A study of nuclear prenylation of 2,4-dihydroxy phenyl benzyl ketone: Syntheses of linear and angular 6″,6″-dimethyl pyrano-isoflavones, and their 2-methyl and 2-phenyl analogues

Abstract

2,4-Dihydroxyphenyl benzyl ketone (I) condenses with 2-methyl but-3-en-2-ol in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to afford a mixture of 3-C-, 5-C- and 3,5-di C C-prenyl derivatives separable by chromatography. The above mixture without the 5-C-prenyl but with the 4-O-prenyl derivative results when ketone I is treated with prenyl bromide in the presence of methanolic potash. 3-C-(III a) and 5-C-(IV) prenyl derivatives undergo ready oxidative cyclization with DDQ to yield the corresponding pyrano derivatives VIII and XII respectively which form good starting materials for various isoflavone condensations. Thus both linear and angular 6″,6″-dimethyl pyrano-isoflavones and their 2-methyl and 2-phenyl analogues have been synthesized.