Carboxylic acyl chlorides

In synthetic target molecules esters, lactones, amides, and lactams are the most common carboxylic acid derivatives. In order to synthesize them from carboxylic acids one has generally to produce an activated acid derivative, and an enormous variety of activating reagents is known, mostly developed for peptide syntheses (M. Bodanszky, 1976). In actual syntheses of complex esters and amides, however, only a small selection of these remedies is used, and we shall mention only generally applicable methods. The classic means of activating carboxyl groups arc the acyl azide method of Curtius and the acyl chloride method of Emil Fischer. 

Many compounds contain more than one functional group Prostaglandin Ei a hormone that regulates the relaxation of smooth muscles con tains two different kinds of carbonyl groups Classify each one (aldehyde ketone carboxylic acid ester amide acyl chloride or acid anhydride) Identify the most acidic proton in prostaglandin Ei and use Table 1 7 to estimate its pK ... 

Acyl chlorides are readily available They are prepared from carboxylic acids by reaction with thionyl chloride... 

Carboxylic acid anhydrides react similarly to acyl chlorides... 

The acyl group of the carboxylic acid acyl chloride or acid anhydride is trans ferred to the oxygen of the alcohol This fact is most clearly evident m the esterification of chiral alcohols where because none of the bonds to the chirality center is broken m the process retention of configuration is observed... 

The reaction of alcohols with acyl chlorides is analogous to their reaction with p toluenesulfonyl chloride described earlier (Section 8 14 and Table 15 2) In those reactions a p toluene sulfonate ester was formed by displacement of chloride from the sulfonyl group by the oxygen of the alcohol Carboxylic esters arise by displacement of chlonde from a carbonyl group by the alcohol oxygen... 

Friedel-Crafts acylation of aromatic compounds (Section 12 7) Acyl chlorides and carboxylic acid anhydrides acylate aromatic rings in the presence of alumi num chloride The reaction is electrophil ic aromatic substitution in which acylium ions are generated and attack the ring... 

The chemistry of the carbonyl group is probably the single most important aspect of organic chemical reactivity Classes of compounds that contain the carbonyl group include many derived from carboxylic acids (acyl chlorides acid anhydrides esters and amides) as well as the two related classes discussed m this chapter aldehydes and ketones... 

The chemistry of carboxylic acids is the central theme of this chapter The impor tance of carboxylic acids is magnified when we realize that they are the parent com pounds of a large group of derivatives that includes acyl chlorides acid anhydrides esters and amides Those classes of compounds will be discussed m Chapter 20 Together this chapter and the next tell the story of some of the most fundamental struc tural types and functional group transformations m organic and biological chemistry... 

The most apparent chemical property of carboxylic acids their acidity has already been examined m earlier sections of this chapter Three reactions of carboxylic acids—con version to acyl chlorides reduction and esterification—have been encountered m pre vious chapters and are reviewed m Table 19 5 Acid catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids IS one of the fundamental reactions of organic chemistry and this portion of the chapter begins with an examination of the mechanism by which it occurs Later m Sec tions 19 16 and 19 17 two new reactions of carboxylic acids that are of synthetic value will be described... 

The negatively charged oxygen substituent is a powerful electron donor to the carbonyl group Resonance m carboxylate anions is more effective than resonance m carboxylic acids acyl chlorides anhydrides thioesters esters and amides... 

Conversion of Acyl Chlorides to Other Carboxylic Acid Derivatives... 

Acyl chlorides react with carboxylic acids to yield acid anhydrides When this reaction is used for preparative purposes a weak organic base such as pyridine is normally added Pyridine is a catalyst for the reaction and also acts as a base to neutralize the hydrogen chloride that is formed... 

Hydrolysis (Section 20 4) Acyl chlorides react with water to yield carboxylic acids In base the acid is converted to its carbox ylate salt The reaction has little prepara tive value because the acyl chloride is nearly always prepared from the carboxyl ic acid rather than vice versa... 

