Birch Reduction of Spirodiisophor-6-Ones Frederick Kurzer* and Zakir Kapadia Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London, London NW 3, England Z
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Bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2-spirocyclohexanes, Part 4 [1] Birch Reduction of Spirodiisophor-6-ones Frederick Kurzer* and Zakir Kapadia Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London, London NW 3, England Z. Naturforsch. 47b, 579-588 (1992); received November 4, 1991 Bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2-spirocyclohexanes, Spirodiisophoranes, Birch Reduction Birch reduction of spirodiisophorones by sodium in liquid ammonia -/-butanol reduces their normally inert 6-keto-group, producing the corresponding secondary alcohols, the 6-hydroxy- group of which assumes the endo- or exo-configuration. 3'-Oximinospirodiisophor-6-one is converted predominantly into the 6-endo-hydroxy-compound, from which the 3',6-endo-ketol is obtainable by the action of sodium bisulphite. 3'-eq(and ax)-Hydroxyspirodiisophor- 6-one each yield a pair of stereoisomeric 3',6-diols, distinguished by their spectral characteristics and derivatives. Spirodiisophora-3',6-dione yields a mixture of the same four diols, three of which are isolable in low yield. The structure of selected compounds is correlated with their assigned 13C NM R spectra. Introduction chloride or an alcohol, is a versatile method of re Spirodiisophora-3',6-dione (1) is the product of ducing a variety of structures. Its scope extends the controlled dimerisation of isophorone (3,5,5- from the controlled hydrogenation of unsaturated trimethylcyclohex-2-enone). Its ready synthesis molecules including aromatic compounds, mono- form this source [2-4], together with its subse and polyolefins, to the reductive fission of ethers, quent transformations [1-5] provide a convenient and the hydrogenolysis of groups attached to oxy entry to the study of the bicyclo[ 2.2.2]octane- gen, sulphur and nitrogen [7, 8]. In addition, the 2-spirocyclohexane ring system. successful reduction of steroid ketones (incorpo The 3'- and 6-keto functions of the spiro struc rating 3, 11, 12, 16 or 17a-carbonyl functions) to ture 1, located in its respective alicyclic rings, differ the corresponding secondary alcohols [9] suggest in their reactivity: The 6-keto group of the tri- ed its potential applicability to the present struc methylated bicyclo[ 2.2.2]octane moiety is unusual tural pattern. Our results show that the Birch re ly inert, so that reactions expected to affect both duction is in fact capable of attacking, in the spiro- ketonic centres, occur exclusively at C-3' of the cy- diisophorane structure, the 6-keto function which clohexanone ring. Thus, the 6-keto group of 1 fails is resistant to the action of several other reducing to react with ketonic reagents [4], does not pro agents, including lithium aluminium hydride, bo mote a-bromination [ 1] and is unaffected by sever ron trifluoride etherate, as well as the Huang-Min- al reducing agents [5]; all these reactions occur lon reduction and catalytic hydrogenation [5]. normally in the isolated parent bicyclo[ 2.2.2]octa- The 6-hydroxy-group arising in the Birch reduc none [6]. Our aim to modify this keto group of the tion may assume two spatial positions, which, extended spiro structure 1 has been realised in the though equivalent relative to the bicyclo- Birch reaction, which has been found to reduce the [2.2.2]octane ring-system, are distinct in relation to 6-ketones to 6-secondary alcohols. the extended carbon framework, illustrated for ex ample, by their differing distances from the spiro Results and Discussion centre C-2 (ca. 2.8 and 3.8Ä, respectively). They The Birch reaction [7], involving the action of al are here designated as the endo- and exo-configu kali metals in liquid ammonia, usually in conjunc rations, the former referring to the substituent sit tion with a proton donor such as ammonium uated more closely, and the latter more distantly from C-2 and C- 6'. There is a tendency for one of * Reprint requests to Dr. F. Kurzer. the stereoisomers to be formed preferentially as the predominating, or indeed the sole isolable Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, D-W-7400 Tübingen product: these are regarded as the endo-isomers, 0932-0776/92/0400-0579/$ 01.00/0 for reasons given below. 