Wittig results

The selective intermolecular addition of two different ketones or aldehydes can sometimes be achieved without protection of the enol, because different carbonyl compounds behave differently. For example, attempts to condense acetaldehyde with benzophenone fail. Only self-condensation of acetaldehyde is observed, because the carbonyl group of benzophenone is not sufficiently electrophilic. With acetone instead of benzophenone only fi-hydroxyketones are formed in good yield, if the aldehyde is slowly added to the basic ketone solution. Aldols are not produced. This result can be generalized in the following way aldehydes have more reactive carbonyl groups than ketones, but enolates from ketones have a more nucleophilic carbon atom than enolates from aldehydes (G. Wittig, 1968). 

Some straightforward, efficient cyclopentanellation procedures were developed recently. Addition of a malonic ester anion to a cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylic ester followed by a Dieckmann condensation (S. Danishefsky, 1974) or addition of iJ-ketoester anions to a (l-phenylthiocyclopropyl)phosphonium cation followed by intramolecular Wittig reaction (J.P, Marino. 1975) produced cyclopentanones. Another procedure starts with a (2 + 21-cycloaddition of dichloroketene to alkenes followed by regioselective ring expansion with diazomethane. The resulting 2,2-dichlorocyclopentanones can be converted to a large variety of cyclopentane derivatives (A.E. Greene. 1979 J.-P. Deprds, 1980). 

Another example is a chiral olefinic alcohol, which is disconnected at the double bond by a refro-Wittig transform. In the resulting 4-hydroxypentanal we recognize again glutamic acid, if methods are available to convert regio- and stereoselectively... 

The reaction has been extended to include carbanions generated from phosphonates. This is often referred to as the Horner-Wittig or Homer-Emmons reaction. The Horner-Emmons reaction has a number of advantages over the conventional Wittig reaction. It occurs with a wider variety of aldehydes and ketones under relatively mild conditions as a result of the higher nucleophilicity of the phosphonate carbanions. The separation of the olefinic product is easier due to the aqueous solubility of the phosphate by-product, and the phosphonates are readily available from the Arbusov reaction. Furthermore, although the reaction itself is not stereospecific, the majority favor the formation of the trans olefin and many produce the trans isomer as the sole product. 

The Corey process is also useful for the synthesis of PGs of the 1 and 3 series. Catalytic hydrogenation of (34) (see Fig. 5) with 5% Pd/C at — 15-20°C results in selective reduction of the 5,6-double bond. Subsequent transformations analogous to those in Figure 5 lead to PGE (9) and PGF (10). The key step for synthesis of the PG series is the Wittig reaction of (29) with the appropriate unsaturated CO-chain yUde (170). 

Fluonnated ylides have also been prepared in such a way that fluonne is incorporated at the carhon P to the carbamonic carbon Vanous fluoroalkyl iodides were heated with tnphenylphosphine in the absence of solvent to form the necessary phosphonium salts Direct deprotonation with butyUithium or hthium dusopropy-lamide did not lead to yhde formation, rather, deprotonation was accomparued by loss of fluonde ion Flowever deprotonation with hydrated potassium carbonate in thoxane was successful and resulted in fluoroolefin yields of45-S0% [59] (equation 54) P-Fluorinated ylides may also be prepared by the reaction of an isopropyli-denetnphenylphosphine yhde with a perfluoroalkanoyl anhydnde The intermediate acyl phosphonium salt can undergo further reaction with methylene tnphenylphosphorane and phenyUithium to form a new yhde, which can then be used in a Wittig olefination procedure [60] (equation 55) or can react with a nucleophile [6/j such as an acetyhde to form a fluonnated enyne [62] (equation 56)... 

In contrast to Wittig and Mayer s results (40), ethylidenebisdimethyl-amine (1,1-bisdimethylaminoethane) has been prepared, albeit by a very different method [AsN(CH3)2 plus acetaldehyde in ether see Section VII], and found to be distillable with only slight decomposition (J9). 

Reaction of anthanilic acid 112 with acid anhydrides afforded the corresponding imide derivatives 113. Subjecting 113 to intramolecular Wittig cyclization has been achieved by treatment with A-phenyl(triphe-nylphosphoranylidene)etheneimine in toluene or dioxane whereby the corresponding pyrroloquinolines 116 were obtained (94TL9229). The intermediate 115 resulting from the rearrangement of 114 could be isolated when the reaction was done at room temperature (Scheme 22). 

Another agent of this general type is nalmefene (47) Despite their useful characteristics, opiates display tolerance, addiction, abuse, and some toxic side effects Antagonists combat some of these effects, most notably respiratory depression and addiction Nalmefene reputedly has significant oral activity as a narcotic antagonist The synthesis of nalmefine concludes by Wittig olefination of naltrexone (46) to nalmefene (47) This molecular transformation resulted in a significant increase in oral potency as well (141... 

Napamezole (68) is a dihydroimidazole derivative with antidepressant activity probably as a result of its combined a 2 adrenergic receptor blockuig and serotonin uptake blocking proper ties It can be synthesized by Wittig olefination of p-tetralone (65) with diethyl (cyanomethyl) phosphonate (66) and base to give nitnle 67 Imidazoline construction on the latter was smoothly... 

The final step in an attempted synthesis of laurene, a hydrocarbon isolated from the marine alga Laurencin glandulifera, involved the Wittig reaction shown. The product obtained, however, was not laurene but an isomer. Propose a mechanism to account for these unexpected results. 

Because the olefin geometry in compound 9 will most certainly have a bearing on the stereochemical outcome of the hydroboration step, a reliable process for the construction of the trans trisubsti-tuted olefin in 9 must be identified. A priori, the powerful and predictable Wittig reaction28 could be used to construct E u, [3-unsaturated ester 10 from aldehyde 11. Reduction of the ethoxycarbonyl grouping in 10, followed by benzylation of the resulting primary alcohol, would then complete the synthesis of 9. Aldehyde 11 is a known substance that can be prepared from 2-furylacetonitrile (12). 

The adjacent iodine and lactone groupings in 16 constitute the structural prerequisite, or retron, for the iodolactonization transform.15 It was anticipated that the action of iodine on unsaturated carboxylic acid 17 would induce iodolactonization16 to give iodo-lactone 16. The cis C20-C21 double bond in 17 provides a convenient opportunity for molecular simplification. In the synthetic direction, a Wittig reaction17 between the nonstabilized phosphorous ylide derived from 19 and aldehyde 18 could result in the formation of cis alkene 17. Enantiomerically pure (/ )-citronellic acid (20) and (+)-/ -hydroxyisobutyric acid (11) are readily available sources of chirality that could be converted in a straightforward manner into optically active building blocks 18 and 19, respectively. 

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