Trifluoride, boron ketones

The aldol reactions of these complexes were first observed by Corey in the presence of Lewis acid such as boron trifluoride for ketones and tin chlorides for aldehydes (Scheme 3.8). 

Thiazolidines (494) are produced by addition of boron trifluoride-activated ketone enolates (493) to trialkylthiazolines (492) (Scheme 103). Compounds (494) contain a carbonyl group in addition to the masked thiol group, and thus acid treatment of crude (494) directly leads to thiophenes (495) via an intramolecular condensation <83TL4507>. The method is versatile and thiophenes such as (496)-(498) were prepared in good yields. 

The acylation of ketones with acid anhydrides may be effected by means of the acid reagent boron trifluoride, for example ... 

A mixture of an acid anhydride and a ketone is saturated with boron trifluoride this is followed by treatment with aqueous sodium acetate. The quantity of boron trifluoride absorbed usually amounts to 100 mol per cent, (based on total mola of ketone and anhydride). Catalytic amounts of the reagent do not give satisfactory results. This is in line with the observation that the p diketone is produced in the reaction mixture as the boron difluoride complex, some of which have been isolated. A reasonable mechanism of the reaction postulates the conversion of the anhydride into a carbonium ion, such as (I) the ketone into an enol type of complex, such as (II) followed by condensation of (I) and (II) to yield the boron difluoride complex of the p diketone (III) ... 

Methylene ketones, such as cyciopentanone and cyciohexanone, are also readily acylated by boron trifluoride thus cyciohexanone (I) affords 2-acetylcycIo-hexanone (II) ... 

The solid appears to be a mixture of the complexes CH,COOH.BF, and 2CH COOH.BF,. The latter appears to be a liquid and is alone soluble in ethylene dichloride the former is a solid. The solid moiioocetic acid complex is obtained by saturating an ethylene dichloride solution of acetic acid with boron trifluoride, filtering and washing the precipitate with the solvent it is hygroscopic and should be protected from moisture. It may be used as required 0-75 mol is employed with 0-26 mol of ketone and 0 6 mol of anhydride. 

Thakar and Subba Rao showed that reductions with diborane give the same result regardless of whether diborane is generated externally or produced internally by the action of NaBH4 and boron trifluoride or aluminum chloride. They found that alicyclic or dialkyl ketones are not reduced beyond the alcohol stage even under drastic conditions however, diaryl ketones are hydrogenolyzed under normal conditions, while aryl ketones or a,i5-unsatu-rated ketones are hydrogenolyzed, in part, under drastic conditions. 

Thioketals are readily prepared by reaction of saturated 3-ketones with thiols or dithiols in the presence of boron trifluoride or hydrogen chloride catalysts. Selective protection of the 3-ketone in the presence of a 6-ketone is possible by carrying out the reaction in diluted medium. Similarly, 3-ketones react selectively with monothiols " " or with bulky dithiols in the presence of 6-, 7-, 11- and 12-ketones. 

Thioketals are readily formed by acid-catalyzed reaction with ethane-dithiol. Selective thioketal formation is achieved at C-3 in the presence of a 6-ketone by carrying out the boron trifluoride catalyzed reaction in diluted medium. Selective protection of the 3-carbonyl group as a thioketal has been effected in high yield with A" -3,17-diketones, A" -3,20-diketones and A" -3,l 1,17-triones in acetic acid at room temperature in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid. In the case of thioketals the double bond remains in the 4,5-position. This result is attributed to the greater nucleophilicity of sulfur as compared to oxygen, which promotes closure of intermediate (66) to the protonated cyclic mercaptal (67) rather than elimination to the 3,5-diene [cf. ketal (70) via intermediates (68) and (69)]." " ... 

Thioketals are prepared efficiently from dithiols, but not from monothiols. However, 6-ketones do not react with ethanedithiol/boron trifluoride in the presence of a diluent such as acetic acid. 

