Lithium Dialkylamide Induced 1,4-Elimination of Methyl o-Methylbenzyl Ethers: Formation and Reactions of o-Xylylenes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00149a015

Lithium dialkylamide induced 1,4-elimination is shown to be a general reaction of methyl o-methylbenzyl ethers, giving o-xylylenes as reactive intermediates.The fate of the intermediates depends on a variety of factors including the base used, the dienophile employed as solvent, or the presence of a suitable located double bond in the substrate.With lithium diisopropylamide (LDA), a significant reaction forms the amine derived from 1,4-addition to o-xylylene.The use of lithium tetramethylpiperidide (LTMP) avoids this addition and allows the study of in situ generated o-xylylene in intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions with simple olefins, where dimerization/polymerization is the major competing pathway.Yields of Diels-Alder adducts range from negligible (cyclohexene) to high (norbornene), with 1-hexene, isoprene, and cyclopentene giving intermediate values.Intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions to form six- and five-membered rings proceed well but are not observed for lower homologue.Second-order rate constants have been obtained for the elimination reaction of some of the substrate ethers, and the effects of structure and temperature on yields of cycloadduct are examined.LTMP is about twice as reactive as LDA in these 1,4-eliminations.