Synthesis of heliannuols A and K, allelochemicals from cultivar sunflowers and the marine metabolite helianane, unusual sesquiterpenes containing a benzoxocane ring system

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.tet.2006.11.014

Synthesis of the allelochemicals heliannuols A and K, and the sesquiterpene helianane is described. A regioselective cleavage of a benzo-fused oxabicyclo(5.1.0)octane system under hydrogenation as well as radical induced condition was developed to generat

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.tet.2006.11.014

Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
Synthesis of heliannuols A and K, allelochemicals from cultivar
sunflowers and the marine metabolite helianane, unusual
sesquiterpenes containing a benzoxocane ring system
*
Subrata Ghosh, Kazi Tuhina, Dipal R. Bhowmik and Ramanathapuram V. Venkateswaran
Department of Organic Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032, India
Received 9 August 2006; revised 19 October 2006; accepted 2 November 2006
Available online 21 November 2006
Abstract—Synthesis of the allelochemicals heliannuols A and K, and the sesquiterpene helianane is described. A regioselective cleavage of
a benzo-fused oxabicyclo(5.1.0)octane system under hydrogenation as well as radical induced condition was developed to generate the basic
benzoxocane ring system of these unusual sesquiterpenes.
Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
a hitherto unknown benzoxocane ring system. The structure
and relative stereochemistry was established from extensive
spectral and single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. This,
together with its siblings heliannuols B–E 2–5,2 provides
an interesting complement of benzo-fused six-, seven- and
eight-membered cyclic ether skeletons and is believed to
be involved in the allelopathic activity displayed by these
flowers. Heliannuols F–L 6–12, the oxidised variants of
some of these main compounds, have also been isolated
from these flowers subsequently.3 Allelopathy, which is con-
cerned with biochemical plant–plant and plant–microorgan-
ism interactions, including positive and negative effects, has
been proposed as a possible alternate weed management
policy.4 The ongoing concern on the natural ecological bal-
ance and the risk posed by the indiscriminate use of synthetic
The development of a variety of chemicals as herbicides
constitutes an important aspect of agricultural research.
However, the exceedingly high cost of such chemical control
agents, and the increasing awareness on their potential envi-
ronment hazards have persuaded a fresh look at devising
alternate ways of weed control. Sunflowers are cultivated
in many parts of the world for production of oil. The plant
(Helianthus annus) is also a rich source of a variety of natu-
ral products like sesquiterpenes and other plant metabolites
displaying a wide spectrum of biological activity including
allelopathic activity. Heliannuol A 11 was the first member
in a new group of phenolic sesquiterpenes isolated from
the cultivar sunflowers and is distinctive in that it possesses
14
6
HO
OH
HO
HO
7
8
HO
HO
9
1
2
5
OH
10
15
O 11
4
O
O
O
O
3
O
13
12
OH
4
5
1
2
3
OH
OH
OH
OH
O
O
O
HO
HO
HO
HO
HO
O
O
O
10
O
6
7
9
8
OH
OH
OH
OH
HO
HO
O
OH
O
O
O
13
11
12
Keywords: Allelochemical; Heliannuols A and K; Helianane; Benzoxocane ring system; Regioselective cleavage of benzo-fused oxabicyclo(5.1.0)octane.
* Corresponding author. Fax: +91 33 24732805; e-mail: ocrvv@iacs.res.in
0040–4020/$ - see front matter Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.tet.2006.11.014

S. Ghosh et al. / Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
645
pesticides has provided a new impetus for the exploration
R
R
i
of allelochemicals and their analogues as useful pest con-
trol agents obviating the hazardous side effects. In this con-
text heliannuols, possessing significant allelopathic activity
as natural herbicide models, have been very attractive tar-
gets for synthetic investigations from many laboratories.5
Helianane 13,6 the C-5, C-10 deoxygenated ally of 1, inter-
estingly has been isolated from a marine sponge and differs
from 1 in the configuration of the stereogenic centre bearing
the secondary methyl group. This would suggest an interest-
ing biogenesis of these two compounds and it has been sug-
gested that while implicating bisabolene as the biogenetic
precursor an interesting situation develops during the forma-
tion of the initial chirality, with the chiral centre emerging
along two antipodal directions, one in plants as 5R and an-
other in marine sponges as 5S.6 We have initiated a compre-
hensive programme directed to the synthesis of the above
compounds and have reported the synthesis of heliannuols
A 1,7C 38 and D 49 and helianane 13.10 In this paper we pro-
vide the full details of our synthesis of heliannuols A 1 and K
11 and the successful transformation of a model compound
to helianane 13.
OH
O
O
14
15
a. R = H
a. R = H
b. R = OMe, 50%
b. R = OMe
ii
R
R
iii
OH
O
O
COOR'
16
17
a. R = R' = H, 70%
a. R = H, 80%
b. R = OMe, 80%
b. R = H, R' = Me, 95%
c. R = OMe, R' = H, 85%
d. R = OMe, R' = Me, 95%
iv
R
O
O
18
2. Results and discussion
a. R = H, 60%
b. R = OMe
The crucial points to be taken care of in any effort to the syn-
thesis of 1 are the incorporation of the gem-dimethyl group
on C-11 and the stereochemistry at the two chiral centres.
In formulating a synthetic approach to 1, we proposed the
initial development of a synthetic protocol for 5-deoxy-
heliannuol A 23a with a two-fold objective. Primarily, if a
methodology is developed for 23a, it can then be applied to
a suitable 5-hydroxy substituted starting material (or a pro-
tected variant) for transformation to 1. Furthermore, it was
envisaged that removal of the secondary hydroxy group in
23a would also lead to a synthesis of helianane 13. We de-
scribe herein the successful materialisation of this proposal.
Scheme 1. Reagents and conditions: (i) KOH, ethylene glycol, reflux, 2 h;
(ii) (a) CHCl3, NaOH, acetone, reflux, 5 h; (b) CH2N2, ether; (iii) LiAlH4,
ether, reflux, 4 h; (iv) PCC, CH2Cl2, rt, 24 h.
carbonyl–ene cyclisations to lead to common rings has
precedent,13 but the present case appeared to be the first in-
stance of such cyclisation to lead to a seven-membered ring.
