Alcohols, primary with oxygen

Usually, organoboranes are sensitive to oxygen. Simple trialkylboranes are spontaneously flammable in contact with air. Nevertheless, under carefully controlled conditions the reaction of organoboranes with oxygen can be used for the preparation of alcohols or alkyl hydroperoxides (228,229). Aldehydes are produced by oxidation of primary alkylboranes with pyridinium chi orochrom ate (188). Chromic acid at pH < 3 transforms secondary alkyl and cycloalkylboranes into ketones pyridinium chi orochrom ate can also be used (230,231). A convenient procedure for the direct conversion of terminal alkenes into carboxyUc acids employs hydroboration with dibromoborane—dimethyl sulfide and oxidation of the intermediate alkyldibromoborane with chromium trioxide in 90% aqueous acetic acid (232,233). 

M. Hasan, M. Musawir, P. N. Davey, I. V. Kozhevnikov Oxidation Of Primary alcohols to aldehydes with Oxygen Catalyzed by Tetra-n-propyl ammonium perruthenate,, J. Mol. Catal. A Chem. 180 (2002) 77-84. 

Eq. 4.54 shows the reaction of n-heptanol (151) with Pb(OAc)4 under high-pressured carbon monoxide with an autoclave to generate the corresponding 8-lactone (152). This reaction proceeds through the formation of an oxygen-centered radical by the reaction of alcohol (151) with Pb(OAc)4,1,5-H shift, reaction with carbon monoxide to form an acyl radical, oxidation of the acyl radical with Pb(OAc)4, and finally, polar cyclization to provide 8-lactone [142-146]. This reaction can be used for primary and secondary alcohols, while (3-cleavage reaction of the formed alkoxyl radicals derived from tertiary alcohols occurs. 

Only propan-2-ol has had any industrial use since the aldehydes formed in the reaction with primary alcohols are easily oxidized. The oxidation of propan-2-ol in the liquid phase with oxygen does not require a special catalyst, because it is catalysed by a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, which is added to the feed-stream of the propan-2-ol in order to shorten the induction phase (Figure 1.12). 

The palladium(II) complex of sulfonated bathophenanthroline was used in a highly effective aqueous biphasic aerobic oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes or carboxylic acids and ketones respectively (Fig. 7.15) [52, 53]. No organic solvent was necessary, unless the substrate was a solid, and turnover frequencies of the order of 100 h-1 were observed. The catalyst could be recovered and recycled by simple phase separation (the aqueous phase is the bottom layer and can be left in the reactor for the next batch). The method constitutes an excellent example of a green catalytic oxidation with oxygen (air) as the oxidant, no organic solvent and a stable recyclable catalyst. 

A Pd-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of phenols with oxygen as stoichiometric oxidant in the noncoordinating solvent toluene has been developed for the synthesis of dihydrobenzo[ ]furans (Equation 136). Asymmetric variants of this Wacker-type cyclization have been reported by Hayashi and co-workers employing cationic palladium/2,2 -bis(oxazolin-2-yl)-l,l -binaphthyl (boxax) complexes <1998JOC5071>. Stoltz and co-workers have reported ee s of up to 90% when (—)-sparteine is used as a chiral base instead of pyridine <2003AGE2892, 2005JA17778>. Attempts to effect such a heteroatom cyclization with primary alcohols as substrates, on the other hand, led to product mixtures contaminated with aldehydes and alkene isomers, which is in contrast to the reactions with the Pd(ii)/02 system in DMSO <1995TL7749>. 

Substrates used included fiber-reinforced epoxy base polymer [FRP], nylon 66, polytetrafluoroethylene [Teflon], poly(ethylene terephthalate) [PET], phenolic resin, and thermoplastic polyimide [ULTEM, GE]. FRPs were the primary substrates used. Initially, they were cleaned with detergent in an ultrasonic bath followed by rinsing with deionized water and alcohol. For further cleaning, they were treated with oxygen plasma (1.33 seem, 60 W, 5 min) followed by a hydrogen plasma treatment (3 seem, 60 W, 5 min). 

The platinum-catalyzed oxidation with oxygen can also be applied for selective oxidation of secondary alcohols if no primary alcohol is present [73]. Like the tin-bromine method, axial secondary hydroxy groups will undergo preferential oxidation over equatorial hydroxy groups. However, as described above large amounts of platinum metal are required for these oxidations. Some improvement in catalyst activity has been achieved by promotion of platinum with bismuth or lead [76]. This also causes a change in selectivity and makes it possible in... 

As a mimic of the well-studied galactose oxidase [37], a copper(II) thiophenol complex catalyzes the oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes in the presence of (Scheme 12) [38]. The latter also promotes the oxidation of secondary alcohols to diols (Scheme 12). The catalytic cycle starts with the oxidation of copper by O, leading to a biradical species. The intermediate 39 is produced from 38 by coordination of two alkoxide substrates. The rate-limiting step is the formation of 40 from 39 by a hydrogen atom transfer from the secondary alcoholate to the oxygen-centered radicals of the aminophenols ligands. The cycle is then closed by radical dimerization which leads the formation of the diol [39]. 

Oxidation with oxygen gas can be carried out in aqueous biphasic systems. Primary and secondary alcohols have been oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones, respectively, using a palladium(I I) complex (Equation 4.11) [18]. No organic solvents were used, except the substrate is a solid, and the catalyst could be easily recycled and reused by simple phase separation, because the aqueous phase is the lower layer and so can be recycled. The only disadvantage of water as a solvent for oxidations with oxygen/air is the low solubility of oxygens in water. 

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