Conversion of unsaturated fatty acids – cycloadditions with unsaturated fatty acids [1]

Diels-Alder reactions with methyl conjuenate ( 2 ) at room temperature, with methyl E-12-oxo-10-octadecenoate ( 11 ) as dienophile and radical cation catalyzed cycloadditions of 2 are described. 2 is prepared from methyl linoleate by base catalyzed isomerization with sodium dimethylsulfoxide in 90% yield. It undergoes readily Diels-Alder reactions at room temperature in the presence of 1–1.8 equivalents of a Lewis acid and catalytic amounts of iodine to form cycloadducts in 55–90% yield. At 140°C 2 reacts with dimethyl maleate and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to cycloadducts in 86% and 73% yield, respectively. Methyl E-12-oxo-10-octadecenoate ( 11 ) can be combined in a Diels-Alder reaction with the dienes 2-(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadiene and 2,3-dimethylbutadiene in 69% and 86% yield, respectively. By way of radical cation catalysis 2 undergoes [4+2]-cycloadditions with dienes in high yield.