The Corey-Winter Olefination

This two-step sequence for converting vicinal diols to olefins is of considerable mechanistic interest. The reagents are thiophosgene (CSCI2) for the first step and a trialkylphosphite, P(0R)3, for the second. 

The first step is relatively unremarkable, analogous to standard carbonyl chemistry  

The second step, involving the reaction of the cyclic thiocarbonate intermediate formed above with trialkylphosphite, is of great interest. The phosphite P attacks the S of the thio-carbonyl group, generating a cyclic dialkoxycarbene, as shown below  

Carbene formation appears to be facilitated by at least two significant driving forces formation of the rather stable P+-S (BDE 335 kJ/mol) linkage, and the electronic stabilization of the carbene by the alkoxy groups. 

A second molecule of trialkylphosphite now reacts with the dialkoxycarbene intermediate to generate the olefin product. 

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The Corey-Winter olefin synthesis is based on the stereospecific loss of carbon dioxide or carbon disulfide from the carbenes formed by treatment with bivalent organophosphorus compounds of thionocarbonates or trithiocarbonates [218-220]. 

Corey-Winter olefin synthesis. The Corey-Winter olefin synthesis (1, 1233-1234) involves treatment of a thionocarbonale with trimethyl phosphite ... 

Corey-Winter olefin synthesis (I. I23.3-I234). Chong and Wiseman were able to demonstrate the transient existence of bicyclo[3.2.l]octenc-l (2, a bridgehead alkene which violates Bredt s rule) by application of the Corey-Winter olefin synthesis. Thus treatment of the thionocarbonatc (I) with triethyl phosphite at reflux (165°) fur 24 hr. in the presence of I,3-diphenyli obenzofurane (1, 342-343 2, 178-179) leads to the formation of two Diels-Alder adducts (3) and (4) derived from (2). 

The absolute configuration of radiosumin, a novel potent trypsin inhibitory dipeptide, was determined by T. Shioiri and co-workers by carrying out the first enantioselective total synthesis of the natural product. The s-trans 1,3-diene in one of the key synthetic intermediates was installed by the Corey-Winter olefination using the Corey-Hopkins reagent (1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,3,2-diazaphospholidine). 

G.W.J. Fleet and co-workers synthesized L-(+)-swainsonine and other more highly oxygenated monocyclic structures that exhibited inhibitory activity toward naringinase (L-rhamnosidase). In order to remove a c/s-vicinal diol moiety in the endgame of the synthesis, the Corey-Winter olefination was utilized. 

The Corey-Winter olefin synthesis is a two-step transformation of a diol 1 to an olefin 3.1"3 A cyclic thionocarbonate 2 is prepared from the diol 1, and subsequent heating of 2 with phosphite affords olefin 3. 

However, evidence opposing the intermediacy of a carbene species in the Corey-Winter olefin synthesis also exists.3 Thermal decomposition of hydrazone salt 14, which is proposed to proceed via carbene 12, leads to a mixture of products 13, 15, and 16.7 Thus, an alternative mechanism has been proposed for the Corey-Winter reaction that invokes a phosphorus ylide. In this mechanistic scenario, initial reaction of thionocarbonate 10 with trimethylphosphite affords zwitterion 11. Cyclization generates... 

The Corey-Winter olefination was used on kilogram scale in the synthesis of 2, 3 -dideoxyadenosine (39).17 Exposure of diol 36 to thiophosgene gave thionocarbonate 37 in 92.5% yield, and subsequent treatment of 37 with P(OMe)3 generated olefin 38 in 60.5% yield. Olefin 38 was then converted in two steps and 56% yield to 2, 3 -dideoxyadenosine 39. Remarkably, the adenosine amino substituent did not require protection during this synthetic sequence. Overall, 905 g of 39 was prepared via this route. 

The Corey-Winter olefin synthesis has been performed on p-lactam derivatives.18 This olefination was employed in cases where traditional Wittig-type olefination of the corresponding aldehyde led to disappointing results. In one example, treatment of 40 with carbonyldiimidazole and exposure of the resulting thionocarbonate to P(OMe)3 afforded olefin 41 in 81% yield. 

Finally, Paterson and Schlapbach employed the Corey-Winter olefination to generate a trisubstituted olefin in their studies toward a total synthesis of discodermolide.19 In this example, diols 42 and 43 were treated with thiocarbonyldi-imidazole to give the corresponding thionocarbonates. Exposure of this mixture of thionocarbonates to phospholidine 21 at 50 °C generated olefin 44 in 81% yield. 

This reaction is related to the Corey-Winter Olefination. 

Phosphites can abstract the sulfur from the thione group to generate a car-bene. Trithiocarbonates are similarly desulfurized (110) and this reaction forms the basis of the Corey-Winter olefin synthesis (111). 

The Corey-Winter olefination is far less widely used than the Wittig reaction, but is useful in some cases where the latter performs poorly. 

As expected, the yields of catenanes by this approach are low, which is why improved methods for the preparation of such compounds have been developed. The acyloins are often only intermediate products in a multistep synthesis. For example they can be further transformed into olefins by application of the Corey-Winter fragmentation. 

By application of the Corey-Winter reaction,vicinal diols 1 can be converted into olefins 3. The key step is the cleavage of cyclic thionocarbonates 2 (1,3-dioxolanyl-2-thiones) upon treatment with trivalent phosphorus compounds. The required cyclic thionocarbonate 2 can be prepared from a 1,2-diol 1 and thio-phosgene 4 in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMtVP) ... 

