Diels-Alder Approach to Bicyclic α-Hydroxy Ketones. Facile Ketol Rearrangements of Strained α-Hydroxy Ketones

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00211a029

The trimethylsiloxy-substituted dienophiles 1-benzoyl-1-(trimethylsiloxy)ethylene, 6, 1-carbomethoxy-1-(trimethylsiloxy)ethylene, 12, and 1-acetyl-1-(trimethylsiloxy)ethylene, 4, all reacted with cyclopentadiene to give adducts in which the carbonyl containing substituent of the major product occupied the exo position, in violation of the Alder rule.Desilylation of the Diels-Alder adducts of cyclopentadiene with 4 and 6 led to ring-expanded ketol rearrangement products on silica gel chromatography.This facile rearrangement was attributed to relief of strain in the star ting α-hydroxy ketone.Equilibration studies showed that in the rearranged 2-hydroxy-2-substituted bicyclo<3.2.1>octan-3-one systems 24 and 30, the more stable isomer is the one in which the phenyl or methyl substituent is in the axial position.The presence of a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond of the equatorial hydroxyl group with the carbonyl group accounts for the greater stability of 24 and 30.Acetolysis of endo-2-benzoyl-exo-2-norbornyl mesylate, 2, occurred readily, giving mainly the rearranged product of internal return, 1-benzoyl-exo-norbornyl mesylate, 38.The high reactivity of 2 relative to the endo analogue and the α-H analogue was attributed to some transition-state carbonyl conjugation with the incipient α-keto cation center as well as possible neighboring ?-participation and/or steric rate enhancement.