Acetates, hydroxyl group protection

The solid-phase synthesis of oligosaccharides is usually performed using acid-resistant linkers and protective groups, because of the slightly acidic reaction conditions required for glycosylations (Section 16.3). Hydroxyl group protection is conveniently achieved by conversion into carboxylic esters, such as acetates, benzoates, or nitro-benzoates. Support-bound esters of primary or secondary aliphatic alcohols can be cleaved by treatment with alcoholates [97-99] (Table 7.8), with DBU in methanol, with hydrazine in DMF [100] or dioxane [101], or with ethylenediamine [102], provided that a linker resistant towards nucleophiles has been chosen. 

The protection of the anomeric hydroxyl group is of primary importance for the selective functionalization of other remaining secondary hydroxyls and must be treated separately from other protections. It can be considered as either protection of the acetal hydroxyl group or protection of the acetal, C-1, carbon. 

Figure 22.21 shows the NMR spectrum for the product of the reaction of D-(+)-mannose with acetone containing a trace of acid. This compound is a mannofuranose with some hydroxyl groups protected as acetone acetals (as acetonides). Use the NMR spectrum to determine how many acetonide groups are present in the compound. 

E. Perez-Mayoral, R.M. Martin-Aranda, A. Lopez-Peinado, P. Ballesteros, A. Zukal, J. Cejka, Green synthesis of acetals/ketals efficient solvent-free process for the carbonyl/hydroxyl group protection catalyzed by SBA-15 Materials, Top. Catal. 52 (2009) 148-152. 

We can either protect the two hydroxyl groups in A as a cychc acetal or use four mols of PhMgBr and waste two of them. 

We shall describe a specific synthetic example for each protective group given above. Regiosdective proteaion is generally only possible if there are hydroxyl groups of different sterical hindrance (prim < sec < tert equatorial < axial). Acetylation has usually been effected with acetic anhydride. The acetylation of less reactive hydroxyl groups is catalyzed by DMAP (see p.l44f.). Acetates are stable toward oxidation with chromium trioxide in pyridine and have been used, for example, for protection of steroids (H.J.E. Loewenthal, 1959), carbohydrates (M.L. Wolfrom, 1963 J.M. Williams, 1967), and nucleosides (A.M. Micbelson, 1963). The most common deacetylation procedures are ammonolysis with NH in CH OH and methanolysis with KjCO, or sodium methoxide. 

Since a few protective groups cannot satisfy all these criteria for elaborate substrates, a large number of mutually complementary protective groups are needed and, indeed, are becoming available. In early syntheses the chemist chose a standard derivative known to be stable to the subsequent reactions. In a synthesis of callistephin chloride the phenolic —OH group in 1 was selectively protected as an acetate. In the presence of silver ion the aliphatic hydroxyl group in 2 displaced... 

As chemists proceeded to synthesize more complicated stmctures, they developed more satisfactory protective groups and more effective methods for the formation and cleavage of protected compounds. At first a tetrahydropyranyl acetal was prepared, by an acid-catalyzed reaction with dihydropyran, to protect a hydroxyl group. The acetal is readily cleaved by mild acid hydrolysis, but formation of this acetal introduces a new stereogenic center. Formation of the 4-methoxytetrahy-dropyranyl ketal eliminates this problem. 

The crotonate esters, prepared to protect a primary hydroxyl group in nucleosides, are cleaved by hydrazi ne (MeOH, Pyr, 2 h). The methoxycrotonate is 100-fold more reactive to hydrazinolysis and 2-fold less reactive to alkaline hydrolysis than the corresponding acetate. ... 

Catechols can be protected as diethers or diesters by methods that have been described to protect phenols. However, formation of cyclic acetals and ketals (e.g., methylenedioxy, acetonide, cyclohexylidenedioxy, diphenylmethylenedioxy derivatives) or cyclic esters (e.g., borates or carbonates) selectively protects the two adjacent hydroxyl groups in the presence of isolated phenol groups. 

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