PAPER
Studies Toward the Synthesis of Menogaril
421
2-[(2-Methoxycarbonyl-5-methoxy-5-methyl)methylcylohex-1-
yl]-1,4,5-trimethoxynaphthalene (21)
6-Hydroxy-4,9-dimethoxy-9-methyl-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaph-
thacen-5,12-dione (24)
A solution of compound 19 (1.362 g, 3.39 mmol) in acetone (70
mL) was refluxed with MeI (4.2 mL, 9.58 g, 67.4 mmol) and K2CO3
(4.69 g, 33.9 mmol). The product was purified by flash chromatog-
raphy on silica gel with a 1:1:2 mixture of Et2O/CH2Cl2/hexane to
give 21 in 98% yield as a viscous oil (1.382 g, 3.32 mmol, Rf 0.19).
1H NMR (CDCl3): d = 0.82Ð0.88 (m, 1 H), 0.98 (m, 3 H), 1.18Ð1.24
(m, 1 H), 1.70Ð1.76 (m, 2 H), 1.78Ð1.83 (m, 1 H), 1.88Ð1.93 (m, 1
H), 2.14Ð2.20 (m, 1 H), 2.32Ð2.41 (m, 1 H), 2.58Ð2.64 (m, 1 H),
2.70Ð2.76 (m 1 H), 2.93 (s, 3 H), 3.68 (s, 3 H), 3.79 (s, 3 H), 3.93
(s, 3 H), 3.96 (s, 3 H), 6.66 (s, 1 H), 6.82 (d, 1 H, J = 7.7 Hz), 7.37
(t, 1 H, J = 8.1 Hz), 7.63 (d, 1 H, J = 8.3 Hz).
To a solution of the naphthacenone 23 (42.7 mg, 0.11 mmol) in ac-
etone (6 mL) were added 2 N HNO3 (2.25 mL, 4.5 mmol) and AgO
(279 mg, 2.25 mmol). The resulting mixture was stirred at r.t. and
the reaction was monitored by TLC. After the starting material was
consumed, a buffer solution (pH = 7.0, 10 mL) and CH2Cl2 (30 mL)
were added. The organic phase was separated, washed with brine
and H2O, and dried (MgSO4). After removal of the solvents, the
crude quinone 24 was obtained as a orange foam.
1H NMR (CDCl3): d = 1.16 (s, 3 H), 1.20Ð1.32 (10), 3.13 (s, 3 H),
3.95 (s, 3 H), 7.27 (d, 1 H, J = 8.2 Hz), 7.60Ð7.67 (m, 2 H).
IR (neat): n = 2937s, 2826m, 1704s, 1663s, 1603m, 1586s, 1472s,
IR (neat): n = 2934s, 2840m, 1732s, 1600s, 1584s, 1463s, 1448s,
1435m, 1383s, 1269s, 1239s, 1191s, 1166s, 1150m, 1130s, 1075s,
1028m, 1008m, 840m, 756m, 736m cmÐ1.
MS: m/z (% rel. intensity) = 416 M+ (100), 402 (10), 370 (11), 338
(6), 309 (11), 277 (4), 231 (10), 217 (31), 203 (17), 185 (5), 165 (5),
153 (4), 121 (7), 93 (8), 85 (13).
1305m, 1275s, 1241m, 1074m, 729m cmÐ1.
The quinone 24 was dissolved in DMF (5 mL) and oxygen was
gently bubbled through the solution at 100¡C for 2 h. After the
DMF was removed by heating under vacuum, the orange solid was
purified by flash chromatography on silica gel with a 1:1:1 mixture
of Et2O/CH2Cl2/hexane to afford the product 25 in 93% (35.8 mg,
0.10 mmol) overall yield from 23. This reaction was conducted
many times and occasionally it gave rise to a mixture of the prod-
ucts 25 and 26. They could not be separated by chromatography.
The formation of the undesired product 26, however, could be
avoided if the second oxidation was performed without solvent. The
crude quinone 24 was coated on the inside of the flask which was
heated opened to air at 70¡C for 24 h. Flash chromatography of the
residue on silica gel provided the product 25 in a range of 85Ð92%
yield.
HRMS: m/z calcd for C24H32O6 416.2199, found 416.2232.
4,5,9,12-Tetramethoxy-9-methyl-6,7,8,9,10,11-hexahydronaph-
thacen-6-one (23)
The methyl ester 21 (74.6 mg, 0.18 mmol) was first hydrolyzed with
NaOH solution (4 mL, 2 N) in MeOH (4 mL) at 75¡C for 4 h. After
workup, the corresponding carboxylic acid 22 was obtained as oily
residue which was subsequently treated with NaOH solution (0.1 N,
1.8 mL, 0.18 mmol). The mixture was lyophilized to dryness under
reduced pressure and then dissolved in benzene (10 mL) and pyri-
dine (0.2 mL). The mixture was cooled to 0¡C before oxalyl chlo-
ride (0.20 mL, 0.291 g, 2.29 mmol) was introduced. There was an
immediate evolution of gases. The mixture was allowed to warm to
r.t. for about 15 min. until no further evolution of gases was ob-
served. SnCl4 (0.10 mL) was slowly added and the resulting mixture
was stirred at r.t. for 20 min before addition of H2O (6 mL) and a
1:1 mixture of Et2O and CH2Cl2 (30 mL). The organic phase was
separated, washed with brine and H2O, and dried (MgSO4). After
removal of the volatiles, elution of the residue on silica gel with a
1:1:1 mixture of Et2O/CH2Cl2/hexane gave the product 23 in 72%
overall yield (48.6 mg, 0.13 mmol, Rf 0.26) along with 1.5 mg of a
yellow compound (Rf 0.44) which was not identified. The reaction
was carried out on a gram scale without a change in the yield; mp
184Ð185 ¡C.
