Library

Notes: A Synthesis of Vitamin A According to the Sulfone Method.Starting from β-ionyl phenyl sulfone 7 and an appropriate allylic chloride 10 retinol 14 has been prepared by a direct procedure. Subsequent acetylation and isomerization led to crystalline all-E-vitamin A acetate 16.

Notes: A conformationally directed Cyclization to the Octahydrophenanthridine System.The bicyclic precursors 5b and 8b are cyclized to the cis-fused phenanthridine derivative 6b without any detectable formation of the corresponding trans-derivative 7b. The conformational aspects of this stereoselective cyclization are discussed.

Notes: A new ring expansion method using the cyclofragmentation of epoxysulfones; a synthesis of rac. muscone.Starting from the readily available cyclododecanone 1 the hydroxy sulfone 5 has been prepared using standard procedures. Subsequent dehydration followed by an acidic equilibration resulted in a mixture of two endocyclic olefines, from which the olefin 7 showing the (E)-configuration could be isolated by fractional crystallization. Oxidation of 7 produced the epoxy sulfones 8 and 9. The epoxy sulfone 8 was cyclized to the hydroxy sulfone 10 without any detectable amount of the corresponding epimer 11. Fragmentation of the intermediate 10 using KOTB produced pure (E)-4-muscenone 12. The epoxy sulfone 9 was cyclized to a mixture of the two epimeric hydroxy sulfones 14 and 15. Fragmentation of the two crystalline hydroxy sulfones 14 or 15 with KOTB produced a mixture of 12 and 16. The ‘one-pot’ preparation of (E)-4-muscenone 12 starting from 8 could also be accomplished. The configurational assignements within this serie are based upon the data of an X-ray analysis of the hydroxy sulfone 10.

Notes: A chiral economic synthesis of (R)- and (S)-muscone using the cyclofragmentation of epoxysulfonesStarting with isobutyric acid (2) and using a microbiological oxidation with pseudomonas putida (S)-β-hydroxy-iso-butyric acid (3) has been prepared. From this /pseudosymmetrical: (see text) intermediate the two enantiomeric bromo derivatives 8 (R) and 20 (S) have been synthesized (cf. scheme 4) by altering the sequence of the reactions (cf. scheme 3). A Grignard reaction starting from the two bromo compounds 8 and 20 and from cyclododecanone 1 produced after hydrogenolysis the two enantiomeric dialcohols 9 and 21 (1 + 8 → 9, 1 + 20 → 21, cf. scheme 5). The subsequent transformations led to the two enantiomeric olefin derivatives 12 and 24. Oxidation of 12 with peracid produced a mixture of the two epoxy-sulfones 13 and 14 (cf. scheme 6). The olefin-derivative 24 was oxidized to the corresponding mixture of 25 and 26. A one pot cyclofragmentation (cf. [4] and scheme 6) produced a mixture of (E)- and (Z)-3-methylcyclopentadec-4-en-1-one (13 + 14 → 15 + 16, 25 + 26 → 27 + 28). The final hydrogenation led to natural (R)- and unnatural (S-muscone (3-methylcyclopentadecanone). The achiral starting material has been transformed to the desired optically active target products without loss of material with undesired absolute configuration. The authors used the notion of chiral economic synthesis to characterize synthetic sequences with the above mentioned features.

Notes: Cob (I)alamin as Catalyst 2. Communication [1]. Reduction of Saturated Nitriles in Anhydrous SolutionUsing cob (I)alamin as homogenous catalyst in glacial acetic acid saturated nitriles are reduced following the path of a reductive amination. The results prove the presence of an intermediate imine during the reduction of saturated nitriles with cob (I)alamine.

Notes: Cob(I)alamin as Catalyst. 6. Communication [1]. Formation and Fragmentation of Alkylcobalamins: the Nucleophilic Addition - Reductive Fragmentation EquilibriumIsolated olefines can be saturated using catalytic amounts of cob(I)alamin in aqueous acetic acid; as electron source an excess of zinc dust is added to the solution containing the homogeneous catalyst. During this overall hydrogenation of isolated double bonds intermediate alkylcobalamins are formed (compare e.g. Schemes 2, 4, 5, 7 and 12). Clear evidence is presented that the nucleophilic attack on the isolated double bond is carried out by cob(I)alamin and not by cob(II)alamin also present in the system (see Scheme 3b and 3c). As this catalytic saturation of olefins depends on the pH of the solution, characterized by a slow reaction at pH = 7.0 compared to the same reduction in aqueous acetic acid (see Scheme 2, 2 → 4, and Scheme 3a), it is reasonable to accept the participation of an electrophilic attack by a proton during the generation of alkylcobalamins. - We use the term nucleophilic addition to describe the formation of alkylcobalamins from a proton, an olefin and cob(I)alamin (compare Schemes 4-7 and 12).A special sequence of experiments showed the nucleophilic addition to be regioselective. Preferentially the higher substituted alkylcobalamin revealed to be produced. Therefore, the nucleophilic addition of cob(I)alamin follows the Markownikoff rule (compare chap. 4: formation and fragmentation of β-hydroxyalkylcobalamins).Under the reaction conditions applied the intermediate alkylcobalamins can be present in base-on and base-off forms. They are known to exist as octahedral complexes and might also be stable to some extent as tetragonal-pyramidal species. In addition the base-off forms can partially be protonated at the dimethylbenzimidazole moiety in aqueous acetic acid (compare Scheme 12). From this equilibrium of intermediate alkylcobalamins three modes of decay disclosed to be possible: (i) The reductive fragmentation leading to an olefin, a proton, and cob(I)alamin is the formal retro-reaction of the nucleophilic addition (see Schemes 2, 4 and 6-12). This equilibrium of an associated alkylcobalamin and the corresponding dissociation products revealed to be a fast process compared to the reductive cleavage of the Co, C-bond cited below (s. (iii)). (ii) As the second reaction pattern an oxidative fragmentation producing an olefin, a hydroxy anion (or water, respectively) and cob (III)alamin has been observed (see Schemes 7, 8, 10 and 12). (iii) The slow reductive cleavage of the Co, C-bond, initiated by addition of electrons (see [1a] [24]), was the third reaction path observed (see Schemes 2, 4-8 and 10-12). - The stereochemistry of the three transformations originating from the intermediate alkylcobalamins is unknown up to now. The antiperiplanar pattern of the fragmentation reactions presented in the Schemes has been chosen arbitrarily (see e.g. Scheme 12).

Notes: Synthesis of Stereisomeric Pinanthromboxane Derivatives and Evaluation of the Compounds as Platelet Aggregation InhibitorsStarting from the two enantiomeric myrtenols ((-)-1 and (+)-1; cf. Scheme 1), the synthesis of twelve stereoisomeric pinanthromboxane derivatives ((+)- and (-)-10, -11, -14, -15, -21 and -22) is described (cf. Schemes 1-4). Biological data from the evaluation as platelet aggregation inhibitors (cf. Table 6 and 7), thromboxane synthetase inhibitors (cf. Table 8) and from the assessment as antagonists of leukotriene E4 induced bronchoconstriction (cf. Table 9) are presented.