Alkynes, addition reactions hydration

The most synthetically valuable method for converting alkynes to ketones is by mercuric ion-catalyzed hydration. Terminal alkynes give methyl ketones, in accordance with the Markownikoff rule. Internal alkynes will give mixtures of ketones unless some structural feature promotes regioselectivity. Reactions with Hg(OAc)2 in other nucleophilic solvents such as acetic acid or methanol proceed to / -acetoxy- or /i-mcthoxyalk-enylmercury intermediates.116 These intermediates can be reduced to alkenyl acetates or solvolyzed to ketones. The regiochemistry is indicative of a mercurinium ion intermediate which is opened by nucleophilic attack at the more positive carbon that is, the additions follow the Markownikoff rule. Scheme 4.7 gives some examples of alkyne addition reactions. 

Alkynes react when heated with trifluoroacetic acid to give addition products. Mixtures of syn and anti addition products are obtained. Similar addition reactions occur with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. These reactions are analogous to acid-catalyzed hydration and proceed through a vinyl cation intermediate. 

The chemistry of alkynes is dominated by electrophilic addition reactions, similar to those of alkenes. Alkynes react with HBr and HC1 to yield vinylic halides and with Br2 and Cl2 to yield 1,2-dihalides (vicinal dihalides). Alkynes can be hydrated by reaction with aqueous sulfuric acid in the presence of mercury(ll) catalyst. The reaction leads to an intermediate enol that immediately isomerizes to yield a ketone tautomer. Since the addition reaction occurs with Markovnikov regiochemistry, a methyl ketone is produced from a terminal alkyne. Alternatively, hydroboration/oxidation of a terminal alkyne yields an aldehyde. 

The mechanism of the mercurydD-catalyzed alkyne hydration reactioi is analogous to the oxymercuration reaction of alkenes (Section 7.4). Elec trophilic addition of mercury(II) ion to the alkyne gives a vinylic cation which reacts with water and loses a proton to yield a mercury-containii eiio) intermediate. In contrast to alkene oxymercuration, no treatment witll NaBH is necessary to remove the mercury the acidic reaction conditions alone are sufficient to effect replacement of mercury by hydrogen (Figure 8,3), A mixture of both possible ketones results when an unsymmetrically substituted internal alkyne (RCsCR ) is hydrated. The reaction is therefor ... 

Like the double bond, the carbon-carbon triple bond is susceptible to many of the common addition reactions. In some cases, such as reduction, hydroboration and acid-catalyzed hydration, it is even more reactive. A very efficient method for the protection of the triple bond is found in the alkynedicobalt hexacarbonyl complexes (.e.g. 117 and 118), readily formed by the reaction of the respective alkyne with dicobalt octacarbonyl. In eneynes this complexation is specific for the triple bond. The remaining alkenes can be reduced with diimide or borane as is illustrated for the ethynylation product (116) of 5-dehydro androsterone in Scheme 107. Alkynic alkenes and alcohols complexed in this way show an increased structural stability. This has been used for the construction of a variety of substituted alkynic compounds uncontaminated by allenic isomers (Scheme 107) and in syntheses of insect pheromones. From the protecting cobalt clusters, the parent alkynes can easily be regenerated by treatment with iron(III) nitrate, ammonium cerium nitrate or trimethylamine A -oxide. ° ... 

Whereas alkanes undergo substitution reactions, alkenes and alkynes undergo addition reactions. The principal addition reactions of the unsaturated hydrocarbons are halogenation, hydration, hydrohalogenation, and hydrogenation. Polymers can be made from alkenes or substituted alkenes. 

The first step in the mercuric-ion-catalyzed hydration of an alkyne is formation of a cyclic mercurinium ion. (Two of the electrons in mercury s filled 5d atomic orbital are shown.) This should remind you of the cyclic bromonium and mercurinium ions formed as intermediates in electrophilic addition reactions of alkenes (Sections 4.7 and 4.8). In the second step of the reaction, water attacks the most substituted carbon of the cyclic intermediate (Section 4.8). Oxygen loses a proton to form a mercuric enol, which immediately rearranges to a mercuric ketone. Loss of the mercuric ion forms an enol, which rearranges to a ketone. Notice that the overall addition of water follows both the general rule for electrophilic addition reactions and Markovnikov s rule The electrophile (H in the case of Markovnikov s rule) adds to the sp carbon bonded to the greater number of hydrogens. 

In order to obtain the enol as the product of the addition reaction, only one equivalent of BH3 can be allowed to add to the alkyne. In other words, the reaction must stop at the alkene stage. In the case of internal alkynes, the substituents on the boron-substituted alkene prevent the second addition from occurring. However, there is less steric hindrance in a terminal alkyne, so it is harder to stop the addition reaction at the alkene stage. A special reagent called disiamylborane has been developed for use with terminal alkynes ( siamyl stands for secondary iso amyl amyl is a common name for a five-carbon fragment). The bulky alkyl groups of disiamylborane prevent a second addition to the boron-substituted alkene. So borane can be used to hydrate internal alkynes, but disiamylborane is preferred for the hydration of terminal alkynes. 

A special note should be made concerning hydration reactions of alkynes. Remember that hydration of alkenes leads to alcohols. Alkynes can be hydrated, too. Markovnikov addition is achieved with an aqueous... 

A major factor in determining the magnitude of relative rates is the solvent used. Thus, high alkene alkyne reactivity ratios are found in organic solvents of low dielectric constant (acetic acid), but the rates of reaction are comparable when water is the solvent. This is true not only for the hydration but also for bromination. Polar solvents, water in particular, are evidently capable of minimizing the energy difference between the two transition states. Whether this is accomplished by very strong solvation or by some other mechanism is not entirely clear. Addition reactions of alkenes and alkynes with trifluoroacetic acid also take place at comparable rates. ... 

Alkynes undergo electrophilic addition reactions with hydrogen halides and bromine, but these reactions have limited synthetic utility. However, one reaction of alkynes that is commonly used in organic chemistry is hydration of the carbon-carbon triple bond to give a ketone, a transformation that is catalyzed by mercuric ion in the presence of sulfuric acid (Eq. 11.10). 

The procedures presented in this chapter represent basic reactions of alkynes. That involving hydration of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol through electrophilic addition of water to the tr-system is a reaction analogous to the conversion of acetylene to acetaldehyde, a precursor to acetic acid and acetone. In addition, the formation of an alkyne via an elimination reaction illustrates an alternate approach to forming a carbon-carbon triple bond, although one that is not nearly so easy experimentally as adding water to calcium carbide to make acetylene ... 

Besides the addition of halides and hydrogen-halide adds to alkenes or alkynes, other industrially relevant electrophilic addition reactions involve hydratization reactions (addition of water to alkenes and alkynes, forming alcohols), cationic polymerization (addition of carbocation to an alkene), hydrogenation (addition of hydrogen to alkenes to form alkanes), and Diels-Alder reactions (addition of an alkene to a conjugated diene to form complex, unsaturated hydrocarbon structures). 

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