The 12-ketone is generally less reactive than 3-, 6- and 7-ketones but more reactive than the 11-ketone. 12-Ethylene ketals are readily prepared by the usual procedures and the 12-ketone can be selectively ketalized in the presence of a 20-ketone bearing a 17a-hydrogen or 17a-hydroxyl substituent [(81)- (82)]. ° The procedure of choice for this reaction utihzes ethylene glycol and boron trifluoride-ether complex at room temperature. 

Unsubstituted 20-ketones undergo exchange dioxolanation nearly with the same ease as saturated 3-ketones although preferential ketalization at C-3 can be achieved under these conditions. " 20,20-Cycloethylenedioxy derivatives are readily prepared by acid-catalyzed reaction with ethylene glycol. The presence of a 12-ketone inhibits formation of 20-ketals. Selective removal of 20-ketals in the presence of a 3-ketal is effected with boron trifluoride at room temperature. Hemithioketals and thioketals " are obtained by conventional procedures. However, the 20-thioketal does not form under mild conditions (dilution technique). ... 

Spiro-pyrazoline derivatives (18) are obtained smoothly from 16-methy-lene-17-ketones (17). ° The sole products formed from (18) by pyrolysis or cleavage in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate, are the 16-spiro-cyclopropyl steroids (19). ... 

Boron trifluoride etherate in benzene converts A -20-acetoximinosteroids to the 17-ketones in somewhat lower yield, but the reaction of A -20-oximino steroids with this catalyst in the presence of acetic anhydride does not give the expected product two different compounds have been isolated and identified. ... 

If ethoxyacetylene is allowed to react in an anhydrous system with aliphatic ketones in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate, the unsaturated acid is obtained directly. This variation apparently has not yet been tried on steroids. 

A valuable extension of the diazomethane reaction for the preparation of A-homosteroids was discovered by Johnson, Neeman and Birkeland " who found that a,j5-unsaturated ketones are homologated by reaction with diazomethane in the presence of either fluoroboric acid or boron trifluoride. The main product is formed by the insertion of a methylene group between the carbonyl group and the unsaturated a-carbon to give a / ,y-unsaturated ketone. 

Bromo-4-methoxy-A-homo-estra-2,4,5(10)-trien-17-one (44 0. 2g), is dissolved in formic acid, 2 ml of boron trifluoride etherate is added and the mixture is stirred vigorously at 0° for 2 hr. A brown mass ca. 0.12 g) is obtained after evaporation of the solvents at reduced pressure. This material is diluted with water and extracted with chloroform. The chloroform extracts are washed successively with water and saturated salt solution, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and evaporated at reduced pressure to give 95 mg of a product which is purified by filtration through a column of neutral alumina and crystallization of the residue after evaporation of the solvent from ethyl acetate-petroleum ether. The resulting A-homo-estra-l(10),2,4a-triene-4,17-dione (45), mp 143-146°, is identical to the tropone (45) prepared from monoadduct 17-ketone (43a). 

B-Homosteroids have also been prepared by acid-catalyzed reaction of diazomethane with a,/5-unsaturated ketones. 3/ -Hydroxycholest-5-en-7-one acetate (57) reacts with diazomethane in the presence of concentrated fluoroboric acid, boron trifluoride etherate or aluminum chloride to give 3yS-hydroxy-B-homo-cholest-5-en-7a-one acetate (67). The 7a-keto group is reported to be chemically less reactive than an 11-keto group. 

In the course of synthetic efforts aimed at obtaining 6j5-fluoro steroids, Kirk and Petrow treated a 3)5-acetoxy-6-raethyl-5a,6a-epoxide with boron trifluoride etherate and unexpectedly obtained a fluorine-free acetoxy ketone." Later transformations established that the product was the A-homo-B-norsteroid (104). 

