Carboxylic acids alkene oxidation

Carboxylic acids are oxidized by lead tetraacetate. Decarboxylation occurs and the product may be an alkene, alkane or acetate ester, or under modified conditions a halide. A free radical mechanism operates and the product composition depends on the fate of the radical intermediate.267 The reaction is catalyzed by cupric salts, which function by oxidizing the intermediate radical to a carbocation (Step 3b in the mechanism). Cu(II) is more reactive than Pb(OAc)4 in this step. 

The epoxide can be prepared from an alkene and the amide from a carboxylic acid. The new target. 2-ethyl-2-hexenoic acid, has a CC double bond in conjugation with the carbonyl group of the carboxylic acid. Whenever a compound with an ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl group is encountered, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility of using an aldol condensation (see Section 20.5) or a related reaction to prepare it. To examine this possibility, the aldehyde that will provide the carboxylic acid upon oxidation is disconnected at the double bond. Because both fragments produced by this disconnection are the same, it is apparent that an aldol condensation of butanal can be employed to prepare this compound. The synthesis was accomplished as shown in Figure 23.5. 

We have already encountered three methods for preparing carboxylic acids (1) oxidation of alcohols and aldehydes, (2) oxidative cleavage of alkenes and alkynes, and (3) severe side-chain oxidation of alkylbenzenes. 

CARBOXYLIC ACIDS FROM OXIDATION OF TERMINAL ALKENES, 11... 

Stannyl- (and -silyl-) carboxylic acids undergo oxidative decarboxylation with LTA under mild conditions to provide the corresponding alkenes. This represents an improvement on the well-known alkene-forming decarboxylation of acids with LTA, which requires thermtd or photochemical conditions, for example. The directing metal effect leads to improved yields and regioselectivity. However, stereo-specific alkene formation did not occur and this could imply free radical involvement or transmetallation (Pb for Sn) (stereochemistry ) followed by cation formation, see for example Scheme 27. 

Introduction.—The oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones over various catalysts, including copper and particularly silver, is a well-established industrial process. The conversion of methanol to formaldehyde over silver catalysts is the most common process, with reaction at 750—900 K under conditions of excess methanol and at high oxygen conversion selectivities are in the region 80—95%. Isopropanol and isobutanol are also oxidized commercially in a similar manner. By-products from these reactions include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carboxylic acids, alkenes, and alkanes. 

The RUO4 catalytic system oxidizes secondary alcohols to ketones and primary alcohols to carboxylic acids. Alkenes can be oxidized completely, to produce the corresponding carbonyl compounds, or partially, to produce epoxides this transformation will be discussed below. In addition, methylene carbons adjacent to certain functional groups can be oxidized to the corresponding carbonyl ethers are converted to esters, tertiary amines and amides to amides and imides. 

Typical nucleophiles known to react with coordinated alkenes are water, alcohols, carboxylic acids, ammonia, amines, enamines, and active methylene compounds 11.12]. The intramolecular version is particularly useful for syntheses of various heterocyclic compounds[l 3,14]. CO and aromatics also react with alkenes. The oxidation reactions of alkenes can be classified further based on these attacking species. Under certain conditions, especially in the presence of bases, the rr-alkene complex 4 is converted into the 7r-allylic complex 5. Various stoichiometric reactions of alkenes via 7r-allylic complex 5 are treated in Section 4. 

Aldehydes are easily oxidized to carboxylic acids under conditions of ozonide hydroly SIS When one wishes to isolate the aldehyde itself a reducing agent such as zinc is included during the hydrolysis step Zinc reduces the ozonide and reacts with any oxi dants present (excess ozone and hydrogen peroxide) to prevent them from oxidizing any aldehyde formed An alternative more modem technique follows ozone treatment of the alkene m methanol with reduction by dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3)... 

When compound (443), which contains alkene and alkyne moieties, was reacted with benzonitrile oxide, both an isoxazoline (444) and isoxazole (445) were produced, with the former predominating. Oxidation of (444) with permanganate produced 3-phenyl-2-isoxazoline-5-carboxylic acid (446) (67ZOR82i). The reaction of 1-trimethylsilylbut-l-yne-3-ene produced only a compound which reacted at the alkenic unit. Oxidation of the adduct also produced (446) (68ZOB1820). These reactions are shown in Scheme 102. 

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