Thioethers, anion alkylation removal

Anions of allylic thioethers may also be alkylated with alkyl bromides in high yield. The thioether groups can subsequently be removed by hydrogenolysis (F.W. Sum, 1979). 

The (S)-lactone acid 1, obtained from L-glutamic acid by nitrous acid deamination, was converted to the acid chloride, then treated with excess diazomethane followed by hydrogen iodide to yield the keto-lactone 2. Amidation occurred quantitatively to give the partially racemized amide 3, which was purified by repeated recrystallizations. The vicinal diol resulting from reaction with excess methylmagnesium iodide was protected as the acetonide 4. An isomeric mixture of olefins (Z , 26 74) was obtained from the subsequent Wittig reaction. Reduction followed by separation on silver nitrate coated silica gel gave the (Z)-and ( )-alcohols in 20% (6) and 61% (5) yield, respectively. Conversion of the (S)-( )-alcohol (5) to the chloride then afforded the thioether (7) on reaction with sodium phenylsulfide. The thio ether anion was formed by treatment with n-butyllithium. Alkylation with the allylic chloride" (8), followed by removal of sulfur, then yielded the diene 9, which was converted in several steps to (/ ) (-t-)-10,11 -epoxy famesol. 

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