This benzoxepinenone 18a could also be obtained in a mod-
erate yield directly from the acid 16a following our previous
intramolecular acylation procedure involving treatment with
thionyl chloride (Scheme 2).14
The ready availability of the unsaturated ketone 18a in a sin-
gle step from the alcohol 17a (or the acid 16a) encouraged us
to proceed further with the synthesis involving transfor-
mation of this seven-membered ring compound to the benz-
oxocane ring system enshrined in 1 and 13. This required
a regioselective one-carbon ring expansion with retention
of the carbonyl group in the same carbon atom. Catalytic
hydrogenation of 18a in presence of palladium carbon
furnished the benzoxepanone 19 in quantitative yield. In
keeping with our previous experience,11 this ketone was sub-
jected to a ring expansion with ethyl diazoacetate in presence
of borontrifluoride etherate, anticipating a regioselective ho-
mologation involving migration of the less sterically encum-
bered primary bond adjacent to the keto-group to lead to
the b-keto ester 20 (Scheme 3). However, under various
The synthesis began with the known styrenol 15a, which had
previously been employed by us in a synthesis of some
marine sesquiterpenes.11 This was subjected to a Bargellini
reaction,12 which provides a ready methodology for the
incorporation of a geminal dialkyl group through alkylation
onto alcohols, which had also been capitalised by other
workers. In the event, reaction of 15a with chloroform and
acetone in presence of powdered sodium hydroxide fur-
nished the gem-dimethyl incorporated carboxylic acid 16a
in 70% yield as a semisolid and was characterised as the
corresponding methyl ester 16b, obtained quantitatively on
treatment with diazomethane. This ester was then reduced
with lithium aluminium hydride to furnish the carbinol 17a
in excellent yield. In the next step of the synthesis, the car-
binol 17a was subjected to treatment with PCC in methylene
chloride to obtain the corresponding aldehyde. However, the
only product isolated in moderate yield was the benzoxepi-
nenone 18a, arising from the intermediate aldehyde under-
going an intramolecular aldo–ene reaction followed by
reoxidation (Scheme 1). The structural assignment followed
readily from the spectral data. In the IR the carbonyl absorp-
R
R
i
O
O
O
COOH
18
16
a. R = H, 45%
b. R = OMe, 33%
1
a. R = H
c. R = OMe
tion was seen at 1648 cmꢀ1. In the H NMR, the vinylic
methyl and the olefinic hydrogens appeared at d 2.32
and 6.27, respectively. PCC induced intramolecular
Scheme 2. Reagents and conditions: (i) SOCl2, benzene, reflux, 3 h.

646
S. Ghosh et al. / Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
Encouraged by the successful development of the above pro-
CO2Et
O
cedure for a synthesis of 5-deoxyheliannuol A, efforts were
then taken to apply the sequence of transformations to a suit-
ably C-4 substituted derivative of the styrenol 15a. Our focus
fell on methoxy group as the appropriate substituent, since
this functionality was unlikely to be affected under the reac-
tion conditions employed in the synthesis of 23a and further-
more, the demethylation of 5-O-methylheliannuol A to 1
had been reported earlier.5a 4,7-Dimethyl-6-hydroxycou-
marin was methylated to 14b under standard conditions in-
volving reaction with methyl iodide in refluxing acetone in
presence of potassium carbonate. This coumarin 14b was
then subjected to a decarboxylative hydrolysis by refluxing
an ethylene glycol solution with added potassium hydroxide
and afforded the required methoxy protected styrenol 15b.
Bargellini condensation of this styrenol with chloroform
and acetone in presence of sodium hydroxide proceeded
smoothly furnishing the gem-dimethyl substituted carb-
oxylic acid 16c in 85% yield as a very viscous liquid and
was characterised as the methyl ester 16d, obtained from
reaction with diazomethane. Reduction of the ester 16d
with lithium aluminium hydride generated the carbinol
17b (80%) for carrying out the next step of PCC oxidation,
as for 17a, to obtain the methoxy benzoxopinenone 18b
(Scheme 1). However, in this particular case the oxidation
resulted in only a complex mixture of products and no
benzoxopinenone derivative could be identified. Since the
further continuation of the synthesis entirely hinged on the
preparation of the methoxy benzoxopinenone 18b, a modifi-
cation in the oxidation step was deemed in order. To this end,
the carbinol 17b was subjected to an oxidation under Swern
condition employing oxalyl chloride and dimethyl sulfoxide
furnishing the aldehyde 24, in good yield (80%). When this
aldehyde was treated with PCC, it underwent the expected
aldo–ene cyclisation and reoxidation to deliver the methoxy
benzoxopinenone 25, in a moderate yield as a mixture of
exocyclic and endocyclic isomers. Brief treatment of this
mixture in THF with a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid
resulted in the isomerisation of the exo-isomer to the more
stable endo-isomer and the desired benzoxopinenone 18b
was obtained in an overall yield of 40% (Scheme 5). Appli-
cation of the single-step procedure to the acid 16c involving
reaction with thionyl chloride also resulted in an intramolec-
ular cyclisation to furnish the same unsaturated ketone 18b
in a moderate yield (Scheme 2). This unsaturated ketone
was transformed to the 5-methoxy benzoxocanone 22b,
following the previously established sequence of reactions
(Scheme 4). Thus, reaction of 18b with diazomethane in
presence of palladium acetate furnished the cyclopropyl
ketone 21b, which on catalytic hydrogenation delivered
the benzoxocanone 22b (O-methyl heliannuol K) in good
overall yield. Reduction of 22b with sodium borohydride
proceeded in a stereocontrolled manner as before to afford
O-methyl heliannuol A 23b whose spectral data matched
with reported values.5a Demethylation of 23b to heliannuol
A 1 has already been reported,5a thus concluding a formal
synthesis of this allelochemical. The synthesis of heliannuol
K 11 was completed by demethylation of 22b employing
in situ generated iodotrimethyl silane15 furnishing 11 in
i
18a
O
O
20
O
19
Scheme 3. Reagents and conditions: (i) H2, Pd–C (10%), EtOH.
conditions tried, the benzoxepanone 19 remained obdurately
unchanged. Change of catalyst to triethyloxonium fluorobo-
rate also did not yield any desired result. Searching for alter-
native methods for effecting the crucial ring expansion, we
reverted to the unsaturated ketone 18a. It was proposed to
convert this to the cyclopropyl ketone 21a, anticipating that
under reduction conditions, a selective cleavage of the
more labile internal bond will ensue leading to the desired
benzoxocanone 22a. With this in view the benzoxopinenone
18a was treated with diazomethane in presence of a catalytic
amount of palladium acetate affording the cyclopropyl
ketone 21a in very good yield. This cyclopropyl ketone,
when subjected to catalytic hydrogenation underwent the ex-
pected selective bond fission delivering the benzoxocanone
22a exclusively in excellent yield. The presence of a single
secondary methyl group in the 1H NMR spectrum established
the structural identity of the compound since in the event
of any other bond cleavage it would have resulted in a
seven-membered ring compound containing an additional
secondary methyl group or a gem-dimethyl group. Thus,
the development of a novel process for the generation of an
eight-membered ring system through the selective cleavage
of the central bond in a cyclopropane annulated cycloheptane
ring has provided a ready access to the benzoxocane ring
system of 1 and 13. It is expected that this methodology,
with its implied potential, will find future applications in syn-
thesis. Reduction of the ketone 22a with sodium borohydride
in methanol furnished 5-deoxyheliannuol A 23a in a stereo-
controlled manner (Scheme 4). Although conformational
flexibility is associated with the oxocane ring system, the
secondary methyl group at C-7 would seem to direct the
incoming hydride from the opposite side leading to the ob-
served stereocontrol. This assignment has also an analogy
in a previous synthesis of 1.5a The assigned stereochemistry
was further confirmed from NOE experiments between the
C-7 and C-10 hydrogens.
