Conjugated double bonds, reduction

Nitrodienes undergo intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions with appropriate dienophiles. The resulting nitro compounds can then be cyclized via a nitrile oxide intermediate.49 Thus, the 2-chloroacrylonitrile Diels-Alder adduct of 8-nitro-l,3-octadiene was prepared and cyclized to give (105) as a 3 1 mixture of diastereomers (Scheme 30). The Diels-Alder adduct of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and 8-nitro-l,3-octadiene cyclized exclusively at the conjugated double bond, activated by the ester groups. Similarly, the quinone Diels-Alder adduct (106) cyclized at the conjugated double bond reduction of the conjugated double bond permitted cyclization on the cycloalkenyl double bond. 

Addition of dihydrosilane to a, /J-unsaturated carbonyl compounds such as citral (49), followed by hydrolysis, affords saturated citroneJlal (50) directly. The reaction is used for the selective reduction of conjugated double bonds[45,46]. In addition to Pd catalyst, the use of a catalytic amount of... 

A partial explanation of the above findings must lie in the known ease of addition of nucleophilic reagents to the conjugated double bond of pregn-16-en-20-ones. The amide ion that is a by-product of the reduction probably adds to a portion of the unreduced pregn-16-en-20-one giving the lithium enolate of amino ketone (74). This enolate may well be relatively stable at — 33° and would be protonated to the free 16-amino-20-one during work-up... 

The reduction of piperitone to menthone cannot well be brought about by the action of sodium or of sodium-amalgam in alcoholic solution, because, with the latter particularly, a solid bimolecular ketone is formed at once. This is a finely crystallised substance, melts at 148° to 149° C., and has the formula C gHj O. Piperitone thus follows the rule with substances having a conjugated double bond, carvone for instance, also forms a bimolecular ketone on reduction, melting at 148° to 149° C. 

The well-known triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) reaction for the detection of a-ketolsteroids, pyridinium carbinols and pyridinium glycols can also be included here [20-23]. The chromophore system of the red-colored formazan dye produced by reduction of the TTC is composed of highly conjugated double bonds resulting from the combination of a phenylhydrazone group with an azo group ... 

Dehydration of cortisone (198) affords the diene 199. This is then converted to ketal 200. The selectivity is due to hindrance about both the 11- and 20-carbonyl groups. The shift of the double bond to the 5,6-position is characteristic of that particular enone. Treatment of protected diene 200 with osmium tetroxide results in selective oxidation of the conjugated double bond at C-16,17 to afford the cis-diol (201). Reduction of the ketone at C-ll (202) followed by hydrolysis of the ketal function gives the intermediate 203. Selenium dioxide has been... 

Azo dye molecules have color due to their azo bond, auxochromes, and system of conjugated double bonds. The azo bond, while resistant to aerobic degradation, can be cleaved under anaerobic or anoxic condition, resulting in decolorization and the production of aromatic amines. Anaerobic reduction of the azo dyes is relatively easy to achieve, but the products have been found to be biorecalcitrant... 

The selective 1,4-reduction of a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is always a challenge, but it has been met successfully by the use of dithionite under phase-transfer conditions. Reduction proceeds in high yield to the total exclusion of saturated or allylic alcohols (Table 11.10) [5, 6], Exocyclic and endocyclic conjugated C=C double bonds are reduced with equal ease, whereas non-conjugated double bonds remain intact. The predominant reduction pathway for conjugated dienoic... 

The domain of hydrides and complex hydrides is reduction of carbonyl functions (in aldehydes, ketones, acids and acid derivatives). With the exception of boranes, which add across carbon-carbon multiple bonds and afford, after hydrolysis, hydrogenated products, isolated carbon-carbon double bonds resist reduction with hydrides and complex hydrides. However, a conjugated double bond may be reduced by some hydrides, as well as a triple bond to the double bond (p. 44). Reductions of other functions vary with the hydride reagents. Examples of applications of hydrides are shown in Procedures 14-24 (pp. 207-210). 

