Clemmensen reductions

While no examples were encountered in the steroid field which utilize this technique, it is well documented in the case of diterpenes. Ferruginol-3-one (79), for example, gives a hexadeuterio product (80) which after back 

This reaction is especially well suited for the reduction of tertiary aldehydes which have no activated a-hydrogens. In this case only two deuteriums are incorporated in place of the carbonyl oxygen. The reduction of 12-methoxypodocarpa-8,ll,13-trien-17-al (82) provides an illustrative example. After back exchange of the aromatic deuteriums, the isotopic purity of the resulting dideuterio reduction product (83) is 92%.  

Deuteration of a Diterpene Carbonyl Compound by Clemmensen Reduction 

After completion of the reaction, the mixture is diluted with water, extracted with ether and the residue from the ether phase purified by chromatography and/or recrystallization. If the substrate contains aromatic protons, the reduction procedure is repeated in protic medium to back exchange deuteriums incorporated into the aromatic ring. 

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Clemmensen reduction Aldehydes and ketones may generally be reduced to the corresponding hydrocarbons by healing with amalgamated zinc and hydrochloric acid. 

Note. Hydrocarbons such as ethyl-benzene can also be prepared by the Clemmensen reduction of the corresponding ketone. This is exemplified by the reduction of methylacetophenone (p. 290)]. 

All the products of Clemmensen reductions contain small amounts of un-saturated hydrocarbons. These can be removed by repeated shaking with 10 per cent, of the volume of concentrated sulphuric acid until the acid is colourless or nearly so each shaking should be of about 5 minutes duration. The hydrocarbon is washed with water, 10 per cent, sodium carbonate solution, water (twice), dried with anhydreus magnesium or calcium sulphate, and finally distilled twice from a Claisen flask with fractionating side arm (or a Widmer flask) over sodium. 

Clemmensen reduction of aldehydes and ketones. Upon reducing aldehydes or ketones with amalgamated zinc and concentrated hydrochloric acid, the main products are the hydrocarbons (>C=0 —> >CHj), but variable quantities of the secondary alcohols (in the case of ketones) and unsaturated substances are also formed. Examples are ... 

The disadvantages associated with the Clemmensen reduction of carbonyl compounds (see 3 above), viz., (a) the production of small amounts of carbinols and unsaturated compounds as by-products, (h) the poor results obtained with many compounds of high molecular weight, (c) the non-appUcability to furan and pyrrole compounds (owing to their sensitivity to acids), and (d) the sensitivity to steric hindrance, are absent in the modified Wolff-Kishner reduction. 

Unsaturated hydrocarbons are present in nearly all products of the Clemmensen reduction of aromatic ketones and must be removed, if the hydrocarbon is requiral pure, by the above process. Secondary alcohols, often produced m small amount are not appreciably steam-volatile. 

The ester and catalj st are usually employed in equimoleciilar amounts. With R =CjHs (phenyl propionate), the products are o- and p-propiophenol with R = CH3 (phenyl acetate), o- and p-hydroxyacetophenone are formed. The nature of the product is influenced by the structure of the ester, by the temperature, the solvent and the amount of aluminium chloride used generally, low reaction temperatures favour the formation of p-hydroxy ketones. It is usually possible to separate the two hydroxy ketones by fractional distillation under diminished pressure through an efficient fractionating column or by steam distillation the ortho compounds, being chelated, are more volatile in steam It may be mentioned that Clemmensen reduction (compare Section IV,6) of the hj droxy ketones affords an excellent route to the substituted phenols. 

The procedure for the Clemmensen reduction is somewhat different from that previously described (Sections III,9, and IV,6) the chief modification of moment is the use of toluene. The concentration of organic material in the aqueous layer is considerably reduced this results in less high b.p. products being formed, thus leading to a better yield of a purer product,... 

Benzilic acid rearrangement Benzoin reaction (condensation) Blanc chloromethylation reaction Bouveault-Blanc reduction Bucherer hydantoin synthesis Bucherer reaction Cannizzaro reaction Claisen aldoi condensation Claisen condensation Claisen-Schmidt reaction. Clemmensen reduction Darzens glycidic ester condensation Diazoamino-aminoazo rearrangement Dieckmann reaction Diels-Alder reaction Doebner reaction Erlenmeyer azlactone synthesis Fischer indole synthesis Fischer-Speior esterification Friedel-Crafts reaction... 

