Dicarboxylic acids from alkenes

Faraday, in 1834, was the first to encounter Kolbe-electrolysis, when he studied the electrolysis of an aqueous acetate solution [1], However, it was Kolbe, in 1849, who recognized the reaction and applied it to the synthesis of a number of hydrocarbons [2]. Thereby the name of the reaction originated. Later on Wurtz demonstrated that unsymmetrical coupling products could be prepared by coelectrolysis of two different alkanoates [3]. Difficulties in the coupling of dicarboxylic acids were overcome by Crum-Brown and Walker, when they electrolysed the half esters of the diacids instead [4]. This way a simple route to useful long chain l,n-dicarboxylic acids was developed. In some cases the Kolbe dimerization failed and alkenes, alcohols or esters became the main products. The formation of alcohols by anodic oxidation of carboxylates in water was called the Hofer-Moest reaction [5]. Further applications and limitations were afterwards foimd by Fichter [6]. Weedon extensively applied the Kolbe reaction to the synthesis of rare fatty acids and similar natural products [7]. Later on key features of the mechanism were worked out by Eberson [8] and Utley [9] from the point of view of organic chemists and by Conway [10] from the point of view of a physical chemist. In Germany [11], Russia [12], and Japan [13] Kolbe electrolysis of adipic halfesters has been scaled up to a technical process. 

Anodic oxidation of 1,2-dicarboxylic acids as their alkali metal salts in concentrated aqueous solution gives the alkene with the loss of two molecules of carbon dioxide [125]. Succinic acid affords etltene and methylsuccinic acid ptopene [50]. Allene is obtained from itaconic acid and the isomeric methylmaleic and methyl-fumaric acids give propyne... 

Reaction of 1,2 -dicarboxylic acids has been used for the formation of a number of strained alkenes and also applied to the Diels-Alder addition products from maleic anhydride (Table 9.5). Both cis- and tr s-diacids take part in the process. Aqueous pyridine containing, triethylamine as a strong base, is considered the best solvent and higher yields are obtained at temperatures of around 80 "C [130]. Use of a divided cell avoids a possibility of electrocatalytic hydrogenation of the product at the cathode. The addition of /a/-butylhydroquinone as a radical scavenger prevents polymerization of the product [127], An alternative chemical decarboxylation process is available which uses lead tetraacetate [131] but problems can arise because of reaction between the alkene and lead tetraacetate. 

Non-oxidative hydrocarboxylation of alkenes to carboxylic acids with CO and H20 is catalyzed by palladium complexes such as PdCl2(PhCN)2 or PdCl2(PPh3)2, and a-methyl acids predominate in the presence of HC1.374,443 A recent improvement of this reaction consisted of the use of a PdCl2/CuCl2/HCl catalyst under oxidative conditions.377 Almost quantitative yields of a-methyl carboxylic acids and dicarboxylic acids were obtained from terminal alkenes and terminal dialkenes respectively, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure (equation 174).377... 

PdCb/CuCVHCl catalyst under oxidative conditions. Almost quantitative yields of a-methyl carboxylic acids and dicarboxylic acids were obtained from terminal alkenes and terminal dialkenes respectively, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure (equation 174). ... 

Determination of the residual antioxidant content in polymers by HPLC and MAE is one way to determine the amoimt needed for reasonable stabilization of a material, and also to compare different antioxidants and their individual efficiencies. During ageing and oxidation of PE, carboxyhc acids, dicarboxylic acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, n-alkanes and 1-alkenes are formed [86-89]. The carboxyhc acids are formed as a result of various reactions of alkoxy or peroxy radicals [90]. The oxidation of polyolefins is generally monitored by various analytical techniques. GC-MS analysis in combination with a selective extraction method is used to determine degradation products in plastics. ETIR enables the increase in carbonyls on a polymer chain, from carboxylic acids, dicarboxyhc acids, aldehydes, and ketones, to be monitored. It is regarded as one of the most definite spectroscopic methods for the quantification and identification of oxidation in materials, and it is used to quantify the oxidation of polymers [91-95]. Mechanical testing is a way to determine properties such as strength, stiffness and strain at break of polymeric materials. 

In polar solvents the excited state of sufficiently electron deficient arenes will accept an electron from donors. The fates of the radical ion pairs produced include formation of products of addition to the arene ring. A new example of this mode of reactivity is the photochemical reaction of 1,4-dicyanonaphthalene with benzyl methyl ether in acetonitrile. This yields stereoisomers of the addition product (120). The reaction most likely involves electron transfer from the ether to the naphthalene excited state and subsequent ionisation of a proton from the benzyl ether radical cation. This produces a benzyl ether radical which adds to the naphthalene derivative. An analogous sequence is proposed to explain the photochemical formation of (121)-(124) from ultra-violet light irradiated solutions of naphthalene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid anhydride in methanolic benzene or acetonitrile containing isobutene, 2-butene or 2-methyl-2-butene. Here it is suggested that the alkene radical cation, formed by electron transfer to the excited state of the naphthalene, is attacked by methanol deprotonation... 

