Steroids acetylene derivatives

The following acid-catalyzed cyclizations leading to steroid hormone precursors exemplify some important facts an acetylenic bond is less nucleophilic than an olelinic bond acetylenic bonds tend to form cyclopentane rather than cyclohexane derivatives, if there is a choice in proton-catalyzed olefin cyclizations the thermodynamically most stable Irons connection of cyclohexane rings is obtained selectively electroneutral nucleophilic agents such as ethylene carbonate can be used to terminate the cationic cyclization process forming stable enol derivatives which can be hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds without this nucleophile and with trifluoroacetic acid the corresponding enol ester may be obtained (M.B. Gravestock, 1978, A,B P.E. Peterson, 1969). 

A similar synthesis starts from commercially available 1,5-hexadiyne and 2-methyl-cyclopent-2-enone. The benzocyclobutene is obtained from a bis-acetylene in a cobalt-catalyzed reaction. It rearranges regio- and stereoselectively to a 3-deoxy steroid derivative. The overall yield from the cyclopentenone was 40% (R.L. Funk, 1977). 

The two synthetic steroidal estrogens which have attained the greatest degree of therapeutic use are ethinyl estradiol [57-63-6] (EE) (5) and its 3-methyl ether, mestranol [72-33-3]((5). In contrast to the naturally occurring estrone derivatives, these acetylenic analogues are orally active and are the main estrogenic components of combination oral contraceptives (see Contraceptives) and certain estrogen replacement products. 

Other interesting synthetic applications of the ketone-derived enamine alkylation are found in the monomethylation of steroid enamines (249), extension of the benzylation reaction (250) to a ferrocene derivative (251), the use of a-bromoesters (252) and ketones (252) or their vinylogues (25J), in the syntheses of alantolactone (254-256), isoalantolactone (257), and with a bridged bis-enamine (258). The use of bifunctional alkylating agents is also seen in the introduction of an acetylenic substituent in the synthesis of the characteristic fragrant constituent of jasmine (259), the synthesis of macrocyclic ketolactones (260), the use of butyrolactone (261), and the intermolecular or intramolecular double alkylations of enamines with dihalides (262). 

Alkylallenes are obtained by the reaction of 1-ethynylcycloalkanol acetates with organocopper reagents, lithium dimethyl- and dibutylcuprates643 (see Section B.l). Even in the case of the presence of a substituent at the acetylenic terminus, SN2 displacement takes place, giving tetra-substituted allenes. Reaction of the steroidal 17-acetoxy-17-ethynyl derivative la shows that the... 

Propiolaldehyde diethyl acetal has found numerous synthetic applications in the literature which may be briefly summarized. The compound has been utilized in the synthesis of unsaturated and polyunsaturated acetals and aldehydes by alkylation of metal-lated derivatives, " by Cadiot-Chodkiewicz coupling with halo acetylenes, " and by reaction with organocuprates. Syntheses of heterocyclic compounds including pyrazoles, isoxazoles, triazoles, and pyrimidines have employed this three-carbon building block. Propiolaldehyde diethyl acetal has also been put to use in the synthesis of such natural products as polyacetylenes " and steroids. ... 

The special potential for constructing double bonds stereoselectively, often necessary in natural material syntheses, makes the Wittig reaction a valuable alternative compared to partial hydrogenation of acetylenes. It is used in the synthesis of carotenoids, fragrance and aroma compounds, terpenes, steroides, hormones, prostaglandins, pheromones, fatty acid derivatives, plant substances, and a variety of other olefinic naturally occurring compounds. Because of the considerable volume of this topic we would like to consider only selected paths of the synthesis of natural compounds in the following sections and to restrict it to reactions of phosphoranes (ylides) only. 

In principle, the synthesis can be realized as a one-pot process treatment of ketones with hydroxylamine in KOH-DMSO following interaction of the formed ketoximes with acetylene. Various pyrroles with alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl and hetaryl substituents, as well as pyrroles condensed with aliphatic macrocycles, terpenic and steroid structures, together with their vinyl derivatives now become available. 

The acetylene function exerts an electron-attracting effect. This effect can be reinforced by substitution of the acetylenic hydrogen. Ethynyl compounds are essentially found among the light sedative-hypnotic drugs (CNS-depressing effect of the unsaturated derivatives) and in steroid series, where their fixing in position 17a provides orally active steroids (Fig. 19.29). 

