Xanthates, deoxygenation

Extension of these processes to provide enantio-enriched products was successfully applied after desymmetrization of the starting materials. An example is shown below (Reaction 76), where silane-mediated xanthate deoxygenation-rearrangement-electrophile trapping afforded the conversion of (+)-94 to (+)-95 in 56% yield. ... 

Zard and Quiclet-Sire described the use of 2-propanol as solvent and hydride donor in conjunction with lauroyl peroxide as radical initiator for xanthate deoxygenation. Collidine is a necessary additive to prevent hydrolysis of acid sensitive functionalities by the lauric acid by-product. 

Roush et al. have reported the synthesis of a durhamydn aglycon model (Scheme 1.39) [50]. Allylation of aldehyde 223 with the aUyhc borane 224 provided 225 after the formation of a xanthate. Deoxygenation gave the requisite RCM precursor whose cycUzation proceeded reasonably well provided that Ti(Oi-Pr)4 was used as an additive. As suggested by model studies, this additive may avoid the coordination of the rathenium carbene by either the aryl ether (OBOM) or the neighboring ethers (OMe, OTCE). 

Organic chemists have been aware of reversible addition-fragmentation involving xanthate esters in organic chemistry for some time. It is the basis of the Barton-McCombie process for deoxygenation of alcohols (Scheme 9.37).402 404... 

The alcohol derivatives that have been successfully deoxygenated include thiocar-bonates and xanthates.207 Peroxides can be used as initiators.208... 

Scheme 5.9 illustrates some of the conditions that have been developed for the reductive deoxygenation of alcohols. Entries 1 to 4 illustrate the most commonly used methods for generation of thiono esters and their reduction by tri-M-butylstannane. These include formation of thiono carbonates (Entry 1), xanthates (Entry 2), and thiono imidazolides (Entries 3 and 4). Entry 5 is an example of use of dimethyl phosphite as the hydrogen donor. Entry 6 uses r .s-(trimethylsilyl)silane as the hydrogen atom donor. 

N-Ethylpiperidi 11 i um hypophosphite has been used as a reductant in deoxygenation of nucleoside diol xanthates in aqueous solution.300... 

Wood [127] reported an innovative development of the Barton-McCombie deoxygenation of alcohols allowed to work under tin-free conditions. A trimethylborane-water complex proves to be an efficient reagent for the reduction of xanthates. Complexation of water by trimethylborane induces a strong decrease of O - H bond dissociation energy from 116 kcal/mol (water) to 86 kcal/mol (Me3B-water complex). 

A relevant reductive process, which has found wide application in organic synthesis, is the deoxygenation of alcohols introduced in 1975 by Barton and McCombie [58]. Reaction (4.28) shows that the thiocarbonyl derivatives, easily obtained from the corresponding alcohol, can be reduced in the presence of BusSnH under free radical conditions. The reactivity of xanthates and thiocarbonyl imidazolides [58] was successfully extended to 0-arylthiocarbonates [59] and (9-thioxocarbamates [60]. Several reviews have appeared on this subject, thus providing an exhaustive view of this methodology and its application in natural product synthesis [61-64]. 

The reduction of thiocarbonyl derivatives by EtsSiH can be described as a chain process under forced conditions (Reaction 4.50) [89,90]. Indeed, in Reaction (4.51) for example, the reduction of phenyl thiocarbonate in EtsSiD as the solvent needed 1 equiv of dibenzoyl peroxide as initiator at 110 °C, and afforded the desired product in 91 % yield, where the deuterium incorporation was only 48% [90]. Nevertheless, there are some interesting applications for these less reactive silanes in radical chain reactions. For example, this method was used as an efficient deoxygenation step (Reaction 4.52) in the synthesis of 4,4-difluoroglutamine [91]. 1,2-Diols can also be transformed into olefins using the Barton-McCombie methodology. Reaction (4.53) shows the olefination procedure of a bis-xanthate using EtsSiH [89]. 

The addition of silyl radicals to thiocarbonyl derivatives is a facile process leading to a-silylthio adducts (Reaction 5.37). This elementary reaction is the initial step of the radical chain deoxygenation of alcohols or Barton McCombie reaction (see Section 4.3.3 for more details). However, rate constants for the formation of these adducts are limited to the value for the reaction of (TMS)3Si radical with the xanthate c-C6HuOC(S)SMe (Table 5.3), a reaction that is also found to be reversible [15]. Structural information on the a-silylthio adducts as well as some kinetic data for the decay reactions of these species have been obtained by EPR spectroscopy [9,72]. 

An interesting neophyl-type radical rearrangement process has been established for the synthesis of azabicycles, which are not readily accessible by other means. Barton McCombie deoxygenation of xanthate 70 under slow addition of (TMS)3SiH and AIBN in refluxing toluene furnished the 2-azabenzonorbor-nane derivative in good yield (Reaction 7.72) [82]. 

