Aldol preparation

Secondary aldols prepared by antibody 38C2-catalyzed kinetic resolution. 

The highly bulky tris(trimethylsilyl)silyl group effectively controls the observed diastereoselectivities of the aldol reaction and suppresses the reaction of the resulting aldols with the remaining silyl enol ethers in this particular transformation. The resulting aldols prepared in situ by this reaction are allowed to further react with various nucleophiles or dienes in one-pot, making the sequence of the C-C bond forming steps exclusively simplified. ... 

Dihydroxybutane. -butylene glycol, CH3CH(0H)CH2CH20H, b.p. 204°C. Manufactured by reduction of aldol or by the action of yeast on aldol. Used to prepare butadiene. Used in brake fluids, in gelling agents and as an intermediate in plasticizers. 

The synthesis of 3-phenyl-]-(2-pyridyl)-2-propen-]-one (2.4c) via an aldol reaction of 2-acetylpyridine with benzaldehyde has been described in the literature ". O jmpound 2.4a-e have been prepared in high yields, using slightly modified versions of these literature procedures. 

The higjily water-soluble dienophiles 2.4f and2.4g have been synthesised as outlined in Scheme 2.5. Both compounds were prepared from p-(bromomethyl)benzaldehyde (2.8) which was synthesised by reducing p-(bromomethyl)benzonitrile (2.7) with diisobutyl aluminium hydride following a literature procedure2.4f was obtained in two steps by conversion of 2.8 to the corresponding sodium sulfonate (2.9), followed by an aldol reaction with 2-acetylpyridine. In the preparation of 2.4g the sequence of steps had to be reversed Here, the aldol condensation of 2.8 with 2-acetylpyridine was followed by nucleophilic substitution of the bromide of 2.10 by trimethylamine. Attempts to prepare 2.4f from 2.10 by treatment with sodium sulfite failed, due to decomposition of 2.10 under the conditions required for the substitution by sulfite anion. 

Ni(N03)2 6H20, Cu(N03)2 3H20, Zn(N03)2-4H20 and KNOj were of the highest purity available. Substituted 3-phenyl-l-(2-pyridyl)-2-propene-ones (2.4a-e) were prepared by an aldol condensation of the corresponding substituted benzaldehyde with 2-acetylpyridine, following either of two modified... 

Chiral 2-oxazolidones are useful recyclable auxiliaries for carboxylic acids in highly enantioselective aldol type reactions via the boron enolates derived from N-propionyl-2-oxazolidones (D.A. Evans, 1981). Two reagents exhibiting opposite enantioselectivity ate prepared from (S)-valinol and from (lS,2R)-norephedrine by cyclization with COClj or diethyl carbonate and subsequent lithiation and acylation with propionyl chloride at — 78°C. En-olization with dibutylboryl triflate forms the (Z)-enolates (>99% Z) which react with aldehydes at low temperature. The pure (2S,3R) and (2R,3S) acids or methyl esters are isolated in a 70% yield after mild solvolysis. 

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). 

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). 

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]. 

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... 

To illustrate how aldol condensation may be coupled to functional group modifi cation consider the synthesis of 2 ethyl 1 3 hexanediol a compound used as an insect repellent This 1 3 diol is prepared by reduction of the aldol addition product of butanal... 

Mercaptals, CH2CH(SR)2, are formed in a like manner by the addition of mercaptans. The formation of acetals by noncatalytic vapor-phase reactions of acetaldehyde and various alcohols at 35°C has been reported (67). Butadiene [106-99-0] can be made by the reaction of acetaldehyde and ethyl alcohol at temperatures above 300°C over a tantala—siUca catalyst (68). Aldol and crotonaldehyde are beheved to be intermediates. Butyl acetate [123-86-4] has been prepared by the catalytic reaction of acetaldehyde with 1-butanol [71-36-3] at 300°C (69). 

Ahphatic aldehydes can also be prepared in moderate yields by distilling the aldehyde from the mixture rapidly to avoid aldol addition or a Cannizzaro reaction (53). 

Other multifunctional hydroxycarboxylic acids are mevalonic and aldonic acids which can be prepared for specialized uses as aldol reaction products (mevalonic acid [150-97-0] (13)) and mild oxidation of aldoses (aldonic acids). 

Diketones are readily transformed to cycHc derivatives, such as cyclopentanones and furans. In this manner, the fragrance dihydrojasmone (3-meth5l-2-pentyl-2-cyclopenten-l-one) is prepared by the base-catalyzed aldol condensation of 2,5-undecanedione. 2,5-Undecanedione is itself prepared from heptanal and methyl vinyl ketone in the presence of thiazoHum salts (329). i7j -Jasmone can be similarly prepared (330,331). 

