Alcohol catalyzed reduction

Reductive carbonylation of nitro compounds is catalyzed by various Pd catalysts. Phenyl isocyanate (93) is produced by the PdCl2-catalyzed reductive carbonylation (deoxygenation) of nitrobenzene with CO, probably via nitrene formation. Extensive studies have been carried out to develop the phosgene-free commercial process for phenyl isocyanate production from nitroben-zene[76]. Effects of various additives such as phenanthroline have been stu-died[77-79]. The co-catalysts of montmorillonite-bipyridylpalladium acetate and Ru3(CO) 2 are used for the reductive carbonylation oLnitroarenes[80,81]. Extensive studies on the reaction in alcohol to form the A -phenylurethane 94 have also been carried out[82-87]. Reaction of nitrobenzene with CO in the presence of aniline affords diphenylurea (95)[88]. 

Alcohol dehydrogenase-catalyzed reduction of ketones is a convenient method for the production of chiral alcohols. HLAD, the most thoroughly studied enzyme, has a broad substrate specificity and accommodates a variety of substrates (Table 11). It efficiendy reduces all simple four- to nine-membered cycHc ketones and also symmetrical and racemic cis- and trans-decalindiones (167). Asymmetric reduction of aUphatic acycHc ketones (C-4—C-10) (103,104) can be efficiendy achieved by alcohol dehydrogenase isolated from Thermoanaerohium hrockii (TBADH) (168). The enzyme is remarkably stable at temperatures up to 85°C and exhibits high tolerance toward organic solvents. Alcohol dehydrogenases from horse Hver and T. hrockii... 

Table 11. Alcohol Dehydrogenase-Catalyzed Reductions on Ketones...

An unusual by-product was obtained in small yield in palladium-catalyzed reduction of 2-amino-4,5-dimethoxyindanone hydrochloride, The reduction was done in two stages first, a rapid absorption of 1 mol of hydrogen at 38 C to give the amino alcohol, and then a much slower reduction in the presence of HCIO4 at 70 "C. The rearranged by-product was shown to arise from attack of acid on the amino alcohol (50), Resistance to hydrogenolysis is characteristic of / -amino aromatic alcohols (56), a fact that makes reduction of aromatic oximino ketones to amino benzyl alcohols a useful synthetic reaction. 

An unprecedented nickel-catalyzed reductive coupling between an epoxide and an alkyne to give synthetically useful homoallylic alcohols has been developed by Jamison [55a], and was recently used in a short enantioselective synthesis of am-... 

Oriyama and coworkers reported an iron-catalyzed reductive etherification of carbonyl compounds with triethylsilane and alkoxytriaUcylsilane [149, 150] and alcohols (Scheme 48) [151]. 

For the majority of redox enzymes, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide [NAD(H)j and its respective phosphate [NADP(H)] are required. These cofactors are prohibitively expensive if used in stoichiometric amounts. Since it is only the oxidation state of the cofactor that changes during the reaction, it may be regenerated in situ by using a second redox reaction to allow it to re-enter the reaction cycle. Usually in the heterotrophic organism-catalyzed reduction, formate, glucose, and simple alcohols such as ethanol and 2-propanol are used to transform the... 

The proline-catalyzed reaction has been extend to the reaction of propanal, butanal, and pentanal with a number of aromatic aldehydes and proceeds with high syn selectivity.197 The reaction can also be carried out under conditions in which the imine is formed in situ. Under these conditions, the conjugative stabilization of the aryl imines leads to the preference for the aryl imine to act as the electrophile. A good yield of the expected P-aminoalcohol was obtained with propanal serving as both the nucleophilic and the electrophilic component. The product was isolated as a 7-amino alcohol after reduction with NaBH4. 

Under certain conditions, the trifluoroacetic acid catalyzed reduction of ketones can result in reductive esterification to form the trifluoroacetate of the alcohol. These reactions are usually accompanied by the formation of side products, which can include the alcohol, alkenes resulting from dehydration, ethers, and methylene compounds from over-reduction.68,70,207,208,313,386 These mixtures may be converted into alcohol products if hydrolysis is employed as part of the reaction workup. An example is the reduction of cyclohexanone to cyclohexanol in 74% yield when treated with a two-fold excess of both trifluoroacetic acid and triethylsilane for 24 hours at 55° and followed by hydrolytic workup (Eq. 205).203... 