The second pathway, D-ring homoannulation, seems to be of a more general nature than the deethynylation. In this pathway, the ethynylcyclopentanol D-ring of the steroid is converted to a cyclohexanone ring, accompanied by formation of carbon dioxide. The latter is derived from the terminal acetylenic carbon, as shown in experiments with labeled steroids. The mechanism suggested for this pathway is depicted in Scheme 8. In the case of norgestrel (for structure, see Table 1 A), the acid was isolated under neutral conditions and identified following esterification with diazomethane. ... 

Johnson and his co-workers have developed an efficient chiral approach to the lla-hydroxyprogesterone synthetic precursor (115). ° The chiral centre is introduced by reduction of an a-keto-acetylene with a complex hydride derived from lithium aluminium hydride and Darvon alcohol (116) subsequent elaboration of (115) to the steroidal system established that asymmetric cyclization occurs without any perceptible racemization. 

General Reactions - Studies on the addition of halocarbenes to unsaturated steroids continue. blfluorocarbene reacts with the 17-acetylenic side chain of the 17-acetate of ethinyl estradiol 3-methyl ether to yield a cyclopropene derivative which upon acid hydrolysis gives the eyelopropenone 5. The use of phenyl (trihalogeno) mercury precursors results in addition of halogenocarbenes to highly hindered double bonds of steroids.23 In a typical experiment cholest-7-en-3p-yl benzoate and the chloromercurial react to give a 7a,8a-adduct in 50% yield. 

Whereas the titanium reagent is not reactive towards ketones, the zinc derivative has been found to react even with sterically encumbered ketones, such as 17-keto steroids, to yield the )3-acetylenic alcohol in good yield 15%) ... 

Very soon after its introduction as a protecting group, the tetrahydropyranyl acetal system was used to block the hydroxyl functions of acetylenic [47] and steroidal alcohols [46, 49]. Thus 4-hydroxybut-2-ynoic acid (21) was prepared [47b] from propargyl alcohol by carboxylation of the Grignard reagent derived from its tetrahydropyranyl ether (20). Lithium aluminium hydride reduction of the tetrahydropyranyl ether of dehydroepiandrosterone (22) foUowed by benzoylation and... 

Books have been published on cyclic polyolefin complexes and metal vapour synthesis, while a review on metal vapour cryochemistry also contains information relevant to the latter. Reviews have also been published on organometallic derivatives of alkenes and ketenes, cationic Rh diolefin complexes, and nucleophilic addition to cationic hydrocarbon complexes. More personalized reviews have appeared by Maitlis on Pd -acetylene chemistry, by Jonas and Kruger on alkali-metal-transition-metal w-complexes, and by Werner on bridged allyl and cyclopentadienyl complexes. Articles by Wilke on homogeneous catalysis, by Vollhardt on metal-mediated approaches to steroid synthesis, by Schrock > on organotantalum chemistry, and by Grubbs on nickel metallocycles also contain material of relevance to r-complexes. 

Various [l- C]carboxylic acids have been prepared by carboxylation of carbanions stabilized by -I or -M substituents. The examples in Figure 5.7 have been selected here as prototypes, since they are of strategic interest. Deprotonation of diethyl methylphos-phonate (18 with n-BuLi followed by [ CJcarboxylation and esterification with diazoethane provided triethyl phosphonoll- Clacetate (19) in an overall radiochemical yield of 62%. Compound 19 has been widely exploited for chain extensions by a labeled two-carbon unit via its alkenylation reaction with carbonyl compounds (Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction). Similarly, reaction of alkyl halides, tosylates or carbonyl compounds with LiC = CH or LiC=CH H2NCH2CH2NH2 followed by deprotonation and [ C]carboxylation of the resulting terminal alkynes has been used as a strategic tool for the incorporation of a labeled three-carbon unit, as exemphfied in a steroid platform (20 to 21). This chemistry provides outcomes complementary to those using [ C2]acetylene (Chapter 8, Section 5.1). Finally, the [ CJcarboxylation of lithiated dimethylsulfide provided an alkylthio[l- C]acetic acid 22 and thence a functionalized 2-alkylthio[l- C]ethyl derivative 23 useful, in this case, for elaboration into e.p. 

---