Carbonyl compounds protonation

In order to protect the proton, and thereby suppress the kinetically favoured proton transfer route, it has been found out that gas-phase addition followed by elimination can be enhanced by reacting the proton bound dimer of the carbonyl compound rather than the protonated monomer [ 134]. In cases where the carbonyl compound has a higher proton affinity than the nucleophile, proton transfer is of course no problem. Alternatively, if the nucleophile already is protonated, as in the reactions between NH] and various carbonyl compounds, proton catalysed addition/elimination is possible as demonstrated experimentally by observation of immonium ion formation [135-137]. Likewise, the hydrazo-nium ion has been found to react with formaldehyde and a wide range of other aldehydes and ketones [138]. 

Many carbonyl addition and substitution reactions are carried out under acidic conditions or in the presence of Lewis acids. Qualitatively, protonation or complexation increases the electrophilicity of the carbonyl group. The structural effects of protonation have been examined for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, formamide, and formyl fluoride. These effects should correspond to those in more complex carbonyl compounds. Protonation results in a substantial lengthening of the C=0 bond. The calculated [B3LYP/ 6-31-H-G(phase proton affinities reflect the trend of increasing basicity with donor groups (CH3, NH2) and decreased basicity for fluorine. 

There are also irreversible additions, as in the reactions of organometaUic reagents or metal hydrides with carbonyl compounds. Protonation of the initial products, aUcoxides, gives alcohols (Rg. 16.59). 

Additional gas-phase reactivity data, such as gas-phase acidities of alcohols [41], proton affinities of alcohols and ethers [41], and proton affinities of carbonyl compounds [42] could equally well be described by similar equations. 

The ff-oxidation of carbonyl compounds may be performed by addition of molecular oxygen to enolate anions and subsequent reduction of the hydroperoxy group, e.g. with triethyl phosphite (E.J. Bailey, 1962 J.N. Gardner, 1968 A,B). If the initially formed a-hydroperoxide possesses another enolizable a-proton, dehydration to the 1,2-dione occurs spontaneously, and further oxidation to complex product mitctures is usually observed. 

The following acid-catalyzed cyclizations leading to steroid hormone precursors exemplify some important facts an acetylenic bond is less nucleophilic than an olelinic bond acetylenic bonds tend to form cyclopentane rather than cyclohexane derivatives, if there is a choice in proton-catalyzed olefin cyclizations the thermodynamically most stable Irons connection of cyclohexane rings is obtained selectively electroneutral nucleophilic agents such as ethylene carbonate can be used to terminate the cationic cyclization process forming stable enol derivatives which can be hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds without this nucleophile and with trifluoroacetic acid the corresponding enol ester may be obtained (M.B. Gravestock, 1978, A,B P.E. Peterson, 1969). 

The proton transfer equilibrium that interconverts a carbonyl compound and its enol can be catalyzed by bases as well as by acids Figure 18 3 illustrates the roles of hydroxide ion and water m a base catalyzed enolization As m acid catalyzed enolization protons are transferred sequentially rather than m a single step First (step 1) the base abstracts a proton from the a carbon atom to yield an anion This anion is a resonance stabilized species Its negative charge is shared by the a carbon atom and the carbonyl oxygen... 

Step 1 A proton is abstracted by hydroxide ion from the a carbon atom of the carbonyl compound... 

In the alcohol oxidations, the sulfonium intermediate (2, nucleophile = R2C(OH)) loses a proton and dimethyl sulfide to give the carbonyl compound (42). The most common mechanism for the decomposition of (2) is attack by a mild base to remove a proton from one of the methyl groups. Subsequent cycHc coUapse leads to the carbonyl compound and dimethyl sulfide (eq. 9) ... 

Azirine, trans-2-methyl-3-phenyl-racemization, 7, 33, 34 1-Azirine, 2-phenyl-reactions, 7, 69 with carbon disulfide, S, 153 1-Azirine, 3-vinyl-rearrangements, 7, 67 Azirines, 7, 47-93 cycloaddition reactions, 7, 26 fused ring derivatives, 7, 47-93 imidazole synthesis from, 5, 487-488 photochemical addition reactions to carbonyl compounds, 7, 56 photolysis, 5, 780, 7, 28 protonated... 

Paal-Knorr synthesis, 4, 118, 329 Pariser-Parr-Pople approach, 4, 157 PE spectroscopy, 4, 24, 188-189 photoaddition reactions with aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, 4, 232 photochemical reactions, 4, 67, 201-205 with aliphatic carbonyl compounds, 4, 268 with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, 4, 268 Piloty synthesis, 4, 345 Piloty-Robinson synthesis, 4, 110-111 polymers, 273-274, 295, 301, 302 applications, 4, 376 polymethylation, 4, 224 N-protected, 4, 238 palladation, 4, 83 protonation, 4, 46, 47, 206 pyridazine synthesis from, 3, 52 pyridine complexes NMR, 4, 165... 