Spectral Data for 26 (extracted from a mixture of 25 and 26)
1H NMR (CDCl3): d = 1.28 (s, 3 H), 1.55Ð1.65 (m, 1 H), 2.00Ð2.08
(m, 1 H), 2.48Ð2.55 (m, 1 H), 2.70Ð3.01 (m, 3 H), 3.18 (s, 3 H), 4.00
(s, 3 H), 7.27 (d, 1 H, J = 7.7 Hz), 7.66 (t, 1 H, J = 7.9 Hz), 7.92 (d,
1 H, J = 8.1 Hz), 13.40 (s, 1 H), 13.77 (s, 1 H).
MS: m/z (% rel. intensity) = 368 (M+, 100), 352 (40), 336 (70), 296
(30), 280 (17).
25: mp 164Ð166¡C.
1H NMR (CDCl3): d = 1.30 (s, 3 H), 1.70Ð1.78 (m, 1 H), 2.07Ð2.13
(m, 1 H), 2.77Ð2.90 (m, 3 H), 2.98Ð3.04 (m, 1 H), 3.23 (s, 3 H), 4.06
(s, 3 H), 7.32 (d, 1 H, J = 8.5 Hz), 7.49 (s, 1 H), 7.70 (t, 1 H, J =
7.8 Hz), 7.93 (d, 1 H, J = 7.6 Hz), 13.32 (s, 1 H).
13C NMR (CDCl3): d = 20.85, 23.09, 30.89, 41.35, 49.17, 56.64,
72.00, 114.07, 117.95, 119.80, 120.06, 120.92, 129.69, 133.20,
135.47, 135.96, 143.88, 160.66, 160.74, 182.81, 188.83.
1H NMR (CDCl3): d = 1.18 (s, 3 H), 1.25Ð1.33 (m, 2 H), 1.65Ð1.74
(m, 1 H), 2.02Ð2.21 (m, 5 H), 2.49 (dd, 1 H, J = 16.5 Hz, 12 Hz),
3.15 (s, 3 H), 3.28 (dd, 1 H, J = 16.5 Hz, 3.9 Hz), 3.83 (s, 3 H), 3.90
(s, 3 H), 3.97 (s, 3 H), 6.83 (d, 1 H, J = 7.7 Hz), 7.46 (t, 1 H, J =
8.1 Hz), 7.62 (d, 1 H, J = 8.4 Hz).
IR (neat): n = 3345br w, 2968m, 2926s, 2849m, 1670m, 1625s,
1586s, 1445m, 1383m, 1298m, 1273s, 1251s, 1240s, 1105m, 739m
cmÐ1.
13C NMR (CDCl3): d = 21.34, 24.73, 31.15, 33.58, 33.84, 44.19,
48.56, 52.62, 56.41, 60.82, 63.24, 72.24, 72.42, 106.44, 114.25,
120.46, 123.51, 129.01, 130.52, 133.38, 147.97, 155.93, 158.67,
198.85.
MS: m/z (% rel. intensity) = 352 (M+, 20), 337 (15), 321 (30), 320
(100), 305 (58), 293 (12), 280 (14), 262 (9).
HRMS: m/z calcd for C21H20O5 352.1310, found 352.1302.
Anal calcd for C21H20O5: C, 71.58; H, 5.72. Found: C, 71.51; H,
6.01.
IR (neat): n = 2970s, 2920s, 2842m, 1681s, 1603m, 1557s, 1457m,
1432m, 1377m, 1362s, 1329s, 1273m, 1243m, 1069s, 1042m cmÐ1.
MS: m/z (% rel. intensity) = 384 (M+,1 00), 369 (40), 337 (5), 329
(9), 305 (7), 269 (7), 255 (6), 243 (11), 225 (5), 201 (5), 181 (5), 165 Acknowledgement
(8), 152 (6), 139 (5), 128 (5), 115 (7), 105 (5), 85 (34), 72 (15).
This work was supported by the National Institute of Health (CA
HRMS: m/z calcd for C23H28O5 384.1937, found 384.1958.
33589). The Department of Education provided a predoctoral fel-
lowship to J.S. The NMR instruments used were funded in part by
the NSF Chemical Instrumentation Program.
Anal calcd for C23H28O5: C, 71.85; H, 7.34. Found C, 71.74; H,
7.48.
Synthesis 1999, No. 3, 415–422 ISSN 0039-7881 © Thieme Stuttgart · New York