Reductions with sodium amalgam are fairly mild. Only easily reducible groups and conjugated double bonds are affected. With the availability of sodium borohydride the use of sodium amalgam is dwindling even in the field of saccharides, where sodium amalgam has been widely used for reduction of aldonic acids to aldoses. 

In systems of conjugated double bonds catalytic hydrogenation usually gives a mixture of all possible products. Conjugated dienes and polyenes can be reduced by metals sodium, potassium, or lithium. The reduction is accomplished by 1,4-addition which results in the formation of a product with only one double bond and products of coupling and polymerization. Isoprene was reduced in 60% yield to 2-methyl-2-butene by sodium in liquid ammonia [357]. Reduction of cyclooctatetraene with sodium in liquid ammonia gave a... 

If the triple bond is conjugated with an aromatic ring or with carbonyl groups complete reduction can be achieved with reagents which are capable of reducing conjugated double bonds (p. 42). 

Unsaturated epoxides are reduced preferentially at the double bonds by catalytic hydrogenation. The rate of hydrogenolysis of the epoxides is much lower than that of the addition of hydrogen across the carbon-carbon double bond. In a, -unsaturated epoxides borane attacks the conjugated double bond at -carbon in a cis direction with respect to the epoxide ring and gives allylic alcohols [660], Similar complex reduction of epoxides occurs in a-keto epoxides (p. 126). 

Complex hydrides can be used for the selective reduction of the carbonyl group although some of them, especially lithium aluminum hydride, may reduce the a, -conjugated double bond as well. Crotonaldehyde was converted to crotyl alcohol by reduction with lithium aluminum hydride [55], magnesium aluminum hydride [577], lithium borohydride [750], sodium boro-hydride [751], sodium trimethoxyborohydride [99], diphenylstarmane [114] and 9-borabicyclo[3,3,l]nonane [764]. A dependable way to convert a, -un-saturated aldehydes to unsaturated alcohols is the Meerwein-Ponndorf reduction [765]. 

Reduction of unsaturated ketones to unsaturated alcohols is best carried out Nit v complex hydrides. a,/3-Unsaturated ketones may suifer reduction even at the conjugated double bond [764, 879]. Usually only the carbonyl group is reduced, especially if the inverse technique is applied. Such reductions are accomplished in high yields with lithium aluminum hydride [879, 880, 881, 882], with lithium trimethoxyaluminum hydride [764], with alane [879], with diisobutylalane [883], with lithium butylborohydride [884], with sodium boro-hydride [75/], with sodium cyanoborohydride [780, 885] with 9-borabicyclo [3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) [764] and with isopropyl alcohol and aluminum isopro-... 

Reductions of alkyl pyridones with lithium aluminum hydride or alane are very complex and their results depend on the position of the substituents and on the reducing reagent. Since the pyridones can be viewed as doubly unsaturated lactams with a,/J- and )i, -conjugated double bonds, the products result from all possible additions of hydride ion 1,2,1,4 or 1,6. Consequently the products of reduction are alkylpiperidines and alkylpiperideines with double bonds in 3,4 or 4,5 positions [449, 7755]. 

Since sodium borohydride usually does not reduce the nitrile function it may be used for selective reductions of conjugated double bonds in oc,/l-un-saturated nitriles in fair to good yields [7069,1070]. In addition some special reagents were found effective for reducing carbon-carbon double bonds preferentially copper hydride prepared from cuprous bromide and sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride [7766], magnesium in methanol [7767], zinc and zinc chloride in ethanol or isopropyl alcohol [7765], and triethylam-monium formate in dimethyl formamide [317]. Lithium aluminum hydride reduced 1-cyanocyclohexene at —15° to cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde and under normal conditions to aminomethylcyclohexane, both in 60% yields [777]. 

Another approach to preparing enantiomerically pure carboxylic acids and related compounds is via enanhoselective reduction of conjugated double bonds using NAD(P)H-dependent enoate reductases (EREDs EC 1.3.1.X), members of the so-called Old Yellow Enzyme family [44]. EREDs are ubiquitous in nature and their catalytic mechanism is well documented [45]. They contain a catalytic flavin cofactor and a stoichiometric nicotinamide cofactor which must be regenerated (Scheme 6.23). 

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