Carboxylic acids, with alcohols catalyzed

As noted in the preceding section, one of the most general methods of synthesis of esters is by reaction of alcohols with an acyl chloride or other activated carboxylic acid derivative. Section 3.2.5 dealt with two other important methods, namely, reactions with diazoalkanes and reactions of carboxylate salts with alkyl halides or sulfonate esters. There is also the acid-catalyzed reaction of carboxylic acids with alcohols, which is called the Fischer esterification. 

Th effect of pH on the rate of hydrogenation of water-soluble unsaturated carboxylic acids and alcohols catalyzed by rhodium complexes with PNS [24], PTA [29], or MePTA r [32] phosphine ligands can be similarly explained by the formation of monohydride complexes, [RhHPJ, facilitated with increasing basicity ofthe solvent. 

Taft based his steric effect constants on the assumption that rates of esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols and of acid catalyzed hydrolysis of carboxylate... 

The Lewis or Bnynstedt acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols to give esters is a typical reaction in which the products and reactants are in equilibrium. 

The O-alkylation of carboxylates is a useful alternative to the acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols. Carboxylates are weak, hard nucleophiles which are alkylated quickly by carbocations and by highly reactive, carbocation-like electrophiles (e.g. trityl or some benzhydryl halides). Suitable procedures include treatment of carboxylic acids with alcohols under the conditions of the Mitsunobu reaction [122], or with diazoalkanes. With soft electrophiles, such as alkyl iodides, alkylation of carboxylic acid salts proceeds more slowly, but in polar aprotic solvents, such as DMF, or with non-coordinating cations acceptable rates can still be achieved. Alkylating agents with a high tendency to O-alkylate carboxylates include a-halo ketones [42], dimethyl sulfate [100,123], and benzyl halides (Scheme 6.31). 

The Aac2 mechanism (Figure 6.22) of ester hydrolysis represents an SN reaction at the carboxyl carbon, which follows the general mechanism of Figure 6.5. Acid-catalyzed hydrolyses of carboxyhc esters that are derived from primary or from secondary alcohols take place according to the Aac2 mechanism. The reverse reactions of these hydrolyses follow the same mechanism, namely, the acid-catalyzed esterifications of carboxylic acids with alcohols. In the esterifications, the same intermediates are formed as during hydrolysis, but in the opposite order. 

To obtain rate equations for the esterification reactions (1) and (2), a detailed knowledge of the underlying mechanisms is necessary. For the acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols, the mechanism was proposed (Figure 5.2). 

Figure 5.2. Acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols.

Fig. 15.3 Physical significance of (5,G) parameters for the transition states in reactions (a) acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters and esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols XCOOH + ROH (b) nucleophilic bimolecular substitution, 8 2...

Esterification. Add-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acid with alcohol produces water as a coproduct. However, a greener method of esterification of carboxylic acid is via the addition of olefin, which does not produce any co-products and therefore, displays 100% atom efficiency. Proton-exchanged montmorillonite (H+-mont) can be used as a catalyst for addition reactions of carboxylic acids to alkenes (Fig. 7) (38)a). For example, the reaction of benzoic acid with norbomene in the presence of the H+-mont catalyst gave 2-benzoyloxynorbomane. Even with less-reactive simple alkenes, such as cyclopentene and cyclohexene, the corresponding esters were obtained in excellent yields. 

Anhydrides react with water to generate carboxylic acids, with alcohols to give esters, and with amines to form amides. Esters behave similarly. There are both acid-catalyzed and base-induced reactions of esters with water (ester hydrolysis) to give carboxylic acids. There are both acid- and base-catalyzed versions of the reaction of esters with alcohols (transesterification) that generate new esters. Esters also react with amines to form amides. 

Acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acid with alcohol (20.11)... 

Silylation of alcohols, amines and carboxylic acids with hydrosilanes is catalyzed by Pd catalysts[l 19], Based on this reaction, silyl protection of alcohols, amines, and carboxylic acids can be carried out with /-butyldimethylsilane using Pd on carbon as a catalyst. This method is simpler and more convenient than the silylation with /-butyldimethylsilyl chloride, which is used commonly for the protection. Protection of P-hydroxymethyl-(3-lactam (125) is an example 120]. 

Esters can also be synthesized by an acid-catalyzed nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol, a process called the Fischer esterification reaction. Unfortunately, the need to use an excess of a liquid alcohol as solvent effectively limits the method to the synthesis of methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl esters. 

Fischer esterification reaction (Section 21.3) The acid-catalyzed nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol to yield an ester. 

Caglioti et al.201 suggested a mechanism for the action of hexachlorocydotriphos-photriazene in the polyesterification of carboxylic acids with phenols. Higashi291 catalyzed the reaction of various aromatic acids and alcohols by poly(ethyl phosphate). Both Caglioti201 and Higashi291 studied the influence of tertiary amines on the reactivity. 

OXIDATION OF PRIMARY ALCOHOLS TO CARBOXYLIC ACIDS WITH SODIUM CHLORITE CATALYZED BY TEMPO AND BLEACH 4-METHOXYPHENYLACETIC ACID... 

Such esterifications and acetal formations are achieved through enzyme catalyses. However, such reactions are relatively rare in aqueous conditions chemically. This is because the reversed reactions, hydrolysis, are much more favorable entropically. Kobayashi and co-workers found that the same surfactant (DBSA) that can catalyze the ether formation in water (5.2 above) can also catalyze the esterification and acetal formations reactions in water.52 Thus, various alkanecarboxylic acids can be converted to the esters with alcohols under the DBSA-catalyzed conditions in water (Eq. 5.6). Carboxylic acid with a longer alkyl chain afforded the corresponding ester better than one with a shorter chain at equilibrium. Selective esterification between two carboxylic acids with different alkyl chain lengths is therefore possible. 

Because of the special structural requirements of the resin-bound substrate, this type of cleavage reaction lacks general applicability. Some of the few examples that have been reported are listed in Table 3.19. Lactones have also been obtained by acid-catalyzed lactonization of resin-bound 4-hydroxy or 3-oxiranyl carboxylic acids [399]. Treatment of polystyrene-bound cyclic acetals with Jones reagent also leads to the release of lactones into solution (Entry 5, Table 3.19). Resin-bound benzylic aryl or alkyl carbonates have been converted into esters by treatment with acyl halides and Lewis acids (Entry 6, Table 3.19). Similarly, alcohols bound to insoluble supports as benzyl ethers can be cleaved from the support and simultaneously converted into esters by treatment with acyl halides [400]. Esters have also been prepared by treatment of carboxylic acids with an excess of polystyrene-bound triazenes here, diazo-nium salts are released into solution, which serve to O-alkylate the acid (Entry 7, Table 3.19). This strategy can also be used to prepare sulfonates [401]. 

Enzymes are large proteins that act as catalysts for biological reactions. A catalyst, as we saw in Section 12.12, is an agent that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing change. For example, sulfuric acid catalyzes the reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol to yield an ester (Section 23.14). 

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