Carbonyl compounds, electron selection

Addilion of benzophenone to the lithium derivative 2 (M = Li) proceeds in a stereorandom fashion, which is attributed to the participation of radicals, detected by ESR and produced by single-electron transfer (SET)12. The magnesium derivative reacts with 90% diastereoselectivity with no SET being recorded. Benzaldehyde as the carbonyl compound affords the [1/, 1(1S)]-and [15,1(1/ )]-diastereomers in a 70 30 mixture, with 40% de12. Enhanced selectivities are achieved with camphor-derived 2-(2-oxazolyl)isoquinolines12a. 

The anion in KRu04 has a slightly flattened tetrahedral structure (Ru-O 1.73 A). Organic-soluble salts like Pr4NRu04 are selective mild oxidants that will oxidize alcohols to carbonyl compounds but will not affect double bonds [54a]. ESR indicates that Ru04 (g = 1.93 gy = 1.98 gz = 2.06) has a compressed tetrahedral geometry with the electron in dz2 [54b]. 

A study518 of the mechanism of oxidation of alcohols by the reagent suggested that a reversible, oriented adsorption of the alcohol onto the surface of the oxidant occurs, with the oxygen atom of the alcohol forming a coordinate bond to a silver ion, followed by a concerted, irreversible, homolytic shift of electrons to generate silver atoms, carbon dioxide, water, and the carbonyl compound. The reactivity of a polyhydroxy compound may not, it appears, be deduced from the relative reactivity of its component functions, as the geometry of the adsorbed state, itself affected by solvent polarity, exerts an important influence on the selectivity observed.519... 

The anode is an ideal reagent to oxidize organic substrates such as oxygen-containing compounds (alcohols, carbonyl compounds, and carboxylic acids). Thereby these substrates can be converted avoiding chemical reagents, which simplifies the reaction conditions and the work-up. Additionally, the electron transfer leads selectively to a variety of reactive species, which can find further use in organic synthesis. 

For instance, Kochi and co-workers [89,90] reported the photochemical coupling of various stilbenes and chloranil by specific charge-transfer activation of the precursor donor-acceptor complex (EDA) to form rrans-oxetanes selectively. The primary reaction intermediate is the singlet radical ion pair as revealed by time-resolved spectroscopy and thus establishing the electron-transfer pathway for this typical Paterno-Biichi reaction. This radical ion pair either collapses to a 1,4-biradical species or yields the original EDA complex after back-electron transfer. Because the alternative cycloaddition via specific activation of the carbonyl compound yields the same oxetane regioisomers in identical molar ratios, it can be concluded that a common electron-transfer mechanism is applicable (Scheme 53) [89,90]. 

Diels-Alder Reactions The organocatalytic Diels-Alder reaction of a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds can be performed either via iminium (see Section 11.3) or enamine catalysis. The first highly selective enamine-promoted cycloaddition reaction was reported by Jprgensen and coworkers, who developed an amine-catalyzed inverse-electron-demand hetero-Diels-Alder (HDA) reaction (Scheme ll.lOa). ... 

The synthesis of isoxazolines and pyrazolines via the Michael addition of hydro-xylamine and phenyl hydrazine to chalcones and related enones was also reported with activated Ba(OH)2 as a basic catalyst (293) (Scheme 45). In both cases, reactions were performed at reflux of ethanol, and excellent yields (65-80%) with 100% selectivity to the heterocyclic compounds were observed. Steric hindrance associated with the carbonyl compound as well as the electronic character of the substituents in the aromatic ring slightly affected the yields of the heterocyclic compounds. 

Electronic and conformational effects on jt-facial stereoselectivity in nucleophilic additions to carbonyl compounds have been studied by the use of RHF/3-21G and RHF/6-31G methods ". Figure 10 shows a comparison of predicted and experimental selectivities for methyl Grignard additions. Satisfactory agreement of the ratios of anti and equatorial attacks of MeMgX on the carbonyl carbon atoms was reported. 

Miscellaneous. Aside from the oxidation chemistry described, only a few catalytic applications are reported, including hydrogenation of olefins (114,115), a, [3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (116), and carbon monoxide (117) and the water gas shift reaction (118). This is so owing to the kinetic inertness of osmium complexes. A 1% by weight osmium tetroxide solution is used as a biological stain, particulady for preparation of samples for electron microscopy. In the presence of pyridine or other heterocyclic amines it is used as a selective reagent for single-stranded or open-form B-DNA (119) (see Nucleic acids). Osmium tetroxide has also been used as an indicator for unsaturated fats in animal tissue. Osmium tetroxide has seen limited if controversial use in the treatment of arthritis (120,121). 

Heterosubstituted cyclopropanes can be synthesized from appropriate olefins and car-benes. Since cyclopropane resembles olefins in its reactivity and is thus an electron-rich car bo-cycle (p. 76ft). it forms complexes with Lewis acids, e.g. TiCL, and is thereby destabilized This effect is even more pronounced in cydopropanone ketals. If one of the alcohols forming the ketal is a silanol, the ketal is stable and distillable. The O—Si-bond is cleaved by TiCl4 and a d3-reagent is formed. This reacts with a -reagents, e.g. aldehydes or ketals. Various 4-substituted carboxylic esters are available from 1-alkoxy-l-siloxycyclopropanes in this way (E. Nakamura, 1977). If one starts with l-bromo-2-methoxycyclopropanes, the bromine can be selectively substituted by lithium. Subsequent treatment of this reagent with carbonyl compounds yields (2-methoxycyclopropyl)methanols, which can be transformed to /7,y-unsaturated aldehydes (E.J. Corey, 1975B). 

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