Alcohols, base-catalyzed

A useful entry into p-keto allenes is provided by the reaction of 2-MP with tertiary propaigylic alcohols. Base-catalyzed rearrangement of the allenes affords conjugated dienones (eq 3). 

The main processes for the manufacture of hydroxybenzaldehydes are based on phenol. The most widely used process is the saligenin process. Saligenin (2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol [90-01-7]) and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol [623-05-2] are produced from base-catalyzed reaction of formaldehyde with phenol (35). Air oxidation of saligenin over a suitable catalyst such as platinium or palladium produces sahcylaldehyde (62). 

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. 

A slereoselectrve base catalyzed [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement of allyl ethers to honwallylic alcohols (stereoselectrve)... 

This group is more labile to hydrolysis than the TBDMS group and has been used to protect in alcohol where the TBDMS group was too resistant to cleavage. The DEIPS group is approximately 90 times more stable than the TMS group to acid hydrolysis and 600 times more stable than the TMS group to base-catalyzed solvolysis. 

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. 

During the course of base-catalyzed exchange in O-deuterated alcohols, the vinylic hydrogen in the a position to the ketone is replaced by deuterium, in addition to the hydrogens activated by enolization. Thus, under these conditions the exchange of androst-l-en-3-one (16, R = H) gives a trideuterio derivative (18) instead of the expected 4,4-d2 analog (16, R = D). " (For other examples see compounds 13, 19, 21, 23, 26 and 27.) Incorporation of this deuterium is due to rapidly reversible alcohol addition (16 -+17) and elimination (17 18) which competes with the enolization step. " ... 

Miller et al. [9] hypothesized rules on the regioselectivity of addition from the study of the base-catalyzed addition of alcohols to chlorotnfluoroethylene. Attack occurs at the vinylic carbon with most fluorines. Thus, isomers of dichloro-hexafl uorobutene react with methanol and phenol to give the corresponding saturated and vinylic ethers The nucleophiles exclusively attack position 3 of 1,1-dichloro-l,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene and position I of 4,4-dichloro-l,l,2,3,3,4-hexafluoro-1-butene [10]. In I, l-dichloro-2,3,3,4,4,4-hexafluoro-l-butene, attack on position 2 is favored [J/] (equation 5) Terminal fluoroolefms are almost invariably attacked at tbe difluoromethylene group, as illustrated by the reaction of sodium methoxide with perfluoro-1-heptene in methanol [/2J (equation 6). 

Step from general acid-catalyzed formation of immonium ions to general base-catalyzed hydration of these ions to the amino alcohol [Eq. (6)]. 

Notwithstanding the expected and also observed high reactivity of the intermediate immonium ions, the stabilization of the exocyclic double bond in the pyrrolidino derivative evidently prevents rapid nucleophilic attack of water and the hydration of this ion to the amino alcohol becomes a slow general base-catalyzed process in weakly acidic solutions [Eq. (6)]. 

Thus the reactions of cyclic or acyclic enamines with acrylic esters or acrylonitrile can be directed to the exclusive formation of monoalkylated ketones (3,294-301). The corresponding enolate anion alkylations lead preferentially to di- or higher-alkylation products. However, by proper choice of reaction conditions, enamines can also be used for the preferential formation of higher alkylation products, if these are desired. Such reactions are valuable in the a substitution of aldehydes, which undergo self-condensation in base-catalyzed reactions (117,118). Monoalkylation products are favored in nonhydroxylic solvents such as benzene or dioxane, whereas dialkylation products can be obtained in hydroxylic solvents such as methanol. The difference in products can be ascribed to the differing fates of an initially formed zwitterionic intermediate. Collapse to a cyclobutane takes place in a nonprotonic solvent, whereas protonation on the newly introduced substitutent and deprotonation of the imonium salt, in alcohol, leads to a new enamine available for further substitution. 

Sharpless and Masumune have applied the AE reaction on chiral allylic alcohols to prepare all 8 of the L-hexoses. ° AE reaction on allylic alcohol 52 provides the epoxy alcohol 53 in 92% yield and in >95% ee. Base catalyze Payne rearrangement followed by ring opening with phenyl thiolate provides diol 54. Protection of the diol is followed by oxidation of the sulfide to the sulfoxide via m-CPBA, Pummerer rearrangement to give the gm-acetoxy sulfide intermediate and finally reduction using Dibal to yield the desired aldehyde 56. Homer-Emmons olefination followed by reduction sets up the second substrate for the AE reaction. The AE reaction on optically active 57 is reagent... 

Aromatic denitrocyclizations have been used for many years in some well-known synthetic reactions. Probably the best known example is the Turpin synthesis of phenoxazines and similar synthesis of phenothiazines. The classical setup used usually base-catalyzed reactions in polar protic solvents, very often alcohols. In many cases using polar aprotic solvents was found advantageous. Besides the mentioned influence of the H-bonding, better ionization and lower solvation of the nucleophile are also important. Sf Ar reactions proceed through strongly polarized complexes, which are well soluble and highly polarized in polar aprotic solvents. 

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 ... 

