Aromatic selective reduction

It is convenient to include under Aromatic Amines the preparation of m-nitroaniline as an example of the selective reduction of one group in a polynitro compound. When wt-dinitrobenzene is allowed to react with sodium polysulphide (or ammonium sulphide) solution, only one of the nitro groups is reduced and m-nitroanUine results. Some sulphur separates, but the main reaction is represented by ... 

Formic acid is a good reducing agent in the presence of Pd on carbon as a catalyst. Aromatic nitro compounds are reduced to aniline with formic acid[100]. Selective reduction of one nitro group in 2,4-dinitrotoluene (112) with triethylammonium formate is possible[101]. o-Nitroacetophenone (113) is first reduced to o-aminoacetophenone, then to o-ethylaniline when an excess of formate is used[102]. Ammonium and potassium formate are also used for the reduction of aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds. Pd on carbon is a good catalyst[103,104]. NaBH4 is also used for the Pd-catalyzed reduction of nitro compounds 105]. However, the ,/)-unsaturated nitroalkene 114 is partially reduced to the oxime 115 with ammonium formate[106]... 

The aromatic primary and secondary stibines are readily oxidized by air, but they are considerably more stable than their aHphatic counterparts. Diphenylstibine is a powerful reducing agent, reacting with many acids to Hberate hydrogen (79). It has also been used for the selective reduction of aldehydes and ketones to the corresponding alcohols (80). At low temperatures, diphenylstibine undergoes an addition reaction with ketene (81) ... 

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]... 

In molecules containing both an acetylenic and a nitro function, either or both may be reduced. Preferential reduction of the acetylenic function is best achieved with palladium (42,44). Ruthenium, on the other hand, favors selective reduction of an aromatic nitro function high yields of (3-aminophenyljacetylene were obtained from the corresponding nitro compound. Catalyst life is prolonged by protection of the acetylenic function (70). Cobalt polysulffde and ruthenium sulffde catalysts have been used similarly, but more vigorous conditions are required (100°C, 25-70 atm) (71). 

INDIUM/AMMONIUM CHLORIDE-MEDIATED SELECTIVE REDUCTION OF AROMATIC NITRO COMPOUNDS ETHYL 4-... 

SELECTIVE REDUCTION OF AROMATIC NlTRO COMPOUNDS BY 1NDFUM METAL IN THE PRESENCE OF NHiCl. HjO EtOH... 

The chemistry of indium metal is the subject of current investigation, especially since the reactions induced by it can be performed in aqueous solution.15 The selective reductions of ethyl 4-nitrobenzoate (entry 1), 2-nitrobenzyl alcohol (entry 2), l-bromo-4-nitrobenzene (entry 3), 4-nitrocinnamyl alcohol (entry 4), 4-nitrobenzonitrile (entry 5), 4-nitrobenzamide (entry 6), 4-nitroanisole (entry 7), and 2-nitrofluorenone (entry 8) with indium metal in the presence of ammonium chloride using aqueous ethanol were performed and the corresponding amines were produced in good yield. These results indicate a useful selectivity in the reduction procedure. For example, ester, nitrile, bromo, amide, benzylic ketone, benzylic alcohol, aromatic ether, and unsaturated bonds remained unaffected during this transformation. Many of the previous methods produce a mixture of compounds. Other metals like zinc, tin, and iron usually require acid-catalysts for the activation process, with resultant problems of waste disposal. 

Electrochemically generated nickel is very selective for the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds into anilines, in which alkenyl, alkynyl, halo, cyano, formyl, and benzyloxy groups are not affected.84 Sodium sulfide has been used for the selective reduction of aromatic nitro group in the presence of aliphatic nitro groups (Eq. 6.44).85... 

It has been shown recently that the selective reductive homo-coupling polymerization of aromatic diisocyanates via one electron transfer promoted by samarium iodide in the presence of hexamethylphosphoramide [PO(NMe2)3] (HMPA) can produce poly(oxamide)s in nearly quantitative yield (Scheme 9). 

