Acid-catalyzed reactions with tertiary alkyl group

The most conspicuous property of aliphatic amines, apart from their fishy smell, is their high basicity, which usually precludes N-alkylations under acidic reaction conditions (last reaction, Scheme 6.3). Hence, alkylation of amines with tertiary alkyl groups is not usually possible without the use of highly stabilized carbocations which can be formed under basic reaction conditions. Rare exceptions are N-alkyla-tions of amines via radicals (Scheme 4.2), copper-catalyzed propargylations (Scheme 6.3), and the addition of amines to some Michael acceptors and allyl palladium or iridium complexes. Better strategies for the preparation of tert-alkylamines include the addition of Grignard reagents to ketone-derived imines [13] or the reduction of tert-alkyl nitro compounds. 

These investigators concluded that the reaction at pH 7 proceeds by Sn2 reaction with water at the less sterically hindered primary carbon and that the acid-catalyzed reaction involves formation of a carbonium ion intermediate centered at the tertiary carbon (stabilization of the carbonium ion is provided by the electron-donating alkyl groups). 

The formation of mixed ethers directly from two alcohols usually gives a mixture of three products. However, it is possible to form mixed ethers in which one alkyl group is tertiary and the other is primary or secondary (Section 16.4). We carry out this acid-catalyzed reaction, converting the tertiary alcohol to a tertiary carbocation, which then reacts with the other alcohol. For example, we can protect the hydroxyl group of cyclohexanol with a tcrr-butyl group. 

The reaction between acyl halides and alcohols or phenols is the best general method for the preparation of carboxylic esters. It is believed to proceed by a 8 2 mechanism. As with 10-8, the mechanism can be S l or tetrahedral. Pyridine catalyzes the reaction by the nucleophilic catalysis route (see 10-9). The reaction is of wide scope, and many functional groups do not interfere. A base is frequently added to combine with the HX formed. When aqueous alkali is used, this is called the Schotten-Baumann procedure, but pyridine is also frequently used. Both R and R may be primary, secondary, or tertiary alkyl or aryl. Enolic esters can also be prepared by this method, though C-acylation competes in these cases. In difficult cases, especially with hindered acids or tertiary R, the alkoxide can be used instead of the alcohol. Activated alumina has also been used as a catalyst, for tertiary R. Thallium salts of phenols give very high yields of phenolic esters. Phase-transfer catalysis has been used for hindered phenols. Zinc has been used to couple... 

FIGURE 3.20 Protection of carboxyl groups by esterification of V-protected amino acids (A) by reaction of the anion with an alkyl halide or haloalkyl resin (R = resin) in dimethylformamide51 and (B) by tertiary amine-catalyzed reaction of a symmetrical anhydride with hydroxymethylphenyl-resin (R = resin).53 The intermediate is probably that depicted in Figure 3.19. Reaction (A) is applicable also to the carboxyl groups of peptides. 

A proposed mechanism [9] for the hydrosilylation of olefins catalyzed by platinum(II) complexes (chloroplatinic acid is thought to be reduced to a plati-num(II) species in the early stages of the catalytic reaction) is similar to that for the rhodium(I) complex-catalyzed hydrogenation of olefins, which was advanced mostly by Wilkinson and his co-workers [10]. Besides the Speier s catalyst, it has been shown that tertiary phosphine complexes of nickel [11], palladium [12], platinum [13], and rhodium [14] are also effective as catalysts, and homogeneous catalysis by these Group VIII transition metal complexes is our present concern. In addition, as we will see later, hydrosilanes with chlorine, alkyl or aryl substituents on silicon show their characteristic reactivities in the metal complex-catalyzed hydrosilylation. Therefore, it seems appropriate to summarize here briefly recent advances in elucidation of the catalysis by metal complexes, including activation of silicon-hydrogen bonds. 

Alcohols react with alkylating and acylating agents they ako react with other electrophiles e.g., primary and secondary alcohols may be oxidized, and tertiary alcohols are especially susceptible to acid-catalyzed dehydration. It is therefore often necessary to protect alcoholic hydroxyl groups if it is intended to effect a chemical reaction solely at another site in a molecule. Such protection ako prevents the possibility of neighbouring group participation by hydroxyl groups. 

Titanium tetrachloride and a tertiary amine are a useful catalyst for Knoevenagel condensation [149] as shown in Eq. (45) [150]. Because the reaction can be performed under mild conditions, acid-sensitive functional groups survive the reaction conditions and the optically active center at the enolizable position did not racemize (Eq. 45). More examples of the titanium-catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation are shown in Table 5. Alkylation of an (unsaturated) (iV,0)-acetal with active methylene compounds was performed analogously in the presence of TiCU and NEts (Eq. 46) [154]. Depending on the structure of the active methylene compounds, carbon-carbon bond... 

In 2012, Maikov and coworkers reported a similar strategy for the synthesis of spirocyclopropanes bearing two quaternary centers. In this approach, 2-chloroacetoacetates (49) reacted with 17c via a Michael/a-alkylation domino reaction (Scheme 10.16) [22]. The reaction was catalyzed by bifunctional Brpnsted Acid-Lewis base X. The final spirocyclopropanes 50 were obtained under optimized conditions in good yields and excellent diastereo and enantioselectivities. A similar approach was developed by the same research group using 3-chlorooxindoles (51) instead of 2-chloroacetoacetates [23]. This time, the catalyst was a bifiinctional squaramide-tertiary amine XI derived from cinchona alkaloids, rendering the final spirocyclopropanes 52 in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities. 

Amino acid-derived primary-tertiary diamine catalysts have been used extensively in aldol reactions. Lu and Jiang [34] documented a direct asymmetric aldol reaction between acetone and a-ketoesters catalyzed by an L-serine-derived diamine 17. Sels et al. [35] found that several primary amino acid-based diamines (18) were efficient catalysts for the syn-aldol reaction of linear aliphatic ketones with aromatic aldehydes. Luo and Cheng utilized L-phenylalanine-derived diamine catalyst 15a for the enantioselective syn-aldol reaction of hydroxyl ketones with aromatic aldehydes [36]. Moreover, a highly enantioselective direct cross aldol reaction of alkyl aldehydes and aromatic aldehydes was realized in the presence of 15a (Scheme 3.8) [37]. Very recently, the same group also achieved a highly enantioselective cross-aldol reaction of acetaldehyde [38]. Da and coworkers [39] discovered that catalyst 22, in combination with 2,4-dinitrophenol, provided good activation for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction (Scheme 3.9). 

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