Alkene thermodynamics

Formation of new o-bonds at the cost of the loss of the 7t-bond of the alkene during alkene hydrogenation, polymerisation etc. makes the overall processes of alkenes thermodynamically feasible and the process is highly exothermic. 

It was shown earlier that palladium-catalyzed hydrovinylation of styrene using phosphino ester-type ligands leads to isomerization of the external al-kene (kinetic product) to the internal alkene (thermodynamic product) at higher substrate conversion. In this regard, the idea was to suppress this isomerization by running the reaction at lower conversion in a CFMR system in order to minimize the catalyst-substrate contact time. 

All routes look reasonable, though we might again prefer attack at the primary centre kinetically and the disubstituted alkene thermodynamically and this is the usual outcome. The reactions in the left-hand box are preferred to those in the right-hand box. But there is no special preference for the S>j2 over the Sjq2 mechanism or vice versa—the individual case decides. If we react the secondary butenyl chloride with an amine we get the SN2 mechanism entirely. 

Thermodynamically the insertion of an alkene into a metal-hydride bond is much more favourable than the insertion of carbon monoxide into a metal-methyl bond. The latter reaction is more or less thermoneutral and the equilibrium constant is near unity under standard conditions. The metal-hydride bond is stronger than a metal-carbon bond and the insertion of carbon monoxide into a metal hydride is thermodynamically most often uphill. Insertion of alkenes is also a reversible process, but slightly more favourable than CO insertion. Formation of new CT bonds at the cost of the loss of the ji bond of the alkene during alkene hydrogenation etc., makes the overall processes of alkenes thermodynamically exothermic, especially for early transition metals. 

Various terminal allylic compounds are converted into l-alkenes at room temperature[362]. Regioselective hydrogenolysis with formate is used for the formation of an exo-methylene group from cyclic allylic compounds by the formal anti thermodynamic isomerization of internal double bonds to the exocyclic position[380]. Selective conversion of myrtenyl formate (579) into /9-pinene is an example. The allylic sulfone 580 and the allylic nitro compound... 

Long-chain primary alcohols, eg, triacontanol, can be prepared by the hydroboration, isomerization, and oxidation of the corresponding internal alkenes (437). The less thermodynamically stable stereoisomer can be transformed into the more stable one by heating, eg, i j -into /ra/ j -myrtanjiborane (204). 

The C-F bonds in 1 fluoroalkenes and fluorobenzenes also are very strong (Table 17), but alkene k bond strengths vary with the level of fluonnabon (Table 18) Both CHF=CF2 and CF2=Cp2 have significantly weaker 7t bonds than CH2= CH2, CH7=CHF, and CH2=Cp2, consistent with other data indicatuig that tn- and tetrafluonnation thermodynamically destabilize double bonds [75] The low n bond energy in Cp2=CF2 underlies its propensity to undergo thermal biradical [2-1-2] cycloaddibons [103] (see p 767 )... 

Draw the other stereoisomer that might have been obtained from syn addition of hydrogen to each alkene. Is the observed product for each addition also the thermodynamic product Compare energies for alkene A+ H2 observed and not observed and alkene B+H2 observed and not observed. What structural factors seem to be responsible for the relative stabilities of the two products of each hydrogenation reaction ... 

A simple-minded picture suggests that the CC K bonds in aUcynes and alkenes ought to be similar. Are they Consider the thermodynamics of reduction of phenylacetylene to first give styrene and then phenylethane. (The energy for H2 is given at right.)... 

Which addition is more favorable thermodynamically Assuming that the difference is entirely due to different 7t-bond energies, then which contains the stronger % bond, the alkyne or the alkene What flaws might there be in the basic assumption ... 

Thermodynamics and kinetics need not go hand in hand. Consider all possible products resulting from addition of one equivalent of bromine to phenylacetylene (phenylacetylene+Br2) and to styrene (styrene+Br2). Calculate the heat of reaction for each addition. (The energy of Br2 is given at right.) Is addition to the alkyne or to the alkene more favorable ... 

