Categories: C-O Bond Formation, Synthesis of cyclic ethers >

Synthesis of epoxides

Related

---

Recent Literature

Key step in the synthesis of chiral phenyloxirane is the enantioselective catalytic reduction of an achiral chloromethyl ketone by means of a chiral oxazaborolidine as catalyst and borane as stoichiometric reductant.
E. J. Corey, S. Shibata, R. K. Bakshi, J. Org, Chem., 1988, 53, 2861-2863.

The aza-Payne rearrangement of 2,3-aziridin-1-ols under basic conditions gives epoxy amines. Subsequent nucleophilic attack of the epoxide by dimethylsulfoxonium methylide yields a bis-anion, which upon a 5-exo-tet ring-closure yields the desired pyrrolidine. This process takes place with complete transfer of stereochemical fidelity and can be applied to sterically hindered aziridinols.
J. M. Schomaker, S. Bhattacharjee, J. Yan, B. Borhan, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2007, 129, 1996-2003.