Electronic Tuning of Fischer Carbene Complexes in the Preparation of Bicyclo[3.1.1]heptanones as Taxane A-ring Synthons

A synthetic route to taxol and other Taxus diterpenes is described which employs as a key step the reaction between a Fischer carbene complex and a 1,6 enyne to construct 1-substituted-7,7-dimethyl-2-methylenebicyclo[3.1.1]heptan-6-ones. It was found that the reaction between complex 2 and 7-methyl-3-methylene-6-octen-1-yne (dienyne 30) yielded a mixture of bicyclo[3.1.1]heptanone 35 and cyclobutenone 36, the latter possibly arising from the migration of the chromium fragment from an electron-rich alkene to a less electron-rich alkene in the vinyl carbene complex intermediate (i.e. 40–42). On this basis, it was expected that bicycloheptanone yields would increase with increasing electron deficiency in the intermediate 40 since this should lead to more competitive CO insertion. This was observed with a series of electronically modified carbene complexes (45 and 48a–d). The more electron deficient complexes gave good yields of bicycloheptanones, thus providing an efficient means for preparing taxane A-ring synthons.