Base-catalyzed nucleophilic addition reactions

The sequence of steps differs for a base-catalyzed reaction. 

The nucleophile, Nu , attacks the carbonyl carbon atom, which has a partial positive charge, and is therefore electrophilic. The first product is a tetrahedral intermediate. 

An acid-base reaction with a hydroxylic solvent, Sol—O—H, protonates the alkoxide ion. 

The conjugate base of the solvent removes a proton from H—Nu to regenerate Nu . 

Write the steps for the acid-catalyzed hydration of CH3CHO in aqueous solution. 

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Describe ahd give examples of base-catalyzed nucleophilic addition reactions occurring at the carboxyl carbon. 

Most probably, the last stage in the synthesis of 2-amino-4H-pyrans involves base-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of the enolic oxygen to a C=N group, which can be regarded as a hetero-Thorpe-Ziegler reaction (Scheme 21). 

Aldehydes and unhindered ketones undergo a nucleophilic addition reaction with HCN to yield cyanohydrins, RCH(OH)C=N. Studies carried out in the early 1900s by Arthur Eapworth showed that cyanohydrin formation is reversible and base-catalyzed. Reaction occurs slowly when pure HCN is used but rapidly when a small amount of base is added to generate the nucleophilic cyanide ion, CN. Alternatively, a small amount of KCN can be added to HCN to catalyze the reaction. Addition of CN- takes place by a typical nucleophilic addition pathway, yielding a tetrahedral intermediate that is protonated by HCN to give cyanohydrin product plus regenerated CN-. 

It is of some historical interest that Kiliani s cyanohydrin synthesis (24) enabled Emil Fischer (25) to carry out the first asymmetric synthesis. Lapworth (26) used this base-catalyzed nucleophilic 1,2-addition reaction in one of the first studies of a reaction mechanism. Bredig (27,28) appears to have been the first to use quinine (29) in this reaction as the chiral basic catalyst. More recently, others (20) have used basic polymers to catalyze the addition of cyanide to aldehydes. The structure of quinine has been known since 1908 (30). Yet it is of critical importance that Prelog s seminal work on the mechanism of this asymmetric transformation (eq. [4]) could not have begun (16) until the configuration of quinine was established in 1944 (31,32). 

In addition to participating in acid-base catalysis, some amino acid side chains may enter into covalent bond formation with substrate molecules, a phenomenon that is often referred to as covalent catalysis.174 When basic groups participate this may be called nucleophilic catalysis. Covalent catalysis occurs frequently with enzymes catalyzing nucleophilic displacement reactions and examples will be considered in Chapter 12. They include the formation of an acyl-enzyme intermediate by chymotrypsin (Fig. 12-11). Several of the coenzymes discussed in Chapters 14 and 15 also participate in covalent catalysis. These coenzymes combine with substrates to form reactive intermediate compounds whose structures allow them to be converted rapidly to the final products. 

When a stepwise ionic addition reaction involves nucleophilic attack at carbon as a first step, it is described as a nucleophilic addition. Reactions of this type often are catalyzed by bases, which generate the required nucleophile. For example, consider the addition of some weakly acidic reagent HX to an alkene. In the presence of a strong base ( OH), HX could give up its proton to form the conjugate base Xe, which is expected to be a much better nucleophile than HX ... 

Silver acetylides participate in the zirconium-catalyzed nucleophilic addition to carbonyls in the absence of base to produce functionalized y - h yd ro x y - a, [3 - ac e t y I e n i c esters.106 Although this reaction involves a transmetallation rather than a direct addition of a silver acetylide to an unactivated aldehyde, its particular attraction of is the avoidance of strong bases to produce the reactive zirconium species (Scheme 1.43). 

The reaction is highly regio- and stereospecihc, always proceeding with inversion of configuration. With arene oxides, this means that only tranx-dihydrodiols are formed. All of the experimental evidence points to a general base-catalyzed nucleophilic (S,v2) addition of water to the oxirane ring. 

The enone 3 was further functionalized via tandem reaction by Michael addition of methanol to the conjugate system at C-5, followed by base catalyzed nitromethane addition to the keto function at C-2 and base catalyzed (TMG -tetramethylguanidine) mesylation/elimination with the formation of new a-nitroenone as depicted in Scheme 7. The intermediate a-nitroenone functionalized at C-2 as a conjugate system is indeed an excellent Michael acceptor of reactive nucleophiles, including 1-thio-P-D-glucose. The conjugate addition of this reactive thiol was performed in the same fashion as before (2, 3) with the stereoselective formation of the first representative example of highly functionalized and previously unknown class of C-nitro-5-thiodisaccharide derivatives. 

This reaction was first reported by Mukaiyama et al. in 1974. It is a Lewis acid-catalyzed Michael conjugate addition of silyl enol ether to o ,/3-unsaturated compounds. Therefore, it is generally referred to as the Mukaiyama-Michael reaction. Because this reaction is essentially a conjugate addition, it is also known as the Mukaiyama-Michael addition or Mukaiyama-Michael conjugate addition. This reaction is a mechanistic complement for the base-catalyzed Michael addition, j and often occurs at much milder conditions and affords superior regioselectivity. s Besides silyl enol ether, silyl ketene acetals are also suitable nucleophiles in this reaction.For the hindered ketene silyl acetals, the Lewis acid actually mediates the electron transfer from the nucleophiles to o ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl molecules.On the other hand, the Q ,j8-unsaturated compounds, such as 3-crotonoyl-2-oxazolidinone, alkylidene malonates, and a-acyl-a,/3-unsaturated phosphonates are often applied as the Michael acceptors. It has been found that the enantioselectivity is very sensitive to the reactant structures —for example, Q -acyl-Q ,j8-unsaturated phosphonates especially prefers the unique syn- vs anft-diastereoselectivity in this reaction. In addition,... 

Generally, the initiators activate the inactive amide groups, causing them to react with other lactams through successive transamidations that result in formations of polyamides. Both acids and bases catalyze the transamidation reactions. The additions of electrophiles affect increases in the electrophilicity of the carbonyl caibon of the acylating lactam. The nucleophiles, on the other hand, increase the nucleophilic character of the lactam substrate (if they are bases). 

Sol 12. In the first step, expected Claisen rearrangement of allyl ether I takes place to give III. However, III being an alkene can undergo acid-catalyzed addition of phenol to give II. So this unwanted reaction can be suppressed by the addition of a weak base such as PhNMe2 (typical alkenes do not undergo nucleophilic addition reactions). 

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