The synthetic utility of the alkene metathesis reaction may in some cases be limited because of the formation of a mixture of products. The steps of the catalytic cycle are equilibrium processes, with the yields being determined by the thermodynamic equilibrium. The metathesis process generally tends to give complex mixtures of products. For example, pent-2-ene 8 disproportionates to give, at equilibrium, a statistical mixture of but-2-enes, pent-2-enes and hex-3-enes ... 

If however a t-butoxide was used as base, only the thermodynamically favored S-alkene 9 was formed, suggesting a ElcB-mechanism in that case. It has... 

Cycloaddidon of the cychc nitrone derived ftom prolide benzyl ester v/ith alkenes proceeds readily to give isoxazohdines v/ith good regio-and stereoselecdvity fEq 8 47i The reaction favors exo-mode addidon However, certin cycloaddidons are reversible and therefore the product distribndon may reflect thermodynamic rather than kinedc control... 

As described in Section 2.3.2, vinylaziridines are versatile intermediates for the stereoselective synthesis of (E)-alkene dipeptide isosteres. One of the simplest methods for the synthesis of alkene isosteres such as 242 and 243 via aziridine derivatives of type 240 and 241 (Scheme 2.59) involves the use of chiral anti- and syn-amino alcohols 238 and 239, synthesizable in turn from various chiral amino aldehydes 237. However, when a chiral N-protected amino aldehyde derived from a natural ot-amino acid is treated with an organometallic reagent such as vinylmag-nesium bromide, a mixture of anti- and syn-amino alcohols 238 and 239 is always obtained. Highly stereoselective syntheses of either anti- or syn-amino alcohols 238 or 239, and hence 2,3-trans- or 2,3-as-3-alkyl-2-vinylaziridines 240 or 241, from readily available amino aldehydes 237 had thus hitherto been difficult. Ibuka and coworkers overcame this difficulty by developing an extremely useful epimerization of vinylaziridines. Palladium(0)-catalyzed reactions of 2,3-trons-2-vinylaziri-dines 240 afforded the thermodynamically more stable 2,3-cis isomers 241 predominantly over 240 (241 240 >94 6) through 7i-allylpalladium intermediates, in accordance with ab initio calculations [29]. This epimerization allowed a highly stereoselective synthesis of (E) -alkene dipeptide isosteres 243 with the desired L,L-... 

Platinum (II) carbenes should be mentioned as <7-bonded organometallics. An important general synthesis by cleavage of an electron-rich alkene affords a pair of isomers, the trans-form isomerizing to the thermodynamically more stable cw-form on heating (Figure 3.61). 

The most thoroughly studied reactions are the metathesis of propene to ethene and 2-butene, and the metathesis of 2-pentene to 2-butene and 3-hexene. Generally, the thermodynamic equilibrium ratio of the trans and cis components of the products is obtained. The reacting alkene molecules need not be identical, two different alkenes react with each other in the same way. 

The general catalytic cycle for the coupling of aryl-alkenyl halides with alkenes is shown in Fig. 9.6. The first step in this catalytic cycle is the oxidative addition of aryl-alkenyl halides to Pd(0). The activity of the aryl-alkenyl halides still follows the order RI > ROTf > RBr > RC1. The olefin coordinates to the Pd(II) species. The coordinated olefin inserts into Pd—R bond in a syn fashion, p-Hydrogen elimination can occur only after an internal rotation around the former double bond, as it requires at least one /I-hydrogen to be oriented syn perpendicular with respect to the halopalladium residue. The subsequent syn elimination yields an alkene and a hydridopalladium halide. This process is, however, reversible, and therefore, the thermodynamically more stable (E)-alkene is generally obtained. Reductive elimination of HX from the hydridopalladium halide in the presence of a base regenerates the catalytically active Pd(0), which can reenter the catalytic cycle. The oxidative addition has frequently assumed to be the rate-determining step. 

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