Organic Process Research & Development
Article
that could be used in the next step without further purification.
Caution: Vinyl ketone 6 was identified as a skin sensitizer in a
LLNA assay (EC3 <1%). A small portion of this material was
isolated via distillation for characterization purposes. Colorless
isolated via distillation for characterization purposes. Colorless
oil, BP = 63−65 °C at 15 mmHg; H NMR (CDCl3, 400
1
MHz) 7.33 (d, J = 6.0 Hz, 1 H), 5.38 (dd, J = 6.0, 1.0 Hz, 1 H),
4.59−4.49 (m, 1 H), 2.45 (dd, J = 16.6, 12.6 Hz, 1 H), 2.42
(ddd, J = 16.6, 4.6, 1.0 Hz, 1 H), 1.44 (d, J = 6.6 Hz, 3 H) ppm;
13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) 192.4, 163.1, 106.6, 75.8, 43.2,
20.1 ppm; [α]25D = +205.7 (c = 1.0, CHCl3); HRMS calcd for
[M + H] C6H9O2 = 113.0597, found =113.0602.
1
oil, BP = 89−91 °C at 4−5 mmHg; H NMR (CDCl3, 400
MHz) 6.36 (dd, J = 17.5, 10.5 Hz, 1 H), 6.22 (d, J = 17.5 Hz, 1
H), 5.85 (d, J = 10.5 Hz, 1 H), 4.38−4.30 (ddd, J = 7.2, 6.0, 5.2
Hz, 1 H), 2.85 (dd, J = 14.8, 7.2 Hz, 1 H), 2.54 (dd, J = 14.8,
5.2 Hz, 1 H), 1.20 (d, J = 6.0 Hz, 3 H), 0.85 (s, 9 H), 0.06 (s, 3
H), 0.02 (s, 3 H) ppm; 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) 199.6,
137.5, 128.5, 65.8, 49.1, 25.8, 24.2, 18.0, −4.6, −5.0 ppm;
(2R,6R)-2,6-Dimethyldihydro-2H-pyran-4(3H)-one (1)
via Stoichiometric Cuprate on 500 g Scale. Copper(I)
iodide (1.87 kg, 9.81 mol, 2.2 equiv) was slurried in dry
isopropyl ether (5.0 L) and cooled to 0 °C. A solution of
methyl lithium (3.0 M in diethoxymethane, 5.94 L, 17.83 mol,
4.0 equiv) was added to the CuI slurry, and the mixture was
stirred for 30 min at 0 °C. The bright-yellow slurry was cooled
to −20 to −30 °C, and crude 2 (500 g, 4.46 mol, 1.0 equiv) in
isopropyl ether (7.5 L) was added over 10 min. The reaction
was then stirred at −20 to −30 °C for 30 min, and then added
to 1.0 M aqueous HCl (3 L) that was previously cooled to 0
°C. After stirring for 20 min, the gray suspension was filtered,
and the filtrate was extracted with MTBE (2 × 3 L). The
combined organics were dried with MgSO4, filtered, and then
concentrated to yield crude 1 (394.4 g, 3.08 mol, 69% yield).
This material could be further purified by distillation. For
distillation conditions and characterization data, see copper-
catalyzed Grignard addition procedure that follows. As
mentioned in the text, this procedure produced variable yields
before distillation, ranging from 45 to 70%.
[α]25 = −33.3 (c = 1.0, CHCl3); HRMS calcd for [M + H]
D
C12H25O2Si = 229.1618, found = 229.1623.
