Carbonyl compounds regioselective oxidation

In the case of multiply unsaturated carbonyl compounds, regioselectivity is also sensitive to the nature of the catalyst, to reaction conditions, and to the structure and degree of substitution of the hydrogenated double bonds. For example, hydrogenation of 3,5-heptadien-2-one over nickel on alumina or nickel on zinc oxide occurs mainly at the y,8-double bond. But if the catalyst is modified by the addition of lead or cadmium, reduction occurs mainly at the a,p-double bond (Scheme 24). 

Carbonyl Compounds by Oxidation of Alcohols and Aldehydes. Salts of palladium, in particular PdCl2 in the presence of a base, catalyze the CCI4 oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. Allylic alcohols carrying a terminal double bond are transformed to 4,4,4-trichloro ketones at 110 °C, but yield halo-hydrins at 40 °C. These can be transformed to the corresponding trichloro ketones under catalysis of palladium acetate (eq 56). The latter transformation could be useful for the formation of ketones from internal alkenes provided the halohydrin formation is regioselective. 

TTie condensation of fluormated carbonyl compounds is a versatile approach to the stereo- and regioselective construction of specifically tluonnated materials It is possible to use fluormated reactants in vanous oxidation states and to utilize them either as the nucleophilic or electrophilic reaction partners Stereocontrol in those processes using the fluormated carbonyl compounds m a nucleophilic fashion has lagged behind the achievement of higher yields... 

For internal olefins, the Wacker oxidation is sometimes surprisingly regioselective. By using aqueous dioxane or THF, oxidation of P,y-unsaturated esters can be achieved selectively to generate y-keto-esters (Eq. 3.18).86 Under appropriate conditions, Wacker oxidation can be used very efficiently in transforming an olefin to a carbonyl compound. Thus, olefins become masked ketones. An example is its application in the synthesis of (+)-19-nortestosterone (3.11) carried out by Tsuji (Scheme 3.5).87... 

This system fulfills the four above-mentioned conditions, as the active species is a rhodium hydride which acts as efficient hydride transfer agent towards NAD+ and also NADP+. The regioselectivity of the NAD(P)+ reduction by these rhodium-hydride complexes to form almost exclusively the enzymatically active, 1,4-isomer has been explained in the case of the [Rh(III)H(terpy)2]2+ system by a complex formation with the cofactor[65]. The reduction potentials of the complexes mentioned here are less negative than - 900 mV vs SCE. The hydride transfer directly to the carbonyl compounds acting as substrates for the enzymes is always much slower than the transfer to the oxidized cofactors. Therefore, by proper selection of the concentrations of the mediator, the cofactor, the substrate, and the enzyme it is usually no problem to transfer the hydride to the cofactor selectively when the substrate is also present [66]. This is especially the case when the work is performed in the electrochemical enzyme membrane reactor. 

Anodic regioselective acetamidosulfeny-lation of alkenes is similarly achieved by oxidation of diphenyldisulfide in acetonitrile [81]. Cyclic enamines, which are intermediates in the oxidation of cyclic N-methoxycarbonyl amines, react in aqueous acetonitrile that contains chloride ions to a-hydroxy- 8-chloro compounds via intermediate chloronium ions [82]. Enolethers undergo a regioselective azidomethoxyla-tion to yield acetals of a-azido carbonyl compounds upon electrolysis in methanol containing sodium azide [83]. The reaction proceeds possibly via addition of an anodicaUy generated azide radical. 

Our own group is also involved in the development of domino multicomponent reactions for the synthesis of heterocycles of both pharmacologic and synthetic interest [156]. In particular, we recently reported a totally regioselective and metal-free Michael addition-initiated three-component substrate directed route to polysubstituted pyridines from 1,3-dicarbonyls. Thus, the direct condensation of 1,3-diketones, (3-ketoesters, or p-ketoamides with a,p-unsaturated aldehydes or ketones with a synthetic equivalent of ammonia, under heterogeneous catalysis by 4 A molecular sieves, provided the desired heterocycles after in situ oxidation (Scheme 56) [157]. A mechanistic study demonstrated that the first step of the sequence was a molecular sieves-promoted Michael addition between the 1,3-dicarbonyl and the cx,p-unsaturated carbonyl compound. The corresponding 1,5-dicarbonyl adduct then reacts with the ammonia source leading to a DHP derivative, which is spontaneously converted to the aromatized product. 

SCHEME 138. Regioselective oxidation of a,/S-unsaturated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by Na2PdCL, in the presence of TBHP... 

