Base-catalyzed aldol reaction

Called the aldol reaction, base-catalyzed dimerization is a general reaction for all aldehydes and ketones with an a hydrogen atom. If the aldehyde or ketone does not have an a hydrogen atom, however, aldol cotiden-... 

Synthetic Transformations 26.1 and 26.2 Aldol Reaction (Base-Catalyzed)... 

The aldol reaction is catalyzed by acid as well as by base. What is the reactive nucleophile in the acid-catalyzed aldoJ reaction Propose a mechanism. 

In order to enhance the catalytic activity of a carbocationic center, the novel Lewis acid 54 was designed by Mukaiyama [149-152]. The 1-oxoisoindolium-based carbenium salt 54 [149], possessing a weak coordinating borate counter anion, proved to be a very active catalyst in the aldoUzation (Scheme 58) [150]. The Mukaiyama aldol reaction was catalyzed by 1 mol% of salt 54 and proceeded in up to 97% yield in 30 min. 

The aldol reaction is catalyzed by base or by acid. Both base- and acid-catalyzed condensations are reversible in the 1,2-addition step. The equilibrium constant for the addition step is usually unfavorable for ketones. 

The synthesis of enones, usually a,P-unsaturated, and hydroxyktones using heterogeneous catalysis has barely been addressed (homogeneous catalysis is another story, see below). Two-step processes predominate in the patent literature, with the aldol condensation base-catalyzed and the ketol dehydration acid-catalyzed either reaction can be conducted in the liquid or gas phase. These processes are not especially selective, but there have been many years of process development behind them. 

Besides the aldol reaction to form y0-hydroxyketone, 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition can also form similar molecules. In addition to the Mukaiyama Aldol Reaction, the following are also similar or closely related to the aldol reaction the Claisen-Schmidt Condensation (the aldol reaction between benzaldehyde and an aliphatic aldehyde or ketone in the presence of relatively strong bases to form an o, )0-unsaturated aldehyde or ketone), the Henry Reaction (base-catalyzed addition of nitroalkane to aldehydes or ketones), the Ivanov Reaction (the addition of enediolates or aryl acetic acid to electrophiles, especially carbonyl compounds), the Knoevenagel Reaction (the condensation of aldehydes or ketones with acidic methylene compounds in the presence of amine or ammonia), the Reformatsky Reaction (the condensation of aldehydes or ketones with organozinc derivatives of of-halo-esters), and the Robinson Annulation Reaction (the condensation of ketone cyclohexanone with methyl vinyl ketone or its equivalent to form bicyclic compounds). 

Organometallic reagents are well known for 1,4-additions and can hence be utilized to catalyze domino Michael/aldol reactions. Based on a methodology published by Noyori et al. [24], the group of Feringa estabhshed a catalytic enantios-elective protocol for the synthesis of (—)-prostaglandin Ej methyl ester [25]. There,... 

The Michael reaction is of central importance here. This reaction is a vinylogous aldol addition, and most facts, which have been discussed in section 1.10, also apply here the reaction is catalyzed by acids and by bases, and it may be made regioselective by the choice of appropriate enol derivatives. Stereoselectivity is also observed in reactions with cyclic educts. An important difference to the aldol addition is, that the Michael addition is usually less prone to sterical hindrance. This is evidenced by the two examples given below, in which cyclic 1,3-diketones add to o, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds (K. Hiroi, 1975 H, Smith, 1964). 

Conjugation of the newly formed double bond with the carbonyl group stabilizes the a p unsaturated aldehyde provides the driving force for the dehydration and controls Its regioselectivity Dehydration can be effected by heating the aldol with acid or base Normally if the a p unsaturated aldehyde is the desired product all that is done is to carry out the base catalyzed aldol addition reaction at elevated temperature Under these conditions once the aldol addition product is formed it rapidly loses water to form the a p unsaturated aldehyde... 

Cleavage reactions of carbohydrates also occur on treatment with aqueous base for prolonged periods as a consequence of base catalyzed retro aldol reactions As pointed out m Section 18 9 aldol addition is a reversible process and (3 hydroxy carbonyl com pounds can be cleaved to an enolate and either an aldehyde or a ketone... 

The base-catalyzed reaction of acetaldehyde with excess formaldehyde [50-00-0] is the commercial route to pentaerythritol [115-77-5]. The aldol condensation of three moles of formaldehyde with one mole of acetaldehyde is foUowed by a crossed Cannizzaro reaction between pentaerythrose, the intermediate product, and formaldehyde to give pentaerythritol (57). The process proceeds to completion without isolation of the intermediate. Pentaerythrose [3818-32-4] has also been made by condensing acetaldehyde and formaldehyde at 45°C using magnesium oxide as a catalyst (58). The vapor-phase reaction of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde at 475°C over a catalyst composed of lanthanum oxide on siHca gel gives acrolein [107-02-8] (59). 

