Alkali metal enolates reactivity

The coordination of /3-diketonates and related species to alkali and alkaline earth cations has long been recognized. Combes first prepared Be(acac)2 in 1887,255 and the contribution of Sidgwick and Brewer concerning the nature of dihydrated alkali metal /3-diketonates plays a seminal role in the development of this area of coordination chemistry.19 A review concerning the structure and reactivity of alkali metal enolates has been written, 6 and sections on alkali and alkaline earth /3-diketonates can be found within more generalized accounts of /3-diketone complexes.257,258... 

Tetr 32 2979 (1976) (regiospecific preparation of ketone enolates and synthetic uses) 33 2737 (1977) (structure and reactivity of alkali metal enolates)... 

Reactions involving Enols or Enolic Derivatives.—A review of the structure and reactivity of alkali-metal enolates includes some steroidal reactions. A study of the mechanism of isomerization of androst-5-en-17/3-ol-3-one to testosterone indicated that the acid-catalysed process proceeds through rate-determining enolization whereas the base-catalysed reaction proceeds through rate-determining protonation of an enolate ion. Bromination of the 4,4,6-trimethyl-A -3-oxo-compounds (111)—(113) gave the 2a-bromo-derivatives, each of which showed anomalous o.r.d. curves. Bromination at C-2 was favoured for the... 

Alkylation.—The structure and reactivity of alkali-metal enolates has been reviewed, as have the regiospecific preparation and synthetic uses of ketone... 

L. M. Jackman and B. C. Lange, Structure and Reactivity of Alkali Metal Enolates , Tetrahedron, 1977, 33, 2737. 

As carboxylic acid derivatives, the enolates derived from N-acyl oxazolidinones approximate the reactivity patterns of thioesters the derived alkali metal enolates display moderate nucleophilicity [82]. Investigations of these systems have revealed that there is a pronounced difference in alkylation rates between the various alkali metal enolates. Thus, although the reactivity of the lithium enolates is limited (reaction temperatures = 0°C), the corresponding sodium enolates undergo allcylation at lower temperatures (-78 °C). This feature resulted in higher observed diastereoselectivity for the corresponding sodium enolates in the alkylation reactions. 

The mechanism and thermodynamics of transesterification of acetate-ester enolates in the gas phase have been investigated. The catalytic effect of alkali-metal t-butoxide clusters on the rate of ester interchange for several pairs of esters has been determined in non-polar and weakly polar solvents. Reactivities increase in the order (Li+ < Na+ < K+ < Rb+ < Cs+) with the fastest rates reaching lO catalytic... 

Their stability at low temperature means that lithium enolates are usually preferred, but sodium and potassium enolates can also be formed by abstraction of a proton by strong bases. The increased separation of the metal cation from the enolate anion with the larger alkali metals leads to more reactive but less stable enolates. Typical very strong Na and K bases include the hydrides (NaH, KH) or amide anions derived from ammonia (NaNH2, KNH2) or... 

Such alkali metal ion pairs are capable of two electron transfer from the potassium anion towards a suitable substrate, e.g. p-butyrolactone with formation of a respective carbanion. The strong tendency to two electrons transfer is due to the unusual oxidation state of potassium anion bearing on its outer s orbital a labile electron doublet shielded from the positive potassium nucleus by inner orbitals. Using 5 -enantiometr of P-butyrolactone as a monomer and potassium supramolecular complex as catalyst, enolate carbanion is formed as the first reactive intermediate which induces polymerization, yielding poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutanoate. The resulting biomimetic polyester has the structure similar to native PHB produced in nature, except for acetoxy-end-groups, which are formed instead of the hydroxyl ones typical for natural PHB. 

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