Aldol water

Acetaldehyde (and other aldehydes containing at least one hydrogen atom in the a position) when treated with a small quantity of dilute sodium hydr oxide solution or other basic catalyst gives a good yield of aldol (p hydroxy-n-but3Taldehyde) (I), which readily loses water, either by heating the isolated aldol alone or with a trace of mineral acid, to form crotonaldehyde (II) ... 

Acetaldehyde condenses in the presence of a little sodium sulphite or sodium hydroxide solution to aldol. The latter ehminates water upon distUlation at atmospheric pressure, but more efficiently in the presence of a trace of iodine, which acts as a catalyst, to yield crotonaldehyde ... 

Apart from the thoroughly studied aqueous Diels-Alder reaction, a limited number of other transformations have been reported to benefit considerably from the use of water. These include the aldol condensation , the benzoin condensation , the Baylis-Hillman reaction (tertiary-amine catalysed coupling of aldehydes with acrylic acid derivatives) and pericyclic reactions like the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and the Qaisen rearrangement (see below). These reactions have one thing in common a negative volume of activation. This observation has tempted many authors to propose hydrophobic effects as primary cause of ftie observed rate enhancements. 

The use of indium in acpieous solution has been reported by Li and co-workers as a new tool in org nometallic chemistry. Recently Loh reported catalysis of the Mukaiyama-aldol reaction by indium trichloride in aqueous solution". Fie attributed the beneficial effect of water to a eg tion phenomena in connection with the high internal pressure of this solvenf This woric has been severely criticised by... 

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. 

The decarboxylation of allyl /3-keto carboxylates generates 7r-allylpalladium enolates. Aldol condensation and Michael addition are typical reactions for metal enolates. Actually Pd enolates undergo intramolecular aldol condensation and Michael addition. When an aldehyde group is present in the allyl fi-keto ester 738, intramolecular aldol condensation takes place yielding the cyclic aldol 739 as a main product[463]. At the same time, the diketone 740 is formed as a minor product by /3-eIimination. This is Pd-catalyzed aldol condensation under neutral conditions. The reaction proceeds even in the presence of water, showing that the Pd enolate is not decomposed with water. The spiro-aldol 742 is obtained from 741. Allyl acetates with other EWGs such as allyl malonate, cyanoacetate 743, and sulfonylacetate undergo similar aldol-type cycliza-tions[464]. 

Step 2 The alkoxide ion abstracts a proton from water to give the product of aldol addition a (3 hydroxy aldehyde ... 

Water Alkoxide ion ft om nucleophilic addition Hydroxide ion Aldol... 

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... 

Reactions in which two molecules of an aldehyde combine to form an a p unsat urated aldehyde and a molecule of water are called aldol condensations... 

Acrolein reacts slowly in water to form 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde and then other condensation products from aldol and Michael reactions. Water dissolved in acrolein does not present a hazard. The reaction of acrolein with water is exothermic and the reaction proceeds slowly in dilute aqueous solution. This will be hazardous in a two-phase adiabatic system in which acrolein is suppHed from the upper layer to replenish that consumed in the lower, aqueous, layer. The rate at which these reactions occur will depend on the nature of the impurities in the water, the volume of the water layer, and the rate... 

Diacetone Alcohol. Diacetone alcohol (DAA) (4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone) is a colorless, mild smelling Hquid which is completely miscible with water and most organic solvents. It is the simplest aldol condensation product of acetone, and because of its keto-alcohol functionahes it has special utility in the coatings industry where it is used to dissolve cellulose acetate to give solutions with high tolerance for water (115). 

Early patents indicated that because water inhibits the aldol condensation mechanism, it was necessary to dry recycle acetone to less than 1% water (139—142). More recent reports demonstrate DAA production from waste acetone containing 10—50% water (143), and enhanced DAA production over anion-exchange resins using acetone feeds that contain 3—10% water (144,145). 

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. 

The principal markets for neopentyl glycol (NPG), the hydrogenated, crossed aldol condensation product of isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde, are in water-borne and alkyd-surface coatings. 

Manufacture. Cinnamaldehyde is routinely produced by the base-cataly2ed aldol addition of ben2aldehyde /7(9(9-with acetaldehyde [75-07-0], a procedure which was first estabUshed in the nineteenth century (31). Formation of the (H)-isomer is favored by the transition-state geometry associated with the elimination of water from the intermediate. The commercial process is carried out in the presence of a dilute sodium hydroxide solution (ca 0.5—2.0%) with at least two equivalents of ben2aldehyde and slow addition of the acetaldehyde over the reaction period (32). 

