Oxidation reactions of acetylenic fatty esters with selenium dioxide/tert-butyl hydroperoxide

Novel azido fatty acid ester derivatives from conjugated C(18) enynoate

Methyl octadec-11Z-en-9-ynoate (1) was epoxidized to give methyl 11,12-Z-epoxy-octadec-9-ynoate (2, 81%). Acid catalyzed ring opening of the epoxy ring of compound 2 gave methyl 11,12-dihydroxy-octadec-9-ynoate (3, 80%). The latter was treated with mesyl chloride to yield methyl 11,12-dimesyloxy-octadec-9-ynoate (4, 76%). Reaction of compound 4 with sodium azide furnished methyl 11-azido-12-mesyloxy-octadec-9-ynoate (5a, 49%) and methyl 11-azido-octadec-11E-en-9-ynoate (5b, 24%). Compound 2 was semi-hydrogenated over Lindlar catalyst to give methyl 11,12-Z-epoxy-octadec-9Z-enoate (6, 90%). This allylic epoxy fatty ester (6) was reacted with sodium azide to give a mixture of methyl 11-azido-12-hydroxy-octadec-9Z-enoate (7a) and methyl 9-azido-12-hydroxy-octadec-9E-enoate (7b), which could not be separated into individual components by silica chromatography. Chromic acid oxidation of the mixture of compounds 7a and 7b furnished methyl 9-azido-12-oxo-octadec-10E-enoate (8, 42% based on amount of compound 6 used) and an intractable mixture of polar compounds. The various products were characterized by NMR spectroscopic and mass spectral analyses.

An efficient ultrasound-assisted zinc reduction of fatty esters containing conjugated enynol and conjugated enynone systems

Reduction of methyl 8-hydroxy-11-E/Z-octadecen-9-ynoate (1) with zinc in either aqueous n-propanol or water under concomitant ultrasound irradiation furnished a mixture of methyl 8-hydroxy-9Z,11E-octadecadienoate (3a) and methyl 8-hydroxy-9Z,11Z-octadecadienoate (3b) (96% yield). Reduction of methyl 8-oxo-11-E/Z-octadecen-9-ynoate (2) under similar conditions gave methyl 8-oxo-10-Z-octadecenoate exclusively (4, 70%). The latter compound was epoxidized and converted to a C18 furanoid fatty ester (6, methyl 8,11-epoxy-8,10-octadecadienoate) in 70% yield.