Wittig olefinations chain extensions

Scheme 3 illustrates retrosynthetic analysis of the E and F series of PGs. The widely used Corey synthesis (2) takes notice of the presence of the two olefinic bonds in the side chains of PGF2a. The actual synthesis consists of a two-fold Wittig-type chain extension of a chiral dialdehyde equivalent with four defined stereogenic centers derived from cyclopentadiene via a series of bicyclic intermediates. A similar sequential synthesis has been developed at Upjohn Co. (la). These chemical syntheses are much more economical than enzymatic methods and are used for commercial synthesis of certain PGs. An alternative pathway pioneered by Sih is the conjugate addition approach (3). Nucleophilic addition of an E-olefinic co side-chain unit to a cyclopentenone in which the a side chain is already installed leads directly to PGE-type compounds. Untch and Stork used an co chain unit with a Z-olefinic bond (4). The most direct and flexible synthesis is the convergent three-component coupling synthesis via consecutive linking of the two side chains to unsubstituted 4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone derivatives (5, 6). 

Lactone 7 (derived from D-isoascorbic acid) reacted readily with the aryllithium formed from bromide 8 to produce lactol 9 (Scheme 16.3). The latter underwent a facile ring-opening and Wittig olefination with methylenetriphenylphosphorane to give 6 in excellent overall yield. After 0-trifLation, a two-carbon chain extension was performed on 10 with the azaenolate derived from A-cyclohexylacetaldimine 11 and lithium diisopropylamine (LDA). After acid hydrolysis of the product imine, aldehyde 12 was isolated in 83% yield for the two steps. The (2-azaallyl)stannane 5 was prepared from aldehyde 12 in quantitative yield by treatment with (aminomethyl)tri-n-butylstannane. 

Numerous examples of this synthetic sequence, not limited to stabilized phosphoranes, can be found in the literature. The method is supposed to be applicable to all secondary hydroxyl groups of sugar rings. Chain extension at the primary hydroxyl group or at the hemiacetalic carbon using Wittig olefination will be examined later on in this chapter (Section 11.4). 

As alternatives to nucleophilic additions to C6 or C5 aldehydes, olefinations of the same compounds offer a repertoire of solutions to chain extensions or to the coupling of two carbohydrate building blocks. As shown in the above section, chain extensions at C6 are often followed by the introduction of new functional groups and thus new chiral centers. In this regard, olefins obtained via Wittig-type reactions are excellent starting compounds. 

The Wittig reaction is second in importance only to the acetylenic route as a means of synthesizing olefinic fatty acids and has also been used extensively in preparing long-chain alcohols and their esters which are important as insect pheromones. 

---