The customary method for the laboratory synthesis of acid anhydrides is the reac tion of acyl chlorides with carboxylic acids (Table 20 1)... 

Conversions of acid anhydrides to other carboxylic acid derivatives are illustrated m Table 20 2 Because a more highly stabilized carbonyl group must result m order for nucleophilic acyl substitution to be effective acid anhydrides are readily converted to carboxylic acids esters and amides but not to acyl chlorides... 

This chapter concerns the preparation and reactions of acyl chlorides acid anhydrides thioesters esters amides and nitriles These com pounds are generally classified as carboxylic acid derivatives and their nomenclature is based on that of carboxylic acids... 

Amines are convert ed to amides on reaction with acyl chlorides Other acylating agents such as carboxylic acid anhydrides and esters may also be used but are less reactive... 

Fnedel-Crafts acylation In the presence of alumi num chloride acyl chlorides and carboxylic acid an hydrides acylate the aromatic ring of phenols... 

Acylatmg agents such as acyl chlorides and carboxylic acid anhydrides can react with phenols either at the aromatic ring (C acylation) or at the hydroxyl oxygen (O acylation)... 

The alcohol groups of carbohydrates undergo chemical reactions typical of hydroxyl functions They are converted to esters by reaction with acyl chlorides and carboxylic acid anhydrides... 

To form a peptide bond between two suitably protected ammo acids the free carboxyl group of one of them must be activated so that it is a reactive acylatmg agent The most familiar acylatmg agents are acyl chlorides and they were once extensively used to couple ammo acids Certain drawbacks to this approach however led chemists to seek alternative methods... 

Friedel-Crafts acylation (Section 12 7) An electrophilic aro matic substitution in which an aromatic compound reacts with an acyl chloride or a carboxylic acid anhydride in the presence of aluminum chlonde An acyl group becomes bonded to the nng... 

Acylation. A/-Acylation and related reactions ate brought about in straightforward ways with acyl chloride or acid anhydride, although the proximity of the carboxyl group may produce other reactions, eg, oxa2olinone formation, under some conditions. 

There are large differences in reactivity among the various carboxylic acid derivatives, such as amides, esters, and acyl chlorides. One important factor is the resonance stabilization provided by the heteroatom. This decreases in the order N > O > Cl. Electron donation reduces the electrophilicity of the carbonyl group, and the corresponding stabilization is lost in the tetrahedral intermediate. 

The most common O- and N-acylation procedures use acylating agents that are more reactive than caiboxylic acids or their esters. Carboxylic acid chlorides and anhydrides react rapidly with most unhindered hydroxy and amino groups to give esters and amides, respectively ... 

During electrochemical fluorination retention of important functional groups or atoms in molecules is essential. Acyl fluorides and chlorides, but not carboxylic acids and anhydrides (which decarboxylate), survive perfluorination to the perfluorinated acid fluorides, albeit with some cyclization in longer chain (>C4) species [73]. Electrochemical fluorination of acetyl fluoride produces perfluoro-acetyl fluoride in 36-45% yields [85]. Electrochemical fluorination of octanoyl chloride results in perfluorinated cyclic ethers as well as perfluorinated octanoyl fluonde. Cyclization decreases as initial substrate concentration increases and has been linked to hydrogen-bonded onium polycations [73]. Cyclization is a common phenomenon involving longer (>C4) and branched chains. a-Alkyl-substituted carboxylic acid chlorides, fluorides, and methyl esters produce both the perfluorinated cyclic five- and six-membered ring ethers as well as the perfluorinated acid... 

Theperfluoroorganozmc compounds have limited application in organic syn thesis because of their lack of reactivity However, heptafluoro I methylethylzinc iodide reacts with acyl fluorides or anhydrides of carboxylic acids in the presence of pyndine to give the corresponding ketones [7S] (equations 28 and 29) In the presence of zinc fluoride, acyl chlorides can be used as substrates [7d]... 

Carboxylic acid Thionyl Acyl chloride Sulfur Hydrogen... 

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