Carbohydrates carboxylic acids, enolates

Covalently bonded chiral auxiliaries readily induce high stereoselectivity for propionate enolates, while the case of acetate enolates has proved to be difficult. Alkylation of carbonyl compound with a novel cyclopentadienyl titanium carbohydrate complex has been found to give high stereoselectivity,44 and a variety of ft-hydroxyl carboxylic acids are accessible with 90-95% optical yields. This compound was also tested in enantioselective aldol reactions. Transmetalation of the relatively stable lithium enolate of t-butyl acetate with chloro(cyclopentadienyl)-bis(l,2 5,6-di-<9-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose-3-0-yl)titanate provided the titanium enolate 66. Reaction of 66 with aldehydes gave -hydroxy esters in high ee (Scheme 3-23). 

Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, clearly appears to be of carbohydrate nature. Its most obvious functional group is the lactone ring system, and, although termed ascorbic acid, it is certainly not a carboxylic acid. Nevertheless, it shows acidic properties, since it is an enol, in fact an enediol. It is easy to predict which enol hydroxyl group is going to ionize more readily. It must be the one P to the carbonyl, ionization of which produces a conjugate base that is nicely resonance stabilized (see Section 4.3.5). Indeed, note that these resonance forms correspond to those of an enolate anion derived from a 1,3-dicarbonyl compound (see Section 10.1). Ionization of the a-hydroxyl provides less favourable resonance, and the remaining hydroxyls are typical non-acidic alcohols (see Section 4.3.3). Thus, the of vitamin C is 4.0, and is comparable to that of a carboxylic acid. 

Another interesting variant of Claisen rearrangement has been introduced by Ireland [149], and used by his group in carbohydrate chemistry. The starting compound is again an allylic alcohol that is esterified by a suitable carboxylic acid. This ester is enolized in basic medium, and quenching of the intermediate enolate at low temperature gives a ketene silyl... 

Tributyltin hydride, 316 Tributyltinlithium, 319 Trichloroacetonitrile, 321 Other carbohydrates (Diethylamino)sulfur trifluoride, 110 Triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, 44 Carbonates (see also Enol carbonates) Carbon dioxide, 65 Di-/-butyl dicarbonate, 94 Carboxylic acids (see also Dicarbonyl compounds, Unsaturated carbonyl compounds)... 

There is no potentiometric method that can be used to determine the phenolic hydroxyl content of humic substances. Consequently, phenolic groups are often simply assumed to be the difference between total acidity and carboxyl content. This author prefers the use of weakly acidic groups to represent these functional groups, as recommended by Stevenson (1982). While some of the weakly acidic groups are probably phenols, weaker carboxyl groups, alcoholic groups in carbohydrate entities, and enols may be of some importance (see Fig. 5). In an earlier section of the chapter, it was pointed out that the phenolic hydroxyl content of humic substances is probably limited by the amount of aromatic carbon in the sample. Before all the weakly acidic groups are assumed to be phenols, the structural implications of such an assumption should be examined. 

Other reactions of carbohydrates include those of alcohols, carboxylic acids, and their derivatives. Alkylation of carbohydrate hydroxyl groups leads to ethers. Acylation of their hydroxyl groups produces esters. Alkylation and acylation reactions are sometimes used to protect carbohydrate hydroxyl groups from reaction while a transformation occurs elsewhere. Hydrolysis reactions are involved in converting ester and lactone derivatives of carbohydrates back to their polyhydroxy form. Enolization of aldehydes and ketones leads to epimerization and interconversion of aldoses and ketoses. Addition reactions of aldehydes and ketones are useful, too, such as the addition of ammonia derivatives in osazone formation, and of cyanide in the Kiliani-Fischer synthesis. Hydrolysis of nitriles from the Kiliani-Fischer synthesis leads to carboxylic acids. 

Carbohydrates and glycosides Aldehydes, ketones and related con unds Quinones Carboxylic acids Phenols and enols Esters, lactones and acid anhydrides of carboxylic acids Alcohols Ethers Hydrocarbons... 

---