R
R
i
O
O
O
O
18
21
a. R = H
b. R = OMe
a. R = H, 90%
b. R = OMe, 72%
ii
R
R
iii
O
OH
O
O
22
23
1
a. R = H, 80%
b. R = OMe, 90%
a. R = H, 95%
b. R = OMe, 90%
30% yield (Scheme 6). The H NMR spectral features of
synthetic 11 matched with those reported3a for the natural
compound establishing the identity. Additionally, reduc-
tion of 11 with sodium borohydride in methanol afforded
Scheme 4. Reagents and conditions: (i) CH2N2, Pd(OAc)2 (cat.), ether, 0 ꢁC,
4 h; (ii) H2, Pd–C (10%), EtOH; (iii) NaBH4, MeOH, rt, 4 h.

S. Ghosh et al. / Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
647
heliannuol A 1 in 66% yield, whose spectral characteristics
were also in agreement with the reported values.5f
29 and subjected to reaction with tri-n-butyltin hydride, it
underwent the expected selective cleavage of the cyclopro-
pane central bond affording the ring-enlarged alkene 30 in
good overall yield (Scheme 7). The presence of two olefinic
hydrogens in the 1H NMR spectrum in combination with the
appropriate features for the other hydrogens matching with
the values reported previously,18 attested to the formation
of this alkene. Catalytic hydrogenation of this alkene in pres-
ence of palladium carbon furnished helianane 13, spectro-
scopically identical with the sample previously synthesised
in this laboratory.10
MeO
MeO
i
OH
O
O
CHO
24, 80%
17b
ii
MeO
MeO
iii
O
O
ii
i
O
23a
O
18b, 90%
OH
OC(S)SMe
25, 40%
O
Scheme 5. Reagents and conditions: (i) (COCl)2, DMSO, CH2Cl2, ꢀ68 ꢁC,
27, 59%
26, 72%
45 min; (ii) PCC, CH2Cl2, rt, 24 h; (iii) H2SO4 (cat.), THF, 24 h.
iii
ii
21a
OR
O
HO
O
30, 66%
iv
MeO
i
O
28 R = H, 97%
O
O
O
i
29 R = C(S)SMe, 81%
22b
11, 30%
ii
O
HO
13, 92%
OH
O
Scheme 7. Reagents and conditions: (i) NaH, CS2, MeI, THF, rt, 18 h;
(ii) nBu3SnH, AIBN, toluene, reflux, 4 h; (iii) NaBH4, MeOH, rt, 4 h;
(iv) H2, Pd–C (10%), EtOH.
1, 66%
Scheme 6. Reagents and conditions: (i) (CH3)3SiCl, NaI, CH3CN, reflux,
48 h; (ii) NaBH4, MeOH, rt, 4 h.
In summary, a novel construction of the benzoxocane ring
system enshrined in the sesquiterpenes heliannuol A, K and
helianane has been developed in which an intramolecular
aldo–ene cyclisation to generate a benzoxepane ring system
and a ring enlargement involving a selective central bond
cleavage in a cyclopropane annulated cycloheptane ring are
the key steps. It is anticipated that these methodologies will
have wider implications in the generation of complex ring
systems of sesquiterpenes and related natural products.
It will be recalled that the synthesis of 5-deoxyheliannuol A
23a was undertaken with the additional objective of trans-
forming this to helianane 13, through a deoxygenation. For
this we proposed to employ the well established Barton–
McCombie radical induced deoxygenation of the corre-
sponding S-methyl thionocarbonate.16 Towards this, 23a
was converted to the thionocarbonate 26 by interaction with
carbon disulfide and methyl iodide in presence of sodium
hydride. When this derivative was subjected to a radical re-
action with tri-n-butyltin hydride, the only product isolated
in moderate yield was curcuphenol 2717 arising from a frag-
mentation induced by the generated radical (Scheme 7).
Seemingly, the stability of the phenoxy radical resulting
from a cleavage took precedence to reduction. In view of
this turn of events, it was decided to harness the cyclopropyl
ketone 21a for achieving the desired result. Reduction of this
ketone with sodium borohydride furnished the carbinol 28 in
excellent yield as a single isomer. No effort was made to
establish the stereochemistry of this alcohol since it was
not considered relevant to subsequent steps. We argued
that if this carbinol is subjected to the same radical deoxy-
genation, a cleavage of the cyclopropyl ring will take place
in preference to fragmentation to a phenol. Furthermore, it
was also anticipated that the selectivity in the cleavage of
the cyclopropane ring will follow the same pattern encoun-
tered in the hydrogenation of 21a. Following this argument,
when the carbinol 28 was converted to the thionocarbonate
3. Experimental
3.1. General
Melting points are uncorrected. Purity of products was rou-
tinely monitored by TLC. Preparative TLC was performed
with silica gel 60 HF254 plates of 1 mm thickness. The petro-
leum ether used is that fraction of bp 60–80 ꢁC. Na2SO4
was used to dry organic extracts. The IR spectra are of
CHCl3 solutions. 1H NMR spectra of CDCl3 solutions were
recorded at 300 MHz and 13C NMR spectra at 75 MHz.
3.1.1. Methyl-2-methyl-2-(20-isopropenyl-50-methyl) phen-
oxy-propionate (16b). Powdered NaOH (14 g, 350 mmol)
was added in small portions with stirring to a solution of
2-isopropenyl-5-methyl phenol 15a (5.52 g, 37.3 mmol) in
acetone (50 mL). The mixture became warm and was cooled
to about 35 ꢁC. To this stirred solution chloroform (15 mL)

648
S. Ghosh et al. / Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
was added within 10 min. The reaction mixture was then
refluxed for 5 h, cooled, concentrated to one-third of its
volume and diluted with water (20 mL). It was acidified with
6 M HCl and extracted thoroughly with ether (50 mLꢂ3).
The combined ethereal extract was further extracted with
saturated aqueous NaHCO3 (50 mLꢂ3). The alkaline aque-
ous part was neutralised with cold 6 M HCl, extracted with
ether (30 mLꢂ3), washed with brine (20 mLꢂ2) and dried.
