Anhydrides addition-elimination reactions

In 1970, it was disclosed that it is possible to achieve the conversion of dimethylformamide cyclic acetals, prepared in one step from vicinal diols, into alkenes through thermolysis in the presence of acetic anhydride." In the context of 31, this two-step process performs admirably and furnishes the desired trans alkene 33 in an overall yield of 40 % from 29. In the event, when diol 31 is heated in the presence of V, V-dimethylforrnamide dimethyl acetal, cyclic dimethylformamide acetal 32 forms. When this substance is heated further in the presence of acetic anhydride, an elimination reaction takes place to give trans olefin 33. Although the mechanism for the elimination step was not established, it was demonstrated in the original report that acetic acid, yV, V-dimethylacetamide, and carbon dioxide are produced in addition to the alkene product."... 

Next, the carboxylate anion participates in an addition-elimination reaction with isobutyl chloroformate. Elimination of a chloride anion results in formation of intermediate A. These reactions are generally facilitated by the introduction of an amine base such as triethylamine (not shown in this problem). The mechanism is illustrated below using arrow pushing, and the illustrated product belongs to a class of compounds known as mixed carbonic anhydrides. 

Amides can be prepared in a variety of ways, starting with acyl chlorides, acid anhydrides, esters, carboxylic acids, and carboxylate salts. All of these methods involve nucleophilic addition—elimination reactions by ammonia or an amine at an acyl carbon. As we might expect, acid chlorides are the most reactive and carboxylate anions are the least. 

Carbonyl addition-elimination n. The single most important type of reaction mechanism which has been applied to the preparation of step-growth polymers is the addition-elimination reaction of the carbonyl double bond of carboxylic acids and carboxylic acid derivatives included in this general type of reaction are esterification amidation and anhydride formation from carboxylic acids, esters, amides, anhydrides and acid halides. 

Esterification of the alcohol with acetic anhydride gives an ester product, resulting from an addition-elimination reaction. 

The presence of the good leaving group (chloride) attached directly to the carbon-oxygen double bond makes all manner of addition-elimination reactions possible for acid chlorides. The acid chloride can be used to make anhydrides, esters, carboxylic acids, amides, aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols. 

Carboxylic acids can also be activated for nucleophilic addition-elimination reactions by being converted into acid anhydrides by a dehydrating agent, such as P2O5. 

The reagent most often used to protect the amino group of an amino acid is di-terf-butyl dicarbonate. Notice that the amino group rather than the carboxylate group of the amino acid reacts with di-ferf-butyl dicarbonate because the amino group is a better nucleophile. When glycine reacts with d/-terf-butyl dicarbonate in an addition-elimination reaction, the anhydride bond breaks, forming CO2 and tert-butyl alcohol. 

In every addition-elimination reaction except hydrolysis, the carboxylic acid side product is usually undesired and is removed by work-up with aqueous base. Cyclic anhydrides undergo similar nucleophilic addition-elimination reactions that lead to ring opening. 

More information has appeared concerning the nature of the side reactions, such as acetoxylation, which occur when certain methylated aromatic hydrocarbons are treated with mixtures prepared from nitric acid and acetic anhydride. Blackstock, Fischer, Richards, Vaughan and Wright have provided excellent evidence in support of a suggested ( 5.3.5) addition-elimination route towards 3,4-dimethylphenyl acetate in the reaction of o-xylene. Two intermediates were isolated, both of which gave rise to 3,4-dimethylphenyl acetate in aqueous acidic media and when subjected to vapour phase chromatography. One was positively identified, by ultraviolet, infra-red, n.m.r., and mass spectrometric studies, as the compound (l). The other was less stable and less well identified, but could be (ll). 

When acetic anhydride is used in the CF3CCI3 and zinc reaction with aldehydes, the initial addition product undergoes an elimination reaction to give 2-chloro-l,l,l-trifluoro-2-alkenes exclusively [60, 63] (equation 51)... 

Ion 21 can either lose a proton or combine with chloride ion. If it loses a proton, the product is an unsaturated ketone the mechanism is similar to the tetrahedral mechanism of Chapter 10, but with the charges reversed. If it combines with chloride, the product is a 3-halo ketone, which can be isolated, so that the result is addition to the double bond (see 15-45). On the other hand, the p-halo ketone may, under the conditions of the reaction, lose HCl to give the unsaturated ketone, this time by an addition-elimination mechanism. In the case of unsymmetrical alkenes, the attacking ion prefers the position at which there are more hydrogens, following Markovnikov s rule (p. 984). Anhydrides and carboxylic acids (the latter with a proton acid such as anhydrous HF, H2SO4, or polyphosphoric acid as a catalyst) are sometimes used instead of acyl halides. With some substrates and catalysts double-bond migrations are occasionally encountered so that, for example, when 1 -methylcyclohexene was acylated with acetic anhydride and zinc chloride, the major product was 6-acetyl-1-methylcyclohexene. ... 

Reaction (9) generates methyl iodide for the oxidative addition, and reaction (10) converts the reductive elimination product acetyl iodide into the product and it regenerates hydrogen iodide. There are, however, a few distinct differences [2,9] between the two processes. The thermodynamics of the acetic anhydride formation are less favourable and the process is operated much closer to equilibrium. (Thus, before studying the catalysis of carbonylations and carboxylations it is always worthwhile to look up the thermodynamic data ) Under standard conditions the AG values are approximately ... 

With this reaction as a model, you should be able to work out the mechanism of ester formation from acetic anhydride and cyclohexanol. Try to write it down without looking at the acyl chloride mechanism above, and certainly not at the answer below. Here it is, with pyridine as the base. Again, addition of the nucleophile gives an unstable intermediate, which undergoes an elimination reaction, this time losing a carboxylate anion, to give an ester. 

Michels and Hayes102 investigated the nitration of a furan and used a mixture of acetic anhydride and nitric acid. The reaction takes place by the addition-elimination mechanism quoted above. They accomplished the nitration in the presence of weak bases, and were able to isolate a crystalline intermediate ... 

---