Oxonium Ion Mediated Synthesis of 4-Substituted Spiro-Isoxazolines

Tetrahedron Lett. 2009 Feb 4;50(5):533-535. doi: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2008.11.053.

Abstract

The stereoselective synthesis of 4-bromo-spiro-isoxazolines was achieved in one step through the bromination of various isoxazoles that contain a pendant alcohol or carboxylic acid functional group. Isoxazole bromination leads to a bromonium ion intermediate which opens either by neighboring oxygen lone pair electrons or by intramolecular nucleophilic attack. Single X-ray crystal data provides evidence that the two contiguous stereocenters of the spiro-isoxazoline are formed by the anti intramolecular attack of the nucleophile relative to bromine since there is an anti stereochemical relationship between the spirocyclic ring oxygen and the bromine atom.