Carboxylation from ketones

This procedure appears to be general and has been successfully applied to the following examples ethyl acetoacetate from acetone (68 %) ethyl benzoylacetate from acetophenone (74%) ethyl a-propionylpropionate from diethyl ketone (81%) ethyl 2-methylcyclohexanone-6-carboxylate from 2-methylcyclohexanone (67%). 

The carboxylation of ketones is carried out essentially as in the preceding experiment, but at slightly higher temperatures (requiring an oil bath or mantle). Thus, acetophenone (6 g, 0.05 mole) in 100 ml of approx. 2 M MMC is stirred and heated at 110-120° for 1 hour. After cooling, hydrolysis in the acid-ice mixture, and isolation from ether, benzoylacetic acid, mp 99-100°, is obtained in 68% yield. Similarly, 1-indanone gives l-indanone-2-carboxylic acid, mp 100-101°, in 91 % yield. 

In general, the rate of syn/anti equilibration increases with decreasing basicity of the enolate and with increasing steric repulsion in the enolate. The first point is illustrated by the fact that aldolates derived from ketones (X = aryl, alkyl) undergo syn/anti equilibration more readily than those derived from amides or carboxylates (X = NR2,0-). It appears that the rate of the retro-aldol addition is higher when the enolate thereby generated is more stable. 

Table 3. (R)-Cyanohydrins by Enzymatic Formation from Ketones and Hydrocvamic Acid as well as (7 )-a-Hydroxy-a-methyl Carboxylic Acids by Hydrolysis...

Thus the product in such cases can exist as two pairs of enantiomers. In a di-astereoselective process, one of the two pairs is formed exclusively or predominantly as a racemic mixture. Many such examples have been reported. In many of these cases, both the enolate and substrate can exist as (Z) or (E) isomers. With enolates derived from ketones or carboxylic esters, (E) enolates gave the syn pair of enantiomers (p. 146), while (Z) enolates gave the anti pair. Addition of chiral additives to the reaction, such as proline derivatives, or (—)-sparteine lead to product formation with good-to-excellent asynunetric induction. Ultrasound has also been used to promote asymmetric Michael reactions. Intramolecular versions of Michael addition are well known. ... 

Notice that the carboxylic acid is like a ketone and an alcohol placed next to each other. But be careful, because carboxylic acids are very different from ketones or alcohols. So don t make the mistake of thinking that a carboxylic acid is a ketone and an alcohol ... 

A reaction mechanism with Fe304 as catalyst has been proposed [68], in agreement with previous work concerning decarboxylation of acids in the presence of a metal oxide [83]. After the transient formation of iron(II) and iron(III) carboxylates from the diacid and Fe304 (with elimination of water), the thermal decarboxylation of these salts should give the cyclic ketone and regeneration of the catalyst. 

A chiral auxiliary must be easily obtained from the chiral carbon pool generally alcohols or amines are used, since they can be readily covalently bound to substrates e.g., carboxylic acids27, ketones or aldehydes in the form of esters, amides, ketals. or imino-derivatives. 

C-Carboxylation of enolates.1 Carboxylation of potassium enolates generated from silyl enol ethers is not regioselective because of extensive enolate equilibration. Regiospecific C-carboxylation of lithium enolates is possible with carbonyl sulfide in place of carbon dioxide. The product is isolated as the thiol methyl ester. If simple esters are desired, transesterification can be effected with Hg(OAc)2 (8, 444). Carboxylation of ketones in this way in the presence of NaH and DMSO is not satisfactory because of competing alkylation of the enolate.2 Example ... 

One typical radical reaction is a coupling reaction. Oxidative decarboxylation coupling reaction of carboxylic acids by electrolysis (Kolbe electrolysis), intramolecular coupling reaction of diesters with Na (acyloin condensation), formation of pinacols from ketones or aldehydes with Na or Mg are well known classical methods [1,2]. Recently, oxidative... 

This latter thought has an important consequence if compounds with C=0 double bonds are sorted in decreasing order of resonance stabilization of their C=0 group they are at the same time sorted according to their increasing propensity to enolization. So as the resonance stabilization of the C=0 double bond decreases from 22 kcal/mol to somewhere near zero in the order carboxylic acid amide > carboxylic acid ester/carboxylic acid > ketone > aldehyde > carboxylic acid chloride/-bromide, the enol content increases in this same order (Figure 12.2). These circumstances immediately explain why no enol reactions whatsoever are known of carboxylic acid amides, virtually none of normal carboxylic acid esters/carboxylic acids, but are commonly encountered with ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic acid halides. 

Hydrides from carboxylic acids Carboxylic acids from hydrides Carboxylic acids from hydrides Esters from hydrides Hydrides from aldehydes Hydrides from aldehydes Alkyls from aldehydes Ketones from methylenes Ketones from ketones Alkyls from olefins Acetylenes from halides also acetylenes from acetylenes Esters from alcohols also esters from carboxylic acids Alkyls from olefins Alkyls from olefins... 

Related methods Carboxylic Acids from Ketones (Section 27) Also via Esters (Section 109)... 

Phenyl tellurium iodide and lithium enolates derived from ketones, carboxylic acid esters, or carboxylic acid amides, in tetrahydrofuran at — 78°, produced a-phenyltelluro carbonyl compounds7. 

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