1,2-Dibromoethane → (2S,4R)-2-Methyl-4-(thiophen-3-yl)oxan-4-ol

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Reaction Steps

A solution of 1,2-dibromoethane (5 g) in diethyl ether (10 ml) was added to a stirred suspension of magnesium (3 g) in diethyl ether (10 ml) to initiate the formation of a Grignard reagent. A mixture of 1,2-dibromoethane (16.7 g) and 3-bromothiophene (4 g) in diethyl ether (30 ml) was added dropwise. The mixture was stirred and heated to reflux for 2 hours. A solution of (2S)-2-methyltetrahydropyran-4-one (2 g) in diethyl ether (5 ml) was added and the mixture was heated to reflux for 1 hour. The mixture was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The organic phase was dried (MgSO4) and evaporated. The residue was purified by column chromatography using a 7:3 mixture of petroleum ether and ethyl acetate as eluent. There were thus obtained in turn (2S,4R)-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-(3-thienyl)tetrahydropyran (0.685 g, 18.5%) and the corresponding (2S,4S)-isomer (1 g, 32%).

Provenance & Evidence