Alcohols benzyl carbonates

Substitution Reactions on Side Chains. Because the benzyl carbon is the most reactive site on the propanoid side chain, many substitution reactions occur at this position. Typically, substitution reactions occur by attack of a nucleophilic reagent on a benzyl carbon present in the form of a carbonium ion or a methine group in a quinonemethide stmeture. In a reversal of the ether cleavage reactions described, benzyl alcohols and ethers may be transformed to alkyl or aryl ethers by acid-catalyzed etherifications or transetherifications with alcohol or phenol. The conversion of a benzyl alcohol or ether to a sulfonic acid group is among the most important side chain modification reactions because it is essential to the solubilization of lignin in the sulfite pulping process (17). 

Aiyl esters, prepared from the phenol and an acid chloride or anhydride in the presence of base, are readily cleaved by saponification. In general they are more readily cleaved than the related esters of alcohols, thus allowing selective removal of phenolic esters. 9-Fluorenecarboxylates and 9-xanthenecarboxylates are also cleaved by photolysis. To permit selective removal, a number of carbonate esters have been investigated aryl benzyl carbonates can be cleaved by hydrogenolysis aryl 2,2,2-trichloroethyl carbonates, by Zn/THF-H20. 

DMAP, THF, 65% yield. This reaction is selective for primary alcohols. Benzyl, isobutyl, and ethyl carbonates are also prepared using this method (63-85% yield). 

Benzyl alcohol, benzyl esters Benzyl chloride, sodium carbonate/sodium... 

Methylene chloride is probably the most generally used solvent for decaffeination processes, but others, some of which are already found in small amounts in coffee beans, are coming into use. For example, ethyl acetate,8 formaldehyde-dimethylacetal, ethanol, methanol, acetone,9 propane,10 benzyl alcohol,11 carbon dioxide,12 and supercritical carbon dioxide with an acid13 are used. Generally the pressure and temperature of the system are adjusted to keep the solvent in the liquid state. Coffee oil itself is even described for this use in one patent.14... 

By adding one equivalent of alcohol to CDI at room temperature with or without base it is possible to isolate the imidazole-iV-carboxylate, which then reacts with a second mole of ROH to yield the carbonate. As in the case of alcoholysis of imidazolides, the reaction can be accelerated so effectively with catalytic amounts of NaOC2H5 or ImNa that it takes place in most cases exothermically, even at room temperature. However, tert-butyl alcohol, even when in excess, affords with CDI and base catalysis at room temperature only the imidazole-N-tert-butylcarboxylate, obviously for steric reasons. At higher temperature the carbonic ester is formed. Mixed carbonates such as ethyl benzyl carbonate or ethyl terf-butyl carbonate can be prepared with two different alcohols added sequentially.C9],[229]... 

Thermolytic Cleavage of Allvlic and Benzvlic Ethers and Polvethers. The thermal lability of the types of ethers which are of interest in the context of this study was discovered during a thorough study of the application of certain benzylic carbonates as labile protecting groups for alcohols and phenols [IS]. It was observed that, under acid catalysis, the bis-methylcarbonate derivative of l-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethanol (4, in Equation 1) was transformed into the benzylic ether (5) which then underwent clean acid-catalyzed thermolysis to the corresponding styrene (6) in very high yield [14]. 

In order to confirm the radical character of 51 and to extend its utility, oxidations of ary-lacetic acids to the corresponding ketones, aldehydes or alcohols have been conducted. Competitive decarboxylation reactions of phenylacetic acid and p-substituted phenylacetic acids were carried out. The ratio of the rate constants for the decarboxylation of various substituted phenylacetic acids relative to that of phenylacetic acid was found to decrease on decreasing the electron density at the benzylic carbon. Consequently, compound 51 shows an electrophilic oxidation ability towards arylacetic acids, giving a Hammett p value of —0.408. 

A more recent example, which involves an enantiomerically pure compound, reverts to the original lead by incorporating a hydroxyl group on the benzylic carbon. Preparation of this close relative of ibutilide (5-3) uses the same starting material. Acylation of w-dibutylamine with the acid chloride from the treatment of (6-1) with tert-butylcarbonyloxy chloride leads to the amide (6-2). Reduction of the carbonyl group in this compound with chloro-(+)-diisopropylcamphemyl borane (DIPCl) proceeds to afford the R alcohol (6-3) in high enantiomeric exess. 

