Benzoin, cyclic carbonate

The cyclic carbonate of benzoin (4,5-diphenyl-l,3-dioxol-2-one, prepared from benzoin and phosgene) blocks both hydrogen atoms of primary amines after dehydration acid stable, easily crystallizable Sheehan oxazolinones are formed, which are also called Ox derivatives. The amine is quantitatively deblocked by catalytic hydrogenation in the presence of 1 equiv. of aqueous acid (J.C Sheehan, 1972, 1973 M.J. Miller, 1983). An intelligent application to syntheses of acid labile -lactams is given in the previous section (p. 161). 

Importantly, TV-carbamoyl derivatives of primary amines obtained from photolabile benzoins exist in varying proportions as cyclic hydroxyoxazolidinone tautomers. Therefore, the preparation of TV-carbamoyl derivatives of benzoins is applicable only for secondary amines and TV-alkylated amino acids. 244 At basic pH unsymmetrical benzoins, such as 3,5-dimethoxybenzoin, their mixed carbonate and carbamate derivatives, tend to equilibrate to the isomeric forms. Nevertheless, in TFA and aqueous solutions at pH 8 the structural integrity is fully maintained. 244 Preparation of 3,5-dimethoxybenzoin-derived carbamates of secondary amines and amino acids can be mediated by either CDI/methyl triflate in ni-tromethane 246 or 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate/DMAP in dry THF. 244 ... 

Benzoin derivatives are used as initiators for the photochemical curing of printing inks, lacquers and other surface coatings, since the intermediate radicals in a reaction such as (4.7) can be diverted to initiate the polymerization of vinyl monomers. The use of an unsvm-metrical ketone (4.8) also shows that discrete radicals are produced in the cleavage reaction, since the ratio of hydrocarbon products is close to that expected tor a random combination of separated radicals. Esters that give rise to similar stabilized radicals undergo loss of carbon dioxide (decarboxylation) by a closely related mechanism, and this has proved useful in making quite strained cyclic systems bv irradiation of readily prepared cyclic diesters (4.9). 

Aromatic compounds are currently defined as cyclic hydrocarbons in which the carbon skeleton is linked by a specified number of conjugated 71-bonds in addition to a-bonds (Hiickel s rule). During the early days of industrial aromatic chemistry in the mid-19th century, the structure of aromatic compounds had not yet been elucidated. The name of this class of compounds is historically-based since the first members were obtained from aromatic, i.e. pleasant-smelling resins, balsams and oils examples of this are benzoic acid, which was obtained from gum benzoin, toluene from tolu balsam and benzaldehyde from oil of bitter almonds. 

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