Copper decarboxylation

J lie decarboxylation is frequently the most troublesome step in this sequence. Attempts at simple thermal decarboxylation frequently lead to recycliz-ation to the lactam. The original investigators carried out decarboxylation by acidic hydrolysis and noted that rings with ER substituents were most easily decarboxylated[2]. It appears that ring protonation is involved in the decarboxylation under hydrolytic conditions. Quinoline-copper decarboxylation has been used successfully after protecting the exocyclic nitrogen with a phthaloyl, acetyl or benzoyl group[3]. 

Colchicine, 920 s-Collidine, 155, 194, 617 Congressane, 1209 Coniferyl aldehyde, 134 Copper, decarboxylation catalyst, 157-158, 975... 

The product is the isomer with the two phenyl groups cis to each other, since decarboxylation with quinoline-copper chromium oxide at 210-220° yields cis-stilbene. 

Synthetic phenol capacity in the United States was reported to be ca 1.6 x 10 t/yr in 1989 (206), almost completely based on the cumene process (see Cumene Phenol). Some synthetic phenol [108-95-2] is made from toluene by a process developed by The Dow Chemical Company (2,299—301). Toluene [108-88-3] is oxidized to benzoic acid in a conventional LPO process. Liquid-phase oxidative decarboxylation with a copper-containing catalyst gives phenol in high yield (2,299—304). The phenoHc hydroxyl group is located ortho to the position previously occupied by the carboxyl group of benzoic acid (2,299,301,305). This provides a means to produce meta-substituted phenols otherwise difficult to make (2,306). VPOs for the oxidative decarboxylation of benzoic acid have also been reported (2,307—309). Although the mechanism appears to be similar to the LPO scheme (309), the VPO reaction is reported not to work for toluic acids (310). 

Specific diarylamiaes aot easily obtaiaed by the above methods can be prepared by the Ullmann (29) and Chapman (30) reactions. For example, y -chloroaniliae reacts with (9-chloroben2oic acid ia the preseace of potassium carboaate and a catalytic amount of a copper salt to give 2-[(3-chlorophenyl)amiao]ben2oic acid [13278-36-9] which is then decarboxylated on heating to 3-chlorodiphenylamine [101 -17-7]. 

A Methylamino)phenol. This derivative, also named 4-hydroxy-/V-methy1ani1ine (19), forms needles from benzene which are slightly soluble in ethanol andinsoluble in diethyl ether. Industrial synthesis involves decarboxylation of A/-(4-hydroxyphenyl)glycine [122-87-2] at elevated temperature in such solvents as chlorobenzene—cyclohexanone (184,185). It also can be prepared by the methylation of 4-aminophenol, or from methylamiae [74-89-5] by heating with 4-chlorophenol [106-48-9] and copper sulfate at 135°C in aqueous solution, or with hydroquinone [123-31 -9] 2l. 200—250°C in alcohoHc solution (186). 

The pyrolysis of perfluoro carboxylic salts can result both in mono and bimolecular products At 210-220 °C, silver salts give mostly the coupled products, at 160-165 °C in A -methylpyrrolidinone, the corresponding copper salts also give the simple decarboxylated compounds in nearly equal amounts The decomposition of the copper salts m the presence of lodobenzene at 105-125 °C results m a phenyl derivative, in addition to the olefin and coupled product [94] (equations 60-62)... 

A cursory inspection of key intermediate 8 (see Scheme 1) reveals that it possesses both vicinal and remote stereochemical relationships. To cope with the stereochemical challenge posed by this intermediate and to enhance overall efficiency, a convergent approach featuring the union of optically active intermediates 18 and 19 was adopted. Scheme 5a illustrates the synthesis of intermediate 18. Thus, oxidative cleavage of the trisubstituted olefin of (/ )-citronellic acid benzyl ester (28) with ozone, followed by oxidative workup with Jones reagent, affords a carboxylic acid which can be oxidatively decarboxylated to 29 with lead tetraacetate and copper(n) acetate. Saponification of the benzyl ester in 29 with potassium hydroxide provides an unsaturated carboxylic acid which undergoes smooth conversion to trans iodolactone 30 on treatment with iodine in acetonitrile at -15 °C (89% yield from 29).24 The diastereoselectivity of the thermodynamically controlled iodolacto-nization reaction is approximately 20 1 in favor of the more stable trans iodolactone 30. 

