Esters from alkenes

A number of less hindered monoalkylboranes is available by indirect methods, eg, by treatment of a thexylborane—amine complex with an olefin (69), the reduction of monohalogenoboranes or esters of boronic acids with metal hydrides (70—72), the redistribution of dialkylboranes with borane (64) or the displacement of an alkene from a dialkylborane by the addition of a tertiary amine (73). To avoid redistribution, monoalkylboranes are best used /V situ or freshly prepared. However, they can be stored as monoalkylborohydrides or complexes with tertiary amines. The free monoalkylboranes can be hberated from these derivatives when required (69,74—76). Methylborane, a remarkably unhindered monoalkylborane, exhibits extraordinary hydroboration characteristics. It hydroborates hindered and even unhindered olefins to give sequentially alkylmethyl- and dialkylmethylboranes (77—80). 

See Ref. 150, p. 136, for reagents that produce alkenes from p-halo ethers and esters, and from halohydrins. 

This section lists examples of the reaction of RH RR (R,R = alkyl or aryl). For the reaction C=CH -> C=C-R (R = alkyl or aryl), see Section 209 (Alkenes from Alkenes). For alkylations of ketones and esters, see Section 177 (Ketones from Ketones) and Section 113 (Esters from Esters). 

The addition of Grignard reagents to aldehydes, ketones, and esters is the basis for the synthesis of a wide variety of alcohols, and several examples are given in Scheme 7.3. Primary alcohols can be made from formaldehyde (Entry 1) or, with addition of two carbons, from ethylene oxide (Entry 2). Secondary alcohols are obtained from aldehydes (Entries 3 to 6) or formate esters (Entry 7). Tertiary alcohols can be made from esters (Entries 8 and 9) or ketones (Entry 10). Lactones give diols (Entry 11). Aldehydes can be prepared from trialkyl orthoformate esters (Entries 12 and 13). Ketones can be made from nitriles (Entries 14 and 15), pyridine-2-thiol esters (Entry 16), N-methoxy-A-methyl carboxamides (Entries 17 and 18), or anhydrides (Entry 19). Carboxylic acids are available by reaction with C02 (Entries 20 to 22). Amines can be prepared from imines (Entry 23). Two-step procedures that involve formation and dehydration of alcohols provide routes to certain alkenes (Entries 24 and 25). 

The photoelimination of carbon dioxide from esters and lactones is a process that has been the subject of detailed investigations. Discussion here is limited to nitrogen containing systems. 3,4-Diphenylsydnone (464), on irradiation in benzene, is converted via the nitrile imine 465 into 2,4,5-triphenyl-1,2,3-triazole (466)388 initial bond formation between N-2 and C-4 followed by loss of carbon dioxide to give the diazirine 467 is proposed to account for the formation of the nitrile imine. Nitrile imines generated in this way have been trapped with alkenes and alkynes to give pyrazoles389... 

Dimerization is the characteristic reaction of radical-anions from activated alkenes. The rate constants for dimerization are high and the conjugate acids from such alkene radical-anions in many cases have low pKa values and. The data in Table 3.4 were obtained by following the changes in uv-absorbance after pule-radiolysis of the substrate in an aqueous buffer. Attachment of a solvated electron leads to the radical-anion. Changes in the initial absorbance with pH lead to determination of the pKg value, while the dimerization rate can be determined from changes in absorbance over a longer time scale. Radical-anions from esters and amides are pro-... 

Intramolecular ylide formation with the lactone carbonyl oxygen (53) in 145 provided a carbonyl ylide 146 that was trapped with Al-phenyl maleimide to give cycloadduct 147. Likewise (54), carbonyl yhde 149, derived from ester 148, suffers intramolecular cycloaddition with the tethered alkene to deliver acetal 150 in 87% yield. An enantioselective version of this process has also been described (Scheme 4.33). 

R. J. Ferrier and S. R. Haines, Alkenes from 4-bromohexofuranose esters reactions of 5-deoxyald-4-enofuranose derivatives in the presence of mercury(II) ions, J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 1 1689 (1984). 

Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions of ketones and aldehydes with phosphono-acetate esters, (R20)2P(=0)CH2C02R1, produce E/Z mixtures of a, /Tunsaturated esters. Use of the conventional reagent, sodium hydride, gives some selectivity. The combination of tin(II) triflate and A -cthylpipcndine enhances—and sometimes also reverses—the selectivity in most cases studied.71 Six-membered oxo-coordinated tin intermediates are proposed to control the selectivities observed. A similarly selective synthesis of trisubstituted exocyclic alkenes from cyclic ketones has been reported.72... 

The yields from aldehyde alkylidenation is somewhat lower due to the reductive dimerization of aldehydes with low-valent Ti. Alkylidenation of esters is possible by the reaction of 1,1 -dibromoalkane. TiCU and Zn in the presence of TMEDA to give (Z) vinyl ethers [60], Cyclic vinyl ethers are prepared from unsaturated esters in two steps. The first step is formation of the acyclic enol ethers using a stoichiometric amount of the Ti reagent, and the second step is ring-closing alkene metathesis catalysed by Mo complex 19. Thus the benzofiiran moiety of sophora compound I (199, R = H) was synthesized by the carbonyl alkenation of ester in 197 with the Ti reagent prepared in situ, and the subsequent catalytic RCM of the resulting enol ether 198 catalysed by 19 [61]. 

Nucleophilic attack occurs at C(2) of the diene. The 1,3-cyclohexadiene complex 66 is converted to the homoallyl anionic complex 67 by nucleophilic attack, and the 3-alkyl-1-cyclohexene 68 is obtained by protonation. Insertion of CO to 67 generates the acyl complex 69, and its protonation and reductive elimination afford the aldehyde 70 [20]. Reaction of the butadiene complex 56 with an anion derived from ester 71 under CO atmosphere generates the homoallyl complex 72 and then the acyl complex 73 by CO insertion. The cyclopentanone complex 74 is formed by intramolecular insertion of alkene, and the 3-substituted cyclopentanone 75 is obtained by reductive elimination. The intramolecular version, when applied to the 1,3-cyclohexadiene complex 76 bearing an ester chain at C(5), offers a good synthetic route to the bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane system 78 via intermediate 77 [21]. 

Nevertheless, the use of chirally modified Lewis acids as catalysts for enantioselective aminoalkylation reactions proved to be an extraordinary fertile research area [3b-d, 16]. Meanwhile, numerous publications demonstrate their exceptional potential for the activation and chiral modification of Mannich reagents (generally imino compounds). In this way, not only HCN or its synthetic equivalents but also various other nucleophiles could be ami-noalkylated asymmetrically (e.g., trimethylsilyl enol ethers derived from esters or ketones, alkenes, allyltributylstannane, allyltrimethylsilanes, and ketones). This way efficient routes for the enantioselective synthesis of a variety of valuable synthetic building blocks were created (e.g., a-amino nitriles, a- or //-amino acid derivatives, homoallylic amines or //-amino ketones) [3b-d]. 

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