Aldehydes from carboxylic ester

Boron aldol reactions have been used to stereoselectively construct the anti-3-hydroxy-2-methylcarbonyl system from carboxylate esters,58 and to combine a-hetero-substituted thioacetates with aldehydes or silyl imines enantio- and/or diastereo-selectively.59... 

Only one enolate can be generated from aldehydes or their aza analogs, from symmetric ketones or their aza analogs, or from carboxylic esters or carboxylic amides. For the moment we are ignoring the possibility that two stereoisomers, E- and Z-enolates, may occur for each of these enolates. On the other hand, constitutionally isomeric (regioisomeric) enolates may be derived from unsymmetrical ketones and from their aza analogs if they contain acidic H atoms... 

Until about 1950, reduction of carboxylic acids and their derivatives to aldehydes was not straightforward, and even one of the best methods, the Rosenmund hydrogenation of acid chlorides, required very careful control of both the reaction conditions and preparation of catalyst. The advent of aluminum and boron hydrides and their ready commercial availability transformeKl the situation to such an extent that the formation of aldehydes from carboxylic acids, acid chlorides, esters, amides, nitriles and similar groups in the presence of other reducible functional groups has become a relatively easy operation on both small and large scale. 

Indirect replacement of the a-hydrogen atom of carboxylic esters by the nitroso group is remarkable. This procedure uses ketene 0-alkyl O -silyl acetals (1), generated from carboxylic esters, which are treated with nitric oxide or isopentyl nitrite in the presence of titanium(IV) chloride. In the absence of an a-hydrogen a-nitroso esters (2) are obtained. a-Nitroso esters with an a-hydrogen undergo isomerization to oximes of a-keto esters (3 equation 1). Similarly, silyl enol ethers of aldehydes or ketones can be used instead of the carbonyl compound itself for nitrosation. Thus, treatment of enol ether (4) with nitro-syl chloride gives the a-nitroso aldehyde (5 equation 2), which is quite stable at 0 C, but dimerizes at room temperature. 

Sodium amalgam Aldehydes from carboxylic acid esters s. 4, 47 ha,tig COOR CHO... 

Aldehydes from carboxylic acid esters COOR CHO... 

Preformed enolates can be obtained not only from aldehydes and ketones, but also from carboxylic esters, amides, and the acids themselves. The corresponding carbonyl compound aWays acts irreversibly as the CH-acidic component. Thus, the term aldol reaction is no longer restricted to aldehydes and ketones but extended to all additions of preformed enolates to an aldehyde or a ketone. In contrast vith the traditional aldol reaction, this novel approach is based on a three-step procedure (usually, ho vever, performed as a one-pot reaction). First, the metal enolate 25 is generated irreversibly, vith proton sources excluded, and, second, the compound serving as the carbonyl active, electrophilic component is added. The metal aldolate 26 thus formed is finally protonated, usually by addition of vater or dilute acidic solutions, to give the aldol 27 (Scheme 1.4) [45, 46]. 

Because they are even more nucleophilic than silyl enol ethers, silyl ke-tene acetals 58, derived from carboxylic esters, react vith ketones and aldehydes in the presence of titanium) IV) chloride to give j5-hydroxy esters 59 in high yields (Eq. (26)) [30, 31]. Although the Reformatsky reaction is vell kno vn as a good synthetic tool for synthesis of j5-hydroxy esters, the titanium) IV) chloride-mediated reaction is a milder and more versatile method for synthesis of a-substituted j5-hydroxy esters. 

The formation of Mannich bases 25 results from the reaction of (C5C)N)2 with enolizable ketones, aldehydes, and carboxylic esters (26-29) (Scheme 9.22) [42, 48, 49]. The reaction is reasonably interpreted in terms of the electrophilic addition of C59N+ intermediate to the enol form of the carbonyl compound. Dicarbonyl... 

The main example of a category I indole synthesis is the Hemetsberger procedure for preparation of indole-2-carboxylate esters from ot-azidocinna-mates[l]. The procedure involves condensation of an aromatic aldehyde with an azidoacetate ester, followed by thermolysis of the resulting a-azidocinna-mate. The conditions used for the base-catalysed condensation are critical since the azidoacetate enolate can decompose by elimination of nitrogen. Conditions developed by Moody usually give good yields[2]. This involves slow addition of the aldehyde and 3-5 equiv. of the azide to a cold solution of sodium ethoxide. While the thermolysis might be viewed as a nitrene insertion reaction, it has been demonstrated that azirine intermediates can be isolated at intermediate temperatures[3]. 

The chemistry of the carbonyl group is probably the single most important aspect of organic chemical reactivity Classes of compounds that contain the carbonyl group include many derived from carboxylic acids (acyl chlorides acid anhydrides esters and amides) as well as the two related classes discussed m this chapter aldehydes and ketones... 

Notable examples of general synthetic procedures in Volume 47 include the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes (from dichloro-methyl methyl ether), aliphatic aldehydes (from alkyl halides and trimethylamine oxide and by oxidation of alcohols using dimethyl sulfoxide, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and pyridinum trifluoro-acetate the latter method is particularly useful since the conditions are so mild), carbethoxycycloalkanones (from sodium hydride, diethyl carbonate, and the cycloalkanone), m-dialkylbenzenes (from the />-isomer by isomerization with hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride), and the deamination of amines (by conversion to the nitrosoamide and thermolysis to the ester). Other general methods are represented by the synthesis of 1 J-difluoroolefins (from sodium chlorodifluoroacetate, triphenyl phosphine, and an aldehyde or ketone), the nitration of aromatic rings (with ni-tronium tetrafluoroborate), the reductive methylation of aromatic nitro compounds (with formaldehyde and hydrogen), the synthesis of dialkyl ketones (from carboxylic acids and iron powder), and the preparation of 1-substituted cyclopropanols (from the condensation of a 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol derivative and ethyl-... 

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