Catalysis 2 promoted epoxidation

Because carbocation character develops at the transition state, substitution is favored at the carbon that can better support a developing positive charge. Thus, in contrast to the reaction of epoxides with relatively basic nucleophiles, in which SN2-like attack is faster at the less crowded carbon of the three-membered ring, acid catalysis promotes substitution at the position that bears the greater number of alkyl groups ... 

When halogen atoms are present in the epoxide such as in epichlorohydrin, 3,3,3-trichloropropylene oxide (TCPO) or 4,4,4-trichloro-l,2-butylene oxide (TCBO), or in the initiator, acid catalysts, e.g. boron trifluor-ide etherate, may be used (13-18). Vogt cind Davis (16) found that, if the concentration of catalyst/ini-tiator (polyol) complex is decreased with respect to TCPO in order to obtain higher molecular weight products, side reactions such as cyclization reactions become increasingly important. Boron trifluoride also promotes dimerization of alkylene oxides to dioxane or alkyl derivatives of dioxane as described by Fife and Roberts ( ). The use of acid catalysts, e.g. Lewis acids, promotes formation of a greater amount of terminal primary alcohol groups when compared to base catalysis of epoxides. 

Reaction conditions depend on the reactants and usually involve acid or base catalysis. Examples of X include sulfate, acid sulfate, alkane- or arenesulfonate, chloride, bromide, hydroxyl, alkoxide, perchlorate, etc. RX can also be an alkyl orthoformate or alkyl carboxylate. The reaction of cycHc alkylating agents, eg, epoxides and a2iridines, with sodium or potassium salts of alkyl hydroperoxides also promotes formation of dialkyl peroxides (44,66). Olefinic alkylating agents include acycHc and cycHc olefinic hydrocarbons, vinyl and isopropenyl ethers, enamines, A[-vinylamides, vinyl sulfonates, divinyl sulfone, and a, P-unsaturated compounds, eg, methyl acrylate, mesityl oxide, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile (44,66). 

Ca.ta.lysts, A small amount of quinoline promotes the formation of rigid foams (qv) from diols and unsaturated dicarboxyhc acids (100). Acrolein and methacrolein 1,4-addition polymerisation is catalysed by lithium complexes of quinoline (101). Organic bases, including quinoline, promote the dehydrogenation of unbranched alkanes to unbranched alkenes using platinum on sodium mordenite (102). The peracetic acid epoxidation of a wide range of alkenes is catalysed by 8-hydroxyquinoline (103). Hydroformylation catalysts have been improved using 2-quinolone [59-31-4] (104) (see Catalysis). 

Annual Volume 71 contains 30 checked and edited experimental procedures that illustrate important new synthetic methods or describe the preparation of particularly useful chemicals. This compilation begins with procedures exemplifying three important methods for preparing enantiomerically pure substances by asymmetric catalysis. The preparation of (R)-(-)-METHYL 3-HYDROXYBUTANOATE details the convenient preparation of a BINAP-ruthenium catalyst that is broadly useful for the asymmetric reduction of p-ketoesters. Catalysis of the carbonyl ene reaction by a chiral Lewis acid, in this case a binapthol-derived titanium catalyst, is illustrated in the preparation of METHYL (2R)-2-HYDROXY-4-PHENYL-4-PENTENOATE. The enantiomerically pure diamines, (1 R,2R)-(+)- AND (1S,2S)-(-)-1,2-DIPHENYL-1,2-ETHYLENEDIAMINE, are useful for a variety of asymmetric transformations hydrogenations, Michael additions, osmylations, epoxidations, allylations, aldol condensations and Diels-Alder reactions. Promotion of the Diels-Alder reaction with a diaminoalane derived from the (S,S)-diamine is demonstrated in the synthesis of (1S,endo)-3-(BICYCLO[2.2.1]HEPT-5-EN-2-YLCARBONYL)-2-OXAZOLIDINONE. 

As in the hydroformylation of olefins, isomerization (of excess epoxide) occurs, producing ketones (23). Since the catalysis by dicobalt octacarbonyl is promoted by methanol, which is known to cause disproportionation,... 

