Studies of Diastereoselectivity in Diels-Alder Reactions of Enantiopure (SS)-2-(p-Tolylsulfinyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone and Chiral Racemic Acyclic Dienes.

Enantiopure sulfinylnaphthoquinone (+)-5 reacted with racemic acyclic dienes 1a-f bearing a stereogenic allylic center, through a tandem cycloaddition/pyrolytic sulfoxide elimination, to afford optically enriched compounds 8a-f and 9a-f with good like/unlike selectivities (ca. 75:25) and good enantiomeric excesses (68-82%), arising from the partial kinetic resolution of the racemic dienes. The opposite diastereoselection (8g-i: 9g-i, up to 5:95) was observed in reactions with dienes 1g-i, having an additional methyl group at C-3, the enantiomeric purities being moderate (14-25%). Steric effects and torsional interactions in the corresponding approaches account for the observed diastereoselectivities.

Enantioselective Diels-Alder approach to C-3-oxygenated angucyclinones from (SS)-2-(p-tolysulfinyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone.

Chiral racemic vinylcyclohexenes 2, bearing oxygenated substituents and/or a methyl group at the C-5 position of the cyclohexene ring, were submitted to Diels-Alder reactions with enantiomerically pure (SS)-(2-p-tolylsulfinyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone [(+)-1]. The domino cycloaddition/pyrolytic sulfoxide elimination process led to the formation of enantiomerically enriched angularly tetracyclic quinones anti-6 and syn-7, which were obtained from the kinetic resolution of the racemic diene. In all cases, (SS)-(2-p-tolylsulfinyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone reacted from the less hindered face of the more reactive s-cis conformation, to form products in good enantiomeric excesses. Steric effects and torsional interactions in the corresponding approaches account for the observed pi-facial diastereoselectivities at both partners. The usefulness of this methodology is illustrated with the four-step totally asymmetric synthesis of the C-3-oxygenated angucyclinone derivative (-)-8-deoxytetrangomycin 10 in 26% overall yield and with 50% enantiomeric purity.