Ethers, crown template effect

Chelation itself is sometimes useful in directing the course of synthesis. This is called the template effect (37). The presence of a suitable metal ion facihtates the preparation of the crown ethers, porphyrins, and similar heteroatom macrocycHc compounds. Coordination of the heteroatoms about the metal orients the end groups of the reactants for ring closure. The product is the chelate from which the metal may be removed by a suitable method. In other catalytic effects, reactive centers may be brought into close proximity, charge or bond strain effects may be created, or electron transfers may be made possible. 

Numerous other methods exist for making the simple crowns. Many of these methods are compared in Sect. 3.1 which deals with variations in the synthesis of 18-crown-6. Further commentary on the influence of templating ions on the synthesis of crown ethers may be found in Chap. 2, which deals with various aspects of the template effect. 

The template effect has long been accepted prima facie by workers in the crown field because of the obvious relationship between ring size and complexation constant. In fact, Cram stated in 1975 that the templating properties of for preparing crown ethers is well established.. . In fact, the template effect was widely acknowledged and has always received overwhelming support. Nevertheless, few direct comparisons are available in the literature and we have restricted ourselves m this discussion only to direct rather than the large body of presumptive evidence which is currently available. 

Template effects have been used in rotaxane synthesis to direct threading of the axle through the wheel. Since macrocycHc compounds such as cyclodextrins, crown ethers, cyclophanes, and cucurbiturils form stable complexes with specific guest molecules, they have been widely used in the templated synthesis of rotax-anes as ring (wheel) components. Here, we briefly discuss macrocycles used in the synthesis of rotaxane dendrimers and their important features. 

Whereas Gold and Sghibartz showed that cation complexation depressed the rate of crown-ether disrupture, there is convincing evidence that crown ether formation is facilitated by the presence of cations. The template effect, presumably due to complexation of the open-chain precursor and formation of a crown-type conformation, clearly emerged from studies in which the yield of crown ethers was related to the type of cations present (Reinhoudt et al., 1976). Kinetic evidence for the template effect was presented by Mandolini and Masci (1977), who showed that the rate of cyclization of the precursor of benzo-18-crown-6 [2061 decreased in the order Ba2+ > SrJ+ > K+ > Na+ > Li+. This sequence is the same as the one found for the stability constants of the 1 1 complexes of these cations with 18-crown-6 in water (Table 3). 

Merz48 showed that reaction of benzoin with diethylene glycol ditosylate, in the presence of TBAB and of aqueous sodium hydroxide, yields 20% of crown ether 12. This result, however, does not seem to be in agreement with the usual template effect, achieved by complexation around a Na+ or K + ion, as in the usual final step of crown ether syntheses.30... 

Liquid-liquid PTC would seem to be convenient for the synthesis of crown ethers and derivatives. But most still use conventional conditions,28,29 probably because the synthesis of macrocyclic crown ethers gives better results when Na+ or K+ ions are involved. These ions can induce a template effect with the polyethyleneoxy chain 63. 

Kinetic template effects have been involved in the formation of crown ethers, with respect to the cyclization step involving a nucleophilic displacement of halide or tosylate by alkoxide ions. It has been proposed that cyclization of the linear bifunctional precursor is enhanced by a cyclic conformation in which the alkoxide cation brings the two ends of the molecule into close proximity... 

The operation of the mismatch effects may be seen to best advantage when a range of products is possible from a single reactant or set of reactants. The reaction of ethylene oxide with metal salts results in the formation of crown ethers (Fig. 6-30). Obviously, a whole range of different cyclic oligomers and acyclic polymers could be formed from ethylene oxide. If we specifically wanted to obtain 18-crown-6, with a hole size of about 1.4 A, we would expect to use a potassium ion as template (r = 1.38 A). In fact, 18-crown-6 is obtained in good yield from the reaction of ethylene oxide with potassium tetra-fluoroboratc. In contrast, if we wanted 12-crown-4, with a hole size of about 0.8 A, it... 

Anions have also been used as templates in the synthesis of catenanes and rotaxanes, as recently described by Beer and coworkers [15]. They used the self-assembly of diamides, known as anion receptor molecules, around a chloride anion to produce, for example, [2]- and [3]catenanes by olefin metathesis [16] (Scheme 5.4). In this special example, the template effect was increased by hydrogen bonding between the N-methyl group to the crown ether chain and by n-n stacking interactions. 

An effective template metal ion binds strongly to the donor atoms of the macrocycle or its precursors, e.g., K+ is the most common template for synthesis of crown ethers and forms definite complexes with a wide variety of crown ethers. 

Higher yields of crown ethers are generally obtained if the cyclisation reaction can be templated by a metal ion of appropriate size. Thus, potassium ions are well known to enhance the yields of 18-crown-6 derivatives,1,3 while addition of the smaller lithium ion enhances the yields of reactions giving 13-and 14-membered tetraoxa rings.4b4c Such a reaction has been used to good effect in the synthesis of the chiral 14-crown-4 dibenzyl ether, L-ll, which can be prepared in a yield of 65% (Scheme 4.7) (cf. 11% for the untemplated 18-crown-6 analogue) by co-condensation of l-7 with the appropriate linear ditoluenesulfonate. 

Thus, cationic polymerization of oxiranes is of little synthetic value, if the preparation of linear polymers is attempted. The high tendency for cyclization may be employed, however, for preparation of macrocyclic polyethers (crown ethers). Polymerization of ethylene oxide in the presence of suitable cations (e.g., Na+, K+, Rb +, Cs + ) leads to crown ethers of a given ring size in relatively high yields, due to the template effect [105], Thus, with Rb+ or Cs+ cations, cyclic fraction contained exclusively 18-crown-6. 

Another example of the activation of a hydroxy acid was described by Rastetter and Phillion [60] First the 0-protected hydroxyacid 68 reacts with a thiol group containing crown ether 67. Then the resulting thioester 69 reacts with potassium mrt-butoxide to give the alkoxide. At the same time a complexation of the potassium ion by the [18]crown-6 part of the molecule occurs. Thus, the alkoxide ion comes close to the carbonyl group of the molecule, so that nucleophilic attack leading to ring formation is facilitated (cooperation of dilution principle, template effect, and ion pair interaction). 

The high yields in cesium assisted crown ether syntheses may be attributed partly to a template effect of the cesium ions. In order to estimate the importance of such a template effect in cesium assisted cyclization reactions, Kello and Kruizinga [51 a] synthesized a series of macrocyclic lactones containing an oligo-methylene chain, for which a coordination of cesium ions can be excluded. 

There are different ways to categorize templates. One could for example try to distinguish template effects according to the (non-)covalent interactions involved. This classification remains ambiguous for templates operating through different forces at the same time. A maybe better way to classify templates relates to their topography. The early templated crown ether syntheses utilized alkali metal ions... 

Greene observed that the formation of 18-crown-6 from a ditosylate and a diol in the presence of f-butoxide salts was enhanced when a potassium cation was used (Greene, 1972). This template effect was operative for the synthesis of other polyether crown compounds using alkali or alkaline-earth metal cations. Template effects have also been observed for the preparation of aza-crown ethers, although the effect is less pronounced because the softer A-donor atoms form weaker complexes with the alkali metal cations (Frens-dorff, 1971). Richman and Atkins reported that high-dilution techniques were not required for the cyclization reaction of the disodium salt of a pertosylated oligoethylenepolyamine with sulfonated diols to form medium and large polyaza-crown compounds (Richman and Atkins, 1974 Atkins et al., 1978). 

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