
%0 Journal Article
%A Macleod, JK 
%A Molinski, TF 
%T Synthetic Studies on Wedeligenin: Preparation of 3-Hydroxy-Substituted Decalincarbonitriles as a Model for 'A Ring' Annulation
%J Australian Journal of Chemistry
%D 1990/08/01
%V 43
%N 8
%P 1309-1326
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/CH9901309
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/CH9901309 
%X Six new 3-hydroxydecalincarbonitriles were synthesized by employing an annulation strategy involving intramolecular alkylation of 5-bromoalkyl substituted malononitriles or acetonitriles. 2-Allyl-2-methylcyclohexanone was condensed with malononitrile to give the dialkylcyclohexylidenepropanedinitrile (14). Alternatively, Horner-Emmons- Wittig condensation of the same ketone with diethyl cyanomethylphosphonate gave the corresponding acetonitrile (28). Reduction of the dinitrile with sodium borohydride to give a mixture of cis and trans cyclohexyl  malononitriles followed by epoxidation of the allyl substituent, gave a separable mixture of four epoxides, two of which, (17) and (19), were site-selectively ring-opened to the bromohydrins. Each bromohydrin was quantitatively converted into its respective O- trimethylsilyl bromohydrin ether and cyclized to afford the respective decalindicarbonitriles (6) and (7). The substituted acetonitrile (28) was reduced to a 5 : 2 mixture of the corresponding cyclohexylacetonitriles with magnesium in methanol and the products were carried through to their respective O- trimethylsilyl  bromohydrin ethers and cyclized to afford decalincarbonitriles (8)-(11). The structure and stereochemistry of the new decalins were assigned by 1H and 13C n.m.r. spectroscopy. 
