Benzylic ketones

The ketones are readily prepared, for example, acetophenone from benzene, acetyl chloride (or acetic anhydride) and aluminium chloride by the Friedel and Crafts reaction ethyl benzyl ketones by passing a mixture of phenylacetic acid and propionic acid over thoria at 450° and n-propyl- p-phenylethylketone by circulating a mixture of hydrocinnamic acid and n-butyric acid over thoria (for further details, see under Aromatic Ketones, Sections IV,136, IV,137 and IV,141). 

The dibenzyl ketone has a very high b.p. (ca. 200°/21 mm.) and this remains in the flask when the unsymmetrical ketone has been removed by distillation. The dialkyl ketone has a comparatively low b.p. and is therefore easily removed by fractionation under normal pressure acetone is most simply separated by washing with water. In this way methyl benzyl ketone (R = CHj), ethyl benzyl ketone (R = CHgCH,) and n-propyl benzyl ketone (R = CHjCHjCH,) are prepared. By using hydrocinnamic acid in place of phenylacetic acid ... 

Ethyl benzyl ketone. Use 204 g. of phenylacetic acid (m.p. 77°) and 333 g. (335 -5 ml.) of propionic acid (b.p. 139-141°), but omit the extraction with benzene when working up the distillate. Distil the dried... 

The Pd-catalyzed coupling of an acyl chloride with benzyl chloride to form the benzyl ketone 854 proceeds in the presence of an excess of Zn. In this reaction, benzyl chloride reacts with Zn to form benzylzinc, which undergoes transmetallation with acylpaliadium complex[729]. The reaction has been applied to the synthesis of riccardin B (855)[730]. 

Instead, a solvent molecule is incorporated to give the a-benzyl ketone (123) in high yield. ... 

A related reaction is the acylation of yA disuhstituted benzyl ketones to isobenzopyrylium salts the unsubstituted compounds yield 4-pyrones as shown in Section II,D,3,a. Another related acylation converts unsaturated esters into 2-p3U ones, e.g., ethyl, jS-dimethyl-acrylate into 4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrone. ... 

If used for the preparation of methyl benzyl ketone (p. 54) the product should not be dried. 

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. 

Ahnlich lassen sich auch Benzyl-ketone infolge des stark sauren a-Wasserstoff-Atoms mit Natriumboranat in alkoholischer Losung racemisieren2, weil die Enol-Bildung schneller als die Reduktion verlauft. 

The CIDNP technique has led to similar conclusions about the precursor multiplicity for methyl benzyl ketone (Blank et al., 1971). With dibenzyl ketone and phenyl a-phenylethyl ketone (Closs, 1971a Muller... 

---