Copper chromite ketones

Dicyclohexylarnine may be selectively generated by reductive alkylation of cyclohexylamine by cyclohexanone (15). Stated batch reaction conditions are specifically 0.05—2.0% Pd or Pt catalyst, which is reusable, pressures of 400—700 kPa (55—100 psi), and temperatures of 75—100°C to give complete reduction in 4 h. Continuous vapor-phase amination selective to dicyclohexylarnine is claimed for cyclohexanone (16) or mixed cyclohexanone plus cyclohexanol (17) feeds. Conditions are 5—15 s contact time of <1 1 ammonia ketone, - 3 1 hydrogen ketone at 260°C over nickel on kieselguhr. With mixed feed the preferred conditions over a mixed copper chromite plus nickel catalyst are 18-s contact time at 250 °C with ammonia alkyl = 0.6 1 and hydrogen alkyl = 1 1. 

Catalysts suitable specifically for reduction of carbon-oxygen bonds are based on oxides of copper, zinc and chromium Adkins catalysts). The so-called copper chromite (which is not necessarily a stoichiometric compound) is prepared by thermal decomposition of ammonium chromate and copper nitrate [50]. Its activity and stability is improved if barium nitrate is added before the thermal decomposition [57]. Similarly prepared zinc chromite is suitable for reductions of unsaturated acids and esters to unsaturated alcohols [52]. These catalysts are used specifically for reduction of carbonyl- and carboxyl-containing compounds to alcohols. Aldehydes and ketones are reduced at 150-200° and 100-150 atm, whereas esters and acids require temperatures up to 300° and pressures up to 350 atm. Because such conditions require special equipment and because all reductions achievable with copper chromite catalysts can be accomplished by hydrides and complex hydrides the use of Adkins catalyst in the laboratory is very limited. 

In contrast to phenolic hydroxyl, benzylic hydroxyl is replaced by hydrogen very easily. In catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic aldehydes, ketones, acids and esters it is sometimes difficult to prevent the easy hydrogenolysis of the benzylic alcohols which result from the reduction of the above functions. A catalyst suitable for preventing hydrogenolysis of benzylic hydroxyl is platinized charcoal [28], Other catalysts, especially palladium on charcoal [619], palladium hydride [619], nickel [43], Raney nickel [619] and copper chromite [620], promote hydrogenolysis. In the case of chiral alcohols such as 2-phenyl-2-butanol hydrogenolysis took place with inversion over platinum and palladium, and with retention over Raney nickel (optical purities 59-66%) [619]. 

Reduction of unsaturated ketones to saturated alcohols is achieved by catalytic hydrogenation using a nickel catalyst [49], a copper chromite catalyst [50, 887] or by treatment with a nickel-aluminum alloy in sodium hydroxide [555]. If the double bond is conjugated, complete reduction can also be obtained with some hydrides. 2-Cyclopentenone was reduced to cyclopentanol in 83.5% yield with lithium aluminum hydride in tetrahydrofuran [764], with lithium tris tert-butoxy)aluminium hydride (88.8% yield) [764], and with sodium borohydride in ethanol at 78° (yield 100%) [764], Most frequently, however, only the carbonyl is reduced, especially with application of the inverse technique (p. 21). 

Acyloins were converted to mixtures of stereoisomeric vicinal diols by catalytic hydrogenation over copper chromite [972]. More frequently they were reduced to ketones by zinc (yield 77%) [913, 914], by zinc amalgam (yields 50-60%) [975], by tin (yields 86-92%) [173], or by hydriodic acid by refluxing with 47% hydriodic acid in glacial acetic acid (yields 70-90%) [916], or by treatment with red phosphorus and iodine in carbon disulfide at room temperature (yields 80-90%) [917] Procedure 41, p. 215). Since acyloins are readily accessible by reductive condensation of esters (p. 152) the above reductions provide a very good route to ketones and the best route to macro-cyclic ketones [973]. 

The advantage over most other kinds of reduction is that usually the product can be obtained simply by filtration from the catalyst, then distillation. The common catalysts are nickel, palladium, copper chromite, or platinum activated with ferrous iron. Hydrogenation of aldehyde and ketone carbonyl groups is much slower than of carbon-carbon double bonds so more strenuous conditions are required. This is not surprising, because hydrogenation of carbonyl groups is calculated to be less exothermic than that of carbon-carbon double bonds ... 

Dehydrogenation of 1,4-pentanediol over a copper chromite catalyst in the liquid phase yields the corresponding hydroxy ketone, 5-hydroxy-2-pentanone (30%). ... 

Oxazolidines (53) are readily formed from aldehydes or ketones and ethanolamines they can be hydrolyzed with ease and show reactions that might be expected of the imino alcohol intermediate (54). Among these are the addition of Grignard reagentsand catalytic hydrogenolysis of the C—O Ixjnd (equation 28).This reaction is exothermic over Adam s catalyst in methanol but slower in acetic acid. Nickel and copper chromite are also effective but at higher temperatures and pressures,as is the case with palladium. The same cleavage occurs with LAH (unassisted)and with the borane-THF complex. ... 

Copper chromite, CuCr204, and mixtures of cupric oxide with chromium sesquioxide and special additives (the Adkins catalyst), dehydrogenate primary alcohols to aldehydes [354, 355] and secondary alcohols to ketones [354, 355, 356]. 

The use of copper chromite at 40°C and atmospheric pressure was not very effective for selective carbonyl group hydrogenation. Unsaturated alcohols were produced from unsaturated aldehydes in low yields at low conversions and not at all from methyl vinyl ketone. 28 With unconjugated, unsaturated aldehydes, copper chromite is effective as a selective hydrogenation catalyst. Hydrogenation of 46 at 140°-160°C and 200 atmospheres gave better than 70% of the diene diol, 47. Increasing the temperature to 240°C resulted in the complete saturation of 46 (Eqn. 18.28). 29... 

Synthesis from anisole and propionic acid derivatives. Anisole is converted into 4-methoxypropiophenone by Friedel-Crafts acylation with propionyl chloride or propionic anhydride. The ketone is hydrogenated to the corresponding alcohol with a copper chromite catalyst. The alcohol is dehydrated in the presence of acidic catalysts to a cis/trans mixture of anetholes [163b]. 

Hydrogenation is effected in a steel shaking autoclave with a copper insert of 500 ml capacity. The ketone or aldehyde (0.25 mole) and copper chromite catalyst (4g)184 are introduced. For hydroxy aldehydes, anhydrous methanol (100 ml) is also added, to prevent formation of resinous products. For aromatic ketones the initial pressure of hydrogen is 300-340 atm, but for hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones 220-240 atm suffice. When alcohol is used, the temperature is kept at 200-250° until the pressure remains constant when no alcohol is used, a temperature of 180-195° suffices for reduction to the hydrocarbon. When hydrogenation is complete, the mixture is washed from the vessel with methanol or benzene, filtered from the catalyst, and worked up as usual. 

Stereoselectivity is almost independent on the catalyst used, but a small Increase was observed in the presence of Cu/Cr203. Very similar results were obtained when a commercial copper chromite with high copper content was used. As these two catalysts, activated in different ways, are 1 very different as far as the surface copper is concerned, this enhanced stereoselectivity appears to be due to different absorption of the substrate on the Cr203 surface. However, copper/chromium catalysts show very low mono/dihydrogenation selectivity and do not allow to separate the saturated ketone even by limiting the H2 consumptlon.This difference in... 

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