The solvent was removed to afford the phenoxy propionic
acid 16a (5.07 g, 70%) as a semisolid residue. This acid
was esterified with diazomethane to furnish the methyl ester
16b, which was purified by column chromatography over
silica gel eluting with petroleum ether–ethyl acetate (20:1)
to give the ester 16b as a colourless liquid (5.10 g, 95%). IR
1750 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 7.07 (d, 1H, J¼7 Hz),
6.76 (d, 1H, J¼7.6 Hz), 6.49 (s, 1H), 5.07 (br s, 1H), 5.01
(br s, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H), 2.26 (s, 3H), 2.11 (s, 3H), 1.50 (s,
6H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 175.6, 152.8, 144.9, 138.1,
133.7, 129.9, 123.2, 118.8, 115.3, 79.8, 52.8, 25.6, 25.6,
23.6, 20.7. Anal. Calcd for C15H20O3: C, 72.55; H, 8.12.
Found: C, 72.52; H, 7.95.
distilled thionyl chloride (234 mg, 1.97 mmol). The reaction
mixture was heated under reflux for 3 h. It was then cooled
and excess thionyl chloride was removed by azeotropic
distillation under vacuum with fresh addition of benzene
(5 mLꢂ3). The residue was extracted with ether (20 mLꢂ
3), washed with brine and water, dried and concentrated.
The crude residue was subjected to column chromatography
over silica gel. Elution with petroleum ether–ethyl acetate
(19:1) afforded the benzoxepinenone 18a (83 mg, 45%)
as a colourless liquid spectroscopically identical with the
sample above.
3.1.5. 2,2,5,8-Tetramethyl-1-benzoxepan-3-one (19). The
unsaturated ketone 18a (200 mg, 0.869 mmol) in double dis-
tilled ethanol was subjected to hydrogenation in the presence
of 10% Pd–C (50 mg) as catalyst at atmospheric pressure.
After 1.5 h it was filtered and concentrated. The residual
oil was purified by column chromatography over silica gel.
Elution with petroleum ether–ethyl acetate (20:1) furnished
the benzoxepanone 19 (180 mg, 90%) as colourless oil. IR
1710 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 7.02 (d, 1H, J¼7.5 Hz),
6.89 (d, 1H, J¼7.5 Hz), 6.76 (s, 1H), 3.19–3.09 (m, 2H),
2.91–2.86 (m, 1H), 2.27 (s, 3H), 1.42 (s, 3H), 1.32 (d, 3H,
J¼6.6 Hz), 1.28 (s, 3H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 214.7,
153.6, 137.6, 132.9, 130.0, 125.9, 125.3, 88.2, 45.1, 33.7,
25.4, 24.6, 23.5, 21.1. Anal. Calcd for C14H18O2: C, 77.03;
H, 8.31. Found: C, 77.13; H, 8.26.
3.1.2. 2-Methyl-2-(20-isopropenyl-50-methyl phenoxy)
propan-1-ol (17a). To a magnetically stirred slurry of
LiAlH4 (2.14 g, 45 mmol) in dry ether (100 mL) was added
dropwise a solution of the ester 16b (7 g, 30 mmol) in dry
ether (50 mL). The reaction mixture was refluxed for 4 h,
cooled and then decomposed with cold saturated aqueous
Na2SO4 solution. The ether layer was separated and the
aqueous layer was extracted with ether (30 mLꢂ2). The
combined ether extracts were washed with brine, dried and
concentrated to afford an oil, which was purified by column
chromatography over silica gel eluting with petroleum
ether–ethyl acetate (9:1) to furnish the alcohol 17a as a col-
ourless liquid (5.27 g, 80%). IR 3440 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz,
CDCl3) 7.07 (d, 1H, J¼8.1 Hz), 6.85 (m, 2H), 5.18 (br s,
1H), 5.04 (br s, 1H), 3.52 (s, 2H), 2.31 (s, 3H), 2.10
(s, 3H), 1.27 (s, 6H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 151.8, 144.8,
137.7, 135.4, 129.0, 124.0, 123.7, 115.4, 81.8, 70.5, 23.7,
23.4, 23.4, 21.2. Anal. Calcd for C14H20O2: C, 76.32; H,
9.15. Found: C, 76.12; H, 9.07.
3.1.6. 2,6,6,10-Tetramethyl-7-oxa-tricyclo[6.4.01,8.02,4]-
dodec-1,9,11-trien-5-one (21a). To a stirred solution of
the unsaturated ketone 18a (1 g, 4 mmol) and Pd(OAc)2
(10 mg) in dry ether (15 mL), a large excess of ethereal
diazomethane solution was added dropwise at 0 ꢁC and the
resulting mixture was stirred continuously at room tempera-
ture for 12 h. The oil, after removal of ether, was purified by
column chromatography over silica gel and eluted with pe-
troleum ether–ethyl acetate (49:1) to furnish the cyclopropyl
ketone 21a (600 mg, 60%) as a colourless oil. The yield was
90% based on the recovered starting material (200 mg). IR
1675 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 7.23 (d, 1H, J¼7.9 Hz),
6.92 (d, 1H, J¼7.9 Hz), 6.71 (s, 1H), 3.09–3.06 (m, 1H),
2.28 (s, 3H), 2.13–2.08 (m, 2H), 1.52 (s, 6H), 1.24 (s, 3H).
dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 211.1, 152.8, 137.5, 132.6, 128.5,
125.9, 125.8, 88.3, 39.1, 27.8, 27.7, 26.2, 23.4, 21.8, 21.1.
Anal. Calcd for C15H18O2: C, 78.23; H, 7.88. Found: C,
78.55; H, 7.72.
3.1.3. 2,3-Dihydro-2,2,5,8-tetramethyl-1-benzoxepin-
4-en-3-one (18a). To a magnetically stirred suspension of
PCC (1 g, 4.7 mmol) in DCM (10 mL) was added the styre-
nol 17a (520 mg, 2.3 mmol) in DCM (10 mL) in one portion.
After stirring overnight, dry ether (50 mL) was added and
the supernatant liquid was decanted from the black gum.
The insoluble residue was washed thoroughly with ether
(25 mL). The combined organic extract was concentrated
and the residual oil was purified by column chromatography
over silica gel using petroleum ether–ethyl acetate (19:1) as
the eluent to afford the benzoxepinenone 18a (353 mg, 60%)
as a colourless liquid. IR 1648 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3)
7.34 (d, 1H, J¼8.1 Hz), 7.01 (d, 1H, J¼8.1 Hz), 6.94 (s, 1H),
6.27 (br s, 1H), 2.36 (s, 3H), 2.32 (s, 3H), 1.34 (s, 6H). dC
(75 MHz, CDCl3) 203.0, 153.9, 146.6, 141.8, 128.1, 125.1,
124.5, 113.5, 86.7, 25.3, 24.2, 24.2, 23.0, 21.2. Anal. Calcd
for C14H16O2: C, 77.7; H, 7.46. Found: C, 77.7; H, 7.40.
