Reduction of malonaldehyde bis(ethylene and propylene acetals) with bo
rane or monochloroborane produces diether diols 1 and 2 in high yield.
Similar reduction of glyoxal bis(ethylene acetals) has only limited u
tility for the preparation of tetrasubstituted triethylene glycols 3.
Organotin chemistry is complementary: stannylene acetals prepared from
disubstituted vicinal diols can be alkylated with half an equivalent
of 1,2-dibromoethane to produce tetrasubstituted triethylene glycols 3
, or with two equivalents of 2-chloroethanol to produce disubstituted
triethylene glycols 4. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser
ved.