Hydrogenation, catalytic alkynes

Addition of hydrogen to alkenes and alkynes catalytic hydrogenation... 

Terminal alkynes are only reduced in the presence of proton donors, e.g. ammonium sulfate, because the acetylide anion does not take up further electrons. If, however, an internal C—C triple bond is to be hydrogenated without any reduction of terminal, it is advisable to add sodium amide to the alkyne solution Hrst. On catalytic hydrogenation the less hindered triple bonds are reduced first (N.A. Dobson, 1955, 1961). 

We have already discussed one important chemical property of alkynes the acidity of acetylene and terminal alkynes In the remaining sections of this chapter several other reactions of alkynes will be explored Most of them will be similar to reactions of alkenes Like alkenes alkynes undergo addition reactions We 11 begin with a reaction familiar to us from our study of alkenes namely catalytic hydrogenation... 

A useful alternative to catalytic partial hydrogenation for converting alkynes to alkenes IS reduction by a Group I metal (lithium sodium or potassium) m liquid ammonia The unique feature of metal-ammonia reduction is that it converts alkynes to trans alkenes whereas catalytic hydrogenation yields cis alkenes Thus from the same alkyne one can prepare either a cis or a trans alkene by choosing the appropriate reaction conditions... 

The stereochemistry of metal-ammonia reduction of alkynes differs from that of catalytic hydrogenation because the mechanisms of the two reactions are different The mechanism of hydrogenation of alkynes is similar to that of catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes (Sections 6 1-6 3) A mechanism for metal-ammonia reduction of alkynes is outlined m Figure 9 4... 

Wnte structural formulas for all the alkynes of molecular formula CgHi4 that yield 3 ethyl hexane on catalytic hydrogenation... 

Protection of an acetylenic hydrogen is often necessary because of its acidity. The bulk of a silane can protect an acetylene against catalytic hydrogenation because of rate differences between an olefin (primary or secondary) vs. the more hindered protected alkyne. Trialkylsilylacetylenes are often used as a convenient method for introducing an acetylenic unit because they tend to be easily handled liquids or solids, as opposed to gaseous acetylene. 

Catalytic hydrogenation of alkynes on a metal surface provides cis alkenes (see Chapter 7, Problem 13), while treatment with sodium in liquid ammonia nearly always leads to trans alkenes, e.g., hydrogenation of 2-butyne. 

Strategy Compare the product with the starting material, and catalog the differences. In this case, we need to add three carbons to the chain and reduce the triple bond. Since the starling material is a terminal alkyne that can be alkylated, we might first prepare the acetylide anion ol 1-pentyne, let it react with 1-bromopropane, and then reduce the product using catalytic hydrogenation. 

The product i n this case is a cis-disubstituted alkene, so the fi rst question is, " What is an immediate precursor of a cis-disubstituted alkene " We know that an alkene can be prepared from an alkyne by reduction and that the right choice of experimental conditions will allow us to prepare either a trans-disubstituted alkene (using lithium in liquid ammonia) ora cis-disubstituted alkene (using catalytic hydrogenation over the Lindlar catalyst). Thus, reduction of 2-hexyne by catalytic hydrogenation using the Lindlar catalyst should yield cis-2-hexene. 

Alkynes can be reduced to yield alkenes and alkanes. Complete reduction of the triple bond over a palladium hydrogenation catalyst yields an alkane partial reduction by catalytic hydrogenation over a Lindlar catalyst yields a cis alkene. Reduction of (he alkyne with lithium in ammonia yields a trans alkene. 

Although catalytic hydrogenation of alkynes can be accomplished in many other ways, this catalytic system was significant because it was the first time an f element complex had been observed to cataly-tically activate hydrogen in homogeneous solution. The result had... 

Duckett381 reported on the use of parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) to delineate the pathways involved in the catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes by [Ru3(CO)12 x(PPh3)x] (x = 1 or 2) and showed that the mechanism is highly dependent on the solvent. Bassett and... 

The synthesis of cationic rhodium complexes constitutes another important contribution of the late 1960s. The preparation of cationic complexes of formula [Rh(diene)(PR3)2]+ was reported by several laboratories in the period 1968-1970 [17, 18]. Osborn and coworkers made the important discovery that these complexes, when treated with molecular hydrogen, yield [RhH2(PR3)2(S)2]+ (S = sol-vent). These rhodium(III) complexes function as homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts under mild conditions for the reduction of alkenes, dienes, alkynes, and ketones [17, 19]. Related complexes with chiral diphosphines have been very important in modern enantioselective catalytic hydrogenations (see Section 1.1.6). 

Alkynes are hydrogenated to cis olefins with the same catalytic systems, and subsequently undergo hydrogenation to yield the corresponding alkanes [7, 42, 45, 47, 49, 59, 93]. For example, Jordan et al. reported the selective hydrogenation of 3-hexyne into cis 3-hexene with a TOF of 25 IT1 [25], and cis 3-hexene is... 

The resulting alkyne complex is capable of catalytically hydrogenating diphenylacetylene at 50 °C and 1 bar of H2 with TOF close to 50 h-1. The hydrogenation rate is first order in cluster concentration, indicating the participation of polynuclear species in the cycle, and it is also first order in substrate and hydrogen concentrations, while it is inhibited by CO. Labeling studies involving D2... 

A Ag/Pd-cathode hydrogenates 2-butyne-1,4-diol and acetylene dicarboxylic acid exclusively to the cis-olefin [323]. Similar results were obtained at a Cu net covered with spongy silver [324]. With dimethyl butynedioate the cis/trans ratio of the product dimethyl butenedioate on a Pd black cathode decreased with increasing pH both in electrolytic and catalytic hydrogenation [325]. On the other side at a Hg cathode a trans addition to alkynes occurs [326]. In methy-lamine/liCl, dialkylacetylenes are reduced to trans-olefins. Nonconjugated aromatic internal acetylenes are selectively reduced to aromatic trans-olefins [327]. 

A second example from the same group is the synthesis of an elaborate diethynyltriphenylene derivative (Scheme 7 Table 8,entries 12,13) [58].Zn/Pd-promoted homocoupling of a 4-iodo-l,2-dialkoxybenzene furnishes the desired tetraalkoxybiphenyl, an electron-rich aromatic system. Iron trichloride-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts arylation of the biphenyl derivative with dimethoxy-benzene furnishes an unsymmetrical triphenylene derivative. Deprotection, oxidation, and subsequent Diels-Alder reaction with cyclohexadiene is followed by catalytic hydrogenation and reoxidation. TMS-CC-Li attack on the quinone delivers the alkyne modules, treatment with SnCl2 aromatizes the six-mem-bered ring, while KOH in MeOH removes the TMS groups cleanly to give the elaborate monomer. 

Complete reduction of alkynes to alkanes is easily accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation, especially using palladium [386, 387], platinum oxide and active nickel catalysts [559]. 

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