Preparation of bicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-2-endo,7-endo-diols: 1,3-diols with a chiral rigid backbone.

The easily available bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-3-en-6-ones (1a-f) have been converted into the corresponding bicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-2-endo,7-endo-diols (4a-f) in an efficient and stereoselective fashion. This preparation opens a route to a family of 1,3-diols with a chiral rigid backbone, potentially suitable as nonracemic precursors for bidentate ligands in asymmetric synthesis.

S-(2-pyridinyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethylthiouronium hexafluorophosphate. A new reagent for the synthesis of 2-pyridinethiol esters.

[reaction: see text] A new thiouronium-based reagent for the synthesis of 2-pyridinethiol esters under non-nucleophilic conditions from the corresponding carboxylic acids was developed. The resulting procedure enables the preparation of previously unavailable alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-pyridinethiol esters as well as their aliphatic and aromatic counterparts.

CeCl(3) x 7H(2)O-NaI catalyzed hydrooxacyclization of unsaturated 3-hydroxy esters.

[reaction: see text] Cerium(III) chloride heptahydrate and sodium iodide in boiling acetonitrile promote cyclization of 3-hydroxyalkenoic acids esters giving 5-substituted tetrahydrofuranacetic acid esters and 6-substituted tetrahydropyranacetic acid esters in fair to good yield and with complete retention of the absolute configuration of the starting 3-hydroxy ester.

Development of an effective chiral auxiliary for hydroxyalkyl radicals.

The development of an effective chiral auxiliary for hydroxyalkyl radicals is delineated. Both the 2-tetrahydropyranyl (THP) and tri-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl (GLU) auxiliaries resulted in diastereoselective radical additions to methyl acrylate at -78 degrees C (ds = 6/1 and 11/1, respectively). The developing stereochemistry at the radical center was completely under auxiliary control. Correlation experiments showed that the D-GLU auxiliary led to attack on the radical Si-face. The selectivity of these radical additions dropped-off considerably when the more reactive 2-nitropropene trap was employed. Computational studies suggested that the observed facial selectivity was due primarily to entropic factors in the transition state but that a smaller temperature-dependent enthalpic contribution was also involved. It was hypothesized that incorporation of a quaternary center at C-6 (THP numbering) would restore the facial selectivity with more reactive radical traps by restricting the orientations available to the incoming alkene. In the event, the trans-6-tert-butyltetrahydropyranyl (tBu-THP) auxiliary resulted in very good diastereoselection with 2-nitropropene (ds = 35/1 at -78 degrees C, 15/1 at 0 degrees C, and 8/1 at RT) as did the tri-O-benzyl-6,6-dimethyl-2-alpha-D-deoxyglucopyranosyl (diMe-GLU) auxiliary during additions to ethyl alpha-trifluoroacetoxyacrylate (ds = 10/1 at 0 degrees C). A protocol for recovery of the sugar-derived chiral auxiliaries was also established. This work sets the stage for the development of a novel approach to 1, 3, 5.(2n + 1) polyols based on iterative radical homologation as well as the application of these pyranosidic auxiliaries to other synthetically important reactions.

Domino processes as a tool for recovering substandard reactions. Synthesis and use of nitroacetic acid esters and amides.

[reaction: see text] Elusive nitroacetic acid esters and amides were obtained through a halogen exchange reaction of the corresponding bromoacetic acid derivatives with polymer-supported nitrite anion. The process is flawed by a side product catalyzed degradation of the products. Domino processes turned out to be a powerful tool for overcoming such drawbacks, converting a substandard reaction into an efficient multicomponent preparation of 4-hydroxy-4,5-dihydroisoxazoles.

Solution- and solid-phase synthesis of 4-hydroxy-4,5-dihydroisoxazole derivatives from enantiomerically pure N-tosyl-2,3-aziridine alcohols.

[reaction: see text] Enantiomerically pure N-tosyl-2,3-aziridine alcohols are directly converted into 4-hydroxy-4,5-dihydroisoxazole 2-oxides through oxidation to the corresponding aldehydes followed by in situ tandem nitroaldol-intramolecular cyclization. This study was concerned with (i) the selection of a suitable aziridine activation, (ii) the preparation of the target 4-hydroxy-4,5-dihydroisoxazole derivatives in solution, and (iii) the elaboration of a solid-phase process using hydroxy Merrifield-supported nitroacetic acid ester.