The complex [Rh(COD)L L2]+, where L1 = PPh3 and L2 = pyridine, and a neutral benzoate complex, Rh(COD)(PPh3)(OCOPh), also effect highly selective hydrogenation of 1-alkynes to 1-alkenes as well as reduction of 1-alkenes and ketones to alcohols (139) the one equivalent of base required may be related to monohydride formation [Eq. (25)]. The bisphosphine complexes also catalyze reduction of styrene oxide to 2-phenylethanol and phenylacetaldehyde (140) ... 

Because of the complexity of the rhodium-catalyzed reduction of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol with CO and H20, it is not possible to fully elucidate the mechanism of catalytic reduction given the extent of the kinetic studies performed to date. However, the results do allow us to draw several important conclusions about the reaction mechanism for benzaldehyde hydrogenation and several related reactions. 

Various catalytic or stoichiometric asymmetric syntheses and resolutions offer excellent approaches to the chiral co-side chain. Among these methods, kinetic resolution by Sharpless epoxidation,14 amino alcohol-catalyzed organozinc alkylation of a vinylic aldehyde,15 lithium acetylide addition to an alkanal,16 reduction of the corresponding prochiral ketones,17 and BINAL-H reduction18 are all worth mentioning. 

Titanocene-Catalyzed Reductive Epoxide Opening to Alcohols... 

The carbonyl reductases catalyze reduction of aldehydes and ketones by reduced pyridine nucleotides (NADH and/or NADPH). As mentioned earlier, alcohol dehydrogenase can perform this function in the presence of a high ratio of NADH to NAD+. Other enzymes capable of carbonyl reduction include the aldehyde and ketone reductases. The aldehyde and ketone reductases have a ubiquitous species distribution, with the enzymes present in organisms ranging from bacteria to vertebrates. The mammalian carbonyl reductases have been extensively reviewed (101). 

As with the aldehyde reductases, ketone reductases are specific for NADPH as reductant. Also, some isoenzymes of ketone reductase have not been purified to homogeneity and therefore not fully characterized. It is clear, however, that the ketone reductases catalyze reduction of aromatic, aliphatic, cyclic, and unsaturated ketones to the corresponding alcohols. The ketone reductases also catalyze reduction of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to primary alcohols. The distribution and specificity of ketone reductases has been reviewed (103). 

Processes that enable direct catalytic C-C functionalization of carbinol C-H bonds are highly uncommon. Rh-catalyzed alcohol-vinylarene C-C coupling has been described. The requirement of BF3 and trends in substrate scope suggest these processes involve alcohol dehydrogenation-reductive Prins addition [26-29]. 

In what appears to be a particularly irmovative development in the area of UV/ Vis-based ee screening systems, the determination of the enantiomeric purity of chiral alcohols 9 is based on a new concept of using two enantioselective enzymes to modify the product (84). The method allows the determination of ee values independent of the concentration, which may be of significant advantage in directed evolution projects. It can be used in three different biocatalytic processes, namely biohydroxylation of alkanes, reductase-catalyzed reduction of ketones, and lipase-or esterase-catalyzed ester hydrolysis. 

Scheme 26 Bi(OTf)3-catalyzed reduction of benzyl alcohols with triethylsilane...

Finally, /i-hydrogen transfer is the key step in the Meerwein-Pondorf-Verley (MPV) reduction of ketones by alcohols, catalyzed by aluminium alkoxides and many other catalysts. In that case, competition is not an issue, since polymerization is usually not thermodynamically favourable. The accepted mechanism for this reaction is direct transfer of the hydride from alkoxide to ketone. 

Meerwein-Pondorf-Verley reduction, discovered in the 1920s, is the transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds by alcohols, catalyzed by basic metal compounds (e.g., alkoxides) [56-58]. The same reaction viewed as oxidation of alcohols [59] is called Oppenauer oxidation. Suitable catalysts include homogeneous as well as heterogeneous systems, containing a wide variety of metals like Li, Mg, Ca, Al, Ti, 2r and lanthanides. The subject has been reviewed recently [22]. In this review we will concentrate on homogeneous catalysis by aluminium. Most aluminium alkoxides will catalyze MPV reduction. 

Marlipal 0 13/60/ cyclohexane Alcohol and formate dehydrogenases (ADH FDH) A 12-fold increase in ADH catalyzed reduction rates of 2-heptanone to S-2-heptanol was demonstrated in RMs. The NADH consumed in the reaction was regenerated by another enzyme FDH [23]... 

Reduction Carbonyl groups. The carbonyl group (-(C=0)-) is reduced through a reaction that is catalyzed by an aldo-keto reductase requiring NADH as a cofactor. A large number of aromatic and aliphatic ketones are reduced to the corresponding alcohols these reductions are frequently stereospecific. a,P-Unsaturated ketones are typically metabolized to saturated alcohols. 

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