Taxol A-ring side chain

N-Acylimines which may react as l-oxa-3-aza-l,3-butadienes represent a class of heterodienes which exhibit a close relationship to l-thia-3-aza-l,3-butadienes [13]. A very impressive application of such an l-oxa-3-aza-l,3-butadiene has been worked out by Swindell et al.[445]. The asymmetric hetero Diels-Alder reaction described therein opens a very elegant approach to the A-ring side chain of taxol. This synthesis takes advantage of the bulky chiral auxiliary attached to the dienophile 6-5 which upon cycloaddition with the l-oxa-3-aza-1,3-butadiene 6-4 yielded the 1,3-oxazine derivative 6-6. Subsequent hydrolysis, hydrogenolysis and transesterification gave the methyl ester of the taxol A-ring side chain 6-7 in good endo and excellent zr-facial selectivity (Fig. 6-2). 

C.H. Swindell and co-workers enantioselectively prepared the Taxol A-ring side chain by using a thermai inverse eiectron-demand HDA reaction as the key step. The (Z)-ketene acetal was attached to a chiral auxiliary and reacted with the A/-benzoylaldimine to give the desired dihydrooxazine in 75% yield with good diastereoselectivity. 

Swindell CS, Tao M (1993) Chiral Auxiliary-Mediated Asymmetric Induction in a Thermal Inverse Electron Demand Hetero-Diels-Alder Reaction - Enantioselective Synthesis of the Taxol A-Ring Side Chain. J Org Chem 58 5889... 

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