3.1.7. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-1-benzoxocan-3-one (22a). The
cyclopropyl ketone 21a (200 mg, 0.8 mmol) in double dis-
tilled ethanol (3 mL) was hydrogenated using 10% Pd–C
(50 mg) as catalyst at atmospheric pressure. After 2 h it
was filtered and the solvent was removed under reduced
pressure. The residual oil was purified by column chromato-
graphy over silica gel and eluted with petroleum ether–ethyl
acetate (49:1) to afford the cyclic ketone 22a (180 mg, 95%)
as a colourless oil. IR 1710 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3)
7.05 (d, 1H, J¼7.8 Hz). 6.91 (d, 1H, J¼7.8 Hz), 6.76 (s,
1H), 3.15–3.10 (m, 1H), 2.50–2.44 (m, 2H), 2.28 (s, 3H),
2.02–1.97 (m, 1H), 1.62–1.58 (m, 1H), 1.51 (s, 3H), 1.45
(s, 3H), 1.31 (d, 3H, J¼6.9 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3)
212.0, 152.8, 136.1, 127.2, 126.1, 125.9, 125.9, 86.1, 35.9,
34.6, 33.7, 24.4, 23.3, 20.8, 20.3. Anal. Calcd for
C15H20O2: C, 77.55; H, 8.68. Found: C, 77.46; H, 8.65.
3.1.4. Direct preparation of 18a from acid 16a. To a
solution of the phenoxy propionic acid 16a (200 mg,
0.855 mmol) in dry benzene (15 mL) was added freshly

S. Ghosh et al. / Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
649
3.1.8. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-1-benzoxocan-3-ol, 5-de-
oxyheliannuol A (23a). The above ketone 22a (50 mg,
0.2 mmol) in methanol (1 mL) was cooled to 0 ꢁC (ice
bath) and NaBH4 (20 mg, 0.4 mmol) was added portionwise
with stirring and left overnight. Next day it was diluted
with twice its volume of water and extracted with ether
(10 mLꢂ2). The combined ethereal extract was washed
with water, dried and concentrated. The residual oil was pu-
rified by thin layer chromatography. Elution with petroleum
ether–ethyl acetate (19:1) afforded the alcohol 23a (41 mg,
80%) as a colourless liquid. IR 3440 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz,
CDCl3) 7.06 (d, 1H, J¼9 Hz), 6.90 (d, 1H, J¼9 Hz), 6.79
(s, 1H), 3.40 (d, 1H, J¼9 Hz), 3.20–3.15 (m, 1H), 2.29 (s,
3H), 2.0–1.96 (m, 4H), 1.66–1.54 (br, 1H), 1.45 (s, 3H),
1.40 (s, 3H), 1.26 (d, 3H, J¼9 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3)
153.0, 138.2, 136.0, 126.1, 126.0, 125.9, 125.5, 83.4, 36.5,
32.9, 32.2, 26.1, 23.5, 21.3, 21.3. Anal. Calcd for
C15H22O2: C, 76.88; H, 9.46. Found: C, 76.82; H, 9.40.
After 25 min, NEt3 (6.58 g, 66 mmol) was added. After
15 min the cooling bath was removed and the reaction was
quenched with water (50 mL). The reaction mixture was par-
titioned between water and DCM. The organic layer was
washed with water and brine and then dried. Removal of sol-
vent afforded the aldehyde 24 as a colourless oil (2.6 g,
80%). IR 1735 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 9.76 (s, 1H),
6.56 (s, 1H), 6.49 (s, 1H), 5.05 (d, 1H, J¼1.6 Hz), 4.97 (d,
1H, J¼1.23 Hz), 3.70 (s, 3H), 2.05 (s, 3H), 2.03 (s, 3H),
1.25 (s, 6H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 203.9, 153.8, 145.4,
145.2, 135.7, 126.5, 123.6, 115.9, 111.6, 84.5, 56.0, 23.8,
22.2, 22.1, 16.3. This was directly used in the next step with-
out further purification.
To a magnetically stirred suspension of PCC (4.5 g,
20.9 mmol) in DCM (70 mL) was added the styrene alde-
hyde 24 (2.55 g, 10.3 mmol) in DCM (20 mL) in one por-
tion. After stirring for 24 h, dry ether (100 mL) was added
and the supernatant liquid was decanted from the black
gum. The insoluble residue was washed thoroughly with
ether (50 mL). The combined organic extract was concen-
trated and the residual oil contained a mixture of exocyclic
and endocyclic isomers (1H NMR). Brief treatment of this
isomeric mixture in THF with a few drops of dilute H2SO4
resulted in isomerisation to the desired endocyclic isomer
as yellow coloured viscous oil. It was purified by column
chromatography over silica gel. Elution with petroleum
ether–ethyl acetate (49:1) afforded the benzoxepinenone
18b (1.02 g, 40%) as a colourless solid, which was crys-
tallised from petroleum ether, mp 117–118 ꢁC. IR
1647 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.90 (s, 1H), 6.80 (s,
1H), 6.28 (s, 1H), 3.84 (s, 3H), 2.33 (s, 3H), 2.23 (s, 3H),
1.32 (s, 6H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 203.4, 154.2, 147.4,
146.5, 130.5, 128.6, 128.5, 125.9, 108.7, 86.9, 55.7, 25.2,
24.1, 24.1, 16.1. Anal. Calcd for C15H18O3: C, 73.17; H,
7.32. Found: C, 73.31; H, 7.38. This was also prepared in
33% yield directly from the acid 16c employing the thionyl
chloride procedure.
3.1.9. 2-Isopropenyl-4-methoxy-5-methyl phenol (15b).
4,7-Dimethyl-6-methoxy coumarin 14b (13 g, 74.7 mmol)
was added portionwise to a solution of KOH (18 g,
321 mmol) in water (8 mL) and ethylene glycol (120 mL)
and the reaction mixture was refluxed for 2 h. It was cooled
and poured into crushed ice and extracted with ether
(50 mLꢂ3). The organic layer was washed with brine and
dried. The residue after removal of solvent was distilled to
afford the styrenol 15b (5.7 g, 50%), bp 108–110 ꢁC/1 mm
Hg. dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.50 (s, 1H), 6.38 (s, 1H), 5.13
(br s, 1H), 5.13 (br s, 1H), 4.90 (s, 1H), 3.54 (s, 3H), 1.96 (s,
3H), 1.89 (s, 3H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 151.7, 145.8, 142.8,
127.7, 126.6, 118.3, 115.8, 110.2, 56.4, 24.5, 16.3. Anal. Calcd
for C11H14O2: C, 74.16; H, 7.86. Found: C, 74.11; H, 7.85.
