Acyclic 1,4-Stereocontrol via the Allylic Diazene Rearrangement: Development, Applications, and the Essential Role of Kinetic E Stereoselectivity in Tosylhydrazone Formation.

We report full details of a method for 1,3-reductive transposition of α-alkoxy-α,β-unsaturated hydrazones to provide E-alkenes with high 1,4-stereocontrol between the two respective allylic stereocenters. The process couples a chelation-controlled reduction of the hydrazone with an in situ allylic strain controlled retro-ene reaction of an allyl diazene, i.e., an allylic diazene rearrangement. Such stereotriads are frequently observed motifs in natural products. We observed a fortuitous kinetic preference for the E-hydrazone geometry during the hydrazonation reaction, as only the E-isomers could undergo chelation-controlled reduction.