The Mitsunobu reaction of ortho-ethers of secondary benzylic alcohols. Concise enantioselective synthesis of a key intermediate of the novel β-adrenergic receptor antagonist MY336-a

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(96)01122-7

Chiral secondary benzylic alcohols bearing an ortho-alkoxy substituent suffer ring-assisted racemization during the Mitsunobu reaction; however, their congeners bearing also a 3-substituent undergo virtually complete Mitsunobu inversion. A concise enantioselective synthesis of a key intermediate of the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist MY336-a was achieved exploiting this observation.