Cyanides, acyl formation mechanism

The versatility of 5-nitrosopyrimidines in pteridine syntheses was noticed by Pachter (64MI21603) during modification of the Timmis condensation between (262) and benzyl methyl ketone simple condensation leads to 4-amino-7-methyl-2,6-diphenylpteridine (264) but in the presence of cyanide ion 4,7-diamino-2,6-diphenylpteridine (265) is formed (equation 90). The mechanism of this reaction is still uncertain (63JOC1187) it may involve an oxidation of an intermediate hydroxylamine derivative, nitrone formation similar to the Krohnke reaction, or nucleophilic addition of the cyanide ion to the Schiff s base function (266) followed by cyclization to a 7-amino-5,6-dihydropteridine derivative (267), oxidation to a quinonoid-type product (268) and loss of the acyl group (equation 91). Extension of these principles to a-aryl- and a-alkyl-acetoacetonitriles omits the oxidation step and gives higher yields, and forms 6-alkyl-7-aminopteridines, which cannot be obtained directly from simple aliphatic ketones. 

The C-2-exchange of azolium salts via an ylide mechanism was discussed in Section 24.1.2.1. Thiamin pyrophosphate acts as a coenzyme in several biochemical processes and in these, its mode of action depends on the intermediacy of a 2-deprotonated species (32.2.4). In the laboratory, thiazolium salts (3-benzyl-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazolium chloride is commercially available) will act as catalysts for the benzoin condensation, and in contrast to cyanide, the classical catalyst, allow such reactions to proceed with alkanals, as opposed to araldehydes the key steps in thiazolium ion catalysis for the synthesis of 2-hydroxy-ketones are shown below and depend on the formation and nucleophilic reactivity of the C-2-ylide. Such catalysis provides acyl-anion equivalents. 

Like the acyl-CoA desaturases (Chapter 7), the 1 -alkyl desaturase exhibits the typical requirements of a microsomal mixed-function oxidase. Molecular oxygen, a reduced pyridine nucleotide, cytochrome b, cytochrome reductase, and a terminal desaturase protein that is sensitive to cyanide are all required. The precise reaction mechanism responsible for the biosynthesis of ethanolamine plasmalogens is unknown, but it is clear from an investigation with a tritiated fatty alcohol that only the 15 and 25 (erythro)-labeled hydrogens are lost during the formation of the alk-l -enyl moiety of ethanolamine plasmalogens. 

It is believed that this reaction involves the formation of cyanohydrins, which are then converted into the corresponding acyl cyanides the acyl cyanides are subsequently transformed to either acids or esters in the presence of appropriate solvents, such as acetic acid or methanol.A tentative illustration of the mechanism for the Corey-Gilman-Ganem oxidation is thus given here. 

The formation of aldehyde cyanohydrin esters has been achieved under phase transfer catalytic conditions in which the two liquid phases are aqueous sodium or potassium cyanide and a methylene chloride solution of an aromatic aldehyde and an acid chloride. Both quaternary ammonium salts and 18-crown-6 are effective catalysts in this reaction. The formation of aldehyde cyanohydrin esters according to equation 7.7 probably occurs by a mechanism similar to that proposed for the formation of benzoyl cyanide dimers (see Eq. 7.5) [3, 22]. Accordingly, cyanide anion adds to the aldehyde carbonyl group to yield an alkoxide anion which in turn is acylated by the acid chloride. 

---