Cleavage ketones, decarbonylation

In 1998, Wakatsuki et al. reported the first anti-Markonikov hydration of 1-alkynes to aldehydes by an Ru(II)/phosphine catalyst. Heating 1-alkynes in the presence of a catalytic amount of [RuCljlCgHs) (phosphine)] phosphine = PPh2(QF5) or P(3-C6H4S03Na)3 in 2-propanol at 60-100°C leads to predominantly anti-Markovnikov addition of water and yields aldehydes with only a small amount of methyl ketones (Eq. 6.47) [95]. They proposed the attack of water on an intermediate ruthenium vinylidene complex. The C-C bond cleavage or decarbonylation is expected to occur as a side reaction together with the main reaction leading to aldehyde formation. Indeed, olefins with one carbon atom less were always detected in the reaction mixtures (Scheme 6-21). 

Klemm (16) and Lee and coworkers (17) have examined the effect of various solvents on the photochemistry of cyclobutanone. By monitoring the quantum yields for formation of ethylene (B-cleavage product) and cyclopropane (decarbonylation product) in different solvents, they were able to demonstrate a significant reduction in the quantum yields for product formation in methanol as compared to other hydrocarbon solvents. Whereas the quantum yield of ethylene formation was found to be essentially solvent insensitive, that for cyclopropane formation was found to be somewhat solvent sensitive. This suggested that B-cleavage and decarbonylation do not result from the same immediate precursor. Since ring-expansion derivatives have not been isolated from photolyses carried out in saturated hydrocarbon solvents, the importance of this process under these conditions remains to be determined. Irradiation of cyclobutanone in the presence of 1,3-penta-diene (17,59) or 1,3-cyclohexadiene (16) did not appear to affect the quantum yields for ketone disappearance or product appearance. 

The need for exothermic a-cleavage and decarbonylation is strongly supported by the results in Figure 48.9, where changes in enthalpy for ketones that react in the solid state are shown with heavy arrows. A comparison of the results from 92b and 92c with those obtained from 92d and 92e stresses... 

Ketones in which the double bond is located in the p,y position are likely candidates for a-cleavage because of the stability of the allyl radical that is formed. This is an important process on direct irradiation. Products then arise by recombination of the radicals or by recombination after decarbonylation. 

Irradiation of cyclic ketones having perfluoroalkyl groups causes cleavage of a ring to yield acyclic products [I74 (equation 44) Similarly, perfluonnated ketones undergo decarbonylation when irradiated [775]. Gas-phase photolysis of perfluorodiazoketones, in the presence of a trapping agent, yields fluorinated furan as a major product [176] (equation 45)... 

The photolytic cleavage of cyclic ketones 14 leads to formation of a diradical species, that can undergo analogously the various reactions outlined above. The decarbonylation followed by intramolecular recombination yields a ring-contracted cycloalkane 15 ... 

As it pertains to the solid state photodecarbonylation reaction, the model assumes that most aliphatic ketones have similar excitation energies, that reactions are more likely along the longer-lived triplet excited state, and that each reaction step must be thermoneutral or exothermic to be viable in the solid state. " Using acetone and its decarbonylation intermediates as a reference reaction (dashed lines in Fig. 7.24), we can analyze the energetic requirements to predict the effects of substituents on the stability of the radical intermediates. The a-cleavage reaction of triplet acetone generates an acetyl-methyl radical pair in a process that is 3.5 kcal/mol endothermic and the further loss of CO from acetyl radical is endothermic by 11.0... 

As can be seen from Figure 3, the ratio of the isopropyl ether to isobutyrate is about 1 1. It is clear that after a-cleavage of the ketone the two radicals primarily formed are captured directly by nitroxide. This takes place without decarbonylation of the acyl radical (reaction (7)) ... 

Five- or six-membered saturated cyclic ketones can also react by another pathway that does not involve decarbonylation. In these reactions, the biradical initially formed by a-cleavage undergoes internal disproportionation without loss of carbon monoxide, resulting in the formation of either an unsaturated aldehyde or a ketene. Methanol is usually added to convert the reactive ketene to a stable carboxylic-acid derivative (Scheme 9.2). 

Norrish type reactions. Type I reaction involves a-cleavage giving rise to an acyl and an alkyl radical. It is generally observed in aliphatic ketones in the vapour state and at high temperatures. The acyl radical is essentially decarbonylated at high temperatures. 

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