convenient route for butyrolactone synthesis

ABSTRACT

It has been reported that gamma, gamma-diary l-gamma-butyrolactones have chemo-therapeutic activity on pathogenic viruses. This reported activity coupled with our interest in the chemistry of butyrolactones prompted us to report a convenient method for the synthesis of gamma, gamma-diary l-gamma-butyrolactones [VI alpha-c] This method involves ring opening of the diarylethylene oxide [la-c] followed by ring closure [a/, scheme. 1]. Hydrolysis of the products followed by decarboxylation give gamma, gamma-diary l-gamma-butyrolactones in a better yield than their synthesis via stobbe condensation method .When ethyl chloroacetone is allowed to react with aryl magnesium-halides [Ar= Ph-,PhCH[2]-,m-tolyl], followed by dehydrohalogenation, 1,1-diarylethylene oxides [la-c] are formed