Although a large variety of substrates have been applied in
Claisen.Johnson rearrangement, very little attention has been
given to the utilization of allylic alcohols with a double bond
conjugated with an electron-withdrawing group.11 A solution of
allylic alcohol 5 in trimethyl orthoacetate was heated in the
presence of a catalytic amount of propanoic acid at 160 °C to
produce esters 11a and 11b (2:1, inseparable) in reasonable
yield. The diastereoselectivity could not be improved despite
several trials because of a slight steric difference between the á
and â faces of 5. Subsequent reduction of 11a and 11b was
carried out under Luche conditions to afford the desired ã-
hydroxy ester 12a in 61% yield and stereoisomer 12b in 31%
yield. After treatment of 12a and 12b with 1,8-diazabicyclo-
[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) in refluxing THF, only 12a was
converted to lactone 3 (Scheme 3).
With