3.1.10. Methyl-2-methyl-2-(20-isopropenyl-40-methoxy-
50-methyl) phenoxy-propionate (16d). The styrenol 15b
was converted to the phenoxy propionic acid 16c in 70%
yield as a semisolid product following conditions as for
16a and was esterified with diazomethane to furnish the ester
16d in 95% yield as a colourless liquid. IR 1751 cmꢀ1; dH
(300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.64 (s, 1H), 6.59 (s, 1H), 5.09 (br s,
1H), 5.03 (br s, 1H), 3.79 (s, 3H), 3.78 (s, 3H), 2.14 (s,
3H), 2.13 (s, 3H), 1.49 (s, 6H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3)
175.3, 153.0, 145.5, 145.1, 135.1, 125.8, 122.2, 115.0,
111.2, 80.1, 55.6, 52.3, 25.3, 25.0, 23.3, 16.1. Anal. Calcd
for C16H22O4: C, 69.06; H, 7.91. Found: C, 68.20; H, 7.84.
3.1.13. 2,6,6,10-Tetramethyl-11-methoxy-7-oxa-tricy-
clo[6.4.01,8.02,4]dodec-1,9,11-trien-5-one (21b). This was
prepared from the unsaturated ketone 18b following proce-
dure for 18a and obtained as a colourless solid in 72% yield.
Crystallised from ether–petroleum ether, mp 78–79 ꢁC. IR
1678 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.79 (s, 1H), 6.68 (s,
1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 2.93 (t, 1H, J¼5.1 Hz), 2.13 (s, 3H),
2.10 (m, 1H), 1.53 (s, 3H), 1.48 (s, 3H), 1.26 (s, 3H), 1.22
(m, 1H). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 210.7, 154.6, 145.8, 133.0,
126.7, 125.2, 110.2, 87.7, 55.7, 38.1, 27.1, 26.7, 25.8,
23.1, 21.1, 15.6. Anal. Calcd for C16H20O3: C, 73.85; H,
7.69. Found: C, 73.68; H, 7.93.
3.1.11. 2-Methyl-2-(20-isopropenyl-40-methoxy-50-methyl
phenoxy) propan-1-ol (17b). The ester 16b was reduced
with LiAlH4 as for 17a to afford the alcohol 17b in 80%
yield as a colourless oil. dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.79 (s, 1H),
6.63 (s, 1H), 5.19 (br s, 1H), 5.07 (br s, 1H), 3.79 (s, 3H),
3.51 (s, 2H), 2.17 (s, 3H), 2.13 (s, 3H), 1.23 (s, 6H). dC
(75 MHz, CDCl3) 153.4, 145.2, 144.6, 136.2, 136.2, 125.9,
125.7, 115.4, 110.5, 81.4, 70.1, 55.4, 23.5, 23.3, 15.9. Anal.
Calcdfor C15H22O3:C, 72.0;H,8.80. Found:C,71.76;H,8.75.
3.1.14. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-8-methoxy-1-benzoxocan-3-
one (22b). The cyclopropyl ketone 21b was hydrogenated
following conditions as for 21a and afforded the cyclic
ketone 22b as a colourless oil in 90% yield. IR 1712 cmꢀ1
;
dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.73 (s, 1H), 6.57 (s, 1H), 3.77 (s,
3H), 3.15–3.09 (m, 1H), 2.55–2.44 (m, 2H), 2.14 (s, 3H),
2.0–1.94 (m, 1H), 1.73–1.68 (m, 1H), 1.48 (s, 3H), 1.44 (s,
3H), 1.35 (d, 3H, J¼5.1 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 212.9,
154.8, 145.9, 136.9, 127.4, 124.3, 108.7, 85.9, 55.4, 36.0,
34.6, 34.4, 24.3, 23.4, 20.4, 15.7. Anal. Calcd for
C16H22O3: C, 73.25; H, 8.45. Found: C, 72.96; H, 8.43.
3.1.12. 2,3-Dihydro-2,2,5,8-tetramethyl-7-methoxy-1-
benzoxepin-4-en-3-one (18b). To a solution of oxalyl chlo-
ride (3.35 g, 26 mmol) in DCM (30 mL), dimethyl sulfoxide
(4.12 g, 530 mmol) in DCM (4 mL) was added dropwise at
ꢀ68 ꢁC. After 6 min a solution of the alcohol 17b (3.3 mg,
132 mmol) in DCM (12 mL) was added to the complex.

650
S. Ghosh et al. / Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
3.1.15. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-8-methoxy-1-benzoxocan-3-
ol, O-methyl heliannuol A (23b). Reduction of the ketone
22b with NaBH4 as for 22a furnished O-methyl heliannuol
A 23b in 90% yield as a colourless oil. IR 3446 cmꢀ1; dH
(300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.66 (s, 1H), 6.53 (s, 1H), 3.72 (s, 3H),
3.31 (d, 1H, J¼8.9 Hz), 3.11 (m, 1H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.03–
1.94 (m, 2H), 1.92–1.85 (m, 2H), 1.70 (br s, 1H), 1.34 (s,
3H), 1.28 (s, 3H), 1.19 (d, 3H, J¼7 Hz). dC (75 MHz,
CDCl3) 154.8, 146.0, 138.9, 127.3, 124.1, 107.8, 83.0, 76.0,
55.9, 36.4, 33.2, 32.3, 26.0, 23.4, 21.4, 16.2. Anal. Calcd
for C16H24O3: C, 72.69; H, 9.15. Found: C, 72.53; H, 9.50.
(100 mg, 72%) as a yellow oil. dH (300 MHz, CDCl3) 7.08
(d, 1H, J¼9 Hz), 6.94 (d, 1H, J¼9 Hz), 6.78 (s, 1H), 5.32
(d, 1H, J¼9 Hz), 3.15–3.10 (m, 1H), 2.54 (s, 3H), 2.27 (s,
3H), 2.25–2.15 (m, 2H), 1.85–1.75 (m, 2H), 1.51 (s, 3H),
1.36 (s, 3H), 1.30 (d, 3H, J¼6 Hz).
