Aldoses lower

RUFF - FENTON Degradation Oxidative degradation of aldoses via a-hydroxy acids to lower chain aldoses. 

Mirror images a-o-glucopyranose-4Ci (upper) and a-L-glucopyranose-1C4 (lower) 2-Carb-8. Aldoses 2-Carb-8.1. Trivial names... 

The reaction with ethyl acetoacetate has been extended to glycolaldehyde, and to carbohydrates other than n-glucose, by employing different experimental conditions it is probably applicable to aldoses in general. With d-fructose, yields are lower, but two molar proportions of water are liberated and a crystalline product results. This has a constitution similar to that of II but with the D-omhfno-tetrahydroxybutyl chain at the /3-position on the furan ring. The reaction has been applied successfully to other ketoses and... 

The aldose dipropionamides prepared by Gim6nez have properties similar to the diacetamides, although their solubility in water is lower. 

The proportion of the acyclic form also increases with increasing temperature this is true for aldoses and ketoses,16,31 as well as for simple hydroxyketones.74 This would be expected from considerations of entropy, as the acyclic form has a greater degree of freedom, but studies on y- and d-hydroxyketones show that change in enthalpy contributes even more to the changing position of the equilibrium with increasing temperature. Evidently, cyclization of hydroxyketones is exothermic, and is favored by lower temperatures.74... 

H. Kiliani, as Fischer always emphatically acknowledged, discovered and developed the method of building up the aldose series by the cyanohydrin reaction to give nitriles from the nitrile, the next higher aldonic acid could then be prepared. In 1890, A. Wohl, working in Fischer s Berlin laboratory, elaborated the dehydration of an aldose oxime to the nitrile, from which the next lower aldose could be prepared by loss of hydrocyanic acid. Fischer exploited the possibilities of sugar extension and degradation afforded by the use of these two important methods. 

Aldoses that are R at C-2, as in equation 8.19, always form ketoses that are R at C-l. This implies the. vyn-enediol in the upper branch of 8.19 rather than the anti intermediate of the lower branch. 

Two free-radical chain reactions, in addition to the ionic enolate mechanism, seem reasonable for the oxidation of the sugars by oxygen. With an aldose-2-f one of the free-radical mechanisms would yield non-labeled formic acid and the next lower aldonic acid the other would yield labeled formic acid and the same aldonic acid. 

Consideration of reasonable mechanisms for producing formic acid from an aldose led to the hypothesis that the sugar forms an addition product with the hydroperoxide anion, comparable with an aldehyde sulfite or the addition product of aldoses with chlorous acid (52). The intermediate product (12) could decompose by a free-radical or an ionic mechanism. In the absence of a free-radical catalyst, the ionic mechanism of Scheme VIII seems probable. By either mechanism the products are formic acid and the next lower sugar. The lower sugar then repeats the process, with the result that the aldose is degraded stepwise to formic acid. Addition of the hydroperoxide anion to the carbonyl carbon is in accord with its strong nucleophilic character (53) and with certain reaction mechanisms suggested in the literature (54) for related substances. 

Some other mono-O-sulfonylated-aldose derivatives to which the iodination reaction has since been successfully applied (either prepara-tively or diagnostically, or both) are listed in Table III. The yields given therein are those recorded by the authors, and have not been recalculated. Where the yield approaches the theoretical, there is seldom any indication that the same yield might not have resulted at a lower temperature or after a shorter reaction-time, or both. Low yields might, in some instances, be attributable to poor experimental technique. However, despite its deficiencies, Table III contains sufficient information to warrant a few conclusions, some of which are to be found scattered through the literature. 

Ferric ion catalyzes the formation of the hydroperoxyl radical, according to Eq. (35) such a radical appears to constitute the oxidant in the Ruff method of degrading aldonic acids to the next lower aldoses. A number of examples of the use of this reagent in the laboratory are given in a review article by Moody.108 The hydroperoxyl radical, which is not so effective an oxidant as the hydroxyl radical, does not attack aliphatic alcohols accordingly, a substantial yield (about 50%) of the aldose is obtained from the higher aldonic acid. In the presence of an excess of hydrogen peroxide, however, the accumulation of ferrous ions in solution catalyzes the production of hydroxyl radicals and lowers the yield of aldose [see Eq. (36)]. 

A possible mechanism for this reaction suggests the formation of a carboxyl radical, which undergoes degradation to liberate C02. The resulting radical produces the corresponding next lower aldose plus H . 

Manganese(III) has been employed for the oxidation of aldoses, and a general mechanism for the oxidation has been proposed.167 The oxidation of hexoses, pentoses, hexitols, and pentitols by Mn(III), as well as by other cations, was proposed to proceed via a free-radical mechanism,168 as shown in Scheme 26. Oxidation of alditols produces the corresponding aldoses, which are further oxidized in the presence of an excess of oxidant to the lower monosaccharides and thence to formaldehyde, formic acid, and even carbon dioxide. The kinetics for the oxidation of aldoses and ketoses by Mn(III) in sulfuric acid medium have been reported.169... 

Decarbonylation of aldoses.2 Although this rhodium complex has been known since 1968 to effect decarbonylation of aldehydes, it has been used for decarbonylation of sugars only recently, probably for lack of a compatible solvent. Actually, this reaction when carried out in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) at 110-130° is extremely useful in the case of simple aldoses, which are converted to the lower alditol with formation of carbonylchlorobis(triphenylphosphine)rhodium(I). The yields are 75-95%. This method of degradation has the further advantage that protecting groups are not necessary. Deoxyaldoses, particularly 2-deoxyaldoses, are decar-bonylated in 75-99% yield. A disadvantage of this reaction is that a full equivalent of the complex is required. 

At The American University, Isbell s major interest in research turned to the study of the oxidation of saccharides with hydrogen peroxide. In collaboration with Dr. Frush, he published some forty papers on the subject. A number of major discoveries were made, including that of a stepwise degradative peroxidation, which is catalyzed by base or by such metals as iron(II). It starts at the anomeric carbon of an aldose, either in the acyclic or the cyclic form, and affords the lower aldose and formic acid (see Fig. 8). Two mechanisms were recognized an ionic one prevalent in strong alkali, and a free-radical process catalyzed by Fe(II) (see Fig. 9). 

FIG. 8.—The stepwise degradative peroxidation of aldoses starts at the anomeric carbon and forms a lower aldose and formic acid. 

---