The use of enol acetates

A commonly used alternative to the direct bromination of ketones is the halogenation of enol acetates. This can be carried out under basic conditions if necessary. Sodium acetate, pyridine or an epoxide is usually added to buffer the reaction mixture. The direction of enolization is again dependent upon considerations of thermodynamic and kinetic control therefore, the proportion of enol acetates formed can vary markedly with the reaction conditions. Furthermore, halogenation via enol acetates does not necessarily give the same products as direct halogenation of ketones 3. 23 

Two surprising observations were made in the course of this work first that the enol acetate (5) is stable under the conditions for formation of (6) from (4) second, that the course of the buffered bromination of (5) depends on the conditions used. Thus, in the presence of epichlorohydrin, (7) is the sole isomer produced, whereas in pyridine-acetic acid approximately equal amounts of (7) and (8) are formed. It was suggested that this difference is inherent in the mechanism and not a result of isomerization of (7) to (8) during the course of the reaction. 

The enolization of 5a-3-ketones appears to be cleanly directed to C-2, whereas that of 5j5-3-ketones is less selective. Remote substituents can have a significant effect on the kinetic and thermodynamic enol acetylation of 5j3-steroids.  

In general bromination of 20-ketones is directed to the introduction of functionality at C-21. However, on occasion 17-bromo compounds are required for dehydrobromination to A -20-ketones, although these are generally obtained in other ways. Kinetic enolization of a 20-ketone gives the A °-enol, whereas the thermodynamic product is the A kjsomer. An interesting enolate trapping reaction has been used recently to prepare 16-methyl-A -20-ketones  

The optical rotatory dispersion curves of steroidal ketones permit a distinction to be made between the conformations, and assignment of configuration is possible without resorting to chemical methods (see, e.g. ref. 36) which are often tedious. The axial halo ketone rule and, in the more general form, the octant rule summarize this principle and have revealed examples inconsistent with the theory of invariable axial attack in ketone bromination. 2-Methyl-3-ketones have been subjected to a particularly detailed analysis. There are a considerable number of examples where the products isolated from kinetically controlled brominations have the equatorial orientation. These results have been interpreted in terms of direct equatorial attack rather than initial formation of the axial boat form. 

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Using halogen, kinetic and thermodynamic products / 268 The use of enol acetates / 271... 

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