Florian
Lind
,
Kirill
Markelov
and
Armido
Studer
*
Organisch-Chemisches Institut, Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 40, 48149 Münster, Germany. E-mail: studer@uni-muenster.de
First published on 25th October 2023
Silyl chlorides are highly valuable and popular reagents for the protection of alcohols. In this edge article we introduce a photocleavable alcohol protecting group on the basis of acyl silanes. To achieve this, acylchlorosilanes that represent a new class of acylsilanes were developed. They can be easily synthesized in a concise sequence of three steps in high overall yield. Alcohol silyl protection takes place under established mild conditions, akin to those associated with classical silicon-based protecting groups. The removal of the Si-group is achieved at room temperature through exposure to visible light (456 nm) in methanol. We demonstrate a broad spectrum of substrates with remarkable tolerance toward diverse functional groups, highlighting a substantial level of orthogonality with respect to other protecting groups. Furthermore, we showcase the robustness of this approach against various transformations.
Silyl ethers have gained widespread popularity as protecting groups for alcohols, primarily owing to the typically mild reaction conditions and high yields achievable through alcohol silylation using chlorosilanes (Scheme 1a).4 Their reactivity, readily modulated by the substituents on the silicon, coupled with their facile removal by fluoride anions, qualifies silyl ethers among the most valuable alcohol protecting groups.5 An exceptional silyl protective group is the sisyl group, tris(trimethylsilyl)silyl, which can be deprotected through photochemical means.5b
Scheme 1 Alkyl/arylchlorosilanes as classical alcohol protecting groups and aryldialkylchlorosilanes as their photoactive congeners. |
Photocleavable groups belong to a special class of protecting groups,6 because they typically necessitate no external reagents, relying solely on light for the deprotection process. Utilizing light enables precise control over the spatial and temporal release of molecules. Along these lines, various photoactive protecting groups have been developed in the past; however, they are plagued by several drawbacks, including complex synthesis, multi-step protection procedures, and often requiring UV light for cleavage. Particularly, employing high-energy irradiation for deprotection introduces challenges to their application in synthesis, as only minimally functionalized molecules can endure such conditions. It is therefore highly desirable to use mild irradiation, such as visible light (>420 nm), for deprotection.
Herein we introduce aryldialkylchlorosilanes 1 as new photocleavable silicon-based alcohol protecting groups, by combining the advantages of chlorosilanes for protection and the ability of arylsilanes to decompose by irradiation with visible light under mild conditions for deprotection (Scheme 1b). Arylsilanes are known to form siloxy carbenes by irradiation with blue light. We assume that a similar photorearrangement is also occurring for alkoxyaroylsilanes 2 to give siloxy carbenes of type 3 (Scheme 1c). In the presence of MeOH, carbene insertion into the O–H bond should lead to unstable acetals 4,7 which upon solvolysis will eventually afford the deprotected free alcohols. We will demonstrate that protection and deprotection occur under mild conditions in high yields. In addition, we will show a broad spectrum of substrates with good tolerance toward diverse functional groups, and will highlight a substantial level of orthogonality with respect to other protecting groups.
Scheme 2 Synthesis of the chlorosilane 1a and alcohol protection. aReaction carried out using 1a (1.5 equiv.) and AgOTf (1.2 equiv.). |
The chlorination of the hydrosilane 6 was readily achieved with trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) in DCM at room temperature to afford the targeted benzoyldisopropylsilylchloride (BDIPSCl, 1a) in near quantitative yield.9 The robustness of this sequence was demonstrated by the successful preparation of 1a on 50 mmol scale in a total yield of 83% over three steps, without the necessity of any column chromatography. Of note, benzal bromide is commercially available, but can alternatively be prepared on 200 mmol scale in quantitative yield within 4 hours (see the ESI†). An alternative but slightly less efficient synthesis route towards 1a starting from 2-phenyl-1,3-dithiane was also developed (see ESI†). Through the benzal bromide route, we additionally prepared benzoyldimethylsilylchloride (1b); however, the corresponding silylethers turned out to be unstable. Therefore, 1b was not further considered in this study.
