Benzyl ethers stable

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of an O-benzyl protective group is a mild, selective method introduced by Bergmann and Zervas to cleave a benzyl carbamate (>NC0-0CH2C6H5 —> >NH) prepared to protect an amino group during peptide syntheses. The method has also been used to cleave alkyl benzyl ethers, stable compounds prepared to protect alkyl alcohols benzyl esters are cleaved by catalytic hydrogenolysis under neutral conditions. 

Bn -CH2Ph no (H2 would reduce alkene) yes (benzyl ether stable if pH >1)... 

The benzyl group has been widely used for the protection of hydroxyl functions in carbohydrate and nucleotide chemistry (C.M. McCloskey, 1957 C.B. Reese, 1965 B.E. Griffin, 1966). A common benzylation procedure involves heating with neat benzyl chloride and strong bases. A milder procedure is the reaction in DMF solution at room temperatiue with the aid of silver oxide (E. Reinefeld, 1971). Benzyl ethers are not affected by hydroxides and are stable towards oxidants (e.g. periodate, lead tetraacetate), LiAIH, amd weak acids. They are, however, readily cleaved in neutral solution at room temperature by palladium-catalyzed bydrogenolysis (S. Tejima, 1963) or by sodium in liquid ammonia or alcohols (E.J. Rcist, 1964). 

Me3SiBr, CH2CI2, 0°, 8-9 h, 80-97% yield.This reagent also cleaves the acetonide, THP, trityl, and r-BuMe2Si groups. Esters, methyl and benzyl ethers, r-butyldiphenylsilyl ethers, and amides are reported to be stable. 

NBS, CH3CN, H2O, 62-90% yield.The POM group has been selectively removed in the presence of an ethoxy ethyl ether, TBDMS ether, benzyl ether, p-methoxybenzyl ether, an acetate, and an allyl ether. Because the hydrolysis of a pentenyl 2-acetoxyglycoside was so much slower than a pentenyl 2-benzyloxyglycoside, the 2-benzyl derivative could be cleaved selectively in the presence of the 2-acetoxy derivative. The POM group is stable to 75% AcOH, but is cleaved by 5% HCl. 

C1O3/ACOH, 25°, 50% yield, [- ROCOPh (- ROH + PhC02H)]. This method was used to remove benzyl ethers from carbohydrates that contain functional groups sensitive to catalytic hydiogenation or dissolving metals. Esters are stable, but glycosides or acetals are cleaved. 

BuMgBr, benzene, 80°, 69%. MeMgl fails in this reaction. In general, benzyl ethers are quite stable to Grignard reagents because these reactions are rarely run at such high temperatures. 

Dichlorodicyanoquinone (DDQ), CH2CI2, H2O, 40 min, it, 84-93% yield.This method does not cleave simple benzyl ethers. This method was found effective in the presence of a boronate. The following groups are stable to these conditions ketones, epoxides, alkenes, acetonides, to-sylates, MOM ethers, THP ethers, acetates, benzyloxymethyl (BOM) ethers, and TBDMS ethers. 

An isopropyl ether was developed as a phenol protective group that would be more stable to Lewis acids than an aryl benzyl ether. The isopropyl group has also been... 

Pd-C, 1,4-cyclohexadiene, 25°, 1.5 h, 95-100% yield.Palladium black, a more reactive catalyst than Pd-C, must be used to cleave the more stable aliphatic benzyl ethers. 

Na, /-BuOH, 70-80°, 2 h, 78%. In this example sodium in /-butyl alcohol cleaves two aiyl benzyl ethers and reduces a double bond that is conjugated with an aromatic ring nonconjugated double bonds are stable. 

The 2,6-dimethylbenzyl ether is considerably more stable to hydrogenolysis than is the benzyl ether. It has a half-life of 15 h at 1 atm of hydrogen in the presence of Pd-C whereas the benzyl ether has a half-life of —45 min. This added stability allows hydrogenation of azides, nitro groups, and olefins in the presence of a di-methylbenzyl group. ... 

The 4-(dimethylaminocarbonyl)benzyl ether has been used to protect the phenolic hydroxyl of tyrosine. It is stable to CF3CO2H (120 h), but not to HBr/AcOH (complete cleavage in 16 h). It can also be cleaved by hydrogenolysis (H2/Pd-C). ... 

Me3SiI, CH2CI2, 25°, 15 min, 85-95% yield.Under these cleavage conditions i,3-dithiolanes, alkyl and trimethylsilyl enol ethers, and enol acetates are stable. 1,3-Dioxolanes give complex mixtures. Alcohols, epoxides, trityl, r-butyl, and benzyl ethers and esters are reactive. Most other ethers and esters, amines, amides, ketones, olefins, acetylenes, and halides are expected to be stable. 

BuMc2SiH, Pd(OAc)2, CH2CI2, Et3N, 100% yield. Cbz groups and Alloc groups are also cleaved, but benzyl ethers are stable. 

Electrolysis —2.9 V, DMF, R4N X , 70-80% yield or Pd/graphite cathode, MeOH, AcOH, 2.5% NaCl04 (0.5 mol/L), 99% yield.Benzyl ethers and tosylates are stable to these conditions, but benzyl esters are cleaved. 

EtSH, BF3 Et20, 63% yield." Benzylamines are stable to these conditions, but BF3 Et20/Me2S has been used to cleave an allylic benzyl ether." ... 

I2, MeOH, reflux, 12-16 h, 75-91% yield. Benzyl ethers are stable to these conditions, but isopropylidenes are cleaved. ... 

This benzyl ether is partially stable to BF3 Et20 as used in glycosylation reactions and NaOMe, but is not stable to TFA at it for 30 min. 

H2, Pd(OH)2." When the cleavage is performed in dioxane, the DEIPS group is stable and benzyl ethers are selectively removed, whereas if MeOH is use as solvent, both the DEIPS and the benzyl ether are cleaved. 

The general features of the monensin synthesis conducted by Kishi et al. are outlined, in retrosynthetic format, in Scheme 1. It was decided to delay the construction of monensin s spiroketal substructure, the l,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane framework, to a very late stage in the synthesis (see Scheme 1). It seemed reasonable to expect that exposure of the keto triol resulting from the hydrogen-olysis of the C-5 benzyl ether in 2 to an acidic medium could, under equilibrating conditions, result in the formation of the spiroketal in 1. This proposition was based on the reasonable assumption that the configuration of the spiroketal carbon (C-9) in monensin corresponds to the thermodynamically most stable form, as is the case for most spiroketal-containing natural products.19 Spiro-ketals found in nature usually adopt conformations in which steric effects are minimized and anomeric effects are maximized. 

Although diphenyl ether and dibenzofuran were very stable at 450°C, 2,2 -dinaphthyl ether was decomposed slowly and benzyl ethers completely. 

Furthermore, we studied the effect of phenolic compounds on the thermolysis of phenyl benzyl ether at 320°C, because even reactive phenols such as p-methoxy phenol are quite stable at this temperature. 

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