Notes An important functional group for protecting amines as carbamates and alcohols as benzyl carbonates. Notable for the protection of amino acids during peptide synthesis. 

Examples of the cleavage of support-bound carbonates are given in Table 3.36. Depending on the structure of the carbonate, acidolytic, base-induced, nucleophilic, or photolytic cleavage can be used to release the alcohol. Acidolysis of the benzylic C-O bond of resin-bound benzyl carbonates leads to the release of an unstable carbonic acid ester, which undergoes decarboxylation to yield the alcohol. 

Catalytic amounts of tin(II) chloride have been found to give good yields (72-86%) of the trans-amino alcohols when oxiranes have been treated with aromatic amines in acetonitrile at room temperature.27 Only the reaction with styrene oxide was regiospe-ciflc with the amine adding to the benzylic carbon of the epoxide ring. 

Benzyl esters, cyclization-hydrosilylation, 11, 386-387 Benzyl ethers, cyclization-hydrosilylation, 11, 386-387 Benzyl groups, C-H bond silylation, 10, 240 Benzylic alcohols, catalytic alkylation, 11, 146 Benzylic carbon-hydrogen bonds borylation, 9, 174... 

Another effect of the coordination is that the benzylic cation is also stabilized [63]. This stabilization is explained by delocalization of the positive charge due to the interaction of the d-orbital of Cr with the 71-orbital of the benzylic carbon, caused by the coordination of Cr(CO)3. Facile stereospecific Friedel- Crafts-type cyclization of the complex of the optically active benzyl alcohol 248 gave the tetrahydrobenzazepine 249 with retention of the stereochemistry, and the free amine 250 with 98% ee was... 

Several catalysts have been found for the ring opening of epoxides. For instance, cyclohexene oxide gave an excellent yield of the trans-fi-amino alcohol when treated with either aromatic or aliphatic amines in the presence of a scandium triflate catalyst.21 Aromatic epoxides react in a regiospeciflc reaction at the benzylic carbon when treated with aromatic amines and scandium triflate but at the least substituted carbon of the epoxide ring when aliphatic amines react. Electronic effects are more important in the reactions of the aromatic epoxides whereas steric factors control the reaction with aliphatic epoxides. 

InCh was found to catalyse the ring opening of substituted epoxides by alcohols giving /3-hydroxy ethers.25 Epoxides with a phenyl substituent reacted at the benzyl carbon in an, SN-1 -like. Sx2 reaction whereas those with an alkyl substituent reacted at the least substituted carbon by an S 2 mechanism. 

When styrene oxide was reacted in alcohols in the presence of an Al(OTf)3 catalyst, the nucleophile attacked at the benzyl carbon.28 The effect of catalyst loading and the effect of changing the structure of the reacting alcohols was investigated. The reactions of oxiranes with alkyl substituents were not regiospecific. More catalyst was needed when bulkier alcohols were used. 

The Hammett reaction constants p = 2.7138 and 3.0157 were determined for addition of water to meta-substituted l-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl carbocations (80-X, Scheme 44A) and 1-4-methoxybenzyl carbocations (p-Me-1 +-X), respectively. The value of p = 2.7 for addition of water to 80-X is 36% that of the value of = 7.6, the slope of Hammett-type plots equilibrium constants for addition of water to 80-X to form the alcohol.138 This shows that the addition of water proceeds through a transition state where partial bond formation to the nucleophile results in a 36% change in the interaction between the m-substituent and the cationic benzylic carbon, compared with the complete loss of this interaction at the water adduct. Scheme 44A therefore proceed through a transition state in which there is a 36% change in the interaction between the m-substituent and positive charge at the benzylic carbon due to partial bond formation to the water nucleophile. 

It was hoped that the resulting benzylic carbinols 59 could be stereose-lectively reduced by catalytic hydrogenation to the required protected kainoid derivatives 60 (Scheme 24). The reduction of benzylic alcohols varies in stereospecificity depending on the catalyst employed.53 Hydrogenation over Raney nickel generally proceeds via retention of configuration, whereas hydrogenation over palladium on charcoal leads to inversion at the benzylic carbon. 

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