Anhydrides, synthesis from carboxylic acids

The addition of Grignard reagents to aldehydes, ketones, and esters is the basis for the synthesis of a wide variety of alcohols, and several examples are given in Scheme 7.3. Primary alcohols can be made from formaldehyde (Entry 1) or, with addition of two carbons, from ethylene oxide (Entry 2). Secondary alcohols are obtained from aldehydes (Entries 3 to 6) or formate esters (Entry 7). Tertiary alcohols can be made from esters (Entries 8 and 9) or ketones (Entry 10). Lactones give diols (Entry 11). Aldehydes can be prepared from trialkyl orthoformate esters (Entries 12 and 13). Ketones can be made from nitriles (Entries 14 and 15), pyridine-2-thiol esters (Entry 16), N-methoxy-A-methyl carboxamides (Entries 17 and 18), or anhydrides (Entry 19). Carboxylic acids are available by reaction with C02 (Entries 20 to 22). Amines can be prepared from imines (Entry 23). Two-step procedures that involve formation and dehydration of alcohols provide routes to certain alkenes (Entries 24 and 25). 

Three methods are known for the synthesis of acid anhydrides from carboxylic acids by means of azolides ... 

The above-mentioned concept of the synthesis of carboxylic acid functional hyperbranched polyesteramides is not limited to cyclic anhydrides as building blocks. It can be carried out with diisopropanolamine and any dicarboxylic acid as well. The same ratios as written above and calculated in Scheme 1 have been applied in the synthesis of carboxylic acid functional hyperbranched polyesteramides starting from adipic acid and diisopropanolamine. The first one (ratio 2.3 1) gelates as expected, the second one (ratio adipic acid diisopropanolamine 3.2 1) affords the expected product. Again, with GPC the amount of free adipic acid detected is in good agreement with theory (Fig. 17). 

Synthesis of esters and anhydrides from carboxylic acids. 

It should be mentioned at this stage that instead of acyl chlorides, mixed anhydrides may also be used for the synthesis of acyl azides. From carboxylic acids and chloroformates/triethylamine, mixed anhydrides are formed, which can directly react with azide ions. Sterically hindered acids fail in this procedure (equation 31)." " The similar synthesis of /-butyl azidoformate by reaction of /-butylcarbonic diethylphosphoric anhydride with KN3 is described in Organic Syntheses. ... 

Carbodiimides, in particular dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, have been applied in many syntheses where dehydration had to be performed under mild conditions. It is therefore no surprise that this reagent was also introduced for the synthesis of acid anhydrides from carboxylic acids." " In order to avoid N-acylation the reactions are carried out at low temperature. First 0-acylisoureas are formed, which then react further with free acid to the acid anhydride (equation 34). The reaction has been exploited in particular for the preparation of peptides." )V-alkoxycarbonyl-protected amino acids can be transformed in high yield to the corresponding anhydrides, which themselves are activated acid derivatives and may be converted to peptides. As in many other examples polymer-bound carbodiimides may prove superior sometimes, as the isolation of the products is facilitated. Easy preparation of acid anhydrides is possible in this way." ... 

Aldehydes from carboxylic acids. Japanese chemists have reported the synthesis of aldehydes or aldehydic acids from carboxylic anhydrides using this reagent. Yields are in the range of 30-90%. 

Other derivatives from carboxylic acids can be used as substrates in Friedel-Crafts acylation reactions, including anhydrides and esters. Toluene reacted with glutaric anhydride in the presence of aluminum chloride to give 197, which was used in the Vig et al. synthesis of curcumene ether.128 Lactones are also effective substrates in this cyclization, generating ketones. 129... 

J-Carbomethoxypropionyl chloride treated during 1 hr. with trimethylsilyl azide in refluxing CCI4, and the product isolated after 1.5 hrs. heating methyl / -iso-cyanatopropionate. Y 84%. F. e., also from carboxylic acid anhydrides, and sterically hindered compds., s. S. S. Washburne and W. R. Peterson, Jr., Synth. Commun. 2, 227 (1972) J. Am. Oil Chemists Soc. 49, 694 (1972) s. a. reactions with silyl azides, H. R. Kridieldorf, Synthesis 1972, 551, 695. 

The synthesis of fused-ring j8-lactams from azomethines and ketenes is well known. Manhas et al have now described an in situ synthesis of ketenes from carboxylic acids, carbon tetrabromide, triphenylphosphine and triethylamine at —78 °C the use of carbon tetrachloride gives much lower yields (Scheme 57). An alternative is to treat an acid with diethylphosphonochloridate and triethylamine, thereby generating a mixed anhydride in situ, which reacts with an imine to yield... 

Synthesis of condensed isocyclics from carboxylic acid anhydrides... 

A simplified synthesis relies on the potential to protect difunctional compounds as cyclic derivatives. For example, 1,2-diols are masked as cyclic acetals (Section 24-8), hydroxy acids as lactones (Section 19-9), amino acids as lactams (Section 19-10), and dicarboxylic acids as anhydrides (Section 19-8). The last two possibilities merit consideration as applied to Asp. However, direct lactam formation can be quickly ruled out because of the complications of ring strain (although /3-lactams have been used in the preparation of aspartame). This problem is absent with respect to dehydration to the five-membered ring anhydride. Because anhydrides are activated carboxylic acid derivatives (Section 20-3), the Asp anhydride can be coupled directly with Phe-OCHa without the help of added DCC. Nucleophilic attack of the amino end of Phe-OCHs occurs preferentially at the desired position, albeit not completely so 19% of the product derives from peptide-bond formation at the /3-carboxy group of Asp. 

