Ketones, unsaturated synthesis

Villieras, J., Perriot, P, and Normant, J.E, a-Chloroenolates. Part 6. Diethyl l-chloro-l-lithio-2-oxoalkanephosphonates. Synthesis of a-chloro-a,P-unsaturated ketones. Synthesis, 29, 1978. 

An interesting case are the a,/i-unsaturated ketones, which form carbanions, in which the negative charge is delocalized in a 5-centre-6-electron system. Alkylation, however, only occurs at the central, most nucleophilic position. This regioselectivity has been utilized by Woodward (R.B. Woodward, 1957 B.F. Mundy, 1972) in the synthesis of 4-dialkylated steroids. This reaction has been carried out at high temperature in a protic solvent. Therefore it yields the product, which is formed from the most stable anion (thermodynamic control). In conjugated enones a proton adjacent to the carbonyl group, however, is removed much faster than a y-proton. If the same alkylation, therefore, is carried out in an aprotic solvent, which does not catalyze tautomerizations, and if the temperature is kept low, the steroid is mono- or dimethylated at C-2 in comparable yield (L. Nedelec, 1974). 

Allylic sulfones undergo Pd-catalyzed elimination. The synthesis of an a,ft-unsaturated ketone by the elimination of the allylic sulfone group in 503 is an examplc[339]. 

ZnCl2 is essential. The reaction was utilized in the synthesis of strophanthidin. Only the q, /3-alkene in the a, fi- and 7, (5-unsaturated ketone 51 is reduced selectively[47], Triethoxysilane is another reducing agent of the enone 52 and simple alkenes[48]. 

Isophorone usually contains 2—5% of the isomer P-isophorone [471-01-2] (3,5,5-trimethyl-3-cyclohexen-l-one). The term a-isophorone is sometimes used ia referring to the a,P-unsaturated ketone, whereas P-isophorone connotes the unconjugated derivative. P-lsophorone (bp 186°C) is lower boiling than isophorone and can be converted to isophorone by distilling at reduced pressure ia the presence of -toluenesulfonic acid (188). Isophorone can be converted to P-isophorone by treatment with adipic acid (189) or H on(Ill) acetylacetoate (190). P-lsophorone can also be prepared from 4-bromoisophorone by reduction with chromous acetate (191). P-lsophorone can be used as an iatermediate ia the synthesis of carotenoids (192). 

In theory, three isoxazolines are capable of existence 2-isoxazoline (2), 3-isoxazoline and 4-isoxazoline. The position of the double bond may also be designated by the use of the prefix A with an appropriate numerical superscript. Of these only the 2-isoxazolines have been investigated in any detail. The preparation of the first isoxazoline, 3,5-diphenyl-2-isoxazoline, from the reaction of )3-chloro-)3-phenylpropiophenone with hydroxylamine was reported in 1895 (1895CB957). Two major syntheses of 2-isoxazolines are the cycloaddition of nitrile A-oxides to alkenes and the reaction of a,/3-unsaturated ketones with hydroxylamine. Since 2-isoxazolines are readily oxidized to isoxazoles and possess some of the unique properties of isoxazoles, they also serve as key intermediates for the synthesis of other heterocycles and natural products. 

A number of alternative multi-step procedures for the synthesis of a-tert-alkyl ketones are known, none of which possess wide generality. A previous synthesis of 2-tert-penty1cyclopentanone involved reaction of N-1-cyclopentenylpyrrol 1 dine with 3-chloro-3-methy1-l-butyne and reduction of the resulting acetylene (overall yield 46 ). However, all other enamines tested afford much lower yields. Cuprate addition to unsaturated ketones may be useful in certain cases. Other indirect methods have been briefly reviewed. ... 

The bromination of 4,5-j -dihydrocortisone acetate in buffered acetic acid does not proceed very cleanly (<70%) and, in an attempt to improve this step in the cortisone synthesis, Holysz ° investigated the use of dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent for bromination. Improved yields were obtained (although in retrospect the homogeneity and structural assignments of some products seem questionable.) It was also observed that the combination of certain metal halides, particularly lithium chloride and bromide in hot DMF was specially effective in dehydrobromination of 4-bromodihydrocortisone acetate. Other amide solvents such as dimethylacetamide (DMA) and A-formylpiperidine can be used in place of DMF. It became apparent later that this method of dehydrobromination is also prone to produce isomeric unsaturated ketones. When applied to 2,4-dibromo-3-ketones, a substantial amount of the A -isomer is formed. 

An interesting application of the Paal thiophene synthesis was documented for the synthesis of a polystyrene-oligothiophene-polystyrene copolymer. In the Stetter reaction of aldehyde 13 and P-dimethylaminoketone 14, in situ generation of the a,p-unsaturated ketone preceded nucleophilic 1,4-conjugate addition by the acyl anion... 

The reaction of a cyclic ketone—e.g. cyclohexanone 1—with methyl vinyl ketone 2 resulting in a ring closure to yield a bicyclic a ,/3-unsaturated ketone 4, is called the Robinson annulation This reaction has found wide application in the synthesis of terpenes, and especially of steroids. Mechanistically the Robinson annulation consists of two consecutive reactions, a Michael addition followed by an Aldol reaction. Initially, upon treatment with a base, the cyclic ketone 1 is deprotonated to give an enolate, which undergoes a conjugate addition to the methyl vinyl ketone, i.e. a Michael addition, to give a 1,5-diketone 3 ... 

The (Horner-)Wadsworth-Emmons reaction generally is superior to the Wittig reaction, and has found application in many cases for the synthesis of a ,/3-unsaturated esters, a ,/3-unsaturated ketones and other conjugated systems. Yields are often better then with the original Wittig procedure. However the Wadsworth-Emmons method is not suitable for the preparation of alkenes with simple, non-stabilizing alkyl substituents. 

The first step of the Robinson annulation is simply a Michael reaction. An enamine or an enolate ion from a jS-keto ester or /3-diketone effects a conjugate addition to an a-,/3-unsaturated ketone, yielding a 1,5-diketone. But as we saw in Section 23.6,1,5-diketones undergo intramolecular aldol condensation to yield cyclohexenones when treated with base. Thus, the final product contains a six-membered ring, and an annulation has been accomplished. An example occurs during the commercial synthesis of the steroid hormone estrone (figure 23.9). 

In this example, the /3-diketone 2-methyJ-l,3-cyclopentanedione is used to generate the enolate ion required for Michael reaction and an aryl-substituted a,/3-unsaturated ketone is used as the acceptor. Base-catalyzed Michael reaction between the two partners yields an intermediate triketone, which then cyclizes in an intramolecular aldol condensation to give a Robinson annulation product. Several further transformations are required to complete the synthesis of estrone. 

Carbonyl condensation reactions are widely used in synthesis. One example of their versatility is the Robinson anuulation reaction, which leads to the formation of an substituted cyclohexenone. Treatment of a /3-diketone or /3-keto ester with an a,/3-unsaturated ketone leads first to a Michael addition, which is followed by intramolecular aldol cyclization. Condensation reactions are also used widely in nature for the biosynthesis of such molecules as fats and steroids. 

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