Lithium Iodide. Lithium iodide [10377-51 -2/, Lil, is the most difficult lithium halide to prepare and has few appHcations. Aqueous solutions of the salt can be prepared by carehil neutralization of hydroiodic acid with lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. Concentration of the aqueous solution leads successively to the trihydrate [7790-22-9] dihydrate [17023-25-5] and monohydrate [17023-24 ] which melt congmendy at 75, 79, and 130°C, respectively. The anhydrous salt can be obtained by carehil removal of water under vacuum, but because of the strong tendency to oxidize and eliminate iodine which occurs on heating the salt ia air, it is often prepared from reactions of lithium metal or lithium hydride with iodine ia organic solvents. The salt is extremely soluble ia water (62.6 wt % at 25°C) (59) and the solutions have extremely low vapor pressures (60). Lithium iodide is used as an electrolyte ia selected lithium battery appHcations, where it is formed in situ from reaction of lithium metal with iodine. It can also be a component of low melting molten salts and as a catalyst ia aldol condensations. 

Examples include acetaldehyde, CH CHO paraldehyde, (CH CHO) glyoxal, OCH—CHO and furfural. The reaction is usually kept on the acid side to minimize aldol formation. Furfural resins, however, are prepared with alkaline catalysts because furfural self-condenses under acid conditions to form a gel. 

Eatty alcohols, prepared from fatty acids or via petrochemical processes, aldol or hydroformylation reactions, or the Ziegler process, react with ammonia or a primary or secondary amine in the presence of a catalyst to form amines (10—12). 

Because vanillin is a phenol aldehyde, it is stable to autooxidation and does not undergo the Cannizzarro reaction. Numerous derivatives can be prepared by etherification or esterification of the hydroxy group and by aldol condensation at the aldehyde group. AH three functional groups in vanillin are... 

Many commercially important isobutyraldehyde derivatives are prepared through aldol and/or Tischenko condensation reactions. For example, isobutyraldehyde undergoes the aldol reaction to form isobutyraldol (2,2,4-trimethyl-3-hydroxypentanal [918-79-6]) which, when hydrogenated, gives 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD) [144-19-4],... 

Isobutyraldehyde also undergoes consecutive aldol and Tischenko condensations to give 2,2,4-trimethyl-l,3-pentanediolmonoisobutyrate [25265-77-4] (Texanol, Filmer IBT), alternatively prepared by the esterification of TMPD with isobutyric acid. 

Neo acids are prepared from selected olefins using carbon monoxide and acid catalyst (4) (see Carboxylic Acids, trialkylacetic acids). 2-EthyIhexanoic acid is manufactured by an aldol condensation of butyraldehyde followed by an oxidation of the resulting aldehyde (5). Isopalmitic acid [4669-02-7] is probably made by an aldol reaction of octanal. 

Cinnamaldehyde has been efficiently isolated in high purity by fractional distillation from cassia and cinnamon bark essential oils. This material has been utili2ed in several manufacturing protocols (39—41) for the preparation of natural ben2aldehyde through a retro-aldol process. Since the late 1970s the demand for natural flavors has increased dramatically. This demand has led to a corresponding requirement for a more extensive line of readily available natural aroma chemicals for flavor creation. 

In contrast, fluorinated ketones have been used as both nucleophilic and electrophilic reaction constituents The (Z)-lithium enolate of 1 fluoro 3,3-di-methylbutanone can be selectively prepared and undergoes highly diastereoselec-tive aldol condensations with aldehydes [7] (equation 8) (Table 4)... 

The key step to this first reported case of the highly diastereoselective addition of a fluorinated enolate in an aldol process is the selective formation of the enolate a,a-Difluonnated enolates prepared by a metallation process employing either a zinc-copper couple [S] or reduced titanium species [9] undergo aldol condensation smoothly (equation 9) (Table 5)... 

Ketene acetals prepared from fluorinated esters by trimethylsilylation undergo Lewis acid-promoted aldol condensations giving satisfactory yields but low diastereoselectivity [27] (equation 22). 

In the six-membered series the alkaloids of Punica gr ana turn, isopelletier-ine and methylisopelletierine, have been obtained by treatment of enamines with acetoacetic acid. Isopelletierine (194, R = H) was prepared also by Schopf et al. from d -piperideine (309-311). The reversibility of aldol dimerization (124,131) of enamines has been established by the synthesis of methylisopelletierine (194, R = Me) from dimethyltetrahydroanabasine, accomplished by Lukes and Kovaf (101) (Scheme 19). 

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