A Novel Synthesis of 1-Acetyl-4-Isopropenyl-1-Cyclopentene by Chemoselective Cyclization of 4-Methyl-3-(Oxobutyl)-4-Pentenal: An Important Intermediate for Natural Product Synthesis

Abstract

This article presents the direct oxidation of limonene-oxide 1 with KIO4 in water, which is the best way to obtain the keto-aldehyde 3, an important intermediate in natural product synthesis. The cyclization of keto-aldehyde 3 with acidic Al2O3 proceeds chemoselectively to give ketone 4. These two reactions together increase the overall yield of ketone 4 to about 70% compared to 8% previously reported in the literature¹.

Keywords

• terpenoid chirons
• epoxide ring opening
• KIO4 oxidation
• chemoselective cyclization