Ba.se Catalyzed. Depending on the nature of the hydrocarbon groups attached to the carbonyl, ketones can either undergo self-condensation, or condense with other activated reagents, in the presence of base. Name reactions which describe these conditions include the aldol reaction, the Darzens-Claisen condensation, the Claisen-Schmidt condensation, and the Michael reaction. 

Some unsaturated ketones derived from acetone can undergo base- or acid-catalyzed exothermic thermal decomposition at temperatures under 200°C. Experiments conducted under adiabatic conditions (2) indicate that mesityl oxide decomposes at 96°C in the presence of 5 wt % of aqueous sodium hydroxide (20%), and that phorone undergoes decomposition at 180°C in the presence of 1000 ppm iron. The decomposition products from these reactions are endothermic hydrolysis and cleavage back to acetone, and exothermic aldol reactions to heavy residues. 

Comforth has reviewed literature reports and independently studied the special cases of reaction of 1 with salicylaldehyde and with 2-acetoxybenzaldehyde. Coumarins (10) are afforded in the condensation of 1 with salicylaldehyde or its imine, whereas when 2-acetoxybenzaldehyde is used, acetoxy oxazolone 12 is the major product. The initial aldol condensation product between the oxazolone and 2-acetoxybenzaldehyde is the 4-(a-hydroxybenzyl)oxazolone 11, in which base-catalyzed intramolecular transacetylation is envisioned. The product 9 (R = Ac) can either be acetylated on the phenolic hydroxy group, before or after loss of acetic acid, to yield the oxazolone 12, or it can rearrange, by a second intramolecular process catalyzed by base and acid, to the hydrocoumarin, which loses acetic acid to yield 10. When salicylaldehyde is the starting material, aldol intermediate 9 (R = H) can rearrange directly to a hydrocoumarin. Comforth also accessed pure 4-(2 -hydroxyphenylmethylene)-2-phenyloxazol-5(4//)-one (13) through hydrolysis of 12 with 88% sulfuric acid. 

From a mechanistic standpoint, ammonia serves two functions 1) it behaves as a base to catalyze an aldol reaction between 2 equivalents of 31 to generate the corresponding enal 33, and 2) it is the source of nitrogen for the resultant pyridyl ring. This occurs through formation of enamine 34 with a third equivalent of 31. The Michael addition of 34 to 33 followed by cyclization gives rise to 32. 

Several approaches based on nitro-aldol for the synthesis of amino sugars have been reported Alumina-catalyzed reaction of methyl 3- nitropropanoate with O-benzyl-o-lactaldehyde gives the o-ribo-nitro-aldol fanti, and isomeri in 63% yield, which is converted into L-dannosamine fsee Secdon 3 3 Jager and coworkers have reported a short synthesis of L-acosamine based on the stereoselective nitro-aldol reaction of 2-O-benzyl-L-lactaldehyde with 3-nitropropanal dimethyl acetal as shovm in Scheme 3 10 The stereoselecdve nitro-aldol reacdon is carried ont by the silyl nitronate approach as discussed in Secdon 3 3... 

The Knoevnagel reaction of 6-methoxytetralc nediamine followed by the nitro-aldol reach allylic nitro compounds Subsequent group Base catalyzed cyclizadon gives the I by radical denitration fsee Section 7 2 ... 

Aldehydes and ketones with an a hydrogen atom undergo a base-catalyzed carbonyl condensation reaction called the aldol reaction. For example, treatment of acetaldehyde with a base such as sodium ethoxide or sodium hydroxide in a protic solvent leads to rapid and reversible formation of 3-hydroxybutanal, known commonly as aldol (aidehyde + alcohol), hence the general name of the reaction. 

Problem 23.2 Using curved arrows to indicate the electron flow in each step, show how the base-catalyzed reverse aldol reaction of 4-hydroxy-4-methyi-2-pentanone takes place to yield 2 equivalents of acetone. 

In this example, the /3-diketone 2-methyJ-l,3-cyclopentanedione is used to generate the enolate ion required for Michael reaction and an aryl-substituted a,/3-unsaturated ketone is used as the acceptor. Base-catalyzed Michael reaction between the two partners yields an intermediate triketone, which then cyclizes in an intramolecular aldol condensation to give a Robinson annulation product. Several further transformations are required to complete the synthesis of estrone. 

In the aldol reaction the a carbon of one aldehyde or ketone molecule adds to the carbonyl carbon of another. Although acid catalyzed aldol reactions are known, the most common form of the reaction uses a base. The base most often used is OH, though stronger bases such as alkoxides (RO ) are sometimes employed. Hydroxide ion is not a strong enough base to convert substantially all of an aldehyde or ketone molecule to the corresponding enolate ion, that is, the equilibrium lies... 

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