Wittig reactions methylenations

The Peterson reaction has two more advantages over the Wittig reaction 1. it is sometimes less vulnerable to sterical hindrance, and 2. groups, which are susceptible to nucleophilic substitution, are not attacked by silylated carbanions. The introduction of a methylene group into a sterically hindered ketone (R.K. Boeckman, Jr., 1973) and the syntheses of olefins with sulfur, selenium, silicon, or tin substituents (D. Seebach, 1973 B.T. Grdbel, 1974, 1977) illustrate useful applications. The reaction is, however, more limited and time consuming than the Wittig reaction, since metallated silicon derivatives are difficult to synthesize and their reactions are rarely stereoselective (T.H. Chan, 1974 ... 

Out first example is 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-3-octanone. 3-Octanone can be purchased, but it would be difficult to differentiate the two activated methylene groups in alkylation and oxidation reactions. Usual syntheses of acyloins are based upon addition of terminal alkynes to ketones (disconnection 1 see p. 52). For syntheses of unsymmetrical 1,2-difunctional compounds it is often advisable to look also for reactive starting materials, which do already contain the right substitution pattern. In the present case it turns out that 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone is an inexpensive commercial product. This molecule dictates disconnection 3. Another practical synthesis starts with acetone cyanohydrin and pentylmagnesium bromide (disconnection 2). Many 1,2-difunctional compounds are accessible via oxidation of C—C multiple bonds. In this case the target molecule may be obtained by simple permanganate oxidation of 2-methyl-2-octene, which may be synthesized by Wittig reaction (disconnection 1). 

Wilkinson s catalyst 117,345,777 Wittig condensation 73 Wittig homologation 503 Wittig methylenation 649 Wittig reaction 17, 68 f., 86 f.,... 

The inverse functionalization of the two components for a Wittig reaction has been described by Russian authors70 who combined the cyclopropenylide 70 with aldehydes to give the unstable methylene cyclopropenes 71 characterized by protonation as cyclopropenium salts 72 ... 

The Wittig reaction of diphenyl cyclopropenone with the phosphorane 68 failed to give the methylene cyclopropene instead a hydrocarbon of probable structure 67 was obtained71. ... 

Triafulvene 69 was synthesized by an interesting route starting with diphenyl cyclopropenium cation and lithio ethyl acetate72. Although widely used in calicene chemistry (see later) this reaction principle — like the Wittig reaction — did not find general application in methylene cyclopropene synthesis. 

The Wittig reaction, or its phosphonate modification, can be a very useful reaction in the synthesis of anomerically functionalized precursors to C-nucleosides, particularly when the ring-closure reaction leads to five-membered, anhydro derivatives, and occurs with a high degree of stereocontrol. Zhdanov and coworkers,130 showed that the following five-membered, Wittig products (179-182) were formed from various free sugars and (p-methoxybenzoyl)- and (acetyl-methylene)-triphenylphosphoranes. 

The Wittig reaction consists in the replacement of carbonyl oxygen of aldehydes and ketones by a methylene group with the aid of phosphine-methylenes resulting in the formation of cis or trans olefines. The reaction proceeds through the nucleophilic addition of Wittig reagent (phosphine methylene) across the > C = O bond and formation of an intermediate cyclic. 

The retrosynthesis involves the following transformations i) isomerisation of the endocyclic doble bond to the exo position ii) substitution of the terminal methylene group by a more stable carbonyl group (retro-Wittig reaction) iii) nucleophilic retro-Michael addition iv) reductive allylic rearrangement v) dealkylation of tertiary alcohol vi) homolytic cleavage and functionalisation vii) dehydroiodination viii) conversion of ethynyl ketone to carboxylic acid derivative ix) homolytic cleavage and functionalisation x) 3-bromo-debutylation xi) conversion of vinyl trimethylstannane to methyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate (67). 

Wittig reaction of azocine 214 with triphenylmethylenphosphane gives methylene derivative 215. In contrast, under Wolff-Kishner reaction conditions 214 was transformed into azocine 216a. Catalytic hydrogenation of the methylene... 

Scheme 6.109 Typical N-Boc-protected P-amino-a-methylene ethyl esters obtained from the 106-catalyzed asymmetric Mannich reaction and subsequent Wittig reaction with...

Rauter and coworkers demonstrated that C-5-aIkylidene derivatives 112 of D-hexofuranurono-6,3-lactone can be obtained by Wittig olefination of the a-ketolactone 111 (Scheme 32) [160]. The related a-methylene lactone 114 was prepared in three steps from 3,6-anhydro-l,2-0-isopropylidene-a-D-j y/ )-5-hexulo-furanose 113 via Wittig reaction and aUylic oxidation. 

Total synthesis of racemic limonene by Diels-Alder reaction of isoprene with methyl vinyl ketone and subsequent Wittig reaction of the resulting ketone with methylene triphenylphosphorane... 

Wittig reaction -selective 108 Wolf-Kishner reduction (see ketone to methylene)... 

MeONa/HCOOEt) and ketalisation (H2SO4/CH3OH), produced the p-ketoacetal (9EIZ 80/20). A Wittig reaction with methyltriphenyl phosphorane (tBuOK/Ph3p+CH3, Br ) followed by hydrolysis of the p-methyleneketal, produced the 13-methylene isomer of retinal, as a 9E and 9Z mixture (80/20), Fig. (40). 

Good results have been achieved in phosphonio-catalysed alkylation of active methylene compounds and imides which may be steroselective873 (equation 269). Aqueous sodium hydroxide deprotonation of the phosphonium salt itself in view of a Wittig reaction is... 

Wittig reactions with pyrrole-2-aldehyde led to the esters (79) which were cyclisized to 3a-azaazulen-4-ones (80).104,105 4-Methylene-3a-aza-azulenes (81) have been obtained from 80 with stabilized phos-phoranes.36 Reaction of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate with 81 could not be achieved. A similar cycloaddition was successful in the synthesis of cycl[3,3,3]azines (2) (Section V). 

Vinylpyrroles and vinylindoles are extremely sensitive to acid-catalyzed dimerization and polymerization and it is significant that much of the early research was conducted on systems which were produced in situ. Even by this approach, the dimerization of, for example, 2-(3-indolyl)propene and l-(3-indolyl)-l-phenylethylene was difficult to prevent (see the formation of 110 and 120, Section 3.05.1.2.8). Similarly, although it is possible to isolate ethyl 2-(2- and 3-indolyl)propenoates, they appear to be extremely unstable at room temperature even in the absence of acid (81UP30500) to give [ 4 + 2] cycloadducts of the type (348) (cf. 77JCS(P1)1204>. For many years simple vinylpyrroles also eluded isolation, on account of their facile acid-catalyzed polymerization. Application of the Wittig reaction, however, permits the synthesis of vinyl-pyrroles and -indoles under relatively mild and neutral conditions (see Section 3.05.2.5). In contrast, heteroarylvinyl ketones, esters, nitriles and nitro compounds, obtained by condensation of the appropriate activated methylene compound with the heteroaryl aldehydes (see Section 3.05.2.5), are thermally stable and... 

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