Diels-Alder reactions groups

Chemists usually learn about reactions according to fiinctional groups for example, How can I make an aldehyde and what reactions are known for aldehydes " This is clearly not a very good starting point for classifying reactions. The poor state of affairs in the definition of reaction types is further quite vividly illustrated by the fact that many chemical reactions are identified by being named after their inventor Diels-Alder reaction, Michael addition, Lobry-de Bruyn-van Ekenstein rear-... 

Tran orm-based or long-range strategies The retrosynthetic analysis is directed toward the application of powerful synthesis transforms. Functional groups are introduced into the target compound in order to establish the retion of a certain goal transform (e.g., the transform for the Diels-Alder reaction, Robinson annulation, Birch reduction, halolactonization, etc.). 

The Diels-Alder Reaction consists in the direct combination of a compound containing a conjugated diene system u ith a reagent which possesses a double or triple bond activated bj suitable adjacent groups. Examples of such reagents are maleic anhydride, p-benzoquinone, acraldehyde and acetylene dicarboxylic esters. Combination always occurs at the 1,4 positions of the diene system ... 

The Diels-Alder Reaction usually occurs readily it is of great value (a) for diagnosing the presence of a conjugated diene grouping, (6) for synthetic purposes in the preparation of cyclic systems. 

Studies by the group directed by Mayoral have been limited to Diels-Alder reactions of type A. When water was not included, the rate constants correlate with the solvent hydrogen-bond-donating capacity Upon inclusion of water the solvophobidty parameter, Sp, contributed significantly in... 

Breslow immediately grasped the significance of his observation. He interpreted this discovery in terms of a hydrophobic effect Since in the Diels-Alder reaction. .. the transition state. .. brings together two nonpolar groups, one might expect that in water this reaction could be accelerated by hydrophobic interactions ". ... 

Hydrogen bonding of water to the activating group of (for normal-electron demand Diels-Alder reactions) the dienophile constitutes the second important effect". Hydrogen bonds strengthen the electron-withdrawing capacity of this functionality and thereby decrease the HOMO-LUMO gap... 

Comparison of the water-induced acceleration of the reaction of 2.4a with the corresponding effect on 2.4g is interesting, since 2.4g contains an ionic group remote from the reaction centre. The question arises whether this group has an influence on the acceleration of the Diels-Alder reaction by water. Comparison of the data in Table 2.1 demonstrates that this is not the case. The acceleration upon going from ethanol to water amounts a factor 105 ( 10) for 2.4a versus 110 ( 11) for 2.4g. Apparently, the introduction of a hydrophilic group remote from the reaction centre has no effect on the aqueous acceleration of the Diels-Alder reaction. 

The rate constants for the catalysed Diels-Alder reaction of 2.4g with 2.5 (Table 2.3) demonstrate that the presence of the ionic group in the dienophile does not diminish the accelerating effect of water on the catalysed reaction. Comparison of these rate constants with those for the nonionic dienophiles even seems to indicate a modest extra aqueous rate enhancement of the reaction of 2.4g. It is important to note here that no detailed information has been obtained about the exact structure of the catalytically active species in the oiganic solvents. For example, ion pairing is likely to occur in the organic solvents. 

Studies of the Diels-Alder reaction of the ionic dienophile 2.4g have demonstrated that the acpieous acceleration of the uncatalysed reaction as well as the catalysed reaction is not significantly affected by the presence of the ionic group at a site remote from the reaction centre. 

The effect of ligands on the endo-exo selectivity of Lewis-acid catalysed Diels-Alder reactions has received little attention. Interestingly, Yamamoto et al." reported an aluminium catalyst that produces mainly exo Diels-Alder adduct. The endo-approach of the diene, which is normally preferred, is blocked by a bulky group in the ligand. 

In summary, the groups of Espenson and Loh observe catalysis of Diels-Alder reactions involving monodentate reactants by Lewis acids in water. If their observations reflect Lewis-acid catalysis, involvirg coordination and concomitant activation of the dienophile, we would conclude that Lewis-acid catalysis in water need not suffer from a limitation to chelating reactants. This conclusion contradicts our observations which have invariably stressed the importance of a chelating potential of the dienophile. Hence it was decided to investigate the effect of indium trichloride and methylrhenium trioxide under homogeneous conditions. 

