Cleavage of alcohols

The hydrogenolyaia of cyclopropane rings (C—C bond cleavage) has been described on p, 105. In syntheses of complex molecules reductive cleavage of alcohols, epoxides, and enol ethers of 5-keto esters are the most important examples, and some selectivity rules will be given. Primary alcohols are converted into tosylates much faster than secondary alcohols. The tosylate group is substituted by hydrogen upon treatment with LiAlH (W. Zorbach, 1961). Epoxides are also easily opened by LiAlH. The hydride ion attacks the less hindered carbon atom of the epoxide (H.B. Henhest, 1956). The reduction of sterically hindered enol ethers of 9-keto esters with lithium in ammonia leads to the a,/S-unsaturated ester and subsequently to the saturated ester in reasonable yields (R.M. Coates, 1970). Tributyltin hydride reduces halides to hydrocarbons stereoselectively in a free-radical chain reaction (L.W. Menapace, 1964) and reacts only slowly with C 0 and C—C double bonds (W.T. Brady, 1970 H.G. Kuivila, 1968). 

For a review of metal ion-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of alcohols, see Trahanovsky, W.S. Methods Free-Radical Chem. 1973, 4, 133. For a review of the oxidation of aldehydes and ketones, see Verter, H.S. in Zabicky The Chemistry of the Carbonyl Group, pt. 2 Wiley NY, 1970, p. 71. 

Ganter has developed three different approaches to tricyclo[5.2.1.0 ]decane (403), yet another of the nineteen isomeric hydrocarbons of adamantaneland As seen in Scheme XXXIII, the routes involve intramolecular cyclization of keto tosylate 399 followed by Wolff-Kishner reduction of the resulting ketone, thermo-cyclization of 400 and subsequent dechlorination, hydrogenation, and photocycli-zation of aldehydes 401. Majerski s approach involved hypoiodite cleavage of alcohol 402... 

A traditional linker for cleavage of alcohols is the trityl linker. 

The authors noticed no C-H/C-D isotope effect for the reaction of 13 with methanol and ferf-butanol, but saw a KIE k Jk = 1.4) for the O-H/O-D bond, suggesting that the stronger O-H bond is activated preferentially over the weaker C-H bonds (Pig. 12). In addition, the authors observed the formation of acetone upon the oxidation of tert-butanol. Upon comparison of rate constants (which have been normalized to account for the amount of hydrogens available for abstraction), tert-butanol reacts 50 times faster than cyclohexane. The authors propose a proton-coupled electron transfer event is responsible for the observed selectivity this complex represents a rare case in which O-H bonds may be homolyzed preferentially to C—H bonds. In further study, 13 was shown to oxidize water to the hydroxyl radical by PCET [95]. Under pseudo-first-order conditions, conversion of 13 to its one-electron reduced state was found to have a second-order dependence on the concentration of water, in stark contrast to the first-order dependence observed for aUphatic hydrocarbons and alcohols. Based on the theimoneutral oxidation of water (2.13 V v. NHE in MeCN under neutral conditions [96]) by 13 (2.14 V V. NHE in MeCN under neutral conditions) and the rate dependence, the authors propose a proton-coupled electron transfer event in which water serves as a base. While the mechanism for O-H bond cleavage of alcohols and water is not well understood in these instances, the capacity to cleave a stronger O-H bond in the presence of much weaker C-H bonds is a tremendous advance in metal-oxo chemistry and represents an exciting avenue for chemoselective substrate activation. 

P = P(i-prop)3, S = solvent Scheme 20 Cleavage of alcohols by Rh catalysts... 

In the presence of strong oxidizing agents at elevated temperatures oxidation of tertiary alcohols leads to cleavage of the various carbon-carbon bonds at the hydroxyl bearing carbon atom and a complex mixture of products results... 

The most intense peaks in the mass spectrum of an alcohol correspond to the ton formed according to carbon-carbon cleavage of the type shown ... 

The cleavage of ethers is normally earned out under conditions (excess hydrogen halide heat) that convert the alcohol formed as one of the original products to an alkyl halide Thus the reaction typically leads to two alkyl halide molecules... 

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is surprisingly resistant to hydrogenolysis under vigorous conditions, however, cleavage of the ring or side chain occurs (126,127). 

Resorcinol or hydroquinone production from m- or -diisopropylben2ene [100-18-5] is realized in two steps, air oxidation and cleavage, as shown above. Air oxidation to obtain the dihydroperoxide (DHP) coproduces the corresponding hydroxyhydroperoxide (HHP) and dicarbinol (DC). This formation of alcohols is inherent to the autooxidation process itself and the amounts increase as DIPB conversion increases. Generally, this oxidation is carried out at 90—100°C in aqueous sodium hydroxide with eventually, in addition, organic bases (pyridine, imidazole, citrate, or oxalate) (8) as well as cobalt or copper salts (9). 

In the presence of base, di-Z f/-alkyl peroxides are stable, however primary and secondary diaLkyl peroxides undergo oxygen—oxygen bond cleavage, forming alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones (44,66) ... 

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