A variation of this method led to the generation of bis-benzimidazoles [81, 82], The versatile immobilized ortho-phenylenediamine template was prepared as described above in several microwave-mediated steps. Additional N-acylation exclusively at the primary aromatic amine moiety was achieved utilizing the initially used 4-fluoro-3-nitrobenzoic acid at room temperature (Scheme 7.72). Various amines were used to introduce diversity through nucleophilic aromatic substitution. Cyclization to the polymer-bound benzimidazole was achieved by refluxing for several hours in a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid and chloroform. Individual steps at ambient temperature for selective reduction, cyclization with several aldehydes, and final detachment from the polymer support were necessary in order to obtain the desired bis-benzimidazoles. A set of 13 examples was prepared in high yields and good purities [81]. 

Table 9.2 Selective reduction of conjugated aromatic alkenes catalyzed by Pd-PMHS nanocomposites. (Reprinted with the permission of the American Chemical Society [52])...

Since the electroreduction of ketones shown in Scheme 29 has been well established [1-3, 12, 62-65], one more recent interest in the electroreduction of carbonyl compounds is focused on the stereo-selective reduction of ketones. For example, the diastereo-selective cathodic coupling of aromatic ketones has been reported. In the presence of a chiral-supporting electrolyte, a low degree of enantioselectivity has been found [66] (Scheme 30). 

A broad spectrum of chemical reactions can be catalyzed by enzymes Hydrolysis, esterification, isomerization, addition and elimination, alkylation and dealkylation, halogenation and dehalogenation, and oxidation and reduction. The last reactions are catalyzed by redox enzymes, which are classified as oxidoreductases and divided into four categories according to the oxidant they utilize and the reactions they catalyze 1) dehydrogenases (reductases), 2) oxidases, 3) oxygenases (mono- and dioxygenases), and 4) peroxidases. The latter enzymes have received extensive attention in the last years as bio catalysts for synthetic applications. Peroxidases catalyze the oxidation of aromatic compounds, oxidation of heteroatom compounds, epoxidation, and the enantio-selective reduction of racemic hydroperoxides. In this article, a short overview... 

Isolated double and triple bonds are reduced readily, whereas conjugated alkenes and aromatic systems are difficult to hydrogenate. Carbonyl double bonds react only very slowly, if at all, so it is possible to achieve selective reduction of C=C double bonds in the presence of aromatic and carbonyl functions. 

Acetylenic alcohols, usually of propargylic type, are frequently intermediates in the synthesis, and selective reduction of the triple bond to a double bond is desirable. This can be accomplished by carefully controlled catalytic hydrogenation over deactivated palladium [56, 364, 365, 366, 368, 370], by reduction with lithium aluminum hydride [555, 384], zinc [384] and chromous sulfate [795], Such partial reductions were carried out frequently in alcohols in which the triple bonds were conjugated with one or more double bonds [56, 368, 384] and even aromatic rings [795]. 

J.M. Chapuzet, B. Cot6, M. Lavoie, E. Martel, C. Raffm, and J. Lessard. "The Selective Reduction of Aliphatic and Aromatic Nitro Compounds" in Novel Trends in Electroorganic Synthesis, S. Torii, Ed., Kodansha, Tokyo, 1995, p. 

In general, aromatic halogenation proceeds to give the para product. Jallal M. Gnaim of the The Triangle Regional R D Center, Kfar-Qari, Israel, has developed (Tetrahedron Lett. 2004,45, 8471) a procedure that selectively converts phenols such as 1 into the ortho chlorinated product 2. Meta substitution is even more elusive. William R. Roush, now at Scripps Florida, prepared (J. Org. Chem. 2004,69,4906) the valuable meta brominated phenol 4 by perbromination followed by selective reduction. 

Arylnaphthalide lignans. A novel synthesis of these lignans involves in situ generation of an isobenzofurane (a) from a substrate such as I, which is trapped by a Diels-Alder reaction with methyl acetylenedicarboxylate. The adduct aromatizes lo u naphthol 2 in the presence of an acid. Selective reduction of the 3-... 

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