Aldehydes self-addition

Reactions with Aldehydes and Ketones. The base-catalyzed self-addition of acetaldehyde leads to formation of the dimer, acetaldol [107-89-1/, which can be hydrogenated to form 1,3-butanediol [107-88-0] or dehydrated to form crotonaldehyde [4170-30-3]. Crotonaldehyde can also be made directiy by the vapor-phase condensation of acetaldehyde over a catalyst (53). 

Lithium enolates do not even solve all problems of chemoselectivity most notoriously, they fail when the specific enolates of aldehydes are needed. The problem is that aldehydes self-condense so readily that the rate of the aldol reaction can be comparable with the rate of enolate formation by proton removal. Fortunately there are good alternatives. Earlier in this chapter we showed examples of what can go wrong with enamines. Now we can set the record straight by extolling the virtues of the enamines 96 of aldehydes.17 They are easily made without excessive aldol reaction as they are much less reactive than lithium enolates, they take part well in reactions such as Michael additions, a standard route to 1,5-dicarbonyl compounds, e.g. 97.18... 

Directed aldol condensation. Aldol condensation between an aldehyde and a ketone usually is not successful because self-addition of the aldehyde is the preferred reaction. Wittig and Reiff,1 however, showed that, if the aldehyde is first converted into a Schiff base (cyclohexylamine was used) and then metalated with lithium di-isopropylamide (chosen for obvious stcric reasons), aldol condensation can be achieved, usually in good yield.2 In the case of ketones, this route is superior to olefination via a phosphorylide. 

Base-catalyzed self-addition of aldehydes to form -hydroxy aldehydes is successful under mild conditions, but only with relatively low molecular weight aldehydes examples are presented in equations (7) and (8). The rule of thumb is that aldehydes of up to alraut six carbons can be dimerized in aqueous and alcoholic medium by such methods. Attempts to force the addition reaction of higher molecular weight aldehydes by using more vigorous conditions result in dehydration of the initial aldols, with for-... 

Previously, it was not possible to control the aldoi condensation so that aldehydes would combine with the carbonyl groups of ketones with their a—CH-groups. For example, acetaldehyde does not react with benzophenone under the usual base catalyzed conditions to give adduct VIII because the aldehyde undergoes a much more rapid self addition to acetaldol IX. 

Reactions between ketone donors and aldehyde acceptors strrMigly depend on the nature of the aldehyde. While a-disubstimted aldehydes normally react easily, unbranched ones often undergo self-addition reactions. List et al. reported one of the first examples of a direct aldol addition of ketones to a-unbranched aldehydes en route to a natural product in 2001 (44). The operationally simple reaction between 13 and 19 in the presence of catalytic amounts of (5)-12 furnished the enantiomerically enriched p-hydroxy-ketone 20 in moderate yield. The reduced yield can be rationalized by the concomitant formation of the crmdensation product 21, which is one of the limiting factors in such reactions (besides the self reaction of a-unbranched aldehydes). Intermediate 20 can then be further converted to the bark beetle pheromone (5)-ipsenol (22) in two more steps (Scheme 6). 

The experiment presented in this section is an example of a mixed-or crossed-aldol condensation. This term describes cases in which two different carbonyl compounds are the reactants. Such reactions are synthetically practical under certain circumstances, selectively producing a single major condensation product. For example, a ketone may preferentially condense with an aldehyde rather than undergoing self-addition with another molecule of itself (Scheme 18.3). This is because the carbonyl carbon atom of ketones is sterically and electronically not as susceptible to nucleophilic attack as is that of aldehydes. The aldehydic partner in such a reaction generally has no a-hydrogen atoms, so that it is unable to undergo an aldol reaction. 

The aldol condensation is considered to be one of the most important carbon-carbon bond forming reactions in organic synthesis in presence of basic reagents. The conventional aldol condensation involve reversible self-addition of aldehydes containing a a-hydrogen atom. The formed P-hydroxy aldehydes... 

The netv reaction conditions effectively suppressed aldehyde self-aldolization. The main side product vas now the corresponding acetone cross aldol condensation product, typically formed in comparable yields vrith the desired aldol addition product. 

The selective intermolecular addition of two different ketones or aldehydes can sometimes be achieved without protection of the enol, because different carbonyl compounds behave differently. For example, attempts to condense acetaldehyde with benzophenone fail. Only self-condensation of acetaldehyde is observed, because the carbonyl group of benzophenone is not sufficiently electrophilic. With acetone instead of benzophenone only fi-hydroxyketones are formed in good yield, if the aldehyde is slowly added to the basic ketone solution. Aldols are not produced. This result can be generalized in the following way aldehydes have more reactive carbonyl groups than ketones, but enolates from ketones have a more nucleophilic carbon atom than enolates from aldehydes (G. Wittig, 1968). 

Indeed formaldehyde is so reactive toward nucleophilic addition that it suppresses the self condensation of the other component by reacting rapidly with any enolate present Aromatic aldehydes cannot form enolates and a large number of mixed aldol con densations have been carried out m which an aromatic aldehyde reacts with an enolate... 

There is evidence (in the self-condensation of acetaldehyde) that a water molecule acts as a base (even in concentrated H2SO4) in assisting the addition of the enol to the protonated aldehyde Baigrie, L.M. Cox, R.A. Slebocka-Tilk, H. Tencer, M. Tidwell, T.T. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1985, 107, 3640. 

Derivatization of the optically active aldehydes to imines has been used for determination of their enantiomeric excess. Chi et al.3 have examined a series of chiral primary amines as a derivatizing agent in determination of the enantiomeric purity of the a-substituted 8-keto-aldehydes obtained from catalysed Michael additions. The imine proton signals were well resolved even if the reaction was not completed. The best results were obtained when chiral amines with —OMe or —COOMe groups were used [2], The differences in chemical shifts of diastereo-meric imine proton were ca. 0.02-0.08 ppm depending on amine. This method has been also used for identification of isomers of self-aldol condensation of hydrocinnamaldehyde. 

Trost s group reported direct catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction of unmodified ketones using dinuclear Zn complex 21 [Eq. (13.10)]. This reaction is noteworthy because products from linear aliphatic aldehydes were also obtained in reasonable chemical yields and enantioselectivity, in addition to secondary and tertiary alkyl-substituted aldehydes. Primary alkyl-substituted aldehydes are normally problematic substrates for direct aldol reaction because self-aldol condensation of the aldehydes complicates the reaction. Bifunctional Zn catalysis 22 was proposed, in which one Zn atom acts as a Lewis acid to activate an aldehyde and the other Zn-alkoxide acts as a Bronsted base to generate a Zn-enolate. The... 

Honomer Selection. In practice the amide/blocked aldehyde precursor 1 (ADDA) proved more readily accessible than 2. The two forms were completely Interconvertible and equally useful as self-and substrate reactive crosslinkers (6). In our addition polymer systems, the acrylamide derivative 1 (R=CH3) provided a good blend of accessibility, physical properties, and ready copolymerizablllty with most commercially Important monomers. Structure/property relationships for other related monomers will be reported elsewhere. 

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