AN EASY SYNTHESIS OF THE 2-PHENYLSULFONYL-SUBSTITUTED ALLYLIC BROMIDES AND ACETATES AND THEIR REACTIVITY TOWARDS NUCLEOPHILES

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)85142-4

The reaction of phenyl vinyl sulfone with various aldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of DABCO furnishes in good yields the corresponding 2-phenylsulfonyl-substituted alcohols 5a-5e which can be easily converted into their acetates 2a-2b or into their allylically rearranged bromides 3a-3d.These reagents, in turn, react with nucleophiles (ketone enolates and cuprates) with an allylic rearrangement (S_N2' mechanism) to give the functionalized unsaturated sulfones 6a-g and 7a-g.A palladium catalyzed reaction allows a stereo-controlled transformation of the sulfone 6b into the (Z,Z) skipped 1,4-diene 8.