Benzylic alcohols, amides

Almost insoluble in cold water. Higher alcohols (including benzyl alcohol), higher phenols (e.g., naphthols), metaformaldehyde, paraldehyde, aromatic aldehydes, higher ketones (including acetophenone), aromatic acids, most esters, ethers, oxamide and domatic amides, sulphonamides, aromatic imides, aromatic nitriles, aromatic acid anhydrides, aromatic acid chlorides, sulphonyl chlorides, starch, aromatic amines, anilides, tyrosine, cystine, nitrocompounds, uric acid, halogeno-hydrocarbons, hydrocarbons. 

The catalyst is inactive for the hydrogenation of the (isolated) benzene nucleus and so may bo used for the hydrogenation of aromatic compounds containing aldehyde, keto, carbalkoxy or amide groups to the corresponding alcohols, amines, etc., e.g., ethyl benzoate to benzyl alcohol methyl p-toluate to p-methylbenzyl alcohol ethyl cinnamate to 3 phenyl 1-propanol. 

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. 

Photolabile linkers play an important role in solid-phase organic synthesis (SPOS) due to their stability under both acidic and basic conditions. The ONb photolabile linker was modified to improve cleavage rates and yields Fmoc-Tos-OFI was released in 87% yield after 23 h (Scheme 4) [24]. Specifically, the primary alcohol was changed to a secondary benzylic alcohol and the attachment to the resin was through an alkyl chain as opposed to an amide function. Linker 20 was used for the production of carboxylic acids or carbohydrates. A second example... 

Non-cyclopentadienyl single-site lanthanide alkoxides mostly feature N-donor-based ancillary ligands. Examples include bulky bis(arylamidinate)-yttrium(III) alkoxides, phenoxides and amides such as complexes (307)-(309), which initiate the ROP of LA.892 However, control over molecular weight is poor and polydispersities are broad (typically >1.5), with the exception of (309) in the presence of exogenous benzyl alcohol. 

These reaction conditions also permit the chemoselective quantitative reduction of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol without any concomitant reduction of either acetophenone or 3,3-dimethylbutan-2-one present in the same reaction mixture.83 Additionally, this useful method permits the reduction of aldehyde functions in polyfunctional compounds without affecting amide, anhydride, eth-ylenic, bromo, chloro, or nitro groups.79,80,319... 

Unlike with sodium borohydride (see Section 11.01.5.2), pyrrolizin-3-one 2 reacts with lithium aluminohydride mainly as an amide. No conjugate addition occurs, and only the reductive lactam cleavage takes place to give stereoselectively the (Z)-allylie alcohol 77. Similarly, benzo-annulated pyrrolizin-3-one 17 gives the corresponding benzylic alcohol 78. The same reactivity was observed with organometallics such as methyllithium which gives exclusively the tertiary (Z)-allylic alcohol 79 (Scheme 7). 

At the outset of our studies of the reactivity of I and II, it was necessary to investigate claims that tertiary henzamides were inappropriate substrates for the Birch reduction. It had been reported that reduction of A,A-dimethylbenzamide with sodium in NH3 in the presence of tert-butyl alcohol gave benzaldehyde and a benzaldehyde-ammonia adduct. We formd that the competition between reduction of the amide group and the aromatic ring was strongly dependent on reaction variables, such as the alkali metal (type and quantity), the availability of a proton source more acidic than NH3, and reaction temperature. Reduction with potassium in NH3-THF solution at —78 °C in the presence of 1 equiv. of tert-butyl alcohol gave the cyclohexa-1,4-diene 2 in 92% isolated yield (Scheme 3). At the other extreme, reduction with lithium in NH3-THF at —33 °C in the absence of tert-butyl alcohol gave benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol as major reaction products. ... 

Tertiary amides derived from pyrrole, indole and carbazole were hydro-genolyzed to alcohols and amines by refluxing in ether with a 75% excess (0.88 mol) of lithiwn aluminum hydride. Benzoyl derivatives of the above heterocycles afforded 80-92.5% yields of benzyl alcohol and 86-90% yields of the amines [7704]. 

Table 12 Direct catalytic substitution of propargylic and benzylic alcohols with amides...

Tertiary benzylic nitriles are useful synthetic intermediates, and have been used for the preparation of amidines, lactones, primary amines, pyridines, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, and esters. The general synthetic pathway to this class of compounds relies on the displacement of an activated benzylic alcohol or benzylic halide with a cyanide source followed by double alkylation under basic conditions. For instance, 2-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-methylpropionitrile has been prepared by methylation of (2-methoxyphenyl)acetonitrile using sodium amide and iodomethane. In the course of the preparation of a drug candidate, the submitters discovered that the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of aryl fluorides with the anion of a secondary nitrile is an effective method for the preparation of these compounds. The reaction was studied using isobutyronitrile and 2-fluoroanisole. The submitters first showed that KHMDS was the superior base for the process when carried out in either THF or toluene (Table I). For example, they found that the preparation of 2-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-methylpropionitrile could be accomplished h... 

Thus, the functionalized anilines 85 and 86 are obtained in 71-89% yield starting from diiodoanUines 87 and 88 (Scheme 6). Other proton-donating groups like hydroxy groups (equation 25), acids, amides or benzylic alcohols are also compatible with this approach. 

H-3,l-Benzoxazines and -benzothiazines can be made by the cyclization of benzyl alcohols thus, the benzoxazine (176) is obtained by the oxidative photochemical ring closure of the pyrrole derivative (175) (78JOC3415). The amides (177) and (179) can be cyclized to benzothiazines (178) with phosphorus pentasulfide or pentachloride respectively (1894CB3509). 

Benzyl alcohol linkers, such as those described in Section 3.1.1.1, can also be cleaved by palladium-catalyzed hydrogenolysis. Carboxylic acids have, for example, been obtained by hydrogenolysis of insoluble benzyl esters with Pd(OAc)2/DMF/H2 [89,161]. Resin-bound benzylic carbamates [162,163] and amides [164] can also be released by treatment with Pd(OAc)2 in DMF in the presence of a hydrogen source, such as 1,4-cyclohexadiene or ammonium formate. These reactions are quite surprising, because they require the formation of metallic palladium within the gelated beads. 

As illustrated by the examples in Table 3.9, resin-bound 4-alkoxybenzylamides often require higher concentrations of TFA and longer reaction times than carboxylic acids esterified to Wang resin. For this reason, the more acid-sensitive di- or (trialkoxy-benzyl)amines [208] are generally preferred as backbone amide linkers. The required resin-bound, secondary benzylamines can readily be prepared by reductive amination of resin-bound benzaldehydes (Section 10.1.4 and Figure 3.17 [209]) or by A-alkyla-tion of primary amines with resin-bound benzyl halides or sulfonates (Section 10.1.1.1). Sufficiently acidic amides can also be A-alkylated by resin-bound benzyl alcohols under Mitsunobu conditions (see, e.g., [210] attachment to Sasrin of Fmoc cycloserine, an O-alkyl hydroxamic acid). 

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