Organic synthesis aqueous media

Fringuelli, F., Piermatti, O., Pizzo, F. Base-catalyzed aldol- and Michael-type condensations in aqueous media. Organic Synthesis in Water 1998,250-261. 

In biological systems molecular assemblies connected by non-covalent interactions are as common as biopolymers. Examples arc protein and DNA helices, enzyme-substrate and multienzyme complexes, bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs), and aggregates of biopolymers forming various aqueous gels, e.g, the eye lens. About 50% of the organic substances in humans are accounted for by the membrane structures of cells, which constitute the medium for the vast majority of biochemical reactions. Evidently organic synthesis should also develop tools to mimic the Structure and propertiesof biopolymer, biomembrane, and gel structures in aqueous media. 

The variety of enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolutions of enantiomers reported ia recent years is enormous. Similar to asymmetric synthesis, enantioselective resolutions are carried out ia either hydrolytic or esterification—transesterification modes. Both modes have advantages and disadvantages. Hydrolytic resolutions that are carried out ia a predominantiy aqueous medium are usually faster and, as a consequence, require smaller quantities of enzymes. On the other hand, esterifications ia organic solvents are experimentally simpler procedures, aHowiag easy product isolation and reuse of the enzyme without immobilization. 

The intramolecular /zetero-Diels-Alder reactions of 4-O-protected acyl-nitroso compounds 81, generated in situ from hydroxamic acids 80 by periodate oxidation, were investigated under various conditions in order to obtain the best endo/exo ratio of adducts 82 and 83 [65h] (Table 4.15). The endo adducts are key intermediates for the synthesis of optically active swainsonine [66a] and pumiliotoxin [66b]. The use of CDs in aqueous medium improves the reaction yield and selectivity with respect to organic solvents. 

In 1991, Whitesides etal. reported the first application of aqueous medium Barbier-Grignard reaction to carbohydrate synthesis through the use of tin in an aqueous/organic solvent mixture (Eq. 8.48).106 These adducts were converted to higher carbon aldoses by ozonolysis of the deprotected polyols followed by suitable derivatization. The reaction showed a higher diastereoselectivity when there was a hydroxyl group present at C-2. However, no reaction was observed under the reaction conditions when there was an /V-acctyl group present at the C-2 position. 

Krauueer, M., Hummel, W. and Groeger, H. (2007) Enantioselective one-pot two-step synthesis of hydrophobic allylic alcohols in aqueous medium through the combination of a Wittig reaction and an enzymatic ketone reduction. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, (31), 5175—5179. 

Supercritical carbon dioxide has been used as a dispersing medium for the manufacture and processing of polymeric materials. The process allows for the synthesis of high molar mass acrylic polymers in the form of micrometer-sized particles with a narrow size distribution. This procedure represents an environmentally responsible alternative to aqueous and organic dispersing media for heterogeneous dispersion polymerizations (Fox, 1994). 

Strong bases in dry solvents are usually used in organic synthesis to generate reactive enol anions from ketones. Nevertheless, the kinetic studies discussed here were mostly performed on aqueous solutions. Apart from the relevance of this medium for biochemical reactions and green chemistry, it has the advantage of a well-defined pH-scale permitting quantitative studies of acid and base catalysis. 

Ring-closing metathesis (RCM) is an important method for construction of medium- and macro-cycle compounds that has been widely used in organic synthesis [43]. For many biologically related substrates, in order to keep their important higher-order structures, application of RCM must be done in aqueous media [53]. In contrast to ROMP, aqueous RCM has many limits in terms... 

Ballini, R., Barboni, L., and Giarlo, G. 2003a. Nitroalkanes in aqueous medium as an efficient and eco-friendly source for the one-pot synthesis of 1,4-diketones, 1,4-diols, 5-nitroaIkanols, and hydroxytetrahydrofurans. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 68(23) 9173-6. 

Shilov-type chemistry has been extended to complex organic synthesis by Sames, who finds that amino acids such as valine can be functionalized at their terminal H3 groups by conversion to -CH2OH (equation 4). The preferred catalyst is the usual Pt(II) but the oxidant is not Pt(TV) but the much more convenient Cu(II). An aqueous medium is used and functional group protection is not needed, but 130° is required for catalytic turnover. 

---