Aldehydes reactions with nitriles

I.3.4.2. Intermolecular Cycloaddition at C=X or X=Y Bonds Cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides to double bonds containing heteroatoms are well documented. In particular, there are several reviews concerning problems both of general (289) and individual aspects. They cover reactions of nitrile oxides with cumulene structures (290), stereo- and regiocontrol of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of imines and nitrile oxides by metal ions (291), cycloaddition reactions of o-benzoquinones (292, 293) and aromatic seleno aldehydes as dipolarophiles in reactions with nitrile oxides (294). 

The radical cations (47) produced by T oxidation of aryl aldehyde hydrazones acted as 1,3-dipoles in reaction with nitriles to form, after a second T oxidation, 1,2,4-triazoles (Scheme 4) (85TL5655). 

Epoxides also participate in the Ritter reaction with nitriles. An investigation of the ring opening of several alkyl-substituted glycidic esters and amides 181 showed that this transformation occurs with inversion and is completely regiospecific. ° Esters appeared to be somewhat more reactive than amides. However, phenyl-substituted glycidic esters and amides 184 are almost totally nonstereoselective. In addition, the oxazolines 186 are isolated in low yield due to the propensity of intermediate 185 to generate an aldehyde byproduct 187 (Scheme 8.53). 

Furo[2,3- ]pyridines are generated in a cyano [4-1-2] reaction that uses tungsten alkynols and aldehydes which cyclize to 1,3-dienes prior to reaction with nitriles (Scheme 9) <1998JA4520>. The reaction, which is activated by photolysis or with Me3N0-H20, works with unactivated nitriles in both intramolecular and intermolecular reactions to give moderate to good yields of product. 

The reactions of Grignard reagents with aldehydes and ketones give alcohols, reaction with acid chlorides and esters give tertiary alcohols, reaction with carbon dioxide to give carboxylic acids, reaction with nitriles give ketones, and reaction with epoxides give alcohols. 

It was concluded from these results that ketones are incapable of intermolecular reactions with nitriles. Starting from a general concept on the stability and reactivity of carbenium ions75,76 it can be explained that the carbenium ion intermediates 105 formed from ketones under acid catalysis are more stable than those (106) formed from aldehydes and, therefore, the former are less reactive in the reactions with the weak nucleophilic nitriles. 

In 1876 Hepp and Spiess reported that aldehydes react with nitriles under acidic conditions to yield geminal bisamides (equation 25). This process proceeds by a mechanistic pathway which is essentially two consecutive Ritter reactions. In general, ketones do not yield similar products however, Kozlov has recently obtained a low yield of the geminal bisamide from camphor and acetonitrile. High yields of analogous products from cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone have also been reported. ... 

Aldehydes react with nitriles over solid base catalysts such as MgO and ZnO to proceed W-H and K reactions as shown below(32]. For both reactions, abstraction of from the nitriles by basic sites to form anions is the initial step. 

When the reactivity of reactant (R-CH2-X) is relatively high, the condensation reactions take place more easily than the degradation reactions. As a result, the selectivity to the condensation products becomes high. This is the case of the reaction with aldehydes or ketones. The reaction with carboxylic acids and esters is more difficult and the reaction with nitriles is the most difficult especially in view of the selectivity based on HCHO. 

In addition, Grignard reagents are useful for the synthesis of ketones via reactions with nitriles. Aldehydes can be obtained by reaction with triethyl orthofor-... 

The perhydroxyl anion, HO2 , is quite a powerful nucleophile and, as seen later, will attack substrates such as electron-deficient olefins (e.g. a,P-unsaturated ketones) and aldehydes - reactions with some synthetic utility, and also of value in bleaching and product purification, particularly of natural materials. In addition, HO2 can be used to generate more powerful oxidants by mixing with electron-deficient acyl compounds (giving peracids) or with nitriles (Payne system, see section 9.3.3.3). 

Hoesch synthesis A variation of the Gattermann synthesis of hydroxy-aldehydes, this reaction has been widely applied to the synthesis of anthocyanidins. It consists of the condensation of polyhydric phenols with nitriles by the action of hydrochloric acid (with or without ZnCl2 as a catalyst). This gives an iminehydrochloride which on hydrolysis with water gives the hydroxy-ketone. 