Common impurities found in aldehydes are the corresponding alcohols, aldols and water from selfcondensation, and the corresponding acids formed by autoxidation. Acids can be removed by shaking with aqueous 10% sodium bicarbonate solution. The organic liquid is then washed with water. It is dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate and then fractionally distilled. Water soluble aldehydes must be dissolved in a suitable solvent such as diethyl ether before being washed in this way. Further purification can be effected via the bisulfite derivative (see pp. 57 and 59) or the Schiff base formed with aniline or benzidine. Solid aldehydes can be dissolved in diethyl ether and purified as above. Alternatively, they can be steam distilled, then sublimed and crystallised from toluene or petroleum ether. 

Aldol (3-hydroxybutanal) [107-89-1] M 88.1, b 80-81 /20mm. An ethereal soln was washed with a saturated aqueous soln of NaHC03, then with water. The non-aqueous layer was dried with anhydrous CaCl2 and distd immediately before use. The fraction, b 80-81°/20mm, was collected, [Mason, Wade and Pouncy J Am Chem Soc 76 2255 1954],... 

In Robinson s now well-known suggestions, regarding the processes by which alkaloids may be produced in plants, two main reactions are used j the aldol condensation and the similar condensation of carbinol-amines, resulting from the combination of an aldehyde or ketone with ammonia or an amine, and containing the group. C(OH). N., with substances in which the group, CH. CO. is present. By these reactions it is possible to form the alkaloid skeleton, and the further necessary changes postulated include oxidations or reductions and elimination of water for the formation of an aromatic nucleus or of an ethylene derivative. 

Because the pK s of the aldehyde and water are similar, the solution contains significant quantities of both the aldehyde and its enolate. Moreover, their reactivities are complementary. The aldehyde is capable of undergoing nucleophilic addition to its carbonyl group, and the enolate is a nucleophile capable of adding to a carbonyl group. And as shown in Figure 18.4, this is exactly what happens. The product of this step is an alkoxide, which abstracts a proton from the solvent (usually water or ethanol) to yield a (3-hydroxy aldehyde. A compound of this type is known as an aldol because it contains both an aldehyde function and a hydroxyl group (aid + ol = aldol). The reaction is called aldol addition. 

Furthermore, in analogy to the aldol reaction, a-chloro-a,3-unsaturated esters have been observed—likely the result of 3-elimination of water from the intermediate halohydrin. For example, when benzaldehyde is condensed with the enolate of 17, chloride 19 was obtained. ... 

Mechanistically, the reaction of diketosulfides and glyoxal likely proceeds via an initial aldol reaction to provide 22. A second intramolecular aldol reaction and the elimination of two equivalents of water produce the thiophene 23. The timing of the elimination reactions and the ring-closing, carbonyl condensation reaction is not completely understood. However, 2,5-disubstituted thiophenes 23 are available in good yields via this process. 

If the initially formed /3-hydroxy carbonyl compound 3 still has an a-hydrogen, a subsequent elimination of water can take place, leading to an o ,/3-unsaturated aldehyde or ketone 4. In some cases the dehydration occurs already under the aldol reaction conditions in general it can be carried out by heating in the presence of acid ... 

The corresponding anion 5, formed from 2 by deprotonation, subsequently adds to the carbonyl substrate to give the aldol-type intermediate 6. Loss of water from intermediate 6 leads to a primary o ,/3-unsaturated condensation product 3 ... 

The Michael reaction with enamines is exemplified in this procedure. In a second (spontaneous) step of the reaction, an aldol-type condensation occurs resulting in cyclization. Finally, the morpholine enamine of the product forms and is hydrolized by the addition of water to yield a mixture of octalones, which is separated by fractional crystallization. J -Octalone-2 can be reduced by lithium in anhydrous ammonia to the saturated tra/i5-2-decalone (Chapter 3, Section III). 

The jS-hydroxy aldehydes or ketones formed in aldol reactions can be easily dehydrated to yield a -unsaturated products, or conjugated enones. In fact, it s this loss of water that gives the condensation reaction its name, because water condenses out of the reaction when the enone product forms. 

The real value of aldol dehydration is that removal of water from the reaction mixture can be used to drive the aldol equilibrium tow ard product. Even though the initial aldol step itself may be unfavorable, as it usually is for ketones, the subsequent dehydration step nevertheless allows many aldol condensations to be... 

Parent polyfthicnylene vinylene) has also been synthesized by an aldol precursor route [122]. In this method, 5-methyl-2-thiophenecarbaldehyde 76 is treated with a base and the monomer polymerizes yielding a precursor 77 which is soluble in water. Thermal treatment in an acidic solution at 80 nC yields the fully conjugated material. Alternatively, the solid polymer may be healed to 280 C to effect elimination of water. Fully conjugated material exhibits low conductivity (10 8 S cm"1) in its pristine stale. 

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