Highly substituted cyclohexanes: strong proximity effects influence synthetic access to 1,3,5-tris(bromomethyl)-1,3,5-trialkylcyclohexanes (alkyl = methyl, n-propyl)

1,3,5-Tris(bromomethyl)-1,3,5-trialkylcyclohexanes (alkyl = methyl, n-propyl) were prepared. These are the first examples of 1,3,5-tris(halomethyl)-1,3,5-trialkylcyclohexanes. One synthetic method directly converted the corresponding triols with PPh3Br2, where an excess of the bromination reagent and high temperature (175 °C) were required. Stoichiometric use of PPh3Br2 under mild conditions, successfully employed for the synthesis of the parent tris(bromomethyl)cyclohexane, did not lead to the desired tribromides but rather to cyclic ethers. Proximity effects triggered by the 1,3,5-alkyl groups strongly influence the reactivity of such highly substituted cyclohexanes. An alternative synthetic access to the tris(bromomethyl) compounds was also developed, using 1,3,5-tris(triflatomethyl)-1,3,5-trialkylcyclohexanes (triflato = F3CSO3) as synthetic intermediates. An X-ray crystal structure of 1,3,5-tris(bromomethyl)-1,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane was obtained.