Electroenzymatic reactions are not only important in the development of ampero-metric biosensors. They can also be very valuable for organic synthesis. The enantio- and diasteroselectivity of the redox enzymes can be used effectively for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds, as, for example, in the enantioselective reduction of prochiral carbonyl compounds, or in the enantio-selective, distereoselective, or enantiomer differentiating oxidation of chiral, achiral, or mes< -polyols. The introduction of hydroxy groups into aliphatic and aromatic compounds can be just as interesting. In addition, the regioselectivity of the oxidation of a certain hydroxy function in a polyol by an enzymatic oxidation can be extremely valuable, thus avoiding a sometimes complicated protection-deprotection strategy. 

In chapter 10 we compared C-C disconnections with related two-group C-X disconnections, mainly at the alcohol oxidation level. In this chapter we deal more fully with carbonyl compounds, chiefly aldehydes and ketones, by two related disconnections. We start by comparing the acylation of heteroatoms by acid derivatives such as esters (a 1,1-diX disconnection 1 that can also be described as a one-group C-X disconnection) with the acylation of carbon nucleophiles and move on to compare the 1,2-diX disconnection 3 with the alkylation of enolates 6. Here we have reversed the polarity. We mention regioselectivity—a theme we shall develop in chapter 14. 

To develop new methods for organic synthesis, Woerpel and coworkers exploited the inherent reactivity of di -fc/ f-butylsilacyclopropanes to create new carbon-carbon bonds in a stereoselective fashion (Scheme 7.7).62 They discovered that transition metal salts catalyze the insertion of carbonyl compounds into the strained carbon-silicon bond to form oxasilacyclopentanes. The regioselectivity of insertion could be controlled by the identity of the catalyst. Copper promoted the insertion of croto-naldehyde into the more substituted C-Si bond of 52 to afford oxasilacyclopentane 53,63 whereas zinc catalyzed the insertion of butyraldehyde into the less substituted bond of 52 to provide the complementary product, 54.64 Oxasilacyclopentanes (e.g., 55) could be transformed into useful synthetic intermediates through oxidation of the C-Si bond,65 66 which provided diol 56 with three contiguous stereocenters. 

Stannyl anions with a highly coordinated tin center are also known. A hydridostannyl anion in the shape of a trigonal bipyramid in which two iodine atoms occupy the apical positions was obtained by oxidative addition of lithium iodide to the corresponding tin hydride (equation 58) . It was characterized by Sn NMR. Since apical iodines are more nucleophilic than the hydrogen, in its reactivity with a-ethylenic carbonyl compounds, attack by iodine precedes reduction by hydrogen, achieving regioselective 1,4 reductions. 

Selenium-mediated allylic oxidations producing allylic alcohols have been discussed above however, in some cases oxidation proceeds further to give the a, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds directly, or mixtures of alcoholic and ketonic products. That the regioselectivity observed in these allylic oxidation reactions closely resembles that found in classical selenium dioxide oxidations is in accord with initial formation of the intermediate allylic alcohol before in situ oxidation to the carbonyl compound. This process was studied by Rapoport and was explained mechanistically as an elimination of the intermediate allylic selenite ester via a cyclic transition state, analogous to Ssi (rather than 5n20 solvolysis (Scheme 21). Of the two possible transition states (78) and (79), the cyclic alternative (78) was preferred tecause oxidation exclusively yields trans aldehydes. 

The oxidation of a, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds under the usual conditions in DMF using PdCl2/CuCl/02 is very slow. However, regioselective oxidation of a, -unsaturated esters to 3-keto esters (equation IS), and a,3-unsaturated ketones to 1,3-diketones (equation 16) proceeds with NazPdCU in solvents such as S0% acetic acid, isc ropyl alcohol, and NMP. r-Butyl hydroperoxide and hydrogen peroxide are used as the reoxidants of the reduced palladium. The reaction proceeds slowly at room temperature but smoothly between SO and 80 C. Some typical examples of this process are shown in Table 1. 

Alcohols can be obtained from many other classes of compounds such as alkyl halides, amines, al-kenes, epoxides and carbonyl compounds. The addition of nucleophiles to carbonyl compounds is a versatile and convenient methc for the the preparation of alcohols. Regioselective oxirane ring opening of epoxides by nucleophiles is another important route for the synthesis of alcohols. However, stereospe-cific oxirane ring formation is prerequisite to the use of epoxides in organic synthesis. The chemistry of epoxides has been extensively studied in this decade and the development of the diastereoselective oxidations of alkenic alcohols makes epoxy alcohols with definite configurations readily available. Recently developed asymmetric epoxidation of prochiral allylic alcohols allows the enantioselective synthesis of 2,3-epoxy alcohols. 

For acyclic compounds the regioselectivity depends upon statistical factors and the relative acidities of the different 3-hydrogens, the elimination preferring to take place towards the most acidic hydrogen. This can also influence the regioselectivity of elimination from alicyclic compounds, e.g. the a,3-unsatu-rated carbonyl compound (14) was obtained from the 3-aminocarbonyl compound (13), and the allylic alcohol (16) was the major product obtained on oxidation and pyrolysis of the hydroxyamine (15). ... 

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