Aldehydes and ketones with an a hydrogen atom undergo a base-catalyzed carbonyl condensation reaction called the aldol reaction. For example, treatment of acetaldehyde with a base such as sodium ethoxide or sodium hydroxide in a protic solvent leads to rapid and reversible formation of 3-hydroxybutanal, known commonly as aldol (aidehyde + alcohol), hence the general name of the reaction. 

Reduction of the 5A/-2-benzazepin-5-one 5, prepared by base-catalyzed (triethylamine) dehydrobromination of4-bromo-8-chloro-l-(2-chlorophenyl)-3//-2-benzazepin-5(4//)-one, with lithium aluminum hydride at — 78 C yields a mixture of the 5//-azepin-5-ol 6 and the dihydrobenz-azepinone 7.78 Attempts to prepare the 5-bromo derivative from the alcohol 6 failed. 

The surprising selectivity in the formation of 4 and 5 is apparently due to thermodynamic control (rapid equilibration via the 1,3-boratropic shift). Structures 4 and 5 are also the most reactive of those that are present at equilibrium, and consequently reactions with aldehydes are very selective. The homoallylic alcohol products are useful intermediates in stereoselective syntheses of trisubstituted butadienes via acid- or base-catalyzed Peterson eliminations. 

The base-catalyzed addition of allyl alcohol to (phenylsulfonyl)allene (112) gives the adduct which rearranges to ff-keto sulfone (113) on the treatment with KH in HMPA (equation 88)72. 

Base-catalyzed Diels-Alder reactions are rare (Section 1.4). A recent example is the reaction of 3-hydroxy-2-pyrone (145) with chiral N-acryloyl oxazolidones 146 that uses cinchona alkaloid as an optically active base catalyst [97] (Table 4.25). Only endo adducts were obtained with the more reactive dienophile 146 (R = H), the best diastereoselectivity and yields being obtained with an i-Pr0H/H20 ratio of 95 5. The reaction of 146 (R = Me) is very slow, and a good adduct yield was only obtained when the reaction was carried out in bulky alcohols such as t-amyl alcohol and t-butanol. 

In base-catalyzed addition to triple bonds, the rate falls in going from a primary to a tertiary alcohol, and phenols require more severe conditions. Other catalysts, namely, BF3 and mercuric salts, have also been used in addition of ROH to triple bonds. 

Reactions 16-38-16-49 are base-catalyzed condensations (though some of them are also catalyzed to acids). In 16-38-16-47, a base removes a C—H proton to give a carbanion, which then adds to a C=0. The oxygen acquires a proton, and the resulting alcohol may or may not be dehydrated, depending on whether an a hydrogen is present and on whether the new double bond would be in conjugation with double bonds already present ... 

Analysis of reaction mixtures for 1-propanol and 2-propanol following incubation of NDPA with various rat liver fractions in the presence of an NADPH-generating system is shown in Table I ( ). Presence of microsomes leads to production of both alcohols, but there was no propanol formed with either the soluble enzyme fraction or with microsomes incubated with SKF-525A (an inhibitor of cytochrome P450-dependent oxidations). The combined yield of propanols from 280 ymoles of NDPA was 6.1 ymoles and 28.5 ymoles for the microsomal pellet and the 9000 g supernatant respectively. The difference in the ratio of 1- to 2-propanol in the two rat liver fractions may be due to differences in the chemical composition of the reaction mixtures (2) Subsequent experiments have shown that these ratios are quite reproducible. For comparison, Table I also shows formation of propanols following base catalyzed decomposition of N-propyl-N-nitrosourea. As expected (10,11), both propanol isomers were formed, the total yield in this case being almost quantitative. 

Vinyl ethers can also be generated by thermal elimination reactions. For example, base-catalyzed conjugate addition of allyl alcohols to phenyl vinyl sulfone generates 2-(phenylsulfinyl)ethyl ethers that can undergo elimination at 200° C.223 The sigmatropic... 

Reaction of allylic silanes with enantiomerically pure 1,3-dioxanes has been found to proceed with moderate enantioselectivity.104 The homoallylic alcohol can be liberated by oxidation followed by base-catalyzed (3-elimination. The alcohols obtained in this way are formed in 70 5% e.e. 

Base-Catalyzed. Ring Opening of Epoxides. Base-catalyzed ring opening of epoxides provides a route to allylic alcohols.150... 

The synthesis in Scheme 13.21 starts with a lactone that is available in enantiomer-ically pure form. It was first subjected to an enolate alkylation that was stereocontrolled by the convex shape of the cis ring junction (Step A). A stereospecific Pd-mediated allylic substitution followed by LiAlH4 reduction generated the first key intermediate (Step B). This compound was oxidized with NaI04, converted to the methyl ester, and subjected to a base-catalyzed conjugation. After oxidation of the primary alcohol to an aldehyde, a Wittig-Horner olefination completed the side chain. 

The fabrication of colloidal silica and optical glasses by the sol-gel process has attracted a great deal of attention (8). The process relies on the hydrolytic polycondensation reactions of alkoxysilanes, usually (EtO)4Si, in which the reactive silanols (EtO)4 Si(OH)n (n = 1-4) are formed. These then undergo acid- or base-catalyzed condensation with both water and alcohol formation, as shown in Scheme 2. 

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