580 F. Kurzer-Z. Kapadia • Bicyclo(2.2.2)octane-2-spirocyclohexanes In model experiments, the action of sodium in being unaffected by conventional acid hydrolysis liquid ammonia-r-butanol on 3'-oximinospirodi- [11], and largely decomposed in the pyruvic acid isophor- 6-one 2 [4] gave exclusively the 3'-oximi- procedure [12], The attempted use of seleninic an no- 6-endo-hydroxy compound 3. Its reoxidation hydride, known to regenerate ketones from their with Kiliani’s chromic acid [10] proceeded directly nitrogenous derivatives in difficult cases [13], left to the 3',6-dione stage 1, with simultaneous the 3'-oximino group intact, but reoxidised the regeneration of the 3'-keto from the 3'-oximino 6-hydroxy function, affording good yields of the group. The 6-hydroxy-3'-oxime 3 was of chief in known [4] 3',6-dione-3'-monoxime 2. The desired terest as a potential precursor of 6-hydroxyspiro- reaction (3—>4) was finally accomplished by the diisoophor-3'-one 4, i. e. the position isomer of the use of sodium bisulphite in aqueous ethanol [14], 6,3'-ketols 5 and 6. In the present instance, how which provided the 3',6'-ketol 4 in good yield. Its ever, the usual methods of converting the oximino IR spectrum resembles closely those of its position into the parent keto group failed, the oxime 3 isomers 5, 6, except for insignificant displacements 4a : Semicarbazide 9a : DNB 4b : DNP 4c : DNB 9b: NB 9c :Ts BR : Birch reduction DNP : 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazone KO : Kiliani oxidation DNB : 3,5-Dinitrobenzoate LAH : Lithium aluminium hydride NB : p-Nitrobenzoate S e : Seleninic anhydride Ts :Toluene-p-sulphonate F. Kurzer-Z. Kapadia • Bicyclo(2.2.2)octane-2-spirocyclohexanes 581 towards lower wave numbers of its intense hy The reduction by lithium aluminium hydride of droxy and keto absorptions (3420 and 1690 cm“1) the 3',6-diketone 1, being confined to its 3'-keto and the C-OH-stretching bands (1040, 1050 cm“1). group, yields the 6,3'-eq-ketol 6 [5]. Applied to the The ketol 4 was reconvertible into its 3'-oxime 3 position isomer 4, which retains the active 3'-keto and was further characterised as ketonic deriva group, LAH reduction gave the 3'-eq-6-endo-diol tives (4a, 4b) and as the 6-(3,5-dinitrobenzoate) 9, thus confirming the identical configuration of ester (4c). Kiliani oxidation regenerated the parent the 6-hydroxy group in compounds 3 ,4 and 9. 3',6-diketone 1. The data established for the 3',6-diols 7 -1 0 The model structure most relevant for examin helped in elucidating the Birch reduction of the ing the Birch reaction in the present context is spi- parent 3',6-dione 1. This gave a product, liquid at rodiisophor- 6-one (11), with its unreactive 6-keto ordinary temperatures, of a mixture of presumably group as the only function. This is unaffected by all four diols (7-10): it showed the expected in the drastic action of hydrazine and sodium of the tense broad hydroxyl absorption in the IR range Huang-Millon reduction (by which 11 is produced (3300-3400 cm“1) and was reoxidised quantita from 1 [5]), but responded readily to the Birch re tively to the starting material 1. It was separable duction, which afforded good yields of 6-endo-hy- into the two 3'-ax-diols 7 and 8 (isolated as the free droxyspirodiisophorane (11—>12). The product is alcohols) and the 3'-eq-6-endo-diol 9 (as the dini- a viscous liquid, having the correct composition trobenzoate), but the fourth isomer 10 was appar and appropriate IR spectral properties, but is ad ently retained in a substantial uncrystallisable re vantageously isolated as its crystalline 6-(3,5-dini- sidual fraction. The Birch reaction thus effectively trobenzoate) ester. reduces the 3'-keto group of the cyclohexanone Preliminary experiments indicated that Birch re ring, but the process is not stereoselective as are duction of the parent 3', 6-diketone 1 gave a mix the LAH reduction and catalytic hydrogenation ture of all four possible 3',6-diols (7 -1 0 ), that [5]- proved difficult to separate on the preparative scale. The reduction of the individual 3'-ax- and 3'- Mechanism and Stereoisomerism eq-hydroxyspirodiisophor- 6-ones (5, 6) was there The mechanism and stereochemical course of fore first examined, with the aim of isolating the the Birch reaction has been interpreted by Barton individual stereoisomeric products. Each of the ke- [15] and by House [8 c, 16, 17] and further elabo tols (5, 6) gave one pair of 3',6-diols (7, 8 and rated by Huffman [18]. Application of the accepted 9, 10), which were separable by fractional crystal scheme in its simplest form to the present case sug lisation and were characterised by their spectral gests that reduction is initiated by a one-electron properties and as derivatives. In each case, the transfer from the metal, by which the ketone (i) is stereoisomer arising as the major product is re converted into the radical anion (ii). This is pro- garded as the 6-endo-form of the respective struc tonated to the alkoxy free radical (iii), which after ture (see mechanism, below). The main IR spectral feature of the diols are their intense and broad hy droxyl peaks centred, for each stereoisomer, at slightly different but constant positions (between 3300 and 3400 cm“1); the spectra of the isomer pair 7 and 8 are readily distinguishable, but those of 9 and 10 resemble one another closely, except for the presence of additional sharp peaks (at 1150 and i ii iii 850 cm“1) in that of the latter.