By the condensation of a nitrile with a phenol or phenol ether in the presence of zinc chloride and hydrogen chloride a hydroxyaryl- or alkoxyaryl-ketone is produced. The procedure is termed the Hoesch reaction and is clearly an extension of the Gattermann aldehyde reaction (Section IV,121). The reaction gives the best results with polyhydric phenols and their ethers with simple monohydric phenols the imino ester hydrochloride is frequently the sole product for example ... 

The carbon-nitrogen triple bond of nitriles is much less reactive toward nucleophilic addition than is the carbon-oxygen double bond of aldehydes and ketones Strongly basic nucleophiles such as Gngnard reagents however do react with nitriles in a reaction that IS of synthetic value... 

The zwitterion (6) can react with protic solvents to produce a variety of products. Reaction with water yields a transient hydroperoxy alcohol (10) that can dehydrate to a carboxyUc acid or spHt out H2O2 to form a carbonyl compound (aldehyde or ketone, R2CO). In alcohoHc media, the product is an isolable hydroperoxy ether (11) that can be hydrolyzed or reduced (with (CH O) or (CH2)2S) to a carbonyl compound. Reductive amination of (11) over Raney nickel produces amides and amines (64). Reaction of the zwitterion with a carboxyUc acid to form a hydroperoxy ester (12) is commercially important because it can be oxidized to other acids, RCOOH and R COOH. Reaction of zwitterion with HCN produces a-hydroxy nitriles that can be hydrolyzed to a-hydroxy carboxyUc acids. Carboxylates are obtained with H2O2/OH (65). The zwitterion can be reduced during the course of the reaction by tetracyanoethylene to produce its epoxide (66). 

Other modifications of the polyamines include limited addition of alkylene oxide to yield the corresponding hydroxyalkyl derivatives (225) and cyanoethylation of DETA or TETA, usuaHy by reaction with acrylonitrile [107-13-1/, to give derivatives providing longer pot Hfe and better wetting of glass (226). Also included are ketimines, made by the reaction of EDA with acetone for example. These derivatives can also be hydrogenated, as in the case of the equimolar adducts of DETA and methyl isobutyl ketone [108-10-1] or methyl isoamyl ketone [110-12-3] (221 or used as is to provide moisture cure performance. Mannich bases prepared from a phenol, formaldehyde and a polyamine are also used, such as the hardener prepared from cresol, DETA, and formaldehyde (228). Other modifications of polyamines for use as epoxy hardeners include reaction with aldehydes (229), epoxidized fatty nitriles (230), aromatic monoisocyanates (231), or propylene sulfide [1072-43-1] (232). 

Inductive and resonance stabilization of carbanions derived by proton abstraction from alkyl substituents a to the ring nitrogen in pyrazines and quinoxalines confers a degree of stability on these species comparable with that observed with enolate anions. The resultant carbanions undergo typical condensation reactions with a variety of electrophilic reagents such as aldehydes, ketones, nitriles, diazonium salts, etc., which makes them of considerable preparative importance. 

Other carbon electrophiles which are frequently employed include aldehydes, ketones, esters, nitriles and amides of the type RCONMei. An indirect method of acylation involves the initial reaction of a lithio compound with an aldehyde followed by oxidation of the resulting secondary alcohol to the corresponding acyl derivative. 

Substitution reactions by the ionization mechanism proceed very slowly on a-halo derivatives of ketones, aldehydes, acids, esters, nitriles, and related compounds. As discussed on p. 284, such substituents destabilize a carbocation intermediate. Substitution by the direct displacement mechanism, however, proceed especially readily in these systems. Table S.IS indicates some representative relative rate accelerations. Steric effects be responsible for part of the observed acceleration, since an sfp- caibon, such as in a carbonyl group, will provide less steric resistance to tiie incoming nucleophile than an alkyl group. The major effect is believed to be electronic. The adjacent n-LUMO of the carbonyl group can interact with the electnai density that is built up at the pentacoordinate carbon. This can be described in resonance terminology as a contribution flom an enolate-like stmeture to tiie transition state. In MO terminology,.the low-lying LUMO has a... 

The Fiesselmann reaction has been extensively used with p-halovinyl esters, ketones,aldehydes and nitriles as reaction partners for thioglycolic acid and its derivatives. This reaction with P-halovinyl aldehydes has been extensively explored as a result of the availability of P-chloro-a,P-unsaturated aldehydes via the Vilsmeier... 

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