title: Regioselective samarium diiodide induced couplings of carbonyl compounds with 1,3-diphenylallene and alkoxyallenes: a new route to 4-hydroxy-1-enol ethers.
abstract: Since its introduction into synthetic organic chemistry, samarium diiodide has found broad application in a variety of synthetically important transformations. Herein, we describe the first successful intermolecular additions of samarium ketyls to typical allenes such as 1,3-diphenylallene (7), methoxyallene (12) and benzyloxyallene (25). Reaction of different samarium ketyls with 1,3-diphenylallene (7) occurred exclusively at the central carbon atom of the allene to afford products 9 in moderate to good yields. In contrast, reductive coupling of cyclic ketones to methoxyallene (12) regioselectively provided 4-hydroxy-1-enol ethers 13, which derive from addition to the terminal allene carbon atom of 12, in moderate to good yields. Whereas the E/Z selectivity with respect to the enol ether double bond is low, excellent diastereoselectivity has been observed in certain cases with regard to the ring configuration (e.g. compound 13 b). Studies with deuterated tetrahydrofuran and alcohol were performed to gain information about the reaction mechanism of this coupling process, which involves alkenyl radicals. The couplings of samarium ketyls derived from acyclic ketones and aldehydes gave lower yields, and in several cases cyclopentanols 20 are formed as byproducts. Branched acyclic ketones and conformationally more flexible cyclic ketones such as cycloheptanone led to a relatively high amount of cyclopentanol derivatives 20, whose formation involves an intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer through a geometrically favoured six-membered transition state followed by a cyclization step. The samarium diiodide mediated addition of 8 b to benzyloxyallene (25) afforded the expected enol ethers 26, albeit in only low yield. Additionally, spirocyclic compounds 27 and 28 were obtained, which are formed by a cascade reaction involving an addition/cyclization sequence. In the novel coupling process described here methoxyallene (12) serves as an equivalent of acrolein. The 1,4-dioxygenated products obtained contain a masked aldehyde functionality and are therefore valuable building blocks in organic synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Chemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustrasse 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hölemann
authors.forename: Hans-Ulrich
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Reissig