Carboxylic acid derivatives reactivity with nucleophiles

As we have learned from our study of aldehydes and ketones, carbonyl carbons are electrophilic and can be attacked by nucleophiles. This type of reactivity is observed in the carboxylic acids and the carboxylic acid derivatives, substances with the general formula RCOL (L stands for leaving group). 

Acid halides are among the most reactive of carboxylic acid derivatives and can be converted into many other kinds of compounds by nucleophilic acyl substitution mechanisms. The halogen can be replaced by -OH to yield an acid, by —OCOR to yield an anhydride, by -OR to yield an ester, or by -NH2 to yield an amide. In addition, the reduction of an acid halide yields a primary alcohol, and reaction with a Grignard reagent yields a tertiary alcohol. Although the reactions we ll be discussing in this section are illustrated only for acid chlorides, similar processes take place with other acid halides. 

The development of diversification linkers allows introduction of an additional element of diversity. Upon completion of the synthesis sequence, the linker is activated facilitating nucleophilic release of the library members from support In the ideal case, as implemented with the acylsulfonamide linker (Scheme 4a), the activated linker is sufficiently reactive that limiting amounts of nucleophile may be added to provide pure product after resin filtration.181 Diversification linkers have been developed for the preparation of carboxylic acid derivatives (Scheme 4a), amines (Scheme 4b),191 aromatic (Scheme 4c) and even heteroaromatic compounds (Scheme 4d).1101... 

As one of the most reactive groups of carboxylic acid derivatives, acyl halides are very useful substrates for the preparation of the other classes of derivatives. For example, anhydrides may be synthesized by the reaction of carboxylic acid salts with an acyl halide. In this reaction, the carboxylate anion acts as the nucleophile, eventually displacing the halide leaving group. 

Thiols undergo the same types of nucleophilic reaction with carboxylic acid derivatives as do alcohols. However, reactivity tends to be increased for two reasons. First, sulfur, because of its larger size, is a better nucleophile than oxygen (see... 

Now this is exactly the same situation we encountered when we compared the reactivity of aldehydes and ketones with that of carboxylic acid derivatives (see Section 7.8). The net result here is acylation of the nucleophile, and in the case of acylation of enolate anions, the reaction is termed a Claisen reaction. It is important not to consider aldol and Claisen reactions separately, but to appreciate that the initial addition is the same, and differences in products merely result from the absence or presence... 

Acid chlorides are the most reactive carboxylic acid derivatives, and easily converted to acid anhydrides, esters and amides via nucleophilic acyl substitutions (see Section 5.5.5). Acid chlorides are sufficiently reactive with H2O, and quite readily hydrolysed to carboxylic acid (see Section 5.6.1). 

The combination of addition and elimination reactions has the overall effect of substituting one nucleophile for another in this case, substituting an alcohol for water. The rate of these nucleophilic substitution reactions is determined by the ease with which the elimination step occurs. As a rule, the best leaving groups in nucleophilic substitutions reactions are weak bases. The most reactive of the carboxylic acid derivatives are the acyl chlorides because the leaving group is a chloride ion, which is a very weak base (ATb KT20). 

Carboxylic acid derivatives undergo nucleophilic substitution whereas aldehydes and ketones undergo nucleophilic addition. This is because nucleophilic substitution of a ketone or an aldehyde would generate a carbanion or a hydride ion respectively (Following fig.). These ions are unstable and highly reactive, so they are only formed with difficulty. Furthermore, C-C and C-H o bonds are easily broken. Therefore, nucleophilic substitutions of aldehydes or ketones are not feasible. 

The possible nucleophilic reactions for each carboxylic acid derivative depends on its reactivity with respect to the other acid derivatives (Following fig.). Reactive acid derivatives can be converted to less reactive (more stable) acid derivatives, but not the other way round. For example, an ester can be converted to an amide, but not to an acid anhydride. 

The reactivity of carboxylic acid derivatives that react with nucleophiles according to the mechanism in Figure 6.4 cannot he measured via the rate of formation of the substitution product. Instead, the decrease in the concentration of the starting material serves as a measure of the reactivity. 

First, the general mechanisms for these reactions are presented. Then the reactivity of these carboxylic acid derivatives is discussed. As expected, the factors that control the reactivity are very similar to those that affect the addition reactions of Chapter 18. Next, reactions with nucleophiles that interconvert all of the members of the carboxylic acid family are presented. Finally, the reactions of hydride and organometallic nucleophiles with these electrophiles are discussed. 

Nowadays, it is an accepted mechanistic model [5, 6] that the photolysis step (which proceeds under thermo-reversible CO insertion) leads to species best described as chromium ketene complexes of type 7 (Scheme 2). Indeed, these intermediates exhibit a ketene-like reactivity they undergo [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with olefins, imines and enol ethers, whereas reaction with nucleophiles leads to carboxylic acid derivatives. 

A nucleophilic catalyst combines with the substrate to form a reactive intermediate via nucleophilic attack.. A large majority of examples of nucleophilic catalysis refer to reactions of carboxylic acid derivatives... 

Sections 22.8-22.14 are devoted to specific examples of nucleophilic acyl substitution using heteroatoms as nucleophiles. There are a great many reactions, and it is easy to confuse them unless you learn the general order of reactivity of carboxylic acid derivatives. Keep in mind that every reaction that begins with an acyl starting material involves nucleophilic substitution. 

Although somewhat less reactive than acid chlorides, anhydrides nonetheless readily react with most nucleophiles to form substitution products. Nucleophilic substitution reactions of anhydrides are no different than the reactions of other carboxylic acid derivatives, even though anhydrides contain two carbonyl groups. Nucleophilic attack occurs at one carbonyl group, while the second carbonyl becomes part of the leaving group. 

The thiolates, though less sensitive to basicity, are more reactive than oxygen anions over the total accessible range of basicity, but intersect the amine line at ca. pA 12. Other reactive nucleophiles which do not fall in the amine, thiolate, or oxygen anion categories are fluoride, thiosulfate, nitrite, azide, and sulfite. Halides other than fluoride, and also thiocyanate, nitrate, sulfate, and thiourea have no reactivity towards p-nitrophenyl acetate (Jencks and Carriuolo, 1960a). The total lack of reactivity of thiocyanate, iodide, bromide, and thiourea, all very polarizable nucleophiles which are reactive to sp carbon, rules out any possibility that polarizability is at all important in nucleophilic reactions at the carbonyl carbon. In general, the order of nucleophilic reactivity to p-nitrophenyl acetate correlates well with nucleophilic reactivity to other carboxylic acid derivatives (see later). Nitrite, however, shows... 

Base-induced 1,3-dehydrohalogenation of a-halo ketones 1 leads to cyclopropanones 2, but these reactive species almost always react further with the nucleophiles present to give addition products at the carbonyl group. The resulting adducts may be isolated, but in most cases react further under the influence of base to ring open to carboxylic acid derivatives 3a, b. 

A characteristic reaction of carboxylic acid derivatives is nucleophilic acyl substitution. In this reaction a negative or neutral nucleophile replaces a leaving group to form a substitution product. The leaving groups and nucleophiles are the groups that define the various acid derivatives as a result, the reaction usually involves the conversion of one acid derivative into another. The order of reactivity of acid derivatives is acid chloride > anhydride > acid or ester > amide. In general, reaction of any of these derivatives with water produces acids with alcohols, esters result and with amines, amides are formed. 

---