The synthesis of key intermediate 12, in optically active form, commences with the resolution of racemic trans-2,3-epoxybutyric acid (27), a substance readily obtained by epoxidation of crotonic acid (26) (see Scheme 5). Treatment of racemic 27 with enantio-merically pure (S)-(-)-1 -a-napthylethylamine affords a 1 1 mixture of diastereomeric ammonium salts which can be resolved by recrystallization from absolute ethanol. Acidification of the resolved diastereomeric ammonium salts with methanesulfonic acid and extraction furnishes both epoxy acid enantiomers in eantiomerically pure form. Because the optical rotation and absolute configuration of one of the antipodes was known, the identity of enantiomerically pure epoxy acid, (+)-27, with the absolute configuration required for a synthesis of erythronolide B, could be confirmed. Sequential treatment of (+)-27 with ethyl chloroformate, excess sodium boro-hydride, and 2-methoxypropene with a trace of phosphorous oxychloride affords protected intermediate 28 in an overall yield of 76%. The action of ethyl chloroformate on carboxylic acid (+)-27 affords a mixed carbonic anhydride which is subsequently reduced by sodium borohydride to a primary alcohol. Protection of the primary hydroxyl group in the form of a mixed ketal is achieved easily with 2-methoxypropene and a catalytic amount of phosphorous oxychloride. 

Since anhydrides are much more reactive than carboxylic acids, reaction kinetics is controlled by the second step. The scope and apphcations of this reaction are the same as direct polyesterification but are practically limited to the synthesis of unsaturated polyesters and alkyd resins from phtliahc and maleic anhydrides (see Sections 2.4.2.1 and 2.4.23). 

Much more important than these reactions, however, are the reactions of CDI and its analogues with carboxylic acids, leading to AAacylazoles, from which (by acyl transfer) esters, amides, peptides, hydrazides, hydroxamic acids, as well as anhydrides and various C-acylation products may be obtained. The potential of these and other reactions will be shown in the following chapters. In most of these reactions it is not necessary to isolate the intermediate AAacylazoles. Instead, in the normal procedure the appropriate nucleophile reactant (an alcohol in the ester synthesis, or an amino acid in the peptide synthesis) is added to a solution of an AAacylimidazole, formed by reaction of a carboxylic acid with CDI. Thus, CDI and its analogues offer an especially convenient vehicle for activation of... 

The photolysis of carboxylic acids and derivatives as lactones, esters and anhydrides can yield decarboxylated products 253>. This reaction has been utilized in the synthesis of a-lactones from cyclic diacyl peroxides 254) (2.34) and in the synthesis of [2,2]paracyclophane by bis-decarboxylation of a lactone precursor (2.35) 255). This latter product was also obtained by photoinduced desulfurization of the analogous cyclic sulfide in the presence of triethyl phosphite 256). 

The key to a controlled molecular weight build-up, which leads to the control of product properties such as glass transition temperature and melt viscosity, is the use of a molar excess of diisopropanolamine as a chain stopper. Thus, as a first step in the synthesis process, the cyclic anhydride is dosed slowly to an excess of amine to accommodate the exothermic reaction and prevent unwanted side reactions such as double acylation of diisopropanolamine. HPLC analysis has shown that the reaction mixture after the exothermic reaction is quite complex. Although the main component is the expected acid-diol, unreacted amine and amine salts are still present and small oligomers already formed. In the absence of any catalyst, a further increase of reaction temperature to 140-180°C leads to a rapid polycondensation. The expected amount of water is distilled (under vacuum, if required) from the hot polymer melt in approximately 2-6 h depending on the anhydride used. At the end of the synthesis the concentration of carboxylic acid groups value reaches the desired low level. 

Structurally similar photochromic maleic anhydride derivatives 177 with a similar reaction mechanism were prepared by Irie (05CL64) by a one-pot synthesis from 2-methoxybenzothiophene, oxalyl chloride, and pentene-3-carboxylic acid (3-pentenoic acid) in dichloromethane in the presence of triethylamine at 5°C for 2 h according to Scheme 54. 

Miki and Hachiken reported a total synthesis of murrayaquinone A (107) using 4-benzyl-l-ferf-butyldimethylsiloxy-4fT-furo[3,4-f>]indole (854) as an indolo-2,3-quinodimethane equivalent for the Diels-Alder reaction with methyl acrylate (624). 4-Benzyl-3,4-dihydro-lfT-furo[3,4-f>]indol-l-one (853), the precursor for the 4H-furo[3,4-f>]indole (854), was prepared in five steps and 30% overall yield starting from dimethyl indole-2,3-dicarboxylate (851). Alkaline hydrolysis of 851 followed by N-benzylation of the dicarboxylic acid with benzyl bromide and sodium hydride in DMF, and treatment of the corresponding l-benzylindole-2,3-dicarboxylic acid with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) gave the anhydride 852. Reduction of 852 with sodium borohydride, followed by lactonization of the intermediate 2-hydroxy-methylindole-3-carboxylic acid with l-methyl-2-chloropyridinium iodide, led to the lactone 853. The lactone 853 was transformed to 4-benzyl-l-ferf-butyldimethylsiloxy-4H-furo[3,4- 7]indole 854 by a base-induced silylation. Without isolation, the... 

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