A solution of the above S-methyl thionocarbonate 26(100 mg,
0.3 mmol) in dry toluene (3 mL) was heated to 80 ꢁC and
2,2-azobis (2-methyl) propionitrile (5 mg) was added fol-
lowed by tri-n-butyltin hydride (140 mg, 0.45 mmol) and
then heated under reflux under a nitrogen atmosphere for
4 h. Toluene was removed under vacuum and to the residue
saturated aqueous potassium fluoride (3 mL) was added
and stirred at room temperature for 5 h. The product was
extracted with ether (20 mLꢂ3) and the combined organic
layer was washed with brine, dried and concentrated to
afford a pale yellow oily residue, which was subjected to
preparative thin layer chromatography. Elution with petro-
leum ether–ethyl acetate (10:1) furnished curcuphenol 27
(40 mg, 59%) as a colourless oil. IR 3406 cmꢀ1; dH
(300 MHz, CDCl3) 7.02 (d, 1H, J¼6 Hz), 6.74 (d, 1H,
J¼6 Hz), 6.58 (s, 1H), 5.12 (t, 1H, J¼6 Hz), 3.0–2.93 (m,
1H), 2.27 (s, 3H), 1.70 (s, 3H), 1.97–1.90 (m, 2H), 1.68–1.54
(m, 2H), 1.51 (s, 3H), 1.22 (d, 3H, J¼6 Hz). dC (75 MHz,
CDCl3) 152.9, 136.5, 132.0, 129.9, 126.8, 124.6, 121.7,
116.1, 37.3, 31.4, 26.1, 25.7, 21.1, 20.9, 17.6. Anal. Calcd
for C15H22O: C, 82.56; H, 10.09. Found: C, 82.51; H, 9.89.
3.1.16. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-8-hydroxy-1-benzoxocan-
3-one, heliannuol K (11). To a solution of the ketone 22b
(150 mg, 0.573 mmol) and sodium iodide (103 mg,
0.687 mmol) in acetonitrile (3 mL), chlorotrimethylsilane
(0.07 mg, 0.69 mmol) was added slowly and the reaction
mixture was refluxed for 48 h. Then it was cooled, water
(5 mL) was added and extracted with ether (10 mLꢂ3).
The combined organic extract was washed with saturated
aqueous sodium thiosulfate and water and dried. The solvent
was removed and the residue subjected to thin layer chroma-
tography with petroleum ether–ethyl acetate (12:1) to fur-
nish heliannuol K 11 (30 mg, 30%) as colourless oil. IR
3404.1, 1708.8 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3): 6.70 (s, 1H),
6.55 (s, 1H), 3.06 (m, 1H), 2.47 (m, 2H), 2.17 (s, 3H),
1.95 (m, 2H), 1.49 (s, 3H), 1.43 (s, 3H), 1.27 (d, 3H,
J¼7.08 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3): 213.2, 151.2, 146.3,
137.9, 127.6, 121.7, 113.6, 86.0, 36.2, 34.7, 34.0, 24.6,
23.4, 20.5, 15.6. HRMS (m/z) [M+Na] calcd for C15H20O3:
271.1309, found: 271.1287.
3.1.19. 2,6,6,10-Tetramethyl-7-oxa-tricyclo[6.4.01,8.02,4]-
dodec-1,9,11-trien-5-ol (28). The cyclopropyl ketone 21a
(240 mg, 1.043 mmol) in methanol (8 mL) was cooled to
0 ꢁC (ice bath) and NaBH4 (77.6 mg, 2.09 mmol) was added
portionwise and stirring continued for 4 h. Then it was di-
luted with twice its volume of water and extracted with ether
(20 mLꢂ3). The combined ethereal extract was washed with
water, dried and concentrated. The residual oil was purified
by thin layer chromatography. Elution with petroleum ether–
ethyl acetate (9:1) afforded the alcohol 28 (235 mg, 97%) as
a colourless liquid. IR 3479 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz, CDCl3)
7.23 (d, 1H, J¼7.6 Hz), 6.89 (d, 1H, J¼7.6 Hz), 6.74 (s,
1H), 3.86 (d, 1H, J¼4.6 Hz), 2.32 (s, 3H), 1.53 (s, 3H),
1.39 (s, 3H), 1.36 (s, 3H), 0.91 (t, 2H, J¼4.7 Hz), 0.83
(dd, 1H, J¼8.7, 4.7 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 154.7,
138.1, 135.4, 130.3, 125.6, 123.9, 83.6, 74.3, 28.1, 26.9,
24.3, 23.3, 21.4, 18.6, 15.3. Anal. Calcd for C15H20O2: C,
77.58; H, 8.62. Found: C, 77.49; H, 8.55.
3.1.17. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-8-hydroxy-1-benzoxocan-3-
ol, heliannuol A (1). To an ice cold solution of heliannuol
K 11, obtained above, (22 mg, 0.089 mmol) in dry methanol
(2 mL) was added NaBH4 (6.6 mg, 0.18 mmol) and the reac-
tion mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h. Then it
was diluted with water (3 mL) and extracted with ether
(5 mLꢂ3). The combined ether extract was washed with
water (5 mlꢂ2) and dried. The residue after removal of the
solvent was purified by thin layer chromatography and
eluted with petroleum ether–ethyl acetate (9:1) to furnish
heliannuol A 1 (20 mg, 66%) as a colourless solid, mp
79–80 ꢁC. HRMS (m/z) [M+Na] calcd for C15H22O3:
273.1466, found: 273.1467. The spectral data matched
with those reported previously.5f
3.1.18. Attempted deoxygenation of 5-deoxyheliannuol A
23a. To a stirred suspension of NaH (60 mg, 1.2 mmol, 50%
dispersion in oil) in dry THF (3 mL) was added a solution of
5-deoxyheliannuol A 23a (100 mg, 0.4 mmol) in dry THF
(3 mL) and the mixture was stirred at room temperature
for 2 h. Carbon disulfide (0.6 mL, 9.95 mmol) and methyl
iodide (0.2 mL, 3.21 mmol) were added consecutively and
the mixture was stirred for 18 h. It was cooled in ice and sat-
urated aqueous ammonium chloride solution was added
dropwise followed by ether and the mixture was stirred for
15 min. The ether layer was separated and the aqueous layer
extracted with ether (10 mLꢂ3). The combined organic ex-
tract was washed with brine, dried and concentrated to afford
a yellow liquid. It was then subjected to column chromato-
graphy over silica gel. Elution with petroleum ether–ethyl
acetate (49:1) furnished the S-methyl thionocarbonate 26
3.1.20. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-5,6-dihydro-2H-benzo[b]-
oxocine (30). To a stirred suspension of NaH (77.6 mg,
1.6 mmol, 50% dispersion in oil) in dry THF (3 mL) was
added a solution of the alcohol 28 (250 mg, 1.07 mmol) in
dry THF (3 mL) and the mixture was stirred at room tem-
perature for 2 h. Carbon disulfide (1.62 mL, 26.9 mmol)
and methyl iodide (0.2 mL, 3.21 mmol) were added con-
secutively and the mixture was stirred for 18 h. The mixture
was cooled, and saturated ammonium chloride solution was
added dropwise, then ether was added and the mixture
was stirred for 15 min. The aqueous layer was extracted
thoroughly with ether. The combined organic extract was
washed with brine, dried and concentrated to afford a yellow
liquid. It was then subjected to column chromatography
over silica gel. Elution with petroleum ether–ethyl acetate
(49:1) furnished the S-methyl thionocarbonate 29 (280 mg,

S. Ghosh et al. / Tetrahedron 63 (2007) 644–651
651
81%) as a yellow oily liquid. IR 1500 cmꢀ1; dH (300 MHz,
CDCl3) 7.22 (d, 1H, J¼7.6 Hz), 6.88 (d, 1H, J¼7.6 Hz),
6.74 (s, 1H), 6.11 (d, 1H, J¼4.7 Hz), 2.30 (s, 3H), 1.71 (s,
3H), 1.64 (s, 3H), 1.38 (s, 3H), 1.26 (s, 3H), 0.89 (m, 1H),
0.45 (t, 2H, J¼4.9 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 213.8,
154.4, 137.6, 135.9, 130.5, 126.3, 124.0, 89.1, 83.9, 82.2,
28.1, 26.9, 23.6, 21.6, 21.5, 19.4, 16.7. Anal. Calcd for
C17H22O2S2: C, 63.35; H, 6.83. Found: C, 63.30; H, 6.78.
