Oxyanionic Substituent Effect on the C-H Insertion of Carbenes. Reaction of Alkoxides with Dichlorocarbene and Chlorophenylcarbene

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00347a042

The lithium alkoxides of benzylic, allylic, and simple alkyl alcohols were allowed to react with chloroform in the presence of t-BuOLi in THF-hexane to give, in 32-91percent yields, dichloromethylcarbinols, which were produced by the insertion of dichlorocarbene into the α C-H bond of alkoxides but not by the Wittig rearrangement of carbanions of alkyl dichloromethyl ethers.The enhanced reactivity toward dichlorocarbene of the α C-H bond of alkoxides was clearly demonstrated by the high selectivity of the insertion.The potassium alkoxides of a series of analogous alcohols reacted analogously with benzal chloride in the presence of t-BuOK in THF to give the corresponding substituted oxiranes (16-79percent); e.g., the reaction of potassium benzyl oxide gave 2,3-diphenyloxirane (79percent) as a mixture of stereoisomers (trans:cis = 1.0).With 2-phenethoxide, n-octyl oxide, or 2-methoxyethoxide, the corresponding dialkyl acetals of benzaldehyde were also formed in 9, 6, and 6percent yield, respectively, and their formation is explained in terms of nucleophilic attack of alkoxide on chlorophenylcarbene.With trans-crotyl oxide or 2-phenetoxide, 1,3-diphenylpropan-1-one(33percent) and 1-phenylpent-3-en-1-one (6percent) were produced, respectively, as byproducts through the isomerization of the primary product oxiranes.Oxiranes were produced by the insertion of chlorophenylcarbene into the α C-H bond of alkoxides followed by the cyclization of the intermediate 1-substituted 2-chloro-2-phenethyl alkoxide.These reactions provide us with new preparative methods of synthetically useful dichloromethyl carbinols and oxiranes.