Structural effects on the rates of deprotonation of ketones have also been studied using veiy strong bases under conditions where complete conversion to the enolate occurs. In solvents such as THF or DME, bases such as lithium di-/-propylamide (LDA) and potassium hexamethyldisilylamide (KHMDS) give solutions of the enolates in relative proportions that reflect the relative rates of removal of the different protons in the carbonyl compound (kinetic control). The least hindered proton is removed most rapidly under these... 

The study of the chemistry of carbonyl compounds has shown that they can act as carbon nucleophiles in the presence of acid catalysts as well as bases. The nucleophilic reactivity of carbonyl compounds in acidic solution is due to the presence of the enol tautomer. Enolization in acidic solution is catalyzed by O-protonation. Subsequent deprotonation at carbon gives the enol ... 

Three-dimensional potential energy diagrams of the type discussed in connection with the variable E2 transition state theory for elimination reactions can be used to consider structural effects on the reactivity of carbonyl compounds and the tetrahedral intermediates involved in carbonyl-group reactions. Many of these reactions involve the formation or breaking of two separate bonds. This is the case in the first stage of acetal hydrolysis, which involves both a proton transfer and breaking of a C—O bond. The overall reaction might take place in several ways. There are two mechanistic extremes ... 

Because the imine is much more basic than the carbonyl compound, it is more extensively protonated at any given pH than is the aldehyde. The protonated imine is also more reactive as an electrophile than the neutral aldehyde. There are four possible electrophiles in the system ... 

Organolithium and organomagnesium reagents are highly reactive toward most carbonyl compounds. With aldehydes and ketones, the tetrahedral adduct is stable, and alcohols are isolated after protonation of the adduct, which is an alkoxide ion. 

Two classes of charged radicals derived from ketones have been well studied. Ketyls are radical anions formed by one-electron reduction of carbonyl compounds. The formation of the benzophenone radical anion by reduction with sodium metal is an example. This radical anion is deep blue in color and is veiy reactive toward both oxygen and protons. Many detailed studies on the structure and spectral properties of this and related radical anions have been carried out. A common chemical reaction of the ketyl radicals is coupling to form a diamagnetic dianion. This occurs reversibly for simple aromatic ketyls. The dimerization is promoted by protonation of one or both of the ketyls because the electrostatic repulsion is then removed. The coupling process leads to reductive dimerization of carbonyl compounds, a reaction that will be discussed in detail in Section 5.5.3 of Part B. 

The basicities of amines, ethers, and carbonyl compounds are invariably decreased by fluonnation. 2,2,2-Tnfluoroethylamine (p f = 3.3 [61]) and C 5NH2 = -0.36 [62]) are about 10 times less basic than CH3CH2NH2 and CgH5NH2, respectively, and (CF3)2CHNH2 (p j, = 1 22 [71]) is over 10 times less basic than 1-C3H2NH2. The relative gas-phase acidities in Table 15 illustrate the large effect of fluonnation. Perfluoro-rerf-amines (R )3N and ethers R Rf have no basic character m solution [, 74], and CF3COCF3 is not protonated by superacids [72]. 

The close agreement of the three methods supports the contention that protonation at low temperatures first occurs at nitrogen and is followed by a proton shift to give the iminium salt (M). The rate of this rearrangement is dependent on temperature, the nature of the amine, and the nature of the carbonyl compound from which the enamine was made. Even with this complication the availability of iminium salts is not impaired since the protonation reaction is usually carried out at higher temperatures than —70°. Structurally complicated enamines such as trichlorovinyl amine can be readily protonated (17,18). 

A recent adaptation of the procedure employing perchlorate and fluoro-borate salts has been reported by Leonard and Paukstelis (J5). This report includes proof of structure by direct comparison to iminium salts prepared by protonation of enamines. The general reaction reported was that of a ketone or aldehyde with a secondary amine perchlorate to give iminium salts. A large structural variety of carbonyl compounds and several amine... 

As a catalyst sulfuric acid is most often used phosphoric acid, boron trifluoride or an acidic ion exchange resin have also found application. 1,1-disubstituted alkenes are especially suitable substrates, since these are converted to relatively stable tertiary carbenium ion species upon protonation. o ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds do not react as olefinic component. 

All three elimination reactions--E2, El, and ElcB—occur in biological pathways, but the ElcB mechanism is particularly common. The substrate is usually an alcohol, and the H atom removed is usually adjacent to a carbonyl group, just as in laboratory reactions. Thus, 3-hydroxy carbonyl compounds are frequently converted to unsaturated carbonyl compounds by elimination reactions. A typical example occurs during the biosynthesis of fats when a 3-hydroxybutyryl thioester is dehydrated to the corresponding unsaturated (crotonyl) thioester. The base in this reaction is a histidine amino acid in the enzyme, and loss of the OH group is assisted by simultaneous protonation. 

As with the reduction of carbonyl compounds discussed in the previous section, we ll defer a detailed treatment of the mechanism of Grignard reactions until Chapter 19. For the moment, it s sufficient to note that Grignard reagents act as nucleophilic carbon anions, or carbanions ( R ), and that the addition of a Grignard reagent to a carbonyl compound is analogous to the addition of hydride ion. The intermediate is an alkoxide ion, which is protonated by addition of F O"1 in a second step. 

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