Carboxylic esters, acylation preparation

This chapter covers not only nuclear and extranuclear quinoxahnecarboxylic acids (and anhydrides) but also the carboxylic esters, acyl halides, carboxamides, carbohydrazides, carbonitriles, carbaldehydes, and (ketonic) acyl derivatives of quinoxaline a few related speceis are also included. To avoid repetition, the interconversions of these quinoxaline derivatives are discussed only at the first opportunity thus the esterification of quinoxalinecarboxylic acids in covered as a reaction of carboxylic acids rather than as a preparative route to carboxylic esters, simply because the section on carboxylic acids precedes that on carboxylic esters. To minimize any confusion, appropriate cross-references have been inserted. 

One route to o-nitrobenzyl ketones is by acylation of carbon nucleophiles by o-nitrophenylacetyl chloride. This reaction has been applied to such nucleophiles as diethyl malonatc[l], methyl acetoacetate[2], Meldrum s acid[3] and enamines[4]. The procedure given below for ethyl indole-2-acetate is a good example of this methodology. Acylation of u-nitrobenzyl anions, as illustrated by the reaction with diethyl oxalate in the classic Reissert procedure for preparing indolc-2-carboxylate esters[5], is another route to o-nitrobenzyl ketones. The o-nitrophenyl enamines generated in the first step of the Leimgruber-Batcho synthesis (see Section 2.1) are also potential substrates for C-acylation[6,7], Deformylation and reduction leads to 2-sub-stituted indoles. 

The reaction between acyl halides and alcohols or phenols is the best general method for the preparation of carboxylic esters. It is believed to proceed by a 8 2 mechanism. As with 10-8, the mechanism can be S l or tetrahedral. Pyridine catalyzes the reaction by the nucleophilic catalysis route (see 10-9). The reaction is of wide scope, and many functional groups do not interfere. A base is frequently added to combine with the HX formed. When aqueous alkali is used, this is called the Schotten-Baumann procedure, but pyridine is also frequently used. Both R and R may be primary, secondary, or tertiary alkyl or aryl. Enolic esters can also be prepared by this method, though C-acylation competes in these cases. In difficult cases, especially with hindered acids or tertiary R, the alkoxide can be used instead of the alcohol. Activated alumina has also been used as a catalyst, for tertiary R. Thallium salts of phenols give very high yields of phenolic esters. Phase-transfer catalysis has been used for hindered phenols. Zinc has been used to couple... 

The scope of this reaction is similar to that of 10-21. Though anhydrides are somewhat less reactive than acyl halides, they are often used to prepare carboxylic esters. Acids, Lewis acids, and bases are often used as catalysts—most often, pyridine. Catalysis by pyridine is of the nucleophilic type (see 10-9). 4-(A,A-Dimethylamino)pyridine is a better catalyst than pyridine and can be used in cases where pyridine fails. " Nonbasic catalysts are cobalt(II) chloride " and TaCls—Si02. " Formic anhydride is not a stable compound but esters of formic acid can be prepared by treating alcohols " or phenols " with acetic-formic anhydride. Cyclic anhydrides give monoesterified dicarboxylic acids, for example,... 

These reactions are most important for the preparation of acyl fluorides. " Acyl chlorides and anhydrides can be converted to acyl fluorides by treatment with polyhydrogen fluoride-pyridine solution" or with liquid HF at — 10°C. Formyl fluoride, which is a stable compound, was prepared by the latter procedure from the mixed anhydride of formic and acetic acids. Acyl fluorides can also be obtained by reaction of acyl chlorides with KF in acetic acid or with DAST. Carboxylic esters and anhydrides can be converted to acyl halides other than fluorides by the inorganic acid halides mentioned in 10-77, as well as with PhsPXa (X = Cl or but this is seldom done. Halide exchange can be carried out in a... 

Despite the many simple methods for preparation of carboxylic esters and thioesters, in some instances, use of 1-acylbenzotriazoles 915 as O and S acylating agents may be advantageous. For example, easy to prepare salicylic acid derivative 941 reacts with cyclopentanol under microwave irradiation to give 92% yield of cyclopentyl salicylate in 10 min <2006JOC3364>. In another example, L-phenylalanine derivative 942 reacts with benzyl mercaptan... 

The most important reactions of carboxylic acids are the conversions to various carboxylic acid derivatives, e.g. acid chlorides, acid anhydrides and esters. Esters are prepared by the reaction of carboxylic acids and alcohols. The reaction is acid catalysed and is known as Fischer esterification (see Section 5.5.5). Acid chlorides are obtained from carboxylic acids by the treatment of thionyl chloride (SOCI2) or oxalyl chloride [(COCl)2], and acid anhydrides are produced from two carboxylic acids. A summary of the conversion of carboxylic acid is presented here. All these conversions involve nucleophilic acyl substitutions (see Section 5.5.5). 

