Aldols => ketones

Reaction products obtained by low-temperature hydroformylation (100°-120°C) of linear a-olefins with an equimolar amount of CO and Hd at 280 atm were (% ) aldehyde, 94 1 (n iso ratio 2, 56 to 3, 16) formate, 4 0.5 alcohol, 2 0.5. Furthermore, 1% of the olefin feed is hydrogenated to paraffin and 2-3% is converted to high boiling products (aldols, ketones, and acetals). 

Metallic components have also been added to a variety of heterogeneous oxide catalysts, to introduce additional hydrogenation, dehydrogenation and hydrogen transfer processes during aldolization, ketonization or Tishchenko reactions. Examples include acetone (propanone) to 4-methyl-pentan-2-one, ethanol to acetone and methanol to methyl formate (methyl methanoate), e.g. 

AJdoJ Condensation -Aldol condensation Initially give p-hydroxy ketones which under certain conditions readily eliminated to give a,p-unsaturated carbonyls. 

Robinson Annulation Sequential Michael addition/aldol condensation between a ketone enolate and an alkyl vinyl ketone (i.e. MVK) to give a cyclohex-2-en-l-one... 

Ketones, in which one alkyl group R is sterically demanding, only give the trans-enolate on deprotonation with LDA at —12°C (W.A. Kleschick, 1977, see p. 60f.). Ketones also enolize regioseiectively towards the less substituted carbon, and stereoselectively to the trans-enolate, if the enolates are formed by a bulky base and trapped with dialkyl boron triflates, R2BOSO2CF3, at low temperatures (D A. Evans, 1979). Both types of trans-enolates can be applied in stereoselective aldol reactions (see p. 60f.). 

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). 

There also exists an acidregioselective condensation of the aldol type, namely the Mannich reaction (B. Reichert, 1959 H. Hellmann, 1960 see also p. 291f.). The condensation of secondary amines with aldehydes yields Immonium salts, which react with ketones to give 3-amino ketones (=Mannich bases). Ketones with two enolizable CHj-groupings may form 1,5-diamino-3-pentanones, but monosubstitution products can always be obtained in high yield. Unsymmetrical ketones react preferentially at the most highly substituted carbon atom. Sterical hindrance can reverse this regioselectivity. Thermal elimination of amines leads to the a,)3-unsaturated ketone. Another efficient pathway to vinyl ketones starts with the addition of terminal alkynes to immonium salts. On mercury(ll) catalyzed hydration the product is converted to the Mannich base (H. Smith, 1964). 

A useful catalyst for asymmetric aldol additions is prepared in situ from mono-0> 2,6-diisopropoxybenzoyl)tartaric acid and BH3 -THF complex in propionitrile solution at 0 C. Aldol reactions of ketone enol silyl ethers with aldehydes were promoted by 20 mol % of this catalyst solution. The relative stereochemistry of the major adducts was assigned as Fischer- /ir o, and predominant /i -face attack of enol ethers at the aldehyde carbonyl carbon atom was found with the (/ ,/ ) nantiomer of the tartaric acid catalyst (K. Furuta, 1991). 

Stereoselectivities of 99% are also obtained by Mukaiyama type aldol reactions (cf. p. 58) of the titanium enolate of Masamune s chired a-silyloxy ketone with aldehydes. An excess of titanium reagent (s 2 mol) must be used to prevent interference by the lithium salt formed, when the titanium enolate is generated via the lithium enolate (C. Siegel, 1989). The mechanism and the stereochemistry are the same as with the boron enolate. 

If a Michael reaction uses an unsymmetrical ketone with two CH-groups of similar acidity, the enol or enolate is first prepared in pure form (p. llff.). To avoid equilibration one has to work at low temperatures. The reaction may then become slow, and it is advisable to further activate the carbon-carbon double bond. This may be achieved by the introduction of an extra electron-withdrawing silyl substituent at C-2 of an a -synthon. Treatment of the Michael adduct with base removes the silicon, and may lead as well to an aldol addition (G. Stork, 1973, 1974 B R.K. Boeckman, Jr., 1974). 

Acetoxy-l,7-octadiene (40) is converted into l,7-octadien-3-one (124) by hydrolysis and oxidation. The most useful application of this enone 124 is bisannulation to form two fused six-membered ketonesfl 13], The Michael addition of 2-methyl-1,3-cyclopentanedione (125) to 124 and asymmetric aldol condensation using (5)-phenylalanine afford the optically active diketone 126. The terminal alkene is oxidi2ed with PdCl2-CuCl2-02 to give the methyl ketone 127 in 77% yield. Finally, reduction of the double bond and aldol condensation produce the important intermediate 128 of steroid synthesis in optically pure form[114]. 

The 3.8-nonadienoate 91, obtained by dimerization-carbonylation, has been converted into several natural products. The synthesis of brevicomin is described in Chapter 3, Section 2.3. Another royal jelly acid [2-decenedioic acid (149)] was prepared by cobalt carbonyl-catalyzed carbonylation of the terminal double bond, followed by isomerization of the double bond to the conjugated position to afford 149[122], Hexadecane-2,15-dione (150) can be prepared by Pd-catalyzed oxidation of the terminal double bond, hydrogenation of the internal double bond, and coupling by Kolbe electrolysis. Aldol condensation mediated by an organoaluminum reagent gave the unsaturated cyclic ketone 151 in 65% yield. Finally, the reduction of 151 afforded muscone (152)[123]. n-Octanol is produced commercially as described beforc[32]. 

The a, /3-epoxy ketone 119 and esters are hydrogenolyzed with triethylam-monium formate or H2 chemoselectively to aldols[116]. 

A number of aldehydes and ketones are prepared both m industry and m the lab oratory by a reaction known as the aldol condensation which will be discussed m detail in Chapter 18... 

As with other reversible nucleophilic addition reactions the equilibria for aldol additions are less favorable for ketones than for aldehydes For example only 2% of the aldol addition product of acetone is present at equilibrium... 

The situation is similar for other ketones Special procedures for aldol addition and self condensation of ketones have been developed but are rarely used... 

Mixed aldol condensations in which a ketone reacts with an aromatic aldehyde are known as Claisen-Schmidt condensations... 

Aldol condensation offers an effective route to a p unsaturated aldehydes and ketones These compounds have some interesting properties that result from conjugation of the carbon-carbon double bond with the carbonyl group As shown m Figure 18 6 the rr systems of the carbon-carbon and carbon-oxygen double bonds overlap to form an extended rr system that permits increased electron delocalization... 

In practice this reaction is difficult to carry out with simple aldehydes and ketones because aldol condensation competes with alkylation Furthermore it is not always possi ble to limit the reaction to the introduction of a single alkyl group The most successful alkylation procedures use p diketones as starting materials Because they are relatively acidic p diketones can be converted quantitatively to their enolate ions by weak bases and do not self condense Ideally the alkyl halide should be a methyl or primary alkyl halide... 

A combination of conju gate addition of an enolate anion to an a p unsaturated ketone with subsequent intramolecular aldol condensation... 

A mixed aldol condensa tion in which an aromatic aide hyde reacts with an enolizable al dehyde or ketone... 

Even though ketones have the potential to react with themselves by aldol addition recall that the position of equilibrium for such reactions lies to the side of the starting materials (Section 18 9) On the other hand acylation of ketone enolates gives products (p keto esters or p diketones) that are converted to stabilized anions under the reaction conditions Consequently ketone acylation is observed to the exclusion of aldol addition when ketones are treated with base m the presence of esters... 

Thus mixed aldol additions can be achieved by the tactic of quantitative enolate for matron using LDA followed by addition of a different aldehyde or ketone... 

---