Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Vinyl Acetal Rearrangement of 4,5-Dihydro-1,3-dioxepines: Stereoselective Synthesis of cis- and trans-2,3-Disubstituted Tetrahydrofurans

Lewis acid-catalyzed rearrangements of 4,5-dihydro-1,3-dioxepines have been investigated. Rearrangement of vinyl acetals under a variety of conditions resulted in cis- and trans-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives in a highly stereoselective manner. Rearrangements at lower temperatures typically provided the cis-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran carbaldehydes. At higher temperatures, the corresponding trans-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran carbaldehydes are formed. The requisite substrates for the vinyl acetal rearrangement were synthesized via ring-closing olefin metathesis of bis(allyoxy)methyl derivatives using Grubbs second-generation catalyst followed by olefin isomerization using a catalytic amount of RuCl2 (PPh3)(3). We examined the substrate scope using substituted aromatic and aliphatic derivatives. Additionally, the rearrangement was utilized in the synthesis of a stereochemically-defined bis-tetrahydrofuran (bis-THF) derivative, which is one of the key structural elements of darunavir, an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.