Carbonyl group electrophilicity

A ring-interconversion approach has been used to access the functionalized 2-benzazepin-3-ones 331 from the bromo lactam 330 (Scheme 43). The critical ring expansion was initiated by lithium-bromine exchange in 330 followed by intramolecular carbanion attack on the lactam carbonyl group. Electrophilic capture of the ring-expanded lactam intermediate then afforded 331 in moderate to good yields <2003SL2025>. None of the isomeric 2-benzazepin-3-ones 332 expected from the lithium enolate intermediate were observed. 

The Grignard reagent RMgX is nucleophilic by virtue of the potential car banion (alkyl anion) R. It will react with the electrophilic carbonyl group as follows ... 

So far in this section we have combined enolate anions with other carbonyl compounds by direct attack at the carbonyl group. We can expand the scope of this reaction by using a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds as the electrophiles. This is the Michael reaction. Remind yourself of tliis by writing out the mechanism of a Michael reaction such as ... 

The selective intermolecular addition of two different ketones or aldehydes can sometimes be achieved without protection of the enol, because different carbonyl compounds behave differently. For example, attempts to condense acetaldehyde with benzophenone fail. Only self-condensation of acetaldehyde is observed, because the carbonyl group of benzophenone is not sufficiently electrophilic. With acetone instead of benzophenone only fi-hydroxyketones are formed in good yield, if the aldehyde is slowly added to the basic ketone solution. Aldols are not produced. This result can be generalized in the following way aldehydes have more reactive carbonyl groups than ketones, but enolates from ketones have a more nucleophilic carbon atom than enolates from aldehydes (G. Wittig, 1968). 

The synthesis of spiro compounds from ketones and methoxyethynyl propenyl ketone exemplifies some regioselectivities of the Michael addition. The electrophilic triple bond is attacked first, next comes the 1-propenyl group. The conjugated keto group is usually least reactive. The ethynyl starting material has been obtained from the addition of the methoxyethynyl anion to the carbonyl group of crotonaldehyde (G. Stork, 1962 B, 1964A). 

F.N. Tebbe (1978 [footnote 20]) and R.R. Schrock (1976) have shown that electrophilic titanium or tantalum ylides can alkylidenate the carbonyl group of esters. Vinyl ethers are obtained in high yields with Tebbe s reagent, p-chlorobis(ri -2,4-cyclopentadien-l-ylXdime-thylaluminum)- 4-methylenetitanium (S.H. Pine, 1980 A.G.M. Barrett, 1989). 

The keto tautomer (211a) is involved in the high electrophilic reactivin-of the C-5 carbonyl group. Thus ring opening has been reported u ith various amino nucleophilic reagents. 

Because the carbon atom attached to the ring is positively polarized a carbonyl group behaves m much the same way as a trifluoromethyl group and destabilizes all the cyclo hexadienyl cation intermediates m electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions Attack at any nng position m benzaldehyde is slower than attack m benzene The intermediates for ortho and para substitution are particularly unstable because each has a resonance structure m which there is a positive charge on the carbon that bears the electron withdrawing substituent The intermediate for meta substitution avoids this unfavorable juxtaposition of positive charges is not as unstable and gives rise to most of the product... 

The structural features especially the very polar nature of the carbonyl group point clearly to the kind of chemistry we will see for aldehydes and ketones in this chapter The partially positive carbon of C=0 has carbocation character and is electrophilic The planar arrangement of its bonds make this carbon relatively uncrowded and susceptible to attack by nucleophiles Oxygen is partially negative and weakly basic... 

Under conditions of acid catalysis the nucleophilic addition step follows protonation of the carbonyl oxygen Protonation increases the carbocat ion character of a carbonyl group and makes it more electrophilic... 

Normally carbon-carbon double bonds are attacked by electrophiles a carbon-carbon double bond that is conjugated to a carbonyl group is attacked by nucleophiles... 

Electron release from the substituent X not only stabilizes the carbonyl group it decreases the positive character of the carbonyl carbon and makes the carbonyl group less electrophilic... 

Hydantoins can react with electrophiles at both nitrogen atoms and at C-5. The electrophilic carbonyl groups can be attacked by nucleophiles, leading to hydrolysis of the ring or to partial or total reduction of the carbonyl system. Other reactions are possible, including photochemical cleavage of the ring. 

There are two distinct groups of aldolases. Type I aldolases, found in higher plants and animals, require no metal cofactor and catalyze aldol addition via Schiff base formation between the lysiae S-amino group of the enzyme and a carbonyl group of the substrate. Class II aldolases are found primarily ia microorganisms and utilize a divalent ziac to activate the electrophilic component of the reaction. The most studied aldolases are fmctose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) enzymes from rabbit muscle, rabbit muscle adolase (RAMA), and a Zn " -containing aldolase from E. coli. In vivo these enzymes catalyze the reversible reaction of D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate [591-57-1] (G-3-P) and dihydroxyacetone phosphate [57-04-5] (DHAP). 

Scheme 4 shows in a general manner cyclocondensations considered to involve reaction mechanisms in which nucleophilic heteroatoms condense with electrophilic carbonyl groups in a 1,3-relationship to each other. The standard method of preparation of pyrazoles involves such condensations (see Chapter 4.04). With hydrazine itself the question of regiospecificity in the condensation does not occur. However, with a monosubstituted hydrazine such as methylhydrazine and 4,4-dimethoxybutan-2-one (105) two products were obtained the 1,3-dimethylpyrazole (106) and the 1,5-dimethylpyrazole (107). Although Scheme 4 represents this type of reaction as a relatively straightforward process, it is considerably more complex and an appreciable effort has been expended on its study (77BSF1163). Details of these reactions and the possible variations of the procedure may be found in Chapter 4.04. 

There are large differences in reactivity among the various carboxylic acid derivatives, such as amides, esters, and acyl chlorides. One important factor is the resonance stabilization provided by the heteroatom. This decreases in the order N > O > Cl. Electron donation reduces the electrophilicity of the carbonyl group, and the corresponding stabilization is lost in the tetrahedral intermediate. 

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