Unfortunately, A-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)aziridine-2-carboxylic acid cannot be used in peptide synthesis, since N-deprotection of the respective peptides with secondary amines leads to oxazoline or dehydroamino acid side products. Similarly, N-(tert-butoxy-carbonyl)aziridine-2-carboxylic acid is inappropriate due to the instability of the aziridine moiety to TFA treatment. Attempts to convert A-tritylaziridine-2-carboxylic acid into homogenous and stable active esters as useful intermediates in peptide synthesis leads to positive results only in the case of the pentafluorophenyl ester. 47 Consequently, this active ester seems to be the method of choice for acylating peptides. The related Abhydroxysuc-cinimide and A-3-hydroxy-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-l,2,3-benzotriazine ester could not be isolated in pure form and have therefore been used as crude products. 47 Access to 2-carbonylazir-idine peptides is also possible by carbodiimide-mediated coupling. Additionally, alkylamides of A-tritylaziridine-2-carboxylic acid are prepared by the azide method,1 5 yet this method fails in peptide coupling steps. 85 ... 

Attempts to synthesize C-terminal peptide aldehydes using other reductive techniques are less successful. 24"29 The reduction of a-amino acid esters with sodium amalgam and lithium aluminum hydride reduction of tosylated a-aminoacyldimethylpyrazoles resulted in poor yields. 26,29 The Rosemond reduction of TV-phthaloyl amino acid chlorides is inconvenient because the aldehyde is sensitive to hydrazine hydrate that is used to remove the phthaloyl group. 27 28 jV -Z-Protected a-aminoacylimidazoles, which are reduced to the corresponding aldehydes using lithium aluminum hydride, are extremely moisture sensitive and readily decomposed. 25 The catalytic reduction of mixed carbonic/carboxylic acid anhydrides, prepared from acylated a-amino acids, leads to poor reproducibility and low yields. 24 The major problems associated with these techniques are overreduction, racemization, and poor yields. 

The mono-esters thus prepared have been used by Bolm et al. for selective synthesis of two-stranded peptidic structures with parallel arrangement of the peptide strands [12]. They also enable easy access to unnatural /i-amino acids in enan-tiomerically pure form. The latter reaction sequence involves conversion of the carboxyl group to an acyl azide and subsequent Curtius degradation [11, 13, 14]. 

The same intermediate was also formed by direct deprotonation of N,N-dimethylthioformamide with LDA, and was used to prepare a-oxo thioami-des by acylation with carboxylic esters [141]. Deprotonation of the formed thioamides laterally takes place on the AT-methyl group and intramolecular addition of the anion to the carbonyl group provides a new entry to /1-thio-lactam rings. 

Lipases are of remarkable practical interest since they have been used in numerous biocatalytic applications, such as kinetic resolution of alcohols and carboxyl esters (both in water and in non-aqueous media) [1], regioselective acylations of poly-hydroxylated compounds, and the preparation of enantiopure amino acids and amides [2, 3]. Moreover, lipases are stable in organic solvents, do not require cofactors, possess broad substrate specificity, and exhibit, in general, a high enantioselectivity. All these features have contributed to make hpases the class of enzyme with the highest number of biocatalytic applications carried out in neat organic solvents. 

C-Acylation. C-Acylation of active methylene compounds is usually conducted under basic conditions. Masamune et al. have developed a new method for conducting this reaction under neutral conditions that is patterned on the enzymic synthesis of fatty acids. The acylating reagent is the imidazolide of a carboxylic acid (1) prepared in situ. The substrate is the neutral magnesium salt of a mono ester or thioester of a malonic acid (2), prepared with magnesium ethoxide. The reaction of 2 with 1 is conducted in THF at 25-35° for 18-24 hours the yield of products (3) is generally >85%. ... 

The reduction of a carboxyl group to an aldehyde group can be effected by a reductive desulfurization of the thiol ester with Raney nickel. The thiol esters are prepared by the reaction of the acyl chloride with an excess of ethyl mercaptan in pyridine or by reaction with lead mercaptide in dry ether. The hydrogenolysis is then carried out by refluxing an ethanol ic solution of the thiol ester with Raney nickel for 6 hours. By this new synthesis, propionaldehyde and benzaldehyde have been prepared in 73% and 62% yields, respectively. ... 

Solid-phase synthesis of substituted pyrazolones 550 from polymer-bound /3-keto esters 549 has been described (Scheme 68) <2001EJ01631>. Trisubstituted pyrazole carboxylic acids were prepared by reaction of polymer-bound arylidene- or alkylidene-/3-oxo esters with phenylhydrazines <1999S1961>. 2-(Pyrazol-l-yl)pyrimi-dine derivatives were prepared by cyclocondensation of ethyl acetoacetate and (6-methyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydropyrimi-din-2-yl)hydrazine with aromatic aldehydes <2004RJC423>. Reactions of acylated diethyl malonates with hydrazine monohydrochloride in ethanol afforded 3,4-disubstituted-pyrazolin-5-ones <2002T3639>. Reactions of hydrazines with A -acetoacetyl derivatives of (45 )-4-benzyloxazolidin-2-one (Evans oxazolidinone) and (2R)-bornane-10,2-sultam (Oppolzer sultam) in very acidic media gave pyrazoles retaining the 3(5)-chiral moiety <1999S157>. 

The most important method for the preparation of aryl ketones is known as Friedel-Crafts acylation. The reaction is of wide scope. Reagents other than acyl halides can be used," including carboxylic acids," anhydrides, and ketenes. Oxalyl chloride has been used to give diaryl 1,2-diketones." Carboxylic esters usually give alkylation as the predominant product (see 11-11)." A-Carbamoyl p-lactams reacted with naphthalene in the presence of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid to give the keto-amide." ... 

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