Houk control concerns electrophilic attack on alkenes, enolates and the like. The alkylation of enolate 56 would be an example if it were not held in a ring by chelation. It can in fact be difficult to tell whether chelation is involved or not with many enolates and the outcome of the reaction may tell which. Chamberlin s asymmetric preparation of both pyrrolidine 2,3-dicarboxylic acids 141 and 142 from natural aspartic acid illustrates this perfectly. The key to the stereochemical control is the very large protecting group 9-phenylfluorenyl-143 introduced by Rapoport.22... 

Alkene synthesis.1 Alkenes can be prepared from w c-dicarboxylic acids by conversion into the diacyl chloride followed by treatment with /-butyl hydroperoxide. The resulting di-/-butyl peresters (1) are decomposed when heated in solution in /-butylbenzene (N2 or Ar) to give olefins. Use of p-cymene (Wiberg... 

Anodic oxidation of N, N.-dimethylaniline in methanol yields the -methoxylated derivative (72), which reacts with substituted alkenes in the presence of Lewis acid to give a wide range of tetrahydroquinolines (e.g. 73).94- The adduct (75) from N-methylaniline and allene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester (7 ) can be converted into the 4-quinolone (76) on treatment with polyphosphoric acid. 95 The use of nitrobenzenes as quinoline precursors is exemplified by the reaction sequence depicted in Scheme 17. The transition-metal-catalysed transformation is thought to involve the reduction of the nitrobenzene to the corresponding aniline via a nitrene intermediate.96... 

As well as the expected fragments the ketones all give ions which arise from loss of HjO preceded or followed by loss of or other alkenes. This expulsion, it is suggested, may proceed via a cyclobutanol intermediate as does photochemical decomposition. Included in this work were the substituted 1,3-diketocyclopentanes (22) and di(cyclohexanon-2-yl)methane. The fragmentation of 21cyclohex-4-ene-l,2-dicarboxylic acid anhydrides depends on structure, configuration, and conformation. 

Nonoxidative hydrocarboxylation of alkenes to carboxylic acids with CO and water catalyzed by Pd catalysts is greatly improved in the presence of oxygen (Scheme 16). Almost quantitative yields of mono- and dicarboxylic adds were obtained from the corresponding terminal alkenes and terminal dialkenes, respectively, under atmospheric pressure at room temperature. ... 

In an approach to the general synthesis of bicyclo[2,l,l]hexenes in which the double bond is introduced simultaneously with the construction of the basic ring system, the Ramberg-Backlund rearrangement of 2-chloro-3-thiabicyclo[3,l,l]heptane-3,3-oxides has been investigated. Thus (573), which is available in six steps from the cis + irons mixture of cyclobutane-1,3-dicarboxylic acids, is converted into the parent alkene (574) by reaction with sodium t-pentyloxide in dephenyl ether. 

The dimerization of functional alkenes such as acrylates and acrylonitrile represents an attractive route to obtain bifunctional compounds such as dicarboxylates and diamine, respectively. The head-to-tail dimerizahon of acrylates and vinyl ketones was catalyzed by an iridium hydride complex generated in situ from [IrCl(cod)]2 and alcohols in the presence of P(OMe)3 and Na2C03 [26]. The reaction of butyl acrylate 51 in the presence of [IrCl(cod)]2 in 1-butanol led to a head-to-tail dimer, 2-methyl-2-pentenedioic acid dibutyl ester (53%), along with butyl propionate (35%) which is formed by hydrogen transfer from 1-butanol. In order to avoid... 

SE.3.1.2. Desymmetrization of gem-Dwarboxylates An equivalent of asymmetric carbonyl addition can be achieved by the alkylation of gem-dicarboxylates (Scheme 8E.17). The alkylation of gem-dicarboxylates, which are easily prepared by the Lewis acid-catalyzed addition of acid anhydrides to an aldehyde, converts the problem of differentiating the two enantiotopic 7t-faces of a carbonyl group into that of asymmetric substitution of either enantiotopic C-O bond of the gem-dicarboxylate. Although asymmetric induction may be derived from enantio-discrimination in the ionization step or in the alkene coordination step, the fast and reversible nature of alkene coordination suggests that the ionization step is more likely to be the source of enantio-discrimination. 

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