We were pleased to find that the protection of primary and secondary alcohols 7a and 7b with the novel reagent 1a could be achieved with a typical silylation protocol4 by using imidazole as a base in DCM, and the protected alcohols 8a and 8b were obtained in quantitative yields. However, the standard protocol proved ineffective for tertiary alcohols, likely due to steric hindrances. Nonetheless, the challenges were overcome by in situ transformation of the acylchlorosilane 1a into the more reactive triflate silyl ester, achieved through the addition of silver triflate to the reaction mixture (8c, 78%).
Next, the process of desilylation was examined utilizing silyl ethers 8a–c (Table 1). Deprotection was first studied in MeOH and it was found that irradiation of the BDIPS-protected primary alcohol 8a with a blue LED (456 nm) led to complete consumption of the starting silyl ether within 15 minutes. However, only a small amount of the alcohol 7a was identified, indicating that the further cleavage of acetal 4a (ref. 10) to 7a requires a longer reaction time. Indeed, after stirring for 4 hours at room temperature, full conversion to the alcohol 7a was achieved (Table 1, entry 1). In contrast, deprotection in water failed (Table 1, entry 2). Due to the substrate's insolubility in water, it became necessary to subject the substrate to a 2 hours irradiation process. This was done until the initial material was completely consumed. Despite subsequent stirring at room temperature, no formation of the desired alcohol occurred. The deprotection can also be accomplished in an acetone/methanol mixture (7:1) upon stirring for 24 hours (Table 1, entry 3). Other solvents or solvent mixtures provided worse results (see ESI†). Deprotection of the sterically more demanding secondary silyl ether 8b in acetone/methanol was equally efficient, and 7b was obtained in a quantitative yield (Table 1, entry 4). For the tertiary silyl ether 8c, the acetone/MeOH protocol failed. Photo rearrangement occurred in short time, but solvolysis of the intermediate turned out to be inefficient under these conditions (Table 1, entry 5). However, in pure methanol, near quantitative deprotection was achieved for 8c (Table 1, entry 6). Further, we also determined the quantum yield for the reaction of 8a in acetone/MeOH (see ESI†). A quantum yield (Φ (456 nm)) of 0.209 was measured for that deprotection process.
The TBDPS-protecting group showed an excellent degree of orthogonality (Table 3, entry 8), whereas the corresponding TBDMS-ether (Table 3, entry 6) and the TIPS-ether (Table 3, entry 7) underwent substantial desilylation. We assume that the desilylation is assisted by the silanol byproducts formed, since these TBDMS- and TIPS-ethers were perfectly stable in acetone/methanol (7:1) at room temperature. The three most prevalent ester protecting groups, namely acetyl (Table 3, entry 9), benzoyl (Table 3, entry 10), and pivaloyl (Table 3, entry 11) esters, were entirely compatible with the photomediated deprotection reaction. The most popular protecting group for photodeprotection, o-nitrobenzyl ether (oNBn), was also well tolerated under the deprotection conditions (Table 3, entry 12). The UV-spectrum showed that at 456 nm the o-nitrobenzyl ether does not absorb, explaining the perfect orthogonality of the two photoactive protecting groups (see ESI†).
Then, orthogonality for deprotection of various protected alcohols 7a-PG in the presence of the BDIPS-ether 8a was investigated (Table 4). Deprotection of 7a-THP (Table 4, entry 1) and 7a-MOM (Table 4, entry 2) in the presence of 8a was achieved in very good orthogonality by using triethylsilyl triflate (TESOTf) and 2,2-bipyridine (Bipy).12 Deprotection of 7a-PMB occurred with excellent orthogonality with respect to 8a by applying a standard DDQ method (Table 4, entry 3).13 Pleasingly, photo orthogonal wave-length selective deprotection of 7a-oNBn was realized with near perfect chemoselectivity by irradiation with a 350 nm light source (Table 4, entry 4). 7a-TMS could be cleaved on silica with reasonable selectivity (Table 4, entry 5), while the bulkier 7a-TES showed a moderate chemoselectivity under these conditions (Table 4, entry 5). This also suggests that the steric protection provided by our photolabile silicon group is probably slightly greater than that offered by the triethylsilyl protecting group.
