Amide ketones, from alkenes

This section contains dehydrogenations to form alkenes and unsaturated ketones, esters and amides. It also includes the conversion of aromatic rings to alkenes. Reduction of aryls to dienes is found in Section 377 (Alkene-Alkene). Hydrogenation of aryls to alkanes and dehydrogenations to form aryls are included in Section 74 (Alkyls from Alkenes). 

Captodative alkenes 67 can be dialkylated, for example, by addition of iso-butyronitrile radical derived from thermal decomposition of AIBN under the same conditions as those which lead to polymerization of other acrylic alkenes. For example, a-morpholino-acrylonitrile (67, c = CN, d = N(CH2CH2)20) leads to 69, in 71% yield (Scheme 12) [4a]. With a-/-butylthio-acrylonitrile (67, c = CN, d = SC(CHj)3), the same process leads to 70 in 88% yield [7]. The adduct radical 68 is highly stabilized, and is in equilibrium with dimer 70. The reaction is quite general, and has been applied to other captodative alkenes (c = CN, COR, CO2R and d = NR2, OR, SR) together with various sorts of radical partners, derived from alkanes, alcohols, thiols, thioethers, amines, amides, ketones, aldehydes, acetals and thioacetals [44, 45]. 

Carbon-Oxygen Bond Formation. CAN is an efficient reagent for the conversion of epoxides into /3-nitrato alcohols. 1,2-cA-Diols can be prepared from alkenes by reaction with CAN/I2 followed by hydrolysis with KOH. Of particular interest is the high-yield synthesis of various a-hydroxy ketones and a-amino ketones from oxiranes and aziridines, respectively. The reactions are operated under mild conditions with the use of NBS and a catalytic amount of CAN as the reagents (eq 25). In another case, N-(silylmethyl)amides can be converted to A-(methoxymethyl)amides by CAN in methanol (eq 26). This chemistry has found application in the removal of electroauxiliaries from peptide substrates. Other CAN-mediated C-0 bondforming reactions include the oxidative rearrangement of aryl cyclobutanes and oxetanes, the conversion of allylic and tertiary benzylic alcohols into their corresponding ethers, and the alkoxylation of cephem sulfoxides at the position a to the ester moiety. 

Butylation of phenylacetonitrile with aqueous NaOH, as shown in Scheme 25, proceeds faster by use of high DF (>0.5) anion exchange resins.The strongly alkaline conditions degrade the quaternary ammonium ions of the catalyst. Catalyst (64) (1% DVB) is active for alkylation of phenylacetonitrile and benzyl phenyl ketone, and for Williamson ether synthesis, and it is much more stable in base than AERs. AERs in OH form are catalysts for dichlorocyclopropane syntheses from alkenes, chloroform and solid sodium hydroxide, and for dehydration of amides to nitriles. AERs in the appropriate hydroxide, acetate, or cyanide form are catalysts for aldol condensations, Michael reactions, Knoevenagel condensations, cyanoethylations and cyanohydrin syntheses. " ... 

Hydroperoxides have been obtained from the autoxidation of alkanes, aralkanes, alkenes, ketones, enols, hydrazones, aromatic amines, amides, ethers, acetals, alcohols, and organomineral compounds, eg, Grignard reagents (10,45). In autoxidations involving hydrazones, double-bond migration occurs with the formation of hydroperoxy—azo compounds via free-radical chain processes (10,59) (eq. 20). 

Another conceptually unique approach in alkene aziridination has come from Johnston s labs. These workers shrewdly identified organic azides as nitrene equivalents when these compounds are in the amide anion/diazonium resonance form. Thus, when a range of azides were treated with triflic acid and methyl vinyl ketone at 0 °C, the corresponding aziridines were obtained, in synthetically useful yields. In the absence of the Bronsted acid catalyst, cycloaddition is observed, producing triazolines. The method may also be adapted, through the use of unsaturated imi-des as substrates, to give anti-aminooxazolidinones (Scheme 4.25) [32]. 

The ruthenium carbene catalysts 1 developed by Grubbs are distinguished by an exceptional tolerance towards polar functional groups [3]. Although generalizations are difficult and further experimental data are necessary in order to obtain a fully comprehensive picture, some trends may be deduced from the literature reports. Thus, many examples indicate that ethers, silyl ethers, acetals, esters, amides, carbamates, sulfonamides, silanes and various heterocyclic entities do not disturb. Moreover, ketones and even aldehyde functions are compatible, in contrast to reactions catalyzed by the molybdenum alkylidene complex 24 which is known to react with these groups under certain conditions [26]. Even unprotected alcohols and free carboxylic acids seem to be tolerated by 1. It should also be emphasized that the sensitivity of 1 toward the substitution pattern of alkenes outlined above usually leaves pre-existing di-, tri- and tetrasubstituted double bonds in the substrates unaffected. A nice example that illustrates many of these features is the clean dimerization of FK-506 45 to compound 46 reported by Schreiber et al. (Scheme 12) [27]. 

The (E)-alkene (74) is formed from Wittig reaction of the corresponding phenyl 3-pyridyl ketone the stereochemical preference is determined by an interaction (either hydrogen bonding or salt bridging) between the carboxylic acid chain being introduced and the amide tether provided by the reactant." ... 

A large part of the usefulness of the Michael reaction in organic synthesis derives from the fact that almost any activated alkene can serve as an acceptor7—a, 3-unsaturated ketones, esters, aldehydes, amides, acids, lactones, nitriles, sulfoxides, sulfones, nitro compounds, phosphonates, phosphoranes, quinones,... 

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