The Clemmensen reduction of 2-acetyl-5-methyl thiazole gives 2-ethyl-5-methyl thiazole (31) (Scheme 37). 

The most commonly used method for reducing an aryl ketone to an alkylbenzene employs a zinc-mercury amalgam m concentrated hydrochloric acid and is called the Clemmensen reduction Zinc is the reducing agent... 

Clemmensen reduction (Section 12 8) Method for reducing the carbonyl group of aldehydes and ketones to a methylene... 

Common catalyst compositions contain oxides or ionic forms of platinum, nickel, copper, cobalt, or palladium which are often present as mixtures of more than one metal. Metal hydrides, such as lithium aluminum hydride [16853-85-3] or sodium borohydride [16940-66-2] can also be used to reduce aldehydes. Depending on additional functionahties that may be present in the aldehyde molecule, specialized reducing reagents such as trimethoxyalurninum hydride or alkylboranes (less reactive and more selective) may be used. Other less industrially significant reduction procedures such as the Clemmensen reduction or the modified Wolff-Kishner reduction exist as well. 

Naphthylacetic acid derivatives, showiag antiinflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities ate prepared by Ftiedel-Crafts acylation of methyl 1-naphthyl acetate at the 4 position with (CH2)2CHCOCl followed by Clemmensen reduction (97). 

Guaiacols. Cresote, obtained from the pyrolysis of beechwood, and its active principles guaiacol [90-05-1] (1) and cresol [93-51-6] (2) have long been used ia expectorant mixtures. The compounds are usually classed as direct-acting or stimulant expectorants, but their mechanisms of action have not been well studied. Cresol is obtained by the Clemmensen reduction of vanillin (3), whereas guaiacol can be prepared by a number of methods including the mercuric oxide oxidation of lignin (qv) (4), the ziac chloride reduction of acetovanillone (5), and the diazotization and hydrolysis of o-anisidine (6). 

Tusek has reported the Clemmensen reduction of acylated crowns such as shown above. This approach constitutes a useful two-step alkylation procedure, although the yields reported for this sequence are not as high as one might wish. Other examples of closely related acylation approaches can be found in recent work by Tashmukhamedova and coworkers ° ° and by Kauer °. 

The exchange of aromatic protons can be effected in the absence of any -OH or —NH2 activating group during the course of a Clemmensen reduction in deuteriochloric and deuterioacetic acid mixture (see section Ill-D). This reaction has been carried out with various tricyclic diterpenes and is best illustrated by the conversion of dehydroabietic acid into its 12,14-d2-labeled analog (40 -+ 41).Amalgamated zinc is reportedly necessary for the exchange reaction since the results are less satisfactory when a zinc chloride-mercuric chloride mixture is used. 

Three different methods have been discussed previously (sections III-C,III-D and IV-A) for the replacement of a carbonyl oxygen by two deuteriums. However, in the conversion of a 3-keto steroid into the corresponding 3,3-d2 labeled analog, two of the three methods, electrochemical reduction (section ni-C) and Raney nickel desulfurization of mercaptal derivatives (section IV-A), lead to extensive deuterium scrambling and the third method, Clemmensen reduction (section III-D), yields a 2,2,3,3,4,4-dg derivative. 

Both the Wolff-Kishner and Clemmensen reductions of a, -unsaturated ketones give olefins. There has been considerable confusion concerning the exact product composition in the case of A -3-ketones. Wolff-Kishner reduction gives A" -, 5a-A - and 5 -A -olefins, and, depending on the substrate reaction conditions and work-up, any one or more of these may be isolated. (See ref. 287 for a recent review of the Wolff-Kishner reduction.)... 

In contrast, a conventional Clemmensen reduction of cholest-4-ene-3-one in toluene gives the 5jS-isomer (137). ... 

Deuteration of a diterpene carbonyl compound by Clemmensen reduction, 170... 

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