A investigations in the vitamin A‐series. II. Allylic rearrangements in the vitamin A‐series

Abstract

Abstract By splitting off water from the intermediate hydroxy‐compounds in the Vitamin A‐series allylic rearrangement takes place into the cyclohexene ring. This rearrangement occurs throughout the whole Vitamin‐A‐series‐ with those hydroxy‐intermediates wherein the hydroxy‐group is in an allyl position with regard to the double bond in the cyclohexene ring. The reason why so many attempts to prepare synthetic Vitamin A in reasonable yields, starting with “key” intermediates other than the C 14 aldehyde, lead to a failure, has been outlined.