Metal/Ammonia Reduction of Ethers of 3-Decyn-1-ol: Effects of Structure and Conditions on Cleavage and Rearrangement

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00071a014

Reduction of the THP, ethyl, tert-butyl and tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) ethers of 3-decyn-1-ol with sodium in ammonia/THF results in extensive hydrogenolysis of the carbon-oxygen bond and concomitant bond migration, producing a mixture of 2- and 3-decenes and a very low yield of the desired (E)-homoallylic ether.Reduction in the presence of 2-methyl-2-propanol led to excellent yields of the desired (E)-3-decenol ethers.The 4- and 5-decyn-1-ol ethers were reduced normally to the (E)-decen-1-ol ethers except in the case of the TBDMS ethers which were cleaved to the (E)-alcohols under some of the reaction conditions.