Nucleophilic addition to 2,3-disubstituted butanal derivatives and their application to natural product synthesis.

The reaction of 2,3-anti-2-tert-butyldimethylsiloxy-3-substituted butanal derivative [anti-B, (±)-10 and (±)-16] derived from trans-(2,3)-epoxy butanoate (1) with carbon nucleophiles [α-furyl anion, acetate anion, and indium (In)-assisted allyl anion] has been investigated to give selectively the anti-, anti-adduct D. This anti-stereoselection could be explained by the Felkin-Anh transition state model. Thus obtained anti-, anti-adducts (±)-17 and (±)-38 were formally converted to natural products, (±)-asperlin (2) and (±)-olivose (4), respectively. The major anti-, anti-adduct (±)-26 was converted to (±)-digitoxose (3), while the minor anti-, syn-adduct (±)-27 was also converted to (±)-olivose (4). The reaction of (±)-10 with tert-butyl acetate anion gave predominantly afforded the anti-, anti-adduct (±)-23, which was converted to (±)-1,5-dideoxyhexitol (25). Alternately, the reaction of 2,3-syn-2-tert-butyldimethylsiloxy-3-p-methoxyphenoxy butanal derivative [syn-B, (±)-14] derived from trans-(2,3)-epoxy butanoate (1) with carbon nucleophile (In-assisted allyl anion) afforded a ca. 1 : 1 mixture of the syn-, anti-adduct E [(±)-32 or (±)-34] and syn-, syn-adduct F [(±)-33 or (±)-35]. After separation of this mixture, (±)-34 and (±)-35 were separately converted to (±)-oliose (5) and (±)-boivinose (6), respectively.