The Corey-Winter reaction provides a useful method for the preparation of olefins that are not accessible by other routes. For instance it may be used for the synthesis of sterically crowded targets, since the initial attack of phosphorus at the sulfur takes place quite distantly from sterically demanding groups that might be present in the substrate molecule. Moreover the required vicinal diols are easily accessible, e.g. by the carbon-carbon bond forming acyloin ester condensation followed by a reductive step. By such a route the twistene 10 has been synthesized ... 

Cyclic thionocarbonates (41) can be cleaved to olefins (the Corey-Winter reaction)274 by heating with trimethyl phosphite275 or other trivalent phosphorus compounds276 or by treatment with bis(l,5-cyclooctadiene)nickeI.277 The thionocarbonates can be prepared by treatment of 1,2-diols with thiophosgene and 4-dimethyIaminopyridine (DMAP) 278... 

The preparation of 4-alkenyl (3-lactams (II, Fig. 9) has been reported through either Homer-type olefination of a common 4-formyl (3-lactam or the Corey-Winter alkene synthesis applied to 4-dihydroxyalkyl (3-lactams [263]. 

A third one-step addition reaction to C=C double bonds that forms three-membered rings is the epoxidation of olefins with percarboxylic acids (Figure 3.14). Suitable percarboxylic acids must, however, not be (too) explosive. Thus, aromatic percarboxylic adds are preferable. Until recently one epoxidized almost exclusively with mefa-chloroper-benzoic acid (MCPBA). An alternative has become magnesium monoperoxyphthalate (MMPP). In the transition state of this type of epoxidation, four electron pairs are shifted simultaneously (which is a record in this book except for the Corey-Winter elimination in Figure 4.42). 

Vicinal syn- and aufi-diols, as shown in Figure 4.42, can be prepared diastereoselectively (cf. Figures 8.10,8.13-8.15,8.32). In the Corey-Winter process they are first converted into cyclic thiocarbonates (cf. Section 6.4.4 for a similar reaction mechanism). Upon heating in trimethyl phosphite, these thiocarbonates furnish olefins. In what is evidently a one-step reaction, phosphorus and sulfur combine with one another and the five-membered heterocycle fragments. C02 is released and the olefin results from a xyu-elimination. Because of the latter, a syu-diol gives the trans-oieim and an anti- diol gives the cw-olefin in the Corey-Winter sequence. 

P-Elimination of a hetero-substituted C-C single bond. The best-known reactions of this type are the heteroatom -heteroatom (Het -Het ) elimination (Het = O, Hal, S,...), heteroatom -hydrogen (Het -H ) elimination, Peterson olefination, Tschugajew reaction and Corey-Winter olefination. 

The di-O-tosylates (prepared by action of tosyl chloride in pyridine) are reduced with zinc (Nal/Zn route e Tipson-Cohen reaction) [13]. Cyclic ortho-esters (prepared by reaction of the diol with ethyl orthoformate) are transformed into olefins by simple heating in the presence of acids (Eastwood reaction, route b) [14]. Cyclic thiocarbonates (obtained by reaction of a diol with thiophosgene or (V,(V -thiocarbonyl-di-imidazole) are reduced to olefin with trimethyl phosphite (Corey-Winter method, route c) [15]. Finally, reduction of vicinal di-xanthates with tri- -butyltin hydride according to the Barton procedure [16] affords olefins via a reductive elimination process route a). The Corey-Winter, Garegg, and Tipson-Cohen methods are most commonly applied for deoxygenation of sugar diols. 

In the laboratory of J.H. Rigby, synthetic studies were undertaken on the ingenane diterpenes. During these studies, it was necessary to investigate the ring opening reactions of a structurally complex allylic epoxide intermediate. This allylic epoxide was prepared from a 1,3-diene in three steps dihydroxylation, epoxidation and Corey-Winter olefination. 

Corey-Winter olefin synthesis. Synthesis of olefins from 1,2-diols and thiocarbonyldiimidazole. Treatment of the intermediate cychc thionocarbo-nate with trimethylphosphite yields the olefin by els elimination. 

There have been several modifications to the Corey-Winter reaction, the most significant of which was published by the Corey group in 1982.9 Corey and Hopkins reported that by using a diazaphospholidine in place of trimethylphosphite, thionocarbonates could be converted to the corresponding olefins at significantly lower temperatures. Thus, thionocarbonate 20 was prepared from diol 19 in 93% yield, and subsequent treatment of 20 with diazaphospholidine 21 afforded olefin 22 in 88% yield. Several complex examples were disclosed in which olefins were generated in 70-94% yield.9... 

The Corey-Winter reaction has also been used in a formal synthesis of the AIDS drug (-)-abacavir (35).16 Thionocarbonate 33 was prepared from diol 32 in 78% yield. Then, treatment of 33 with phospholidine 21 afforded olefin 34 in 65% yield. The preparation of 34 constitutes a formal synthesis of (-)-abacavir (35). 

Corey-Winter olefin synthesis (1, 1233-1234 2,439-441 3,315-316 4, 269-270, 541-542 5,34, 661). Vedejs and Wu converted thionocarbonates into olefins by alkylation with methyl iodide (90°, DME, sealed tube) followed by reduction (zinc dust—ethanol or magnesium amalgam—THF). This two-step procedure was used for preparation of the cyclobutene (2) in this case the reaction with triethyl phosphite was immeasurably slow. 

Mild eliminations of uic-diols to olefins, related to the Corey-Winter and Tipson-Cohen procedures, are outlined in Scheme These methods are... 

Transformation of diols to the corresponding olefins by sequential treatment with l,r-thiocarbonyldiimidazole and trimethylphosphite. Also known as Corey-Winter reductive elimination, or Corey-Winter reductive olefmation. 

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