Carboxylic acids, reduction with aluminum borohydride

Reduction of aromatic carboxylic acids to alcohols can be achieved by hydrides and complex hydrides, e.g. lithium aluminum hydride 968], sodium aluminum hydride [55] and sodium bis 2-methoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride [544, 969, 970], and with borane (diborane) [976] prepared from sodium borohydride and boron trifluoride etherate [971, 977] or aluminum chloride [755, 975] in diglyme. Sodium borohydride alone does not reduce free carboxylic acids. Anthranilic acid was reduced to the corresponding alcohol by electroreduction in sulfuric acid at 20-30° in 69-78% yield [979],... 

Hydroxymethylpyrazines may be prepared by reduction of carboxylic acid derivatives. Thus reduction of 2-amino-3-methoxycarbonylpyrazine with lithium aluminum hydride in tetrahydrofuran gave 2-amino-3-hydroxymethylpyrazine (1074, 1075) the imide from 23-dicarboxypyrazine (20) with sodium borohydride in tetrahydrofuran gave 2-carbamoyl-3-hydroxymethylpyrazine (21), and the methylcarbamoyl analogue was prepared similarly (1076). 

Dihydro-1,4-benzothiazines are generally more reactive, and direct N-alkylation has been reported, but this reaction is not always straightforward.21 Funke et al. could not alkylate 2-phenyldihydro-l,4-benzothiazine with co-chloramines, even under forcing conditions.90 However, later work showed that this reaction was possible in toluene solution,37 and other workers have also reported direct alkylations.143 The l,4-benzothiazin-3-ones are, however, more easily alkylated, and reduction of the N-alkyl derivatives of these compounds, usually with lithium aluminum hydride, affords the corresponding N-alkyldihydro-1,4-benzothiazines.52,56 70 90,154 These products can also be prepared in one step from the corresponding 1,4-benzothiazines, e.g., Ill - 112, presumably via intermediate dihydro-1,4-benzothiazines, by sodium borohydride in the presence of a carboxylic acid. Boron derivatives, such as Na[(RCOO)3BH] and Na[(RCOO)4B] are suggested as the species responsible for N—C bond formation.155... 

The 14,15-double bond present in tabersonine was introduced into the /3-ethyl isomer of lactam 491 by treatment with LDA-diphenyl disulfide followed by oxidation and elimination to give the a,fl-unsaturated lactam 492. Murphy s law operated at this point, for upon lithium aluminum hydride reduction, 492 gave only a 5% yield of the amino alcohol 493. An alternative procedure was therefore developed. Hydrolysis gave a carboxylic acid, and treatment with ethyl chloroformate and triethylamine followed by sodium borohydride in aqueous THF gave a lactam alcohol 494, which after silylation was reduced with lithium aluminum hydride to amino alcohol 493 in 58% overall yield from 492. Mesylation and elimination of HC1 in refluxing chloroform gave the unsaturated mesylate salt 482. The same salt was prepared previously by Ziegler and Bennett... 

Reduction of the intermediate generated from a carboxylic acid and DMFCl provides aldehydes with Lithium Tri-tert-butoxy-aluminum Hydride, and alcohols with Sodium Borohydride both in high yield and chemoselectivity. 

Amides such as A/ AT-dimethylcyclohexanecarboxamide (23 see Chapter 20, Section 20.7) are also carboxylic acid derivatives. Sodium borohydride does not reduce an amide. Lithium aluminum hydride reacts with 23, but the product is an amine rather than an alcohol—specifically, l-(iV, Ar-dimeth-ylaminomethyl)cyclohexane, 24. Amine 24 is isolated in 88% yield. Although the mechanism will not be discussed here in a formal manner, delivery of hydride to the acyl carbon of the C=0 is followed by formation of an imine (C=N) that is further reduced to the amine. Nitriles such as octanenitrile (25) also react with LiAlH4 in one experiment, reduction of 25 gave amine 26 (1-aminopentane) in 92% isolated yield. This reduction also proceeds by delivery of hydride to the carbon of the nitrile, generating an imine that is further reduced to the amine. In general, NaBH4 does not reduce amides or nitriles. 

Hydride reagents (lithium aluminum hydride, LiAlHt, and sodium borohy-dride, NaBHt) are a source of the nucleophilic hydride species Hr. Reaction of hydride with a suitable carbon electrophile results in a reduction of that carbon (by increasing the number of C-H bonds). Reactions of carbonyl compounds with lithium aluminum hydride (LAH) generally give an alcohol product (after workup), with the exception of amides, which give amine products. Sodium borohydride is less reactive than LAH. It does not react with esters, amides, or carboxylic acids, so it is described as being selective for aldehydes and ketones. Sodium borohydride also fails to reduce nitroalkanes or alkyl halides, so LAH must be used in those reactions. 

Reduction of amides is an important preparative method for the synthesis of primary amines. Reducing agents used for this purpose include lithium aluminum hydride, sodium borohydride, triphenyl-phosphine (Staudinger reduction), and thiols. In the present case it is important to consider the compatibility of the reduction system with the carboxylic and methanesulfonic acid functions. Platinum and palladium arc often used for catalytic reduction. 

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