Direct aldehydes

Petroski, R. J. and Bartelt, R.J. (2007). Direct aldehyde homologation utilized to construct a conjugated-tetraene hydrocarbon insect pheromone. J. Agric. Food Chem., 55, 2282-2287. 

Scheme 5.8 Proline-catalysed direct aldehyde cross-aldol reaction.

In 2002, Kurg and Hartwig observed directly aldehyde insertion into an arylrhodi-um species [48]. Arylrhodium complexes are mostly unstable to isolate, but a rhodium analogue of Vaska s complex 74 was easier to handle. The reaction of 74 with 2-naphthaldehyde in benzene-dg at room temperature gave alkoxyrhodium intermediate 75, which was observed directly by and NMR spectroscopy (Scheme 4.36). On treatment of 74 with 2-naphthaldehyde in a mixture of THF-dg and D2O, hy-... 

As these examples demonstrate, this directed aldehyde synthesis paves the way for interesting tandem sequences transforming an olefin into useful synthetic building blocks. 

Gross and co-workers reported an interesting direct aldehyde synthesis using alkyl ortho-formates that is particularly suitable for phenols, as alkylformates are unable to act as formylating agents under Friedel-Crafts conditions. Aldehydes of phenol are obtained in good yields when phenols react with orthoformates in the presence of aluminum chloride (Eq 1.12). 

By (he direct addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes and ketones, giving cyanhydrins ... 

This reaction is given by most aromatic aldehydes having the aldehyde group directly joined to the benzene ring it is also given by formaldehyde, with the formation of methanol and formic acid. Other aliphatic aldehydes do not give Cannizzaro s reaction under these conditions. 

Many aromatic aldehydes (having the -CHO group joined directly to the benzene ring) undergo polymerisation when heated with a solution of potassium cyanide in aqueous ethanol. Thus benzaldehyde gives benzoin, a compound of double function, since it contains both a secondary alcoholic and a ketonic... 

Aldehydes and ketones may frequently be identified by their semicarbazones, obtained by direct condensation with semicarbazide (or amino-urea), NH,NHCONH a compound which is a monacidic base and usually available as its monohydrochloride, NHjCONHNH, HCl. Semicarbazones are particularly useful for identification of con jounds (such as acetophenone) of which the oxime is too soluble to be readily isolated and the phenylhydrazone is unstable moreover, the high nitrogen content of semicarbazones enables very small quantities to be accurately analysed and so identified. The general conditions for the formation of semicarbazones are very similar to those for oximes and phenylhydrazones (pp. 93, 229) the free base must of course be liberated from its salts by the addition of sodium acetate. 

Many aldehydes and ketones can be reduced directly by Clenimemen s method, in which the aldehyde or ketone is boiled with dilute hydrochloric acid and amalgamated zinc. />-Methylacetophenone (or methyl />-tolyl ketone) is reduced under these conditions to />-ethyltoluene. An excess of the reducing agent is employed in order to pre ent the formation of unsaturated hydrocarbons. 

Gently warm a mixture of 32 g. (32 ml.) of ethyl acetoacetate and 10 g. of aldehyde-ammonia in a 400 ml. beaker by direct heating on a gauze, stirring the mixture carefully with a thermometer. As soon as the reaction starts, remove the heating, and replace it when the reaction slackens, but do not allow the temperature of the mixture to exceed 100-no the reaction is rapidly completed. Add to the mixture about twice its volume of 2A -hydrochloric acid, and stir the mass until the deposit either becomes solid or forms a thick paste, according to the quality of the aldehyde-ammonia employed. Decant the aqueous acid layer, repeat the extraction of the deposit with more acid, and again decant the acid, or filter off the deposit if it is solid. Transfer the deposit to a conical flask and recrystallise it twice from ethanol (or methylated spirit) diluted with an equal volume of water. The i,4-dihydro-collidine-3,5-dicarboxylic diethyl ester (I) is obtained as colourless crystals, m.p. 130-131°. Yield 12 5 g,... 

This enzyme, sometimes also called the Schardinger enzyme, occurs in milk. It is capable of " oxidising" acetaldehyde to acetic acid, and also the purine bases xanthine and hypoxanthine to uric acid. The former reaction is not a simple direct oxidation and is assumed to take place as follows. The enzyme activates the hydrated form of the aldehyde so that it readily parts w ith two hydrogen atoms in the presence of a suitable hydrogen acceptor such as methylene-blue the latter being reduced to the colourless leuco-compound. The oxidation of certain substrates will not take place in the absence of such a hydrogen acceptor. 

Metallic sodium. This metal is employed for the drying of ethers and of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons. The bulk of the water should first be removed from the liquid or solution by a preliminary drying with anhydrous calcium chloride or magnesium sulphate. Sodium is most effective in the form of fine wire, which is forced directly into the liquid by means of a sodium press (see under Ether, Section II,47,i) a large surface is thus presented to the liquid. It cannot be used for any compound with which it reacts or which is affected by alkalis or is easily subject to reduction (due to the hydrogen evolved during the dehydration), viz., alcohols, acids, esters, organic halides, ketones, aldehydes, and some amines. 

The above reversible equation indicates that one mol of aluminium iso-propoxlde will reduce directly three mols of the carbonyl compound. It is generally desirable to use excess of the reductant except for aromatic aldehydes for the latter side reactions (e.g., 2RCHO-----> RCOOCH R Tischenko re-... 

