Synthesis of Cyclohexenone Derivatives

The Robinson annulation combines two of the reactions above to create a cyclic product. It begins with the Michael addition of an enolate nucleophile (often a cyclic ketone) onto methyl vinyl ketone (MVK), or a derivative of MVK. The resulting 1,5-dicarbonyl product can undergo an intramolecular aldol reaction with dehydration to give a cyclohexenone structure. If this pattern is present in a target molecule, it is an indication that the TM could be the result of a Robinson annulation. 

The Robinson annulation involves two reactions occurring in tandem a Michael reaction followed by an aldol condensation (loss of water is normally expected in this reaction so the aldol product is typically dehydrated to give an a,P-unsaturated cyclohexenone product). The reaction of an enolate as a nucleophile attacking the beta carbon of methyl vinyl ketone as the electrophile (a Michael reaction) forms the first carbon-carbon bond in the Robinson annulation and results in a 1,5-dicarbonyl product. The methyl group from MVK serves as the nucleophile for the second part of the reaction when it finds a carbonyl electrophile six atoms away to undergo an intramolecular aldol reaction. After dehydration, an a,P-unsaturated cyclohexenone product is formed. Ultimately, two new carbon-carbon bonds are formed within the cyclohexenone moiety. 

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The synthesis of cyclohexenone derivatives by Michael addition followed by intramolec ular aldol condensation is called the Robinson annulation, after Sir Robert Robinson who popularized its use By annulatwn we mean the building of a ring onto some start mg molecule (The alternative spelling annelation is also often used)... 

Synthesis of Cyclohexenone Derivatives by Intramolecular Aldol Condensation-Dehydration... 

Very recently, Kotsuki and coworkers reported an enantioselective Robinson annulation reaction for the synthesis of cyclohexenone derivatives bearing a quaternary center. Chiral vicinal diamine-chiral Bronsted acid conjugate 168 was found to be the optimal catalyst. The reactions afforded chiral cyclohexenone with moderate yields and good enantioselectivity [75], It was proposed that simultaneous enamine activation of donor and iminium activation of acceptor were involved in the catalytic cycle (Scheme 5.47). 

Ru complex and (CH3)3COK [(S, R)-34B] is also an excellent catalyst for hydrogenation of the cyclic enone [111]. The allylic alcohol product is a useful intermediate for the synthesis of carotenoid-derived odorants and other bioactive ter-penes. Hydrogenation of 2-cyclohexenone in the presence of the (S,S)-DIOP-Ir catalyst gives (R)-2-cyclohexenol in 25% ee (Fig. 32.43) [137]. 

Hydrogenation of 2,4,4-trimethyl-2-cyclohexenone with rrans-RuCl2(tolbinap)(dpen) and (CH3)3COK under 8 atm of hydrogen gives 2,4,4-trimethyl-2-cyclohexenol quantitatively with 96% ee (Scheme 1.70) [256,275,276]. In this case, unlike in the reaction of aromatic ketones, the combination of the R diphosphine and S,S diamine most effectively discriminates the enantiofaces. The chiral allylic alcohol is a versatile intermediate in the synthesis of carotenoid-derived odorants and other bioactive terpens such as a-damascone and dihydroactinidiolide [277]. 

Lee et al. have developed a simple, two-step method for the synthesis of indanone derivatives 133 and 134 using an intramolecular Heck reaction of MBH adducts 132 of 2-iodobenzaldehyde in the presence of Pd(OAc)2/ (o-ToOsP/EtsN (Scheme 3.52). Interestingly, using MBH adduct derived from cyclohexenone as the substrate afforded 1-hydroxyfluorene (135) in 32% yield, presumably via a p-hydrogen elimination, dehydration and aromatiza-tion along with proton migration (Scheme 3.52). 

The new reagent (PhO)3PMe CF3S02 overcomes the problems associated with side-reactions in the Arbuzov reaction ROH displaces one PhO group and reacts with added nucleophiles to give products including ROR, RCN, RNCS, and RI. The phosphonium salt (84), derived by O-alkylation of a carbonyl-stabilized ylide, functions in a new synthesis of cyclohexenones, via (85), by condensation with a ketone. 

Recently Yamada et afi described a facile method of preparing the properly functionalized spiro[4-5] decane system by acid catalyzed cyclization of cyclohexenone derivatives, and applied it to the synthesis of / -vetivone. The clever use of proximity effects is a noteworthy feature of this ingenious synthesis. 