Radicals formed by fragmentation of xanthate and related thiono esters can also be trapped by reactive alkenes.217 The mechanism of radical generation from thiono esters was discussed in connection with the Barton deoxygenation method in Section 5.4. 

The keto group of the trisubstituted dioxanone 133 generated by ozonolysis was removed by radical deoxygenation according to the Barton-McCombie protocol [80] via the alcohols 134 and the corresponding xanthate, leading after deben-zylation to the dioxane 135 in excellent yield. After conversion to the tosylate, cleavage of the acetonide and protection of the secondary alcohol function as a TBS ether provided access to oxirane 128 by cyclization with NaH in 99% yield and in virtually diastereo- and enantiomerically pure form (de, ee > 96%). 

These include thiobenzoates, thiocarbonylimidazolides, and phenyl thionocarbonate esters.6 The S-methyl xanthate ester is a particularly convenient intermediate to prepare because of its ease of formation and the low cost of the reagents. Its use is precluded, however, by the presence of base-labile protecting groups and, in such cases, the thiocarbonylimidazolide or phenyl thionocarbonate ester will generally prove satisfactory. Additional methods for the radical deoxygenation of alcohols are described in a review by Hartwig.7... 

Wc-Diols can also be deoxygenated indirectly, through sulfonate ester derivatives. For example, vic-dimesylates and Wc-ditosylates have been converted to alkenes by treatment, respectively, with naphthalene-sodium271 and with Nal in dimethylformamide.272 In another procedure, the diols are converted to bisdithiocarbonates (bis xanthates), which undergo... 

Deoxygenation of allyttc alcohols.3 A method for conversion of allylic alcohols to l-alkenes is outlined in equation (I). The first step is an allylic rearrangement of an Oallyl xanthate to 2. The second step is an allyl transfer from sulfur to tin with tri-n-butyltin hydride to give the allylic stannane (3). The last step, destannylation, is a well-known mule to terminal alkcnes.4... 

Since its introduction by Barton and McCombie, the deoxygenation of thionocarbonyl derivatives of alcohols has become an important synthetic reaction and a valuable method for the generation of carbon-centered radicals.3-4 Xanthates, thionobenzotes, thionocarbonyl imidazolides, aryloxy thionocarbonate, N-phenylthionocarbamates and oxalate esters are conveniently deoxygenated with tin or silicon hydrides in boiling benzene or toluene.4-5... 

The xanthates of tertiary alcohols are unstable compounds. However, they can be prepared [11c,lid] and even characterized by microanalysis. Their deoxygenation is relatively simple because of the weak tertiary carbon-oxygen bond. 

The relative rates of acylation and of deoxygenation have been determined with these various reagents [44]. As expected, the pentafluoro reagent reacts the fastest with an alcohol under standard conditions, followed by the 4-fluoro reagent, and the phenyl derivative is the slowest. However, for the deoxygenation reaction the fastest group is the methyl xanthate. The slowest is the pentafluorophenyl derivative. This is not important because all of the thiocarbonyl derivatives mentioned give very fast radical reactions 144],... 

This chapter shows how radical chemistry based on thiocarbonyl derivatives of secondary alcohols can be useful in the manipulation of natural products and especially in the deoxygenation of carbohydrates. From the original conception in 1975, the variety of thiocarbonyl derivatives used has increased, but the methyl xanthate function still remains the simplest and cheapest, when other functionality in the molecule does not interfere. Otherwise, selective acylation with aryloxythiocarbonyl reagents is important. Many of the functional groups present in carbohydrates and other natural products do not interfere with radical reactions. 

Deoxygenation of 1,2 5,6-Di-0-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose xanthate 29 with Diethyl Phosphite [40a, 40c]... 

D. H. R. Barton, D. O. Jang, and J. C. Jaszberenyi, On the mechanism of deoxygenation of secondary alcohols by tin hydride reduction of methyl xanthates and other thiocarbonyl deri-vates, Tetrahedron Lett. 37 3991 (1990). 

The radical deoxygenation of secondary alcohols through tri-n-butyltin hydride reduction of their xanthate derivatives was introduced in 1975 [227]. The reaction proceeds by thiophilic radical addition to the thiocarbonyl group of a tin radical followed by collapse of the carbon intermediate, as shown in the accompanying scheme. Hydrogen transfer completes the process. 

Radical deoxygenation of sugars can be realized with suitable alcohol derivatives such as esters (acetates, pivaloates), sulfur compounds (xanthates, thiocarbamates, tri-fluoromethylsulfonates) according to the general Scheme 41. 

J. Nicholas Kirwan, B. P. Roberts, and C. R. Willis, Deoxygenation of alcohols by the reactions of their xanthate esters with triethylsilane An alternative to tributyltin hydride in the Barton-McCombie reaction, Tetrahedron Lett., 31 (1990) 5093-5096. 

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