Alcoholic and Phenolic Groups

Since serine-195 is the site of acylation, a good deal of recent work has been directed towards determining the efficiency of neighboring alcohol and phenol groups as intramolecular nucleophiles in ester and amide hydrolysis. In comparison with acetamide and butyramide, the hydrolysis of 7-hydroxybutyramide [equation (17)] in the alkaline and neutral pH-range is accelerated 800-fold (Bruice and Marquardt, 1962). These reactions are attack of alkoxide ion on the neutral and protonated amide function,... 

Higher aliphatic alcohol and phenolic group-containing polytitanates may be prepared by transesterification of TYZOR BTP (24). 

The utility of recyclable alumina as a viable support surface for deacylation reactions is described by Varma and his colleagues [83] wherein the orthogonal deprotection of alcohols is possible under solvent-free conditions on a neutral alumina surface using MW irradiation (Scheme 2.2-23). Interestingly, chemoselectivity between alcoholic and phenolic groups in the same molecule has been achieved simply by varying the reaction time phenolic acetates are deacetylated faster than alcoholic analogues. 

The UDP-glucuronyl transferase is present in liver microsomes and is capable of transferring gluciux>nic acid to carboxyl, amine, alcoholic, and phenolic groups. Other tissues are low in this enzymic activity. 

The reaction with sodium sulfite or bisulfite (5,11) to yield sodium-P-sulfopropionamide [19298-89-6] (C3H7N04S-Na) is very useful since it can be used as a scavenger for acrylamide monomer. The reaction proceeds very rapidly even at room temperature, and the product has low toxicity. Reactions with phosphines and phosphine oxides have been studied (12), and the products are potentially useful because of thek fire retardant properties. Reactions with sulfide and dithiocarbamates proceed readily but have no appHcations (5). However, the reaction with mercaptide ions has been used for analytical purposes (13)). Water reacts with the amide group (5) to form hydrolysis products, and other hydroxy compounds, such as alcohols and phenols, react readily to form ether compounds. Primary aUphatic alcohols are the most reactive and the reactions are compHcated by partial hydrolysis of the amide groups by any water present. 

Sulfonic acids are prone to reduction with iodine [7553-56-2] in the presence of triphenylphosphine [603-35-0] to produce the corresponding iodides. This type of reduction is also facile with alkyl sulfonates (16). Aromatic sulfonic acids may also be reduced electrochemicaHy to give the parent arene. However, sulfonic acids, when reduced with iodine and phosphoms [7723-14-0] produce thiols (qv). Amination of sulfonates has also been reported, in which the carbon—sulfur bond is cleaved (17). Ortho-Hthiation of sulfonic acid lithium salts has proven to be a useful technique for organic syntheses, but has Httie commercial importance. Optically active sulfonates have been used in asymmetric syntheses to selectively O-alkylate alcohols and phenols, typically on a laboratory scale. Aromatic sulfonates are cleaved, ie, desulfonated, by uv radiation to give the parent aromatic compound and a coupling product of the aromatic compound, as shown, where Ar represents an aryl group (18). 

The triaLkoxy(aryloxy)boranes are typically monomeric, soluble in most organic solvents, and dissolve in water with hydrolysis to form boric acid and the corresponding alcohol and phenol. Although the rate of hydrolysis is usually very fast, it is dependent on the bulk of the alkyl or aryl substituent groups bonded to the boron atom. Secondary and tertiary alkyl esters are generally more stable than the primary alkyl esters. The boron atom in these compounds is in a trigonal coplanar state with bond hybridization. A vacantp orbital exists along the threefold axis perpendicular to the BO plane. 

This group of ingredients has many useful properties. Alcohols and phenols are very common in household products. Alcohols are good solvents and are used in perfumes and flavorings to dissolve fats and oils. Heavier alcohols with long chains of hydrocarbons act as emulsifiers and surfactants, bringing oil and water together. 

The methoxymethyl (MOM) and (3-methoxyethoxymethyl (MEM) groups are used to protect alcohols and phenols as formaldehyde acetals. These groups are normally introduced by reaction of an alkali metal salt of the alcohol with methoxymethyl chloride or (3-methoxyethoxymethyl chloride.157... 

Alternatively, the Sn2 nucleophilic substitution reaction between alcohols (phenols) and organic halides under basic conditions is the classical Williamson ether synthesis. Recently, it was found that water-soluble calix[n]arenes (n = 4, 6, 8) containing trimethylammonium groups on the upper rim (e.g., calix[4]arene 5.2) were inverse phase-transfer catalysts for alkylation of alcohols and phenols with alkyl halides in aqueous NaOH solution to give the corresponding alkylated products in good-to-high yields.56... 

Since the imidazolide method proceeds almost quantitatively, it has been used for the synthesis of isotopically labeled esters (see also Section 3.2), and it is always useful for the esterification of sensitive carboxylic acids, alcohols, and phenols under mild conditions. This advantage has been utilized in biochemistry for the study of transacylating enzymes. A number of enzymatic transacylations (e.g., those catalyzed by oc-chymo-trypsin) have been shown to proceed in two steps an acyl group is first transferred from the substrate to the enzyme to form an acyl enzyme, which is then deacylated in a second step. In this context it has been shown[21] that oc-chymotrypsin is rapidly and quantitatively acylated by Af-fraw.s-cinnamoylimidazole to give /ra/w-cinnamoyl-a-chymotrypsin, which can be isolated in preparative quantities and retains its enzymatic activity (see also Chapter 6). 

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