Carboxylic Acids, isolation from salts reactions

A-Acyloxypyridinium salts can be isolated from the reaction of A-oxides with acid anhydride by the inclusion of a strong acid possessing a non-nucleophilic anion, e.g. HCIO4. Such acids will protonate the initially formed carboxylate ion and provide a stable anion for salt formation (Scheme 115) (65JOC1909). 

Salts of aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acids can be converted to the corresponding nitriles by heating with BrCN or CICN. Despite appearances, this is not a substitution reaction. When Rl4COO" was used, the label appeared in the nitrile, not in the C02,753 and optical activity in R was retained.754 The acyl isocyanate RC0N=C=0 could be isolated from the reaction mixture hence the following mechanism was proposed 753... 

Both monocarboxylates, e.g., Hg(OCCOCl3)2 and HgfOAclj, where OAc is —0C(0)CH3, and dicarboxylates, e.g., Hg succinate can be used. Chiral carboxylates also are employed. Diastereoisomers are isolated from the reaction of s-Bu2Hg and the Hg salt of the monoethyl ester of (d)-tartaric acid . 

Due to the attractivity of this method several groups have developed onium salt supported versions of classical reactions. For example, starting from hydroxyl derived imidazolium salts, formation of supported acrylates with acryloyl chloride followed by reaction with diene in refluxing toluene afforded Diels Alder adduct in good yields (>65%). After saponification, products are isolated without further purification [127], Alternatively, starting from carboxylic acid derived imidazolium salts, acyl chloride formation with thionyl chloride in acetonitrile, followed by reaction with 4-aminophenol led to supported N-arylamide. Williamson alkylation using NaOH as a base and subsequent cleavage from the onium salt support under acidic condition (HCI/I I2()/ AcOH) allowed for isolation of various alkoxy substituted anilines with >98% purity... 

Reactant and product structures. Because the transition state stmcture is normally different from but intermediate to those of the initial and final states, it is evident that the stmctures of the reactants and products should be known. One should, however, be aware of a possible source of misinterpretation. Suppose the products generated in the reaction of kinetic interest undergo conversion, on a time scale fast relative to the experimental manipulations, to thermodynamically more stable substances then the observed products will not be the actual products of the reaction. In this case the products are said to be under thermodynamic control rather than kinetic control. A possible example has been given in the earlier description of the reaction of hydroxide ion with ester, when it seems likely that the products are the carboxylic acid and the alkoxide ion, which, however, are transformed in accordance with the relative acidities of carboxylic acids and alcohols into the isolated products of carboxylate salt and alcohol. 

After identifying the optimal etherification conditions, our attention turned to isolation of 18 in diastereomerically pure form. Diastereomers 18 and 19 were not crystalline, but, fortunately, the corresponding carboxylic acid 71 was crystalline. Saponification of the crude etherification reaction mixture of 18 and 19 with NaOH in MeOH resulted in the quantitative formation of carboxylic acids 71 and 72 (17 1) (Scheme 7.22). Since the etherification reaction only proceeded to 75-80% conversion, there still remained starting alcohol 10. Unfortunately, all attempts to fractionally crystallize the desired diastereomer 71 from the crude mixture proved unfruitful. It was reasoned that crystallization and purification of 71 would be possible via an appropriate salt. A screen of a variety of amines was then undertaken. During the screening process it was discovered that when NEt3 was added... 

Acyl cations are now well-established chemical species. They can be prepared in quantity in solution, and several have been isolated as their crystalline salts. Recent papers have described their formation from carboxylic acids and esters under strongly acidic conditions81214, but they are most conveniently available from the reactions of acyl halides with L.ewis acids21 well-defined Lewis acid-base complexes are formed, which decompose in a second stage to the acyl cations21-23, viz. 

Meszaros, Hermecz et al. transformed the quaternary 6,7.8,9-tetrahydro-pyrido[1.2-u]pyrimidinium salts (204) with acid to the carboxylic acids (205 R1 = H)257 and with sodium hydrogen carbonate solution to the l,6,7,8-tetrahydropyrido[l,2- ]pyrimidines (205 R = alkyl).7x2 8 From the alkaline hydrolysis reaction mixture, compounds 206 and 207 were also isolated.133 The quaternary salt (204 R = Me) was transformed with hydrazine hydrate to 6-methylpiperidone and with ammonia to 6-methyl-4-oxo-6.7,8,9-tetrahydro-4//-pyrido[1.2- ]pyrimidine-3-carboxamide and its A-methyl derivative.133... 

Working up of the reaction mixture varies according to the nature of the reduction product. If the product is volatile with steam, the reaction mixture is made alkaline and the product separated hy steam distillation. In other cases, the reaction mixture is filtered with suction after having been made alkahne. Then water or alkali soluble amino compounds, especially sulfom c and carboxylic acids, are found in the filtrate, from which they may be isolated by acidifying, salting out, or evaporation. Alkali insoluble bases remain in the iron sludge and must be separated from it by extraction with a suitable organic solvent. Frequently the reduction mixture, after removal of the iron, can be used directly in the next step without isolation of the reduction product. 

The pyrolytic decomposition of the sodium salts of various fluorinated carboxylic acids to give isomeric unsaturated compounds has also been reported. The products were identified as alkenes with the C = C bond inside the carbon chain, mainly alk-2-enes. This isomerization may be catalyzed by the coal-like products formed during the pyrolytic decarboxylation of the salts, but the metal fluoride formed in the reaction may also be responsible for the isomerization. When potassium perfluoro(5-chloropentanoate) is heated in a rocking autoclave at 300 C for 2 hours, perfluorobut-2-ene (2b) is isolated in 82% yield.This is only possible by migration of the double bond away from the terminal position after carbon dioxide elimination and halogen exchange to form potassium chloride. ... 

An acyl transfer agent which can be used for the synthesis of acid anhydrides is obtained from the reaction of an acid chloride with 4-benzylpyridine (equation 24). In this way benzoic acid anhydride and cinnamic acid anhydride were obtained in 72% and 57% yields, respectively. As the intermediate, 1-acyl-4-benzylidene-l,4-dihydropyridines, can be isolated, Ais procedure should be well suited for the preparation of mixed anhydrides. Mixed aromatic and aliphatic anhydrides can be prepared with 2-ben-zoylthio-l-methylpyridinium chloride and salts of carboxylic acids. These reactions are carried out in aqueous solution. Iliey make use of the high reactivity of esters of thiocarboxylic esters towards nucleophiles. The mixed anhydrides of benzoic acid with 3-phenylpropanoic acid, phenoxyacetic acid, isobu-tyric acid, p-toluic acid and cinnamic acid were formed in 82, 79,61,91 and 66% yields, respectively. 

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