Aromatic compounds dissolving-metal reduction

Dissolving-Metal Reduction of Aromatic Compounds and Alkynes. Dissolving-metal systems constitute the most general method for partial reduction of aromatic rings. The reaction is called the Birch reduction,214 and the usual reducing medium is lithium or sodium in liquid ammonia. An alcohol is usually added to serve as a proton source. The reaction occurs by two successive electron transfer/proto-nation steps. 

Aromatic ketones represent a rather special case in dissolving metal reductions. Under many conditions pinacol formation is the predominent reaction path (see Volume 3, Chapter 2.6). Also, the reduction potentials of aromatic carbonyl compounds are approximately 1 V less negative than their aliphatic counterparts. The reductions of aromatic ketones by metals in ammonia are further complicated by the fact that hydrogenolysis of the carbon-oxygen bond can take place (Chapter 1.13, this volume) and Birch reduction may intervene (Chapter 3.4, this volume). 

One of die most popular reactions in organic chemistry is dissolving metal reductions [1-3], Two systems are frequently used - sodium dissolved in ammonia with alcohol and lithium dissolved in alkylamines [4]. Although calcium is seldom used, it has been successfully applied to the reduction of a variety of compounds and functional groups [5], including aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon-carbon double and triple bonds, benzyl ethers, allyl ethers, epoxides, esters, aliphatic nitriles, dithianes, als well as thiophenyl and sulfonyl groups. 

Dissolving-Metal Reduction of Polynuclear Aromatic Compounds in Liquid Ammonia... 

Dissolving metal reductions work because the electrons released as reactive metals form soluble cations that can be harnessed to do other, more useful, reductions. Electrons are the simplest possible reducing agents, and they will reduce carbonyl compounds, alkynes, or aromatic rings—in fact any functional group with a low-energy n orbital into which the electron can go. 

Catalytic reduction of fluormated aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds to give oximes and amines was described previously, as was the use of dissolving metals to prepare amines [Si] Refmement of these techniques has resulted in optimized yields and, as indicated in equations 69 and 70, in selective reductions [S6, 87]... 

Whatever the best explanation may be, an indication that allylic alkali metal compounds or allylic carbanions do in fact form the less stable of the two possible acids on neutralization is found in the results of the reduction of aromatic compounds by dissolving metals.376The detection of a paramagnetic intermediate in a similar system and polaro-graphic evidence indicate a one electron transfer in the rate and potential determining step.878 376 The mechanism therefore involves ions (or organometallic intermediates) like the following ... 

Reduction of aromatic compounds to dihydro derivatives by dissolved metals in liquid ammonia (Birch reduction) is one of the fundamental reactions in organic chemistry308. When benzene derivatives are subjected to this reduction, cyclohexa-1,4-dienes are formed. The 1,4-dienes obtained from the reduction isomerize to more useful 1,3-dienes under protic conditions. A number of syntheses of natural products have been devised where the Birch reduction of a benzenoid compound to a cyclohex-1,3-diene and converting this intermediate in Diels-Alder fasion to polycyclic products is involved (equation 186)308f h. 

The deep blue solutions formed by dissolving alkali metals in ammonia do not rapidly generate the amide unless a catalyst is added.9 However, a hydrogen acceptor will also initiate the reaction and this forms the basis of the important Birch reduction of aromatic compounds (equation 2).10... 

The reduction of various substrates by dissolving metals in alcoholic and aqueous media is a very old procedure in synthetic organic chemistry. In addition to aldehydes, ketones, imines and other unsaturated nitrogen compounds, many other functional groups are reduced under these conditions. Historically, the most common reduction conditions were Na in ethanol, and the reductions were carried out by adding the metal to a solution of the substrate in alcohol and the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for varying periods of time. Other reduction systems included Na-Hg amalgam in water or alcohols and, for easily reduced compounds such as aldehydes and aromatic ketones, Zn-NaOH or Fe-acetic acid have been used. ... 

In general, the reduction of aromatic carbonyl compounds to the corresponding alcohols by dissolving metals is not a particularly valuable synthetic procedure. Better yields and chemoselectivity are usually obtained using complex metal hydrides. 

Processes involving the use of solid acid catalysts have also been patented. According to Chen and Yan,40 plastic and/or rubber wastes are first subjected to a size reduction step, followed by separation of any metals present and washing to remove any non-plastic material such as paper, labels, etc. Subsequently, the polymer wastes are dissolved or dispersed in a petroleum oil, with a high content of polycyclic aromatic compounds at 300 °C, and catalytically transformed in an FCC reactor at temperatures of about 500 °C. Details are given for the conversion of different wastes used whole tyres, PE bags and PS foam. 

Birch reduction is a partial reduction of aromatic compounds by electron transfer from dissolving metals—usually Na in liquid ammonia or Li in ethylamine—in the presence of a weak proton donor—usually an alcohol. The reaction behaves as if dianion (30) were an intermediate, giving non-conjugated dienes (31). Electron-donating substituents repel the anions (32) to give products like (33). whilst electron-withdrawing substituents attract the anions (34), to give products like (35). 

Electrides are synthetically useful and form the basis of so-called dissolving metal reactions, of which the Birch reduction of aromatic compounds is the paradigm, shown below for benzene and naphthalene ... 

Since the first account [1], the Birch reduction [2] of aromatic compounds has emerged as a useful and versatile tool to generate hydroaromatic derivatives. Initially, the reaction was performed with sodium metal dissolved in liquid ammonia and in the presence of a proton source such as ethanol. In the simplest case of benzene (1), 1,4-cyclohexadiene (2) was obtained with good yield (Scheme 13.1). 

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