Alkyl aldimines, reduction

Reduction and reductive dimerizations. ArN=CH2 are reduced to ArNHMe in methanol. A-Alkyl aldimines undergo reductive dimerization. ... 

As mentioned above, iridium complexes are also active in the formation of amines via the hydrosilylation/protodesUylation of imines. In the presence of 2 equiv. of HSiEts, the cationic complex [lr bis(pyrazol-l-yl)methane (CO)2][BPh4] (C4) catalyzes the reduction of various imines, including N-alkyl and N-aryl imines and both aldimines and ketimmes. Excellent conversions directly to the amine products were achieved rapidly at room temperature in a methanol solution (Scheme 14.7) [53]. 

Aldehydes and ketones react reversibly with the amino groups of proteins to form aldimines or ketimines (Schiff bases),16 The SchifF base thus formed may be reduced with sodium borohydride, to afford alkylamines, which are stable. This reductive amination technique has been widely used for the alkylation of the 6-amino group of lysine.77... 

Hydrogenation of a mixture of amines and aldehydes or ketones results in the formation of unsymme-trical secondary amines. The hydrogenation of the intermediate aldimine or ketimine can be carried out by heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation over metal catalysts such as platinum, palladium, nickel or Raney nickel. The overall reaction can be regarded as an alkylation of the amino compounds, and also as a reductive amination of the aldehyde or ketone (Scheme 3). 

The strategies presented in Table 8.1 can be generalized in the following manner (1) carbanion addition to aldimine or ketimine derivatives (2) sequential amination-alkylation of aldehydes (carbanion addition to in situ formed aldimine derivatives) (3) transfer hydrogenation or hydrogenation of imines (4) reductive amination of ketones and (5) N-acetylenamide reduction. Because of the difficulty of their synthesis, a-alkyl,-alkyl substituted amines are highlighted whenever possible. 

Chitosan is a multi-nucleophilic polymer due to the presence of the NH2 and OH functional groups. The initial sites where substitution occurs are the more nucleophilic amino groups. However, the experimental conditions and protection of the NH2 groups reduces the intermolecular hydrogen bonding and creates space for water molecules to fill in and solvate the hydrophilic groups of the polymer backbone (Sashiwa and Shigemasa 1999). A -alkylated derivatives can be obtained by the treatment of chitosan with aldehydes or ketones via formation of Schiff base intermediates, aldimines (from reactions with aldehydes), or ketimines (from reactions with ketones) followed by reduction of the imine with sodium borohydride. 

In parallel with the directed hydroarylation of olefins, a series of papers described the formation of ketones from heteroarenes, carbon monoxide, and an alkene. Moore first reported the reaction of CO and ethylene with pyridine at the position a to nitrogen to form a ketone (Equation 18.28). Related reactions at the less-hindered C-H bond in the 4-position of an A/-benzyl imidazole were also reported (Equation 18.29). - Reaction of CO and ethylene to form a ketone at the ortho C-H bond of a 2-arylpyridine or an N-Bu aromatic aldimine has also been reported (Equations 18.30 and 18.31). Reaction at an sp C-H bond of an N-2-pyridylpiperazine results in both alkylative carbonylation and dehydrogenation of the piperazine to form an a,p-unsaturated ketone (Equation 18.32). The proposed mechanism of the alkylative carbonylation reaction is shown in Scheme 18.6. This process is believed to occur by oxidative addition of the C-H bond, insertion of CO into the metal-heteroaryl linkage, insertion of olefin into the metal-acyl bond, and reductive elimination to form the new C-H bond in the product. 

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