Alkyl as well as aryl substitution can be readily accomplished in generally excellentyields via a nucleophilic mode by displacement of an ortho-fluoro or methoxy group inunprotected naphthoic acids with lithium and Grignard reagents in the absence of a metalcatalyst.Alkyllithium reagents typically gave good-to-excellent yields, whether primary,secondary, or tertiary at –78 °C. Displacement of a fluoro or a methoxy group occurs withequal efficacy. The absence of ortho-lithiation was confirmed by quenching the reactionproduct with MeI after addition of n-BuLi, s-BuLi and t-BuLi. Alkyl Grignard reagentsEtMgBr and n-BuMgBr proved to be very reactive at –78 °C while vinyl magnesium bromiderequired refluxing in THF.The method provides excellent latitude with respect to the synthesis of 1- and 2-phenylnaphthalenes, 1,1’-binaphthalenes, and 2,2’-binaphthalenes. In those instances wherethe aryllithium reagents gave poor yields of coupling products, the corresponding Grignardreagents proved to be much more effective. o-Tolyllithium, o-tolylmagnesium bromide, (4-methoxyphenyl)magnesium bromide, (2,5-dimethylphenyl)magnesium bromide andbenzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmagnesium bromide smoothly displaced the fluoro/methoxy grouportho to the CO2M group to give the corresponding substitution products while reaction of(2,6-dimethoxyphenyl)magnesium bromide proceeded with less efficiency presumably due tosteric effects imparted by the two ortho-methoxy groups. Particularly useful is 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-naphthoic acid which allows for further elaboration after the coupling isperformed. Deprotection of the methoxy group followed by cyclization was realized withBBr3 to afford 6H-naphtho[2,1-c]chromen-6-one which was isolated in 97% yield. Thislactone is the starting building block for the preparation of optically active atropisomers byenantioselective ring opening.