Like other carboxylic acids, 2-nit rodibenz[b,/]oxepin-10-carboxylic acid can be decarboxylated in the presence of copper and quinoline to give 2-nitrodibenz[/ ,/]oxepin (2) in 45% yield.101... 

The ester group of in ethyl dibenzo[/>,c/]thiepin-7-carboxylate can be hydrolyzed by alkali to the free acid in 93 % yield. Subsequent decarboxylation in quinoline at 150°C with copper as catalyst provides dibenzo[/ ,r/]thiepin in 60% yield.5... 

Elimination of sulfur from methyl dibenzo[/),/]thiepin-10-carboxylatcs 15 (R2 = Me) can be achieved in moderate yields (39-55%) upon refluxing in diethyl phthalate in the presence of copper bronze.60 For the dibenzo[A,/]thiepin-10-carboxylic acids 15 (R2 = H), the loss of sulfur is accompanied by decarboxylation. Thus, treatment of these acids with copper bronze in refluxing quinoline for four hours gives the corresponding phenanthrenes 16 (R3 = H) in moderate yield (50%). However, the exposure time to high temperatures influences the product formation. Thus, the decarboxyiated dibenzothiepins are obtained after refluxing for only five minutes.60... 

A completely different concept13 makes use of a highly reduced bilane 5 which is oxidatively cyclized to an isobacteriochlorin 6 with copper(II) acetate. The ring closure is initiated by ester cleavage with trifluoroacetic acid and decarboxylative formylation with trimethyl orthoformate to yield a dialdehyde. One of the aldehyde functions forms the desired methine bridge whereas the other is lost during cyclization. 

The predominant gaseous products of the decomposition [1108] of copper maleate at 443—613 K and copper fumarate at 443—653 K were C02 and ethylene. The very rapid temperature rise resulting from laser heating [1108] is thought to result in simultaneous decarboxylation to form acetylene via the intermediate —CH=CH—. Preliminary isothermal measurements [487] for both these solid reactants (and including also copper malonate) found the occurrence of an initial acceleratory process, ascribed to a nucleation and growth reaction. Thereafter, there was a discontinuous diminution in rate (a 0.4), ascribed to the deposition of carbon at the active surfaces of growing copper nuclei. Bassi and Kalsi [1282] report that the isothermal decomposition of copper(II) adipate at 483—503 K obeyed the Prout—Tompkins equation [eqn. (9)] with E = 191 kJ mole-1. Studies of the isothermal decompositions of the copper(II) salts of benzoic, salicylic and malonic acids are also cited in this article. 

Fig. 10 2-Pyridone carboxylic acids 64 can be selectively decarboxylated to the saturated derivatives 65 via a reagent-free microwave-assisted method. Decarboxylation was also conducted under conventional heating but then copper cyanide was required resulting in mixtures of saturated and unsaturated 2-pyridones...

It was shown in the same article that the decarboxylation could also be performed by conventional heating but then copper cyanide was required and a mixture of saturated and imsaturated 2-pyridones 65 and 66 was obtained in a ratio of 1 10 (Fig. 10). A tentative mechanism was suggested for the reagent-free MAOS method where the carbonyl in the 2-pyridone ring is supposed to assist in the decarboxylation yielding an yUde 67 (Fig. 11). The decarboxylated bicyclic 2-pyridone 68 is thereafter obtained after protonation by the solvent. In agreement with the mechanistic suggestion, it was shown that a selective deuteration occurred when deuterated dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO-de) was used as solvent. 

The decarboxylation of aromatic acids is most often carried out by heating with copper and quinoline. However, two other methods can be used with certain substrates. In one method, the salt of the acid (ArCOO ) is heated, and in the other the carboxylic acid is heated with a strong acid, often sulfuric. The latter method is accelerated by the presence of electron-donating groups in ortho and para positions and by the steric effect of groups in the ortho positions in benzene systems it is... 

Despite its synthetic importance, the mechanism of the copper-quinoline method has been studied very little, but it has been shown that the actual catalyst is cuprous ion. In fact, the reaction proceeds much faster if the acid is heated in quinoline with cuprous oxide instead of copper, provided that atmospheric oxygen is rigorously excluded. A mechanism has been suggested in which it is the cuprous salt of the acid that actually undergoes the decarboxylation. It has been shown that cuprous salts of aromatic acids are easily decarboxylated by heating in quinoline and that arylcopper compounds are intermediates that can be isolated in some cases. Metallic silver has been used in place of copper, with higher yields. ... 

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