(R)-2-Methyl-2H-pyran-4(3H)-one (2). Acetone (213.6
kg), purified water (26.0 kg, 1443 mol, 4.8 equiv),
benzoquinone (34.4 kg, 318.3 mol, 1.07 equiv), and bis-
(acetonitrile)dichloropalladium (0.99 kg, 3.82 mol, 0.013
equiv) were charged to a reactor. The reactor contents were
heated to 45−50 °C, and compound 6 (80 kg of 82.5 wt %
from above, 68.0 kg, 297.7 mol, 1.0 equiv) was added at a
constant rate over 2 h. The reaction was held at this
temperature until complete (<1.5% of 6 vs 2 by GC), typically
3−4 h. The reaction was cooled to 20 °C, and the mixture was
concentrated under reduced pressure (>160 Torr, 14−28 °C)
until 120−150 L remained. Water (266 kg) was added, the
reactor contents were cooled to 0−10 °C, and stirred at this
temperature for 2 h. The resulting slurry was filtered and the
cake washed with water (3 × 67 kg). The filtrate and all rinses
were combined. n-Hexane (44.0 kg) was added to the
combined filtrates, and the mixture was stirred at 15−25 °C
for 40 min. The layers were separated, and the aqueous was
washed further with n-hexane (44.0 + 43.9 kg). The combined
n-hexane washes were washed with water (2 × 33.3 kg), and
aqueous fractions were combined. Dichloromethane (267.1 kg)
and sodium chloride (96.2 kg) were added to the aqueous, and
the layers were mixed for 40 min, before being allowed to stand
for 40 min. The layers were separated, and the aqueous was
extracted with DCM (400.2 kg). Analysis of the organic layer
determined the level of hydroquinone (26.2 kg, 237.9 mol)
present. The organic was washed with a solution of lithium
hydroxide (14.9 kg, 355.1 mol, 1.5 equiv vs hydroquinone) in
water (297.9 kg) for 15 min, before separating the layers. The
organic was washed with a solution of sodium dihydrogen
phosphate (0.9 kg) and disodium hydrogen phosphate (2.5 kg)
in water (50 kg) to adjust the pH. The aqueous layer from this
wash was back extracted with DCM (198.9 kg), and this
organic wash was combined with the previous. The organic
phase was dried with 4 Å molecular sieve powder (10.0 kg) for
3−4 h, after which an additional 5 kg of molecular sieves was
added and stirring continued for 1−2 h (this was repeated one
additional time). At this point the KF of the solution was
<0.05%. The molecular sieves were removed by filtration. The
cake was washed with THF (2 × 66.5 kg), and these washes
were initially kept separate. The DCM filtrate was concentrated
at atmospheric pressure (<50 °C) until 50−90 L remained, and
then the pressure was reduced to 300 Torr until 30−60 L
remained. The THF from the cake washes was added, and the
distillation continued to a volume of 30 L. THF (99.8 kg) was
added, and the concentration continued until the level of DCM
and acetone were <0.5 vol %. This resulted in a 95.4 kg stream
containing 16.0 wt % of 2 (15.4 kg, 137.4 mol, 46% yield). This
material was of sufficient purity to be used in the next step
without further purification. A small portion of this material was
Ethyl (R)-3-((Triethylsilyl)oxy)butanoate Silylated 16.
Ethyl (R)-(−)-3-hydroxybutyrate (16) (70.0 g, 0.520 mol, 1.0
equiv) was dissolved in dichloromethane (840 mL) and cooled
to 0 °C. Imidazole (70.0 g, 1.03 mol, 2.0 equiv) was added and
stirred until completely dissolved. Chlorotriethylsilane (93.7
mL, 0.556 mol, 1.05 equiv) was slowly added to the mixture
which was then allowed to warm to 20 °C and stirred for 18 h.
Water (700 mL) was added, and the phases were separated.
The aqueous layer was washed with dichloromethane (300
mL). The combined organics were then washed with water
(200 mL) and brine (200 mL), dried over MgSO4, and
concentrated under reduced pressure to afford ethyl (R)-3-
((triethylsilyl)oxy)butanoate (silylated 16, 123.0 g, 499.2
mmol, 96% yield) as a clear, colorless oil. This material could
be used in the subsequent step without additional purification.
1
Rf = 0.62 (20% ethyl acetate in hexanes); H NMR (CDCl3,
500 MHz) 4.33−4.23 (m, 1 H), 4.17−4.06 (m, 2 H), 2.48 (dd,
J = 14.6, 7.3 Hz, 1 H), 2.36 (dd, J = 14.6, 5.6 Hz, 1H), 1.25 (t, J
= 7.2 Hz, 3 H), 1.21 (d, J = 6.1 Hz, 3 H), 0.94 (t, J = 8.0 Hz, 9
H), 0.59 (q, J = 7.9 Hz, 6 H) ppm; 13C NMR (CDCl3, 126
MHz) 171.6, 65.6, 60.2, 44.9, 23.9, 14.2, 6.7, 4.8 ppm; [α]25
=
D
−21.3 (c = 1.38, CHCl3); HRMS calcd for [M + H]
C12H27O3Si = 247.1724, found = 247.1734.
(R)-N-Methoxy-N-methyl-3-((triethylsilyl)oxy)-
butanamide (17). Silylated 16 (60.0 g, 244 mmol, 1.0 equiv)
was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (0.60 L). N,O-dimethylhy-
droxylamine hydrochloride (36.8 g, 337 mmol, 1.55 equiv), was
added, and after complete dissolution the solution was cooled
to −31 °C. To this mixture was added isopropylmagnesium
chloride (2.0 mol/L in THF, 360 mL, 720 mmol, 2.96 equiv)
over 25 min to maintain the temperature below −15 °C. Once
addition was complete, the reaction was maintained at −20 °C
for 2 h followed by quenching with saturated aqueous NH4Cl
(400 mL). The solution was allowed to warm to 20 °C and
stirred overnight. The phases were separated, and the aqueous
G
dx.doi.org/10.1021/op500135x | Org. Process Res. Dev. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX