes by sequential sulfenate sulfoxide rearrangement and syn elimination of the sulfoxide. This method of mild and efficient 1,4-dehydration of allylic alcohols has also been shown to proceed with overall cis stereochemistry in cyclic systems, as illustrated by equation 25. The reaction of trans-46 proceeds almost instantaneously at room temperature, while that of the cis-alcohol is much slower. This method has been subsequently applied for the synthesis of several natural products, such as the stereoselective transformation of the allylic alcohol 48 into the sex pheromone of the Red Bollworm Moth (49)112 and the conversion of isocodeine (50) into 6-demethoxythebaine (51)113. 

The Pummerer reaction of conformationally rigid 4-aryl-substituted thiane oxides with acetic anhydride was either stereoselective or stereospecific, and the rearrangement is mainly intermolecular, while the rate-determining step appears to be the E2 1,2-elimination of acetic acid from the acetoxysulfonium intermediates formed in the initial acetylation of the sulfoxide. The thermodynamically controlled product is the axial acetoxy isomer, while the kinetically controlled product is the equatorial isomer that is preferentially formed due to the facile access of the acetate to the equatorial position . The overall mechanism is illustrated in equation 129. 

As a continuation to the studies by Darwish and Braverman on the [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic sulfinates to sulfones, and in view of its remarkable facility and stereospecificity (see Chapter 13), Braverman and Stabinsky investigated the predictable analogous rearrangement of allylic sulfenates to sulfoxides, namely the reverse rearrangement of that attempted by Cope and coworkers . These authors initiated their studies by the preparation of the claimed allyl trichloromethanesulfenate using the method of Sosnovsky . This method involves the reaction between trichloro-methanesulfenyl chloride and allyl alcohol in ether at 0 °C, in the presence of pyridine (equation 6). 

Addition of such a-lithiosulfinyl carbanions to aldehydes could proceed with asymmetric induction at the newly formed carbinol functionality. One study of this process, including variation of solvent, reaction temperature, base used for deprotonation, structure of aldehyde, and various metal salts additives (e.g., MgBrj, AlMej, ZnClj, Cul), has shown only about 20-25% asymmetric induction (equation 22) . Another study, however, has been much more successful Solladie and Moine obtain the highly diastereocontrolled aldol-type condensation as shown in equation 23, in which dias-tereomer 24 is the only observed product, isolated in 75% yield This intermediate is then transformed stereospecifically via a sulfoxide-assisted intramolecular 8, 2 process into formylchromene 25, which is a valuable chiron precursor to enantiomerically pure a-Tocopherol (Vitamin E, 26). 

The section will cover various aspects of the synthetic route development and the scale up to make several kilograms of final compound 1. As will be seen, a novel sulfoxide-directed stereospecific borane reduction was discovered in this effort and the scope and application of this reaction will be discussed in Section 5.2 [5],... 

We have developed the efficient synthesis of the SERM drug candidate 1 and successfully demonstrated the process on a multiple kilogram scale to support the drug development program. A novel sulfoxide-directed borane reduction of vinyl sulfoxides was discovered. The mechanistic details of this novel reaction were explored and a plausible mechanism proposed. The sequence of asymmetric oxidation of vinyl sulfoxides followed by stereospecific borane reduction to make chiral dihydro-1,4-benzoxathiins was applied to the asymmetric synthesis of a number of other dihydro-1,4-benzoxathiins including the sweetening agent 67. 

Nozaki reported the reaction of trialkylboranes with styryl sulfoxides and sulfones. Alkyl radicals generated from trialkylboranes add at the -position of /3-styryl sulfoxides and sulfones (a- to the sulfur atom). The resulting radicals fragment and deliver the -styryl adducts [108]. Interestingly, the sulfoxides eliminate very rapidly leading to partially stereospecific substitution (Scheme 44). The radical nature of the process is demonstrated by the presence of a side product derived from the solvent (THF) by hydrogen atom abstraction. 

The most important and widely used approach to chiral sulfoxides is the method developed by Andersen (5) based on the reaction between the diastereomerically pure (or strongly enriched in one dia-stereomer) menthyl arenesulfinates and Grignard reagents. The first stereospecific synthesis of optically active (+H7 )-ethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide 22 was accomplished in 1962 by Andersen (75) from (-)-(iS)-menthyl p-toluenesulfmate 45 and ethylmagnesium iodide. 

