Tetrahydrofuran cleavage, syntheses

Reaction under solvolytic conditions such as in ethanol or aqueous tetrahydrofuran caused exclusive C-14—N bond cleavage and introduction of an ethoxyl or hydroxyl group at C-14, giving 30 in excellent yields (34). Addition of a base such as magnesium oxide to the reaction mixture was found to be useful to avoid the recovery of the starting material as the hydrobromide (35). The reaction was used for a synthesis of protopine alkaloids (Section V,E,5). 

Although several oxidative C—C bond cleavages have been observed, the only method useful for transformation is C-8—C-8a bond cleavage. Treatment of berberine (15) with m-chloroperbenzoic acid in dichloromethane in the presence of sodium bicarbonate at - 78°C gave polyberbine (66) and N-formylnoroxyhydrastinine (69, R1 + R2 = CH2) in 20 and 15% yield, respectively (Scheme 16) (54). Similar treatment of palmatine (64) and coptisine (65) led to polycarpine (67) and the enamide 68, respectively, in 40-50% yield (55). The yield of polyberbine was improved to 76% when.the oxidation was carried out in tetrahydrofuran in the presence of sodium hydride however, the yields of 67 and 68 could not be improved under the, same reaction conditions (56). The products were used for synthesis of tetrahydroprotoberberine (Section V,I,5) and aporphine alkaloids (Section V,J,3). 

This synthesis demonstrated that the neighboring-group participation effect on the stereoselectivity of glycosylation reactions can be extended to sohd-phase processes. In this case, milder and more practical cleavage conditions than previously discussed were established. The use of /V- bromosuccinimide as the thiophilic reagent in acetone/water or tetrahydrofuran/methanol permitted the release of oligosaccharides in form of lactols or 1-0-Me glycosides, respectively. The tetrasaccharide derivative was isolated in 34% yield from thiol resin 3 (80% yield per step). 

The same basic strategy was applied to the synthesis of the smaller fragment benzyl ester 28 as well (Scheme 4). In this case, aldehyde 22 prepared from (S)-2-hydroxypentanoic acid [9] was allylated with ent-10 and tin(IV) chloride, and the resulting alcohol 23 was converted to epimer 24 via Mitsunobu inversion prior to phenylselenenyl-induced tetrahydrofuran formation. Reductive cleavage of the phenylselanyl group, hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ether, oxidation, carboxylate benzylation, and desilylation then furnished ester 28. 

Lewis acid-promoted [3+2] cycloadditions of aziridines and epoxides proceeding via carbon-carbon bond cleavage of three-membered ring heterocycles are demonstrated for the first time. This proposal details plans for extending these initial results into a general synthetic method for the enantioselective synthesis of structurally diverse pyrrolidine- and tetrahydrofuran-containing organic compounds. Expected outcomes of the proposed work will include... 

Reductive cleavage of dioxepanes with borane-THF complex (THF = tetrahydrofuran) leads to 1,4-diols. This procedure has found application in the synthesis of discrete polyethers (Scheme 27) <2003JOC9166>. 

There exists also a synthesis of cyclopentadecanone (VII/81) and ( )-mus-cone, based on a three-carbon annulation of cyclic ketones followed by the regioselective radical cleavage of the zero bridge of the so formed bicyclic system [44], The synthesis of cyclopentadecanone is summarized in Scheme VII/16. The cyclization of VII/78 to the bicyclic alcohol VII/79 proceeds best (94 % yield) with samarium diiodide in the presence of hexamethylphosphoric acid triamide and tetrahydrofuran [45], The oxidative cleavage of VII/79 to the ring expanded product VII/80, was performed by treatment with mercury(II)-oxide and iodine in benzene, followed by irradiation with a 100 Watt high pressure mercury arc. Tributyltinhydride made the de-iodination possible. 

The solution of aluminum trihydride used in this synthesis is prepared by the reaction of 100% sulfuric acid with lithium tetrahydridoaluminate(l —) in dry tetrahydrofuran.3 Under nitrogen flow, a stoichiometric amount of the sulfuric acid is added dropwise by syringe at 0° to a solution of lithium tetrahydridoaluminate(l —) in dry tetrahydrofuran. The apparatus used is just like that shown in Fig. 2, except that an ice bath is used to cool the reaction flask and thus prevent ether cleavage. As the sulfuric acid is added to the lithium tetrahydridoaluminate(l —), a precipitate of lithium sulfate forms and hydrogen is evolved. For this reason, the reaction must be carried out in a hood. After all the sulfuric acid has been added, the resulting slurry is stirred for 2 hr, then filtered in a glove box.4,5 The filtrate, a clear solution of aluminum trihydride in tetrahydrofuran, is stored in the refrigerator at -20° until it is needed. 

This procedure consists of the synthesis of a precursor, methoxymethyl vinyl ether, an a-hydroxy enol ether, and the intramolecular hydrosilylatlon of the latter followed by oxidative cleavage of the silicon-carbon bonds. The first step, methoxymethylation of 2-bromoethanol, is based on Fujita s method.7 The second and third steps are modifications of results reported by McDougal and his co-workers. Dehydrobromination of 2-bromoethyl methoxymethyl ether to methoxymethyl vinyl ether was achieved most efficiently with potassium hydroxide pellets -9 rather than with potassium tert-butoxide as originally reported for dehydrobromination of the tetrahydropyranyl analog.10 Potassium tert-butoxide was effective for the dehydrobromination, but formed an adduct of tert-butyl alcohol with the vinyl ether as a by-product in substantial amounts. Methoxymethyl vinyl ether is lithiated efficiently with sec-butyllithium in THF and, somewhat less efficiently, with n-butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran. Since lithiation of simple vinyl ethers such as ethyl vinyl ether requires tert-butyllithium,11 metalation may be assisted by the methoxymethoxy group in the present case. 

Musso et al. (87,97) have developed an elegant synthesis of muscaflavin dimethyl ester (61) (Scheme 8). It is conceptionally similar to the synthesis of decarboxybetalains described before. The synthesis starts with conversion of pyridylalanine derivative 86 to the dimethyl ester 87 by esterification and consecutive N-protection with the base-labile p-toluenesulfonylethoxycarbonyl group. For cleavage of the pyridine ring, 87 was transformed into the A -methoxy-pyridinium salt (88) which was then reacted with pyrrolidine in tetrahydrofuran... 

Although less commonly used, Raney Ni cleavage of the C—S bond of sulfoxides and sulfones is also of interest. For example, the removal of sulfoxides is one of the steps in the synthesis of spiroketals and of tetrahydrofuran derivatives (Scheme 2). Exceptionally, the desulfurization is not accompanied by the hydrogenolysis of a benzyl ether group. 

The second synthesis (398) is an extraordinarily simple and direct one, in which the protected tetracyclic indoloquinolizidine aldehyde 741, obtained as two C-14 epimers and prepared as shown in Scheme 113, was subjected to cleavage of the 3,A b-bond by reaction with benzyl chloroform-ate in aqueous tetrahydrofuran. The resulting C-3 alcohol was converted into the corresponding nitrile 742, which was again obtained as a mixture of C-14 epimers, regardless of whether the starting material 741 was either... 

Ring opening of tetrahydrofuran to 4-iodobutanol was used as the starting point for a synthesis of the complex tetracyclic picrasane famework of triterpene quassinoids <050L5601>. Acylative cleavage of tetrahydrofuran can be performed under iodine-... 

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