Elimination reactions alcohols

The experimental. 4-factors for the alcohol elimination reactions are all in the range, log. 4 = 11.8 0.3, which agrees well with transition state estimates log4js, = 11.5+0.3. Activation entropies are therefore, AS —8 + 1.4 cal. deg mole This gives an average entropy loss of —2.7 eu per internal rotation restricted in the transition state. The experimental data for these reactions all seem quite reliable. Data for these reactions and the four-center reactions are given in Table 37. 

This is an alcohol elimination reaction with catalysis by Magnesium and using general base catalysis by the enzyme ... 

Mg-Al mixed oxides obtained by thermal decomposition of anionic clays of hydrotalcite structure, present acidic or basic surface properties depending on their chemical composition [1]. These materials contain the metal components in close interaction thereby promoting bifunctional reactions that are catalyzed by Bronsted base-Lewis acid pairs. Among others, hydrotalcite-derived mixed oxides promote aldol condensations [2], alkylations [3] and alcohol eliminations reactions [1]. In particular, we have reported that Mg-Al mixed oxides efficiently catalyze the gas-phase self-condensation of acetone to a,P-unsaturated ketones such as mesityl oxides and isophorone [4]. Unfortunately, in coupling reactions like aldol condensations, basic catalysts are often deactivated either by the presence of byproducts such as water in the gas phase or by coke build up through secondary side reactions. Deactivation has traditionally limited the potential of solid basic catalysts to replace environmentally problematic and corrosive liquid bases. However, few works in the literature deal with the deactivation of solid bases under reaction conditions. Studies relating the concerted and sequential pathways required in the deactivation mechanism with the acid-base properties of the catalyst surface are specially lacking. 

Zaitsev s rule as applied to the acid catalyzed dehydration of alcohols is now more often expressed in a different way elimination reactions of alcohols yield the most highly substituted alkene as the major product Because as was discussed in Section 5 6 the most highly substituted alkene is also normally the most stable one Zaitsev s rule is sometimes expressed as a preference for predominant formation of the most stable alkene that could arise by elimination... 

Preparation of Alkenes by Elimination Reactions of Alcohols and Alkyl Halides... 

Laboratory syntheses of conjugated dienes can be achieved by elimination reactions of unsaturated alcohols and alkyl halides In the two examples that follow the conjugated diene is produced m high yield even though an isolated diene is also possible... 

When applied to the synthesis of ethers the reaction is effective only with primary alcohols Elimination to form alkenes predominates with secondary and tertiary alcohols Diethyl ether is prepared on an industrial scale by heating ethanol with sulfuric acid at 140°C At higher temperatures elimination predominates and ethylene is the major product A mechanism for the formation of diethyl ether is outlined m Figure 15 3 The individual steps of this mechanism are analogous to those seen earlier Nucleophilic attack on a protonated alcohol was encountered m the reaction of primary alcohols with hydrogen halides (Section 4 12) and the nucleophilic properties of alcohols were dis cussed m the context of solvolysis reactions (Section 8 7) Both the first and the last steps are proton transfer reactions between oxygens... 

Solvent for Base-Catalyzed Reactions. The abihty of hydroxide or alkoxide ions to remove protons is enhanced by DMSO instead of water or alcohols (91). The equiUbrium change is also accompanied by a rate increase of 10 or more (92). Thus, reactions in which proton removal is rate-determining are favorably accompHshed in DMSO. These include olefin isomerizations, elimination reactions to produce olefins, racemizations, and H—D exchange reactions. 

Hydrolysis. Esters are cleaved (hydroly2ed) into an acid and an alcohol through the action of water. This hydrolysis is cataly2ed by acids or bases. The mechanistic aspects of ester hydrolysis have received considerable attention and have been reviewed (16). For most esters only two reaction pathways are important. Both mechanisms involve a tetrahedral intermediate and addition-elimination reactions i7i7... 

The dehydration of alcohols is an important elimination reaction that takes place under acidic rather flian basic conditions. It involves an El mechanism." The function of the acidic reagent is to convert the hydroxyl group to a better leaving group by protonation ... 

This elimination reaction is the reverse of acid-catalyzed hydration, which was discussed in Section 6.2. Because a carbocation or closely related species is the intermediate, the elimination step would be expected to favor the more substituted alkene as discussed on p. 384. The El mechanism also explains the general trends in relative reactivity. Tertiary alcohols are the most reactive, and reactivity decreases going to secondary and primary alcohols. Also in accord with the El mechanism is the fact that rearranged products are found in cases where a carbocation intermediate would be expected to rearrange ... 

The mechanistic pattern established by study of hydration and alcohol addition reactions of ketones and aldehydes is followed in a number of other reactions of carbonyl compounds. Reactions at carbonyl centers usually involve a series of addition and elimination steps proceeding through tetrahedral intermediates. These steps can be either acid-catalyzed or base-catalyzed. The rate and products of the reaction are determined by the reactivity of these tetrahedral intermediates. 

The use of mesyl chloride for the dehydration of C-11 alcohols has already been mentioned, and mesylates can certainly be intermediates at least in the a-series. The preference for a coplanar trans arrangement is demonstrated by the well-known elimination reactions of tosylates of epimeric 20-alcohols (ref. 185, p. 616), although this does not restrict the usefulness of the reaction, and in some cases (sulfonates of 1 la-alcohols, for example) cw-elimination occurs (ref. 216, p. 293 ref. 224, 225, 226). 