3. (a) Macias, F. A.; Varela, R. M.; Torres, A.; Molinillo, J. M. G.
J. Nat. Prod. 1999, 62, 1636–1639; (b) Macias, F. A.;
Torres, A.; Galindo, J. L. G.; Varela, R. M.; Alvarez, J. A.;
Molinillo, J. M. G. Phytochemistry 2002, 61, 687–692; The
structures of heliannuols G and H have recently been revised,
see: Morimoto, S.; Shindo, M.; Yoshida, M.; Shishido, K.
Tetrahedron Lett. 2006, 47, 7353–7356.
4. (a) Einhellig, F. A.; Leather, G. R. J. Chem. Ecol. 1998, 14,
1829–1844; (b) Worsham, A. D. Phytochemical Ecology:
Allelochemical, Micotoxins and Insect Pheromones and
Allomones; Chou, G. H., Waller, G. R., Eds.; Monograph
Series No. 9; Institute of Academica Sinica: Taipei, Taiwan,
ROC, 1989; pp 275–291.
5. (a) Grimm, E. L.; Levac, S.; Trimble, L. A. Tetrahedron Lett.
1994, 35, 6847–6850; (b) Vyvyan, J.; Looper, R. E.
Tetrahedron Lett. 2000, 41, 1151–1154; (c) Takabatake, K.;
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Trans. 1 2000, 1807–1808; (d) Sato, K.; Yoshimura, T.;
Shindo, M.; Shishido, K. J. Org. Chem. 2001, 66, 309–314;
(e) Kishuku, H.; Yoshimura, T.; Kakehashi, T.; Shishido, K.
Heterocycles 2003, 61, 125–131; (f) Kishuku, H.; Shindo,
M.; Shishido, K. Chem. Commun. 2003, 350–351; (g) Doi,
F.; Ogamino, T.; Sugai, T.; Nishiyama, S. Synlett 2003, 411–
413; (h) Macias, F. A.; Chinchilla, D.; Molinillo, J. M. G.;
Marin, D.; Varella, R. M.; Torres, A. Tetrahedron 2003, 59,
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2003, 2395–2397; (j) Doi, F.; Ogamino, T.; Sugai, T.;
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T.; Shindo, M.; Shishido, K. Heterocycles 2004, 125–128;
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A solution of the above S-methyl thionocarbonate 29
(120 mg, 0.37 mmol) in dry toluene (3 mL) was heated to
80 ꢁC and to it was added 2,2-azobis (2-methyl) propionitrile
(5 mg) and tri-n-butyltin hydride (0.2 mL, 0.74 mmol) and
then heated under reflux under nitrogen atmosphere for
4 h. Toluene was removed under vacuum and to the residue
saturated aqueous potassium fluoride was added and stirred
at room temperature for 5 h. The resulting solution was ex-
tracted with ether and the combined organic layer was
washed with brine, dried and concentrated to afford a pale
yellow oily residue, which was subjected to preparative
thin layer chromatography with petroleum ether furnishing
the alkene 30 (53 mg, 66%) as a colourless oil. dH
(300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.98 (d, 1H, J¼7.7 Hz), 6.89 (d, 1H,
J¼7.8 Hz), 6.75 (s, 1H), 5.69 (ddd, 1H, J¼12.7, 10.3,
2.5 Hz), 5.27 (d, 1H, J¼10.9 Hz), 2.95 (m, 1H), 2.29 (s,
3H), 2.14 (m, 2H), 1.62 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s, 3H), 1.26 (d, 3H,
J¼6.9 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 152.9, 137.4, 136.0,
135.7, 130.8, 128.7, 125.7, 125.7, 81.6, 34.5, 29.8, 29.7,
28.9, 25.5, 21.3. Anal. Calcd for C15H20O: C, 83.33; H,
9.25. Found: C, 83.12; H, 9.03.
3.1.21. 2,2,6,9-Tetramethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-benzo-
[b]oxocine, helianane (13). The above alkene 30 (53 mg,
0.25 mmol) in methanol (10 mL) was hydrogenated using
10% Pd–C (10 mg) and the product upon preparative thin
layer chromatography using petroleum ether as eluent fur-
nished helianane 13 (49 mg, 92%) as a viscous oil. dH
(300 MHz, CDCl3) 6.99 (d, 1H, J¼7.8 Hz), 6.83 (d, 1H,
J¼7.8 Hz), 6.64 (s, 1H), 3.11 (m, 1H), 2.21 (s, 3H), 1.68
(m, 2H), 1.52 (m, 2H), 1.35 (s, 3H), 1.30 (m, 2H), 1.22 (s,
3H), 1.18 (d, 3H, J¼7.2 Hz). dC (75 MHz, CDCl3) 153.0,
138.9, 135.3, 125.8, 124.9, 124.9, 81.0, 38.2, 29.8, 29.7,
26.7, 26.6, 21.9, 21.9, 20.9. Anal. Calcd for C15H22O: C,
83.33; H, 9.25. Found: C, 83.12; H, 9.03.
6. Harrison, B.; Crews, P. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 2646–2648.
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We sincerely acknowledge financial support from the
Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.
S.G. thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Re-
search, New Delhi for a Research Fellowship.
14. Biswas, S.; Ghosh, A.; Venkateswaran, R. V. Synth. Commun.
1991, 21, 1865–1874.
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