Note that for 4.42, in which no intramolecular base catalysis is possible, the elimination side reaction is not observed. This result supports the mechanism suggested in Scheme 4.13. Moreover, at pH 2, where both amine groups of 4.44 are protonated, UV-vis measurements indicate that the elimination reaction is significantly retarded as compared to neutral conditions, where protonation is less extensive. Interestingy, addition of copper(II)nitrate also suppresses the elimination reaction to a significant extent. Unfortunately, elimination is still faster than the Diels-Alder reaction on the internal double bond of 4.44. 

The rate of the Lewis-acid catalysed Diels-Alder reaction in water has been compared to that in other solvents. The results demonstrate that the expected beneficial effect of water on the Lewis-acid catalysed reaction is indeed present. However, the water-induced acceleration of the Lewis-add catalysed reaction is not as pronounced as the corresponding effect on the uncatalysed reaction. The two effects that underlie the beneficial influence of water on the uncatalysed Diels-Alder reaction, enforced hydrophobic interactions and enhanced hydrogen bonding of water to the carbonyl moiety of 1 in the activated complex, are likely to be diminished in the Lewis-acid catalysed process. Upon coordination of the Lewis-acid catalyst to the carbonyl group of the dienophile, the catalyst takes over from the hydrogen bonds an important part of the activating influence. Also the influence of enforced hydrophobic interactions is expected to be significantly reduced in the Lewis-acid catalysed Diels-Alder reaction. Obviously, the presence of the hydrophilic Lewis-acid diminished the nonpolar character of 1 in the initial state. 

Note that the Diels-Alder reaction works best when there is an electron-withdrawing group (here CC>2Et) on the olefinic component. 

We must next disconnect the six-membered ring and the only way we know to set up these chiral centres specifically is by the Diels-Alder reaction. Two alternative sites for the double bond are possible if we convert our NHi to give the necessary activating group (NOi)... 

As final examples, the intramolecular cyclopropane formation from cycloolefins with diazo groups (S.D. Burke, 1979), intramolecular cyclobutane formation by photochemical cycloaddition (p. 78, 297f., section 4.9), and intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions (p. 153f, 335ff.) are mentioned. The application of these three cycloaddition reactions has led to an enormous variety of exotic polycycles (E.J. Corey, 1967A). 

Barrelene was obtained via a double Diels-Alder reaction from a-pyrone with methyl acrylate (H.E. Zimmerman, I969A). The primarily forming bicyclic lactone decarboxylates in the heat, and the resulting cyclohexadiene rapidly undergoes another Diels-Alder cyclization. Standard reactions have then been used to eliminate the methoxycarbonyl groups and to introduce C—C double bonds. Irradiation of barrelene produces semibullvalene and cyclooctatetraene (H.E. Zimmerman. 1969B). 

The importance of the Diels-Alder reaction is in synthesis It gives us a method to form two new carbon-carbon bonds m a single operation and requires no reagents such as acids or bases that might affect other functional groups m the molecule... 

Cyanohydrins are formed by nucleophilic addition of HCN to the carbonyl group of an aldehyde or a ketone Cycloadd ition (Section 10 12) Addition such as the Diels-Alder reaction in which a ring is formed via a cyclic transition state... 

Sorbic acid is oxidized rapidly in the presence of molecular oxygen or peroxide compounds. The decomposition products indicate that the double bond farthest from the carboxyl group is oxidized (11). More complete oxidation leads to acetaldehyde, acetic acid, fumaraldehyde, fumaric acid, and polymeric products. Sorbic acid undergoes Diels-Alder reactions with many dienophiles and undergoes self-dimerization, which leads to eight possible isomeric Diels-Alder stmctures (12). 

It has long been known that the Diels-Alder reaction is particularly efficient and rapid when the dienophile contains one or more electron-attracting groups. These substituent effects are illustrated by the data in Table 11.3. In the case of the diene, reactivity is increased by electron-releasing substituents. Some illustrative data are given in Table 11.4. 

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