Entry | PG | Conditionsa | Conv. (7a-PG)b | Conv. (8a)b |
---|---|---|---|---|
a Reactions performed under argon. b Conversion determined by GC analysis. | ||||
1 | THP | TESOTf, Bipy, DCM, 0 °C, 6 h | 86% | 1% |
2 | MOM | TESOTf, Bipy, DCM, 0 °C, 2 h | 99% | 0% |
3 | PMB | DDQ, CH2Cl2/H2O, RT, 0.5 h | 99% | 0% |
4 | oNBn | 350 nm, RT, C6H6 | 99% | 2% |
5 | TMS | Silica, 40 °C, 6 h | 91% | 23% |
6 | TES | Silica, 50 °C, 8 h | 55% | 35% |
The cyanated hydroxyester 7j underwent efficient silylation (8j, 99%). However, attempts at desilylation at room temperature were unsuccessful. By elevating the temperature to reflux conditions for 24 hours, we facilitated the solvolysis of the intermediate, leading to the formation of the desired alcohol in 84% yield.
The ketone functionality demonstrates compatibility with silylation, as evidenced by the successful synthesis of 8k and 8l with yields ranging from 72% to 95%. The deprotection of these silyl ethers containing ketone groups proved to be less efficient, resulting in yields of 47% to 64%. Thus, the presence of the ketone moiety appears to enhance the stability of the intermediate. As anticipated, the benzyl ether functionality in 7m shows complete compatibility with the protection/deprotection processes. Similarly, the Boc-, Cbz-, and Fmoc-protected piperidinols 7o–q underwent highly efficient silylation with yields ranging from 90% to 97%. Subsequent deprotection using methanol yielded excellent results as well, ranging from 70% to 99%. Along with the carbamates, the lactam moiety is also compatible with the protection/deprotection sequence, as demonstrated for lactam 7r. Carbamate-protected secondary amines are well-tolerated within this context. However, it is important to note that tertiary amines are not compatible with the deprotection step, despite successful protection outcomes (as illustrated for 8s). This is in line with Brook's observations, where it was noted that the formed acetals remain stable under alkaline conditions.7 Additionally, the presence of alkenes and alkynes poses only small interference, as demonstrated by compounds 8t and 8u. Silylation of the hydroxy nitroalkane 7v occurred in a quantitative yield and also deprotection worked rather well in MeOH (75%). Notably, when placed in MeOH without any irradiation for a period of 24 hours, a recovery of 92% for compound 8v was observed. This underscores the essential nature of the photochemical process for the initial step. The silyl-protected hydroxyethylthiophene 8w was obtained with an excellent yield, and its deprotection was achieved quantitatively. The protection of 1-adamantanol (7x) was accomplished with a yield of 73%, and its corresponding silyl ether 8x underwent quantitative deprotection. Similarly, both the protection and deprotection of the steroidal alcohol 8y yielded excellent results. As for the free amine functionality, a pyridine moiety is not compatible with the deprotection step (see 8z), while initial silylation proceeded without any problems.
Of note, the reagent's dye-like property warrants attention from a practical point of view. The bright yellow color of aroylsilanes facilitates uncomplicated purification through column chromatography. The compound's visibility to the naked eye eliminates the necessity for TLC or test tubes, provided an adequate separation from potential byproducts has been achieved.
Additionally, the stability towards two typical transformations was documented (Scheme 4). Thus, reaction of 8k with a Wittig reagent led to the formation the desired product 8aa, while leaving the acylsilane untouched.14 This reaction also underlines the thermal stability of the protecting group. Hydration of double bonds was also tolerated and 8ac was obtained in a quantitative yield.15
Mechanistic NMR-studies using substrate 8ae (see ESI†) revealed the formation of both diastereomers (1:1) of silaoxetane 10 as unstable intermediates that further decomposed to the ketone 9a at room temperature in solution. Efforts to isolate compound 10 resulted in its complete conversion to 9a. We have outlined a plausible reaction mechanism in Scheme 5. Upon irradiation, the excited silyl ketone A is generated. Instead of undergoing silyl migration and forming a siloxy carbene, A undergoes a 1,5 hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) from the activated benzylic C–H bond, generating the diradical B, which then cyclizes via a Norrish type II process to yield silaoxetane 10. Subsequently, 10 further decomposes into ketone 9a. This observation is noteworthy since the formation of siloxycarbenes is typically strongly favoured for acylsilanes.16 Although Norrish type II reactions have been reported for alkanoylsilanes,17 to the best of our knowledge, they have not been previously documented for aroylsilanes.
Footnote |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3sc04975b |
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