The conversion of primary alcohols and aldehydes into carboxylic acids is generally possible with all strong oxidants. Silver(II) oxide in THF/water is particularly useful as a neutral oxidant (E.J. Corey, 1968 A). The direct conversion of primary alcohols into carboxylic esters is achieved with MnOj in the presence of hydrogen cyanide and alcohols (E.J. Corey, 1968 A,D). The remarkably smooth oxidation of ethers to esters by ruthenium tetroxide has been employed quite often (D.G. Lee, 1973). Dibutyl ether affords butyl butanoate, and tetra-hydrofuran yields butyrolactone almost quantitatively. More complex educts also give acceptable yields (M.E. Wolff, 1963). 

In contrast to oxidation in water, it has been found that 1-alkenes are directly oxidized with molecular oxygen in anhydrous, aprotic solvents, when a catalyst system of PdCl2(MeCN)2 and CuCl is used together with HMPA. In the absence of HMPA, no reaction takes place(100]. In the oxidation of 1-decene, the Oj uptake correlates with the amount of 2-decanone formed, and up to 0.5 mol of O2 is consumed for the production of 1 mol of the ketone. This result shows that both O atoms of molecular oxygen are incorporated into the product, and a bimetallic Pd(II) hydroperoxide coupled with a Cu salt is involved in oxidation of this type, and that the well known redox catalysis of PdXi and CuX is not always operalive[10 ]. The oxidation under anhydrous conditions is unique in terms of the regioselective formation of aldehyde 59 from X-allyl-A -methylbenzamide (58), whereas the use of aqueous DME results in the predominant formation of the methyl ketone 60. Similar results are obtained with allylic acetates and allylic carbonates[102]. The complete reversal of the regioselectivity in PdCli-catalyzed oxidation of alkenes is remarkable. 

Enamines as nucleophiles react with butadiene, and a-octadienyl ketones or aldehydes are obtained after hydrolysis[57]. This is a good way of introducing an octadienyl group at the o-position of ketones or aldehydes, because butadiene does not react with ketones or aldehydes directly. The reaction of the pyrrolidine enamine of cyclohexanone gives, after hydrolysis, 2-(2,7-octadie-nyOcyclohe.xanone (58) as the main product, accompanied by a small amount of 2,6-di(2,7-octadienyl)cyclohexanone. The reaction of the optically active enamine 59 with butadiene gave 2-(2,7-octadienyl)cyclohexanone (60) in 72% ce[58]. 

The O-S exchange method in presence of a-halogenated carbonyl compound is a very good one for thiazole compounds. The thioamide is prepared in situ by the action of amide upon phosphorus pentasulphide with solvent. The a-halogenated aldehyde reacts directly. But the O-Se exchange cannot be performed with a-halogenated carbonyl compounds because of the apparition of phosphoric acid. (Scheme 3), The C-Se bond is very sensitive to add pH. 

Owing to the instability of a-halogenoaldehydes it is occasionally preferable to use more stable derivatives, such as enol acetate prepared according to Bedoukian s method (204) and a-bromoacetals (4, 8, 10, 16, 22, 67, 101, 426). An advantage is said to be in the yield however, this appears to be slight. The derivatives react in the same sense as the aldehydes themselves, that is, the acetal group as the more polarized reacts first and enters the C-4 position. It is likely that the condensation and cyclization occur by direct displacement of alkoxide ions. Ethyl-a,/3-dihalogeno ethers (159, 164, 177, 248) have also been used in place of the free aldehydes in condensation with thioamides. 

Syntheses of a,)3-dihalogenoethers can be achieved in various ways the classical method (37), wherein a current of dry gaseous hydrochloric acid, is made to react in an equimolar mixture of ethanol and aldehyde at 20°C first to form the monochloroether (50% yield) and then by the action of bromine, the dibromoether (80 to 90% yield) can be used. The second and simpler method is the direct bromination of ethylvinylether in a chloroformic or dioxane solution if the product is used directly without purification,... 

Like aldehydes ketone functions take precedence over alcohol functions double bonds halogens and alkyl groups m determining the parent name and direction of numbering Aldehydes outrank ketones however and a compound that contains both an aldehyde and a ketone carbonyl group is named as an aldehyde In such cases the carbonyl oxy gen of the ketone is considered an 0x0 substituent on the mam chain... 

Let s first consider how to prepare an aldehyde from a carboxylic acid There are no good methods for going from RCO2H to RCHO directly Instead we do it indirectly... 

Electronic and steric effects operate m the same direction Both cause the equilib rium constants for hydration of aldehydes to be greater than those of ketones... 

Secondary amines are compounds of the type R2NH They add to aldehydes and ketones to form carbmolammes but their carbmolamme intermediates can dehydrate to a stable product only m the direction that leads to a carbon-carbon double bond... 

Normally the yhdes are not isolated Instead the appropriate aldehyde or ketone IS added directly to the solution m which the ylide was generated... 

Section 17 1 The substitutive lUPAC names of aldehydes and ketones are developed by identifying the longest continuous chain that contains the carbonyl group and replacing the final e of the corresponding alkane by al for aldehydes and one for ketones The chain is numbered m the direction that gives the lowest locant to the carbon of the carbonyl group... 

Nor IS the hydrogen directly attached to the carbonyl group m aldehydes affected Only the a hydrogen is replaced... 

FIGURE 18 7 Nucleophilic addition to a p unsaturated aldehydes and ketones may take place either in a 1 2 or 1 4 manner Direct addition (1 2) occurs faster than conjugate addition (1 4) but gives a less stable product The product of 1 4 addition retains the carbon-oxygen double bond which is in general stronger than a carbon-carbon double bond... 

The aldotetroses are the four stereoisomers of 2 3 4 trihydroxybutanal Fischer pro jections are constructed by orienting the molecule m an eclipsed conformation with the aldehyde group at the top The four carbon atoms define the mam chain of the Fischer projection and are arranged vertically Horizontal bonds are directed outward vertical bonds back... 

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