20127-07-5

The reaction of the di(bromomagnesio)alkanes BrMg4MgBr and BrMg5MgBr with cyclic anhydrides produces spirolactones in one step in good yield.

Substituted hydroxyalkyl phenyl sulfides 3 have been synthesized from the corresponding allylic or homoallylic alcohols 2. Regiospecific cleavage of the C - SPh bond of the sulfides 3 by lithium dispersion in tetrahydrofuran (THF) led to the synthesis of substituted (3-lithioxyalkyl)- and (4-lithioxyalkyl)lithiums 4, most of which share the ω carbon with a carbocyclic ring. The organolithiums were modified with magnesium 2-ethoxyethoxide in order to suppress their reactivity toward THF cleavage, thus offering the advantage of preparing storable ethereal solutions of certain types of (lithioxyalkyl)lithiums. This strategy appears to be of rather broad scope. The functionalized organolithiums prepared in this way react normally with electrophilic reagents with yields in the range 35-55%. Thus, carboxylations of 4 yielded lactones 5, some of which are natural products, while reactions of 4 with benzophenone and cyclic ketones yielded 1,4- and 1,5-diols 6 and 7, respectively.

In the presence of a Co catalyst, tertiary vinyl-, propenyl-, and allylcarbinols were chelatively cycloadded to carbon monoxide to produce lactones by xanthone-sensitized photoreaction in tetrahydrofuran, under CO at 1 atmosphere and at room temperature.At lower temperatures the isomerization of alkenyl-carbinols was suppressed and lactones were obtained with improved selectivity.The photoprocess was facilitated by addition of pyridine or hydrogen and retarded in presence of amines or phosphines.Mechanistic interpretations for the process and the accompanying effects are discussed.Key words: chelative carbonylation, photocarbonylation, carbonylation of olefins, lactones synthesis from alkenylalcohols.

The reaction of 2-(3-lithiopropyl)-1,3-dioxolane (2), prepared in situ by lithiation of the chloroacetal 1 with lithium naphthalenide at -78 deg C, with aldehydes and ketones followed by hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid and final oxidation with PCC or Jones reagent yields the corresponding δ-lactones 5.

Potassium permanganate-copper sulphate in dichloromethane in the presence of a catalytic amount of water effects a smooth oxidative cyclization of ω-hydroxy alkenes to ω-lactones in good yields with the net loss of one or more carbon atoms in the procees.

Highly reactive copper solutions have been prepared by the lithium naphthalide reduction of copper(I) iodide/trialkylphosphine complexes.These activated copper solutions will react with organic halides under very mild conditions to form stable organocopper reagents.Significantly, the organocopper reagents can contain considerable functionalities such as ester, nitrile, chloride, epoxide, and ketone groups.These functionalized organocopper species undergo many reactions typical of other organocopper species.Intermolecular 1,4-additions, epoxide-opening reactions, and ketone formation with acid chlorides have been successfully achieved.In addition, this methodology has been applied to an intramolecular epoxide-cleavage reaction.The influence of the connecting chain length, substitution pattern, reaction solvent, and CuI/phosphine complex upon the regioselectivity of the intramolecular cyclization is described.

Epoxyalkylcopper compounds have readily been prepared by the direct oxidative addition of active copper to epoxyalkyl halides.The intramolecular cyclization of the epoxyalkylcopper reagents via an epoxide cleavage process is described.Significantly, many functional groups can be present in the bromoepoxides yielding highly functionalized carbocycles.The regioselectivity of this cyclizations is affected by the connecting chain length, substitution pattern, reaction solvent, and the CuI-phosphine complex used to generate the copper.

Treatment of primary, secondary or tertiary γ- and δ-hydroxyolefins with cetyltrimethylammonium permanganate gives good yields of γ- and δ-lactones by oxidative cyclization, with loss of one carbon.

Treatment of tertiary γ- and δ-hydroxyolefins with pentavalent chromium reagent, (BipyH2)CrOCl5, give good yields of γ- and δ-lactones by oxidative cyclization, with loss of one carbon.Pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) also effect this transformation to γ-lactones in reasonable yields.

Carbocyclic acid anhydrides can be converted to spiro γ- and δ-lactones by addition of di-Grignard reagents in tetrahydrofuran solution.Five- and six-membered rings have been formed in one-step reactions.Possible mechanistic pathways for this reaction are discussed.The conversion of spirolactones to 1-(ω-hydroxyalkyl)cycloalkanols was accomplished by reduction with LAH to illustrate the versatility of these substances giving (after or upon treatment with tosyl chloride) the corresponding spiroethers.

1-(ω-Hydroxyalkyl)cyclopentanols and -cyclohexanols were prepared in one step in high yields from butane-1,4-diyl- and pentane-1,5-diylmagnesium dibromides and lactones in tetrahydrofuran.This method was found to be general and applicable to lactones of any size (β, γ, δ, and ε) and structure whether aliphatic, aromatic, bicyclic, or spirocyclic.Evidently important steric hindrance close to the carbonyl group prevents annelation and attack on the second nucleophilic center of the Grignard reagent.Furthermore, in the case of oxetan-2-one one obtains, in additionto the corresponding diol, products resulting from scission of the C-O bond.The diols by appropriate transformation afford new routes to spirolactones and spiroethers.