Alkene addition reactions regioselective

Vladimir Markovnikov observed this regioselectivity and made the generalization, known as Markovnikov s rule, that, in the addition of HX to an alkene, hydrogen adds to the doubly bonded carbon that has the greater number of hydrogens already bonded to it. Although Markovnikov s rule provides a way to predict the product of many alkene addition reactions, it does not explain why one product predominates over other possible products. 

The regioselectivity of electrophilic addition to an alkyne can be explained just as the regioselectivity of alkene addition reactions was explained in Section 6.4. Of the two possible transition states for the reaction, the one with a partial positive charge on the more substituted (secondary) carbon is more stable. 

Some straightforward, efficient cyclopentanellation procedures were developed recently. Addition of a malonic ester anion to a cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylic ester followed by a Dieckmann condensation (S. Danishefsky, 1974) or addition of iJ-ketoester anions to a (l-phenylthiocyclopropyl)phosphonium cation followed by intramolecular Wittig reaction (J.P, Marino. 1975) produced cyclopentanones. Another procedure starts with a (2 + 21-cycloaddition of dichloroketene to alkenes followed by regioselective ring expansion with diazomethane. The resulting 2,2-dichlorocyclopentanones can be converted to a large variety of cyclopentane derivatives (A.E. Greene. 1979 J.-P. Deprds, 1980). 

The overall result of the sequence hydroboration -I- oxidation is a regioselective and-Markownikoff-addition of water to an alkene. This reaction is an important method in organic synthesis, since it can be made stereoselective and even enantioselective. 

Addition of a proton occurs to give the more-substituted carbocation, so addition is regioselective and in accord with Markovnikov s rule. A more detailed discussion of the reaction mechanism is given in Section 6.2 of Part A. Owing to the strongly acidic and rather vigorous conditions required to effect hydration of most alkenes, these conditions are applicable only to molecules that have no acid-sensitive functional groups. The reaction is occasionally applied to the synthesis of tertiary alcohols. 

A catalyst used for the u-regioselective hydroformylation of internal olefins has to combine a set of properties, which include high olefin isomerization activity, see reaction b in Scheme 1 outlined for 4-octene. Thus the olefin migratory insertion step into the rhodium hydride bond must be highly reversible, a feature which is undesired in the hydroformylation of 1-alkenes. Additionally, p-hydride elimination should be favoured over migratory insertion of carbon monoxide of the secondary alkyl rhodium, otherwise Ao-aldehydes are formed (reactions a, c). Then, the fast regioselective terminal hydroformylation of the 1-olefin present in a low equilibrium concentration only, will lead to enhanced formation of n-aldehyde (reaction d) as result of a dynamic kinetic control. 

The regioselectivity in radical addition reactions to alkenes in general has successfully been interpreted by a combination of steric and electronic effects1815,47. In the absence of steric effects, regiochemical preferences can readily be explained with FMO theory. The most relevant polyene orbital for the addition of nucleophilic radicals to polyenes will be the LUMO for the addition of electrophilic orbitals it will be the HOMO. Table 10 lists the HOMO and LUMO coefficients (without the phase sign) for the first three members of the polyene family together with those for ethylene as calculated from Hiickel theory and with the AMI semiempirical method48. 

In the course of investigation into new C-C bond formation processes, Hiyama has developed an efficient nickel-catalyzed arylcyanation of alkynes.67 The addition reaction of an aryl-CN bond to alkyne affords aryl-substituted alkene nitrile in good yield. Good regioselectivity is reported in the case of unsymmetrical alkynes with two sterically different substituents. 

Gycloisomerization of a disubstituted alkyne sometimes required activation of the alkyne by the addition of a conjugated carbonyl and performing the reaction at a higher temperature as in Equation (38). The geometry of the alkene determines the regioselectivity of the /3-hydride elimination, as ( )-60 gave predominantly 61 (Equation (38)), while 62 was the major product of the cycloisomerization of (Z)-60 (Equation (39)). 

The term regioselective is used to describe addition reactions that proceed selectively in one direction with unsymmetrical alkenes.1 Markownikoff s rule describes a specific case of regioselectivity that is based on the stabilizing effect that alkyl and aryl substituents have on carbocations. 

Because the addition steps are generally fast and consequently exothermic chain steps, their transition states should occur early on the reaction coordinate and therefore resemble the starting alkene. This was recently confirmed by ab initio calculations for the attack at ethylene by methyl radicals and fluorene atoms. The relative stability of the adduct radicals therefore should have little influence on reacti-vity 2 ). The analysis of reactivity and regioselectivity for radical addition reactions, however, is even more complex, because polar effects seem to have an important influence. It has been known for some time that electronegative radicals X-prefer to react with ordinary alkenes while nucleophilic alkyl or acyl radicals rather attack electron deficient olefins e.g., cyano or carbonyl substituted olefins The best known example for this behavior is copolymerization This view was supported by different MO-calculation procedures and in particular by the successful FMO-treatment of the regioselectivity and relative reactivity of additions of radicals to a series of alkenes An excellent review of most of the more recent experimental data and their interpretation was published recently by Tedder and... 

Rates of radical additions to alkenes are controlled mainly by the enthalpy of the reaction, which is the origin of regioselectivity in additions to unsymmetrical systems, with polar effects superimposed when there is a favorable match between the electrophilic or nucleophilic character of the radical and that of the radico-phile. For example, in the addition of an alkyl radical to methyl acrylate (2), the nucleophilic alkyl radical interacts favorably with the resonance structure 3. Polar effects are apparent in the representative rate constants shown in Figure 4.14 for additions of carbon radicals to terminal alkenes. Addition of the electron-deficient or electrophilic rert-butoxycarbonylmethyl radical to the electron-deficient molecule methyl acrylate is 10 times as fast as addition of... 

Hydroboration-oxidation of alkenes preparation of alcohols Addition of water to alkenes by hydroboration-oxidation gives alcohols via anti-Markovnikov addition. This addition is opposite to the acid-catalysed addition of water. Hydrohoration is regioselective and syn stereospecific. In the addition reaction, borane bonds to the less substituted carbon, and hydrogen to the more substituted carbon of the double bond. For example, propene reacts with borane and THF complex, followed by oxidation with basic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), to yield propanol. 

The normal course of reaction of alkenes involves addition of Lewis acids (electrophiles) yielding an intermediate carbocation which is trapped by a weak nucleophile [114]. The most common electrophilic addition reactions are summarized in Ligure 6.1. If the olefin is unsymmetrically substituted, the question of regioselectivity arises. We begin by examining the effects on the olefin n system of three classes of substituents as... 

Borane, as a solution in tetrahydrofuran or generated in situ by the reaction of a metal hydride with boron trifluoride etherate, adds readily to alkenes to yield trialkylboranes. With a terminal alkene the reaction is highly (though not completely) regioselective and gives a primary trialkylborane, since the mode of addition results from the electrophilic character of the boron atom. 

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