Because of thetr electron deficient nature, fluoroolefms are often nucleophihcally attacked by alcohols and alkoxides Ethers are commonly produced by these addition and addition-elimination reactions The wide availability of alcohols and fliioroolefins has established the generality of the nucleophilic addition reactions The mechanism of the addition reaction is generally believed to proceed by attack at a vinylic carbon to produce an intermediate fluorocarbanion as the rate-determining slow step The intermediate carbanion may react with a proton source to yield the saturated addition product Alternatively, the intermediate carbanion may, by elimination of P-halogen, lead to an unsaturated ether, often an enol or vinylic ether These addition and addition-elimination reactions have been previously reviewed [1, 2] The intermediate carbanions resulting from nucleophilic attack on fluoroolefins have also been trapped in situ with carbon dioxide, carbonates, and esters of fluorinated acids [3, 4, 5] (equations 1 and 2)... 

Rase-catalyzed reaction of alcohol favors addition, whereas increasing amounts of alkoxide favor addition-elimination reactions. Perfluoro-2-methyl-2-pentene and methanol form the saturated ether, whereas two equivalents of sodium methoxide form the vinylic ether [S] (equation 4). 

The nucleophilic attack of nitrogen bases leads to a variety of products as the result of addition or addition-elimination reactions The regioselectivity resembles that of attack by alcohols and alkoxides an intermediate carbanion is believed to be involved In the absence of protic reagents, the fluorocarbanion generated by the addition of sodium azide to polyfluonnated olefins can be captured by carbon dioxide or esters of fluonnated acids [J 2, 3] (equation I)... 

Conversion to p-toluenesulfonate esters (Section 8.14) Alcohols react with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride to give p-toluenesulfonate esters. Sulfonate esters are reactive substrates for nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions. The p-toluenesulfonate group is often abbreviated —OTs. 

When applied to the synthesis of ethers, the reaction is effective only with primary alcohols. Elimination to form alkenes predominates with secondary and tertiary alcohols. 

Neutral alcohols, ROH, and ethers, ROR, do not undergo either substitution or elimination reactions, presumably because OH (OR ) is a poor leaving group. Acids can activate OH (OR) by converting it into a better leaving group. 

O-isopropylidene derivative (57) must exist in pyridine solution in a conformation which favors anhydro-ring formation rather than elimination. Considerable degradation occurred when the 5-iodo derivative (63) was treated with silver fluoride in pyridine (36). The products, which were isolated in small yield, were identified as thymine and l-[2-(5-methylfuryl)]-thymine (65). This same compound (65) was formed in high yield when the 5 -mesylate 64 was treated with potassium tert-hx Xy -ate in dimethyl sulfoxide (16). The formation of 65 from 63 or 64 clearly involves the rearrangement of an intermediate 2, 4 -diene. In a different approach to the problem of introducing terminal unsaturation into pento-furanoid nucleosides, Robins and co-workers (32,37) have employed mild base catalyzed E2 elimination reactions. Thus, treatment of the 5 -tosylate (59) with potassium tert-butylate in tert-butyl alcohol afforded a high yield of the 4 -ene (60) (37). This reaction may proceed via the 2,5 ... 

I Elimination reactions are, in a sense, the opposite of addition reactions. They occur when a single reactant splits into two products, often with formation of a small molecule such as wateT or HBr. An example is the acid-catalyzed reaction of an alcohol to yield water and an alkene. 

Just as the chemistry of alkenes is dominated by addition reactions, the preparation of alkenes is dominated by elimination reactions. Additions and eliminations are, in many respects, two sides of the same coin. That is, an addition reaction might involve the addition of HBr or H20 to an alkene to form an alkyl halide or alcohol, whereas an elimination reaction might involve the loss of HBr or H20 from an alkyl halide or alcohol to form an alkene. 

The two most common elimination reactions arc dehydroUalogenalion—the loss of HX from an alkyl halide—and dehydration—(he loss of water from an alcohol. Dehydrohalogenation usually occurs by reaction of an alkyl halide with strong base such as potassium hydroxide. For example, bromocvclohexane yields cyclohexene when treated with KOH in ethanol solution. 

Alkenes are generally prepared by an elimination reaction, such as dehydrohalo-genation, the elimination of FIX from an alkyl halide, or dehydration, the elimination of water from an alcohol. 

Alkyl halides are encountered less frequently than their oxygen-containing relatives alcohols and ethers, but some of the kinds of reactions they undergo—nucleophilic substitutions and eliminations—are encountered frequently. Thus, alkyl halide chemistry acts as a relatively simple model for many mechanistically similar but structurally more complex reactions found in biornolecules. We ll begin in this chapter with a look at how to name and prepare alkyl halides, and we ll see several of their reactions. Then in the following chapter, we ll make a detailed study of the substitution and elimination reactions of alkyl halides—two of the most important and well-studied reaction types in organic chemistry. 

All three elimination reactions--E2, El, and ElcB—occur in biological pathways, but the ElcB mechanism is particularly common. The substrate is usually an alcohol, and the H atom removed is usually adjacent to a carbonyl group, just as in laboratory reactions. Thus, 3-hydroxy carbonyl compounds are frequently converted to unsaturated carbonyl compounds by elimination reactions. A typical example occurs during the biosynthesis of fats when a 3-hydroxybutyryl thioester is dehydrated to the corresponding unsaturated (crotonyl) thioester. The base in this reaction is a histidine amino acid in the enzyme, and loss of the OH group is assisted by simultaneous protonation. 

---