Notable examples of general synthetic procedures in Volume 47 include the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes (from dichloro-methyl methyl ether), aliphatic aldehydes (from alkyl halides and trimethylamine oxide and by oxidation of alcohols using dimethyl sulfoxide, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and pyridinum trifluoro-acetate the latter method is particularly useful since the conditions are so mild), carbethoxycycloalkanones (from sodium hydride, diethyl carbonate, and the cycloalkanone), m-dialkylbenzenes (from the />-isomer by isomerization with hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride), and the deamination of amines (by conversion to the nitrosoamide and thermolysis to the ester). Other general methods are represented by the synthesis of 1 J-difluoroolefins (from sodium chlorodifluoroacetate, triphenyl phosphine, and an aldehyde or ketone), the nitration of aromatic rings (with ni-tronium tetrafluoroborate), the reductive methylation of aromatic nitro compounds (with formaldehyde and hydrogen), the synthesis of dialkyl ketones (from carboxylic acids and iron powder), and the preparation of 1-substituted cyclopropanols (from the condensation of a 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol derivative and ethyl-... 

High -/-selectivity in the addition of aldehydes and ketones is also reported for [1,1,2-tris-(phenyllhio)-2-propenyl]lithium91 and [l,l-bis(isopropylthio)-2-methyl-2-propenyl]lithium92. No selectivity is observed with ( )-2-lithio-2-(2-phcnvlcthcnyl)-l,3-dithianc93, but essentially complete a-selectivity occurs in the presence of boron trifluoride-diethyl ether. 

Stannane 6a underwent facile transmetalation in tetrahydrofuran at — 78 °C on treatment with butyllithium to afford 6b. Addition of the lithium reagent 6b to a solution of 1.1 equivalents of copper(I) bromide-dimethyl sulfide in 1 1 diisopropyl sulfide/tetrahydrofuran at — 78 °C gave the copper reagent 6c, which reacted with methyl vinyl ketone at —78 "C in the presence of boron trifluoride-diethyl ether65, producing 7 in 55% yield65. 

Lead tetraacetate can effect oxidation of carbonyl groups, leading to formation of a-acetoxy ketones,215 but the yields are seldom high. Boron trifluoride can be used to catalyze these oxidations. It is presumed to function by catalyzing the formation of the enol, which is thought to be the reactive species.216 With unsymmetrical ketones, products from oxidation at both a-methylene groups are found.217... 

With boron trifluoride etherate instead of trimethylsilyl triflate the yield was 51%, without catalyst 40% and without catalyst and HMPA 25%.t88],[89] With CH3MgI instead of CH3MgBr the ketone is further transformed into a tertiary alcohol.[893 b) Reaction in the presence of FeCl3.[90J... 

A one-pot reaction between a tryptophan ester, benzotriazole, and 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran in acetic acid gives the diastereomeric benzotriazolyl tetracycles, 349, in good yield. Substitution of the benzotriazole by reaction with silyl enol ethers and boron trifluoride etherate gives the corresponding ketones 350 and 351, and reaction with allylsilanes gives the corresponding alkenes 352 and 353. If the boron trifluoride etherate is added to the mixture before the silane, elimination of benzotriazole from 349 is also observed (Scheme 83) <1999T3489>. 

The action of boron trifluoride etherate on the ketone 14 results in the tricyclic ketone 15 in 80% yield (equation 10)1CI. 

The electron-rich thiophene ring system can be elaborated into complex, fused thiophenes by acid-mediated intramolecular annelation reactions. For example, treatment of alcohol 96 with trimethylsilyl triflate promoted a Friedel-Crafts acylation and subsequent dehydration giving benzo[b]thiophene 97, a potential analgesic <00JMC765>. Treatment of ketone 98 with p-toluenesulfonic acid resulted in the formation of fused benzo[b]thiophene 99 <00T8153>. Another variant involved the cyclization of epoxide 100 to fused benzo[f>]thiophene 101 mediated by boron trifluoride-etherate . 

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