The Y appendage of 2-cyclohexenone 191 cannot be directly disconnected by an alkylation transform. (y-Extended enolates derived from 2-cyclohexenones undergo alkylation a- rather than y- to the carbonyl group). However, 191 can be converted to 192 by application of the retro-Michael transform. The synthesis of 192 from methoxybenzene by way of the Birch reduction product 193 is straightforward. Another synthesis of 191 (free acid) is outlined in... 

Silyl enol ethers of alkenyl methyl ketones can be efficiently cyclized to cyclopentenones and cyclohexenones by treating them with stoichiometric amounts of palladium acetate244 an example indicating the elaboration of this approach to the synthesis of a reduced benzoxepinone derivative, and the suggested244 mechanism of the reaction, are depicted in Scheme 174. 

In later work, Mioskowski and co-workers (320) used cyclohexenone 160 to prepare oxime 161 as part of a twofold nitrile oxide strategy to synthesize the basic taxol ring system. Cycloaddition of 161 was effected by means of sodium hypochlorite and gave tricyclic isoxazoline 162, which feamres rings A and C of taxol (320) (Scheme 6.79). Nagaoka and co-worker tried to apply a related intramolecular cycloaddition toward the synthesis of the taxane A/B ring but this approach failed, producing only the oxime derivative (248) (see Scheme 6.44, Section 6.3.1). 

In the asymmetric synthesis of 4,4-disubstituted cyclohexenones of the type (132) it was possible to raise the optical yield to a maximum of 54 % by varying the structures of the carbonyl compounds 150) and of the proline derivatives (131)151). 

The Stille coupling of 2-chloro-5-tributylstannylpyridine with an enantiopure 2-iodo-cyclohexenon (7.29.) derivative formed the basis of the total synthesis of (+)-epibatidine. The reaction is a nice example of the chemical inertness of arylstannanes and the mildness of the coupling conditions. Both the enone moiety and the chiral ally lie centre remained untouched in the process. The effective coupling required the use of a soft ligand, triphenylarsine and the addition of copper(I) iodide as co-catalyst.40... 

This vinylation reaction was used in a two-step synthesis of 6 in about 60% yield from cyclohexenone. This product is of interest because the derived triene (7) is converted upon heating into the 1,6-cyclododecadiene 8 by a Cope rearrangement followed by a Claisen rearrangement,4... 

A 2-cyclohexenone derivative can be transformed into the corresponding epoxy tosyl-hydrazone by sequential treatment with peracid and tosylhydrazine. The elimination of nitrogen and p-toluenesulfinate and fragmentation after rearrangement to the 3-tosylazo allylic alcohol may occur under mild conditions. Carbonyl compounds with 5,6-triple bonds are formed in high yields (J. Schreiber, 1967 M. Tanabe, 1967). If one applies this reaction to a 9,10-epoxy-1-decalone, a ten-membered 5-cyclodecyn-l-one ring is formed (D. Felix, 1971). This product is an important intermediate in the perfume industry and has been used on a large scale. For this purpose Eschenmoser developed a synthesis in which the readily removed styrene was split off instead of a sulfmic acid. Thus a l-amino-2-phenylaziridine hydrazone was used instead of a tosylhydrazone (D. Felix, 1968). ... 

Most remarkable is the fact that this method allows the synthesis of interesting cyclohexenone derivatives which are functionalized in the 5-position. Direct functionalization of the 5-position starting from cydohexenones is unknown, to the best... 

A general methodology for the construction of quaternary carbon atoms at the carbonyl carbon of ketones has been successfully exploited for the facile synthesis of ( )-lycoramine (299) (Scheme 30) (165). Thus, the O-allylated o-vanillin 322 was allowed to react with vinyl magnesium bromide followed by Jones oxidation, and the acid-catalyzed addition of benzyl IV-methylcarbamate to the intermediate a,(3-unsaturated ketone furnished 323. Wadsworth-Emmons olefination of 323 with the anion derived from diethyl[(benzylideneami-no)methyl]phosphonate (BAMP) provided the 2-azadiene 324. The subsequent regioselective addition of n-butyllithium to 324 delivered a metalloenamine that suffered alkylation with 2-(2-bromoethyl)-2-methyl-l,3-dioxolane to give, after acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the imine and ketal moieties, the 8-keto aldehyde 325. Base-catalyzed cycloaldolization and dehydration of 325 then provided the 4,4-disubstituted cyclohexenone 326. The entire sequence of reactions involved in the conversion of 323 to 326 proceeded in very good overall yield and in one pot. 

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