Carboxylic acids, conversion dianions, with esters

B-alkyl-9-BBN derivatives (p. 1077). Since only the 9-alkyl group migrates, this method permits the conversion in high yield of an alkene to a primary alcohol or aldehyde containing one more carbon." When B-alkyl-9-BBN derivatives are treated with CO and lithium tri-ferf-butoxyaluminum hydride," other functional groups (e.g., CN and ester) can be present in the alkyl group without being reduced." Boranes can be directly converted to carboxylic acids by reaction with the dianion of phenoxyacetic acid." " ... 

Carboxylic acids can be alkylated in the a position by conversion of their salts to dianions [which actually have the enolate structures RCH=C(0 )21497] by treatment with a strong base such as lithium diisopropylamide.1498 The use of Li as the counterion is important, because it increases the solubility of the dianionic salt. The reaction has been applied1499 to primary alkyl, allylic, and benzylic halides, and to carboxylic acids of the form RCHjCOOH and RR"CHCOOH.1454 This method, which is an example of the alkylation of a dianion at its more nucleophilic position (see p. 368), is an alternative to the malonic ester synthesis (0-94) as a means of preparing carboxylic acids and has the advantage that acids of the form RR R"CCOOH can also be prepared. In a related reaction, methylated aromatic acids can be alkylated at the methyl group by a similar procedure.1500... 

We have previously seen (0-96) that dianions of carboxylic acids can be alkylated in the a position. These ions can also be acylated on treatment with a carboxylic ester1705 to give salts of p-keto acids. As in 0-96, the carboxylic acid can be of the form RCH2COOH or RR"CHCOOH. Since p-keto acids are so easily converted to ketones (2-40), this is also a method for the preparation of ketones R COCHiR and R COCHRR", where R can be primary, secondary, or tertiary alkyl, or aryl. If the ester is ethyl formate, an a-formyl carboxylate salt (R = H) is formed, which on acidification spontaneously de-carboxylates into an aldehyde.1706 This is a method, therefore, for achieving the conversion RCH2COOH — RCH2CHO, and as such is an alternative to the reduction methods discussed in 0-83. When the carboxylic acid is of the form RR CHCOOH. better yields are obtained by acylating with acyl halides rather than esters.1707... 

Enolate hydroxylation is a problem of long standing. Direct oxygenation succeeds with the fully substituted enolates of certain o,a-disubstituted ketones and a variety of carboxylic acid derivatives (ester anions, acid dianions, amide anions), but the reaction of enolates, RCH = C(0")R or CH2 = C(0")R, with oxygen results in complex products of overoxidation. The stable molybdenum peroxide reagent MoOj Py-HMPA (MoOPH), first prepared by Mimoun, allows the conversion of RCH = C(0Li)R into RCH(0H)C0R in generally good yields (Table I). In some cases, the a-diketone is formed as a byproduct. 

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