An alternative stereospecific synthesis of chiral sulfimides reported by Nudelman (137) consists of the reaction of the diastereomeric menthyl p-toluenesulfinimidoates 90 with Gri ard reagents giving the optically active sulfimide 91. This reaction, like the Andersen synthesis of chiral sulfoxides, proceeds with inversion of configura-... 

The second approach to chiral aminosulfonium salts consists of the conversion of chiral sulfoxides into aminosulfonium salts by means of MA -diethylaminosulfinyl tetrafluoroborate (165). The reaction occurs with predominant retention of configuration at sulfur with dialkyl and alkyl aryl sulfoxides. However, its stereospecificity is strongly dependent on the nature of substituents in the starting sulfoxide. In the case of diaryl sulfoxides this method failed to give chiral aminodiarylsulfonium salts. 

Sulfoxides are known to form both 0-alkyl and S-alkyl derivatives. The latter are obtained when so-called soft alkylating agents are employed. This behavior of sulfoxides was utilized (172) in the stereospecific synthesis of chiral 135. The reaction of the optically active (+)-ethyl phenyl sulfoxide 136 with methyl iodide in the presence of mercuric iodide followed by anion exchange was found to give the optically active salt 135. 

The procedure most commonly used for the stereospecific preparation of optically active sulfoximides involves the reaction of optically active sulfoxides with arylsulfonyl azides in the presence of copper (98,118,131,178,179). This reaction occurs with retention of configuration at sulfur and with high stereospecificity. The stereospecific sulfoxide-sulfoximide conversion is a key reaction in the stereospecific sulfoxide-sulfimide-sulfoxiraide set of interconversions carried out by Cram and co-workers (98) and shown in Scheme 9. A similar cycle of interconversions studied independently by Andersen and co-workers (179) was used to determine the stereochemical course of the sulfoxide-sulfoximide transformation (see Scheme 10). 

An interesting method for the estimation of optical purity of sulfoxides, which consists of the combination of chemical methods with NMR spectroscopy, was elaborated by Mislow and Raban (241). The optical purity is usually determined by the conversion of a mixture of enantiomers into a mixture of diastereomers, the ratio of which may be easily determined by NMR spectroscopy. In contrast to this, Mislow and Raban used as starting material for the synthesis of enantiomeric sulfoxides a diastereomeric mixture of pinacolyl p-toluenesulfinates 210. The ratio of the starting sulfinates 210 was 60.5 39.5, as evidenced by the H NMR spectrum. Since the Grignard reaction occurs with full stereospecificity, the ratio of enantiomers of the sulfoxide formed is expected to be almost identical to that of 210. This corresponds to a calculated optical purity of the sulfoxide of 20%. In this way the specific rotations of other alkyl or aryl p-tolyl sulfoxides can conveniently be determined. 

A stereoselective Pummerer reaction was first observed with the diastereomeric cyclic sulfoxides 269. It was found (299) that when the CIS- or tra 5-sulfoxides 269 are heated for several hours with acetic anhydride, the corresponding cis- or fraws-acetoxysulfides 270 are formed with a stereospecificity exceeding 85%. 

A rare case of asymmetric induction caused by isotopic substitution was observed (326) when optically active (+)-() )-a,a-dideuteriodi-benzyl sulfoxide 331 was chlorinated with dichloroiodobenzene in pyridine, a,a-Dideuteriobenzyl a -chlorobenzyl sulfoxide 332 was obtained as a major regioisomer with at least 78% isotopic purity. The high stereospecificity of the reaction is indicated by formation of essentially only one of the possible diastereomers. Oxidation of sulfoxide 332 affords the sulfone 334, which has high optical rotation. 

In addition to the activity of the protein in substrate processing, stereospecificity of substrate oxidation is of equal concern. As a result, studies of Mb monooxygenase activity are frequently complemented by determination of the enantiomeric ratio of products (enantiomeric excess) and analysis of the fraction of peroxide oxygen transferred to product. As epoxidation and sulfoxidation reactions catalyzed by Mb have received particular attention, the following discussion considers the progress in understanding these activities of both wild-type and variant forms of the protein. 

---