Catalysis by acids, which is only rarely effective for aliphatic amines but better suited to the less basic aromatic amines [334], can promote nucleophilic attack at the most strongly polarized C-0 bond of the epoxide (Scheme 4.75) [333, 334, 339]. Vinyl epoxides react with amines in the presence of Pd(0) under mild conditions to yield allylamines [340], If such reactions are performed in the presence of an enantiomerically pure ligand, racemic vinyl epoxides can be converted into enantiomerically enriched products of nucleophilic ring opening (last example, Scheme 4.75). 

In the presence of the immobilized (2S,4S)-4-hydroxyproline Mo catalyst (13b), nerol and geraniol react selectively with r-BuOOH to form the 2,3-epoxide with ee values of 64 and 47%, respectively. Surprisingly, when Mo is complexed by the diastereomeric (2S,4R) form (13a), racemic epoxidation is observed. The enantioselective catalysis appears to be promoted by immobilization in the zeolite USY pores. Indeed, in the epoxidation of nerol, an ee of 10% was found for the homogeneous asymmetric Mo complex, whereas the supported catalyst favors the selective production of the (2S,3R)-epoxide (64% ee). 

Cyclic orthoeslers. The cycloaddition of ketene acetals with epoxides can be effected by catalysis with ZnCl2, which does not promote polymerization. Some useful transformations of the resulting cyclie orthoesters are formulated. Examples ... 

The reaction of an aryl diazonium halide with an aliphatic unsaturated compound to yield an a-halo-P-phenyl alkene and alkanes. The reaction is performed in the presence of cupric ious. The presence of an electron-withdrawing group is useful in promoting the reactivity of the alkene. See Kochi, J.K., The Meerwein reaction. Catalysis by cuprous chloride, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 11, 5090, 1955 Morales, L.A. and Eberlin, M.N., The gas-phase Meerwein reaction, Chemistry 6, 897-905, 2000 Riter, L.S., Meurer, E.C., Handberg, E.S. et al, lon/molecule reactions performed in a miniature cylindrical ion trap mass spectrometer. Analyst 128, 1112-1118, 2003 Meurer, E.C., Chen, H., Riter, E.S. et al., Meerwein reaction of phosphonium ions with epoxides and thioepoxides in the gas phase, J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 15, 398 05, 2004 Meurer, E.C. and Eberlin, M.N., The atmospheric pressure Meerwein reaction, J. Mass Spectrom. 41, 470-476, 2006. 

The same differential behavior can be observed with amine nucleophiles. For example, calcium triflate promotes the aminolysis of propene oxide 84 with benzylamine to give 1-(A -benzyl)amino-2-propanol 85, the result of attack at the less substituted site <03T2435>, and which is also seen in the solventless reaction of epoxides with heterocyclic amines under the catalysis of ytterbium(III) triflate <03SC2989>. Conversely, zinc chloride directs the attack of aniline on styrene oxide 34 at the more substituted carbon center <03TL6026>. A ruthenium catalyst in the presence of tin chloride also results in an SNl-type substitution behavior with aniline derivatives (e.g., 88), but further provides for subsequent cyclization of the intermediate amino alcohol, thus representing an interesting synthesis of 2-substituted indoles (e.g., 89) <03TL2975>. 

One important component of practical epoxidation catalysis for which many questions remain open is the role of promoters. Industrially, both Cs and Cl are used as promoters.76 Saravanan et al. used cluster DFT calculations to examine the interactions between adsorbed Cs and oxametallacycles on Ag(lll).77 These calculations suggested that both neutral Cs and Cs+ gave similar outcomes and that the promoter atom made the formation of a surface oxametallacycle less energetically favorable than on the bare Ag surface. More recently, Linic and Barteau used plane wave DFT calculations to probe the effect of adsorbed Cs on the transition states controlling the formation of EO and acetaldehyde from oxametallacycles on Ag(lll).78 The role of Cs was... 

Epoxide isomerization through C-O bond cleavage promoted by Rh(I) and Ir(I) complexes and its application in homogeneous catalysis have been also reported [105]. 

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