Double alcohol addition

Figure 3.25 Single or double alcohol addition to the triple bond of PPh2(C=CH)...

Sakurai et al. have provided what is probably the most important mechanistic finding in the area of intermolecular additions of silenes in recent years, namely a detailed proposal for the mechanism of alcohol addition to the silicon-carbon double bond.68 A cyclic silene 116 was synthesized in the presence of various amounts of methanol and other alcohols, and varying proportions of methanol adducts 117 and 118 were obtained. It was concluded that the methanolysis involved two steps, the first being the association of the oxygen lone pairs with the sp 2-hybridized silicon atom of the silene. The second step, proton transfer, could occur in two ways. If the proton was transferred from the complexed methanol molecule (path a) its delivery would result in syn addition. However, if a second molecule of methanol participated (path b), it would deliver its proton... 

Although the high reactivity of metal-chalcogen double bonds of isolated heavy ketones is somewhat suppressed by the steric protecting groups, Tbt-substituted heavy ketones allow the examination of their intermolecular reactions with relatively small substrates. The most important feature in the reactivity of a carbonyl functionality is reversibility in reactions across its carbon-oxygen double bond (addition-elimination mechanism via a tetracoordinate intermediate) as is observed, for example, in reactions with water and alcohols. The energetic basis... 

Ionizing radiations (a, ft and y) react unselectively with all molecules and hence in the case of solutions they react mainly with the solvent. The changes induced in the solute due to radiolysis are consequences of the reactions of the solute with the intermediates formed by the radiolysis of the solvent. Radiolysis of water leads to formation of stable molecules H2 and H2O2, which mostly do not take part in further reactions, and to very reactive radicals the hydrated electron eaq, hydrogen atom H" and the hydroxyl radical OH" (equation 2). The first two radicals are reductants while the third one is an oxidant. However there are some reactions in which H atom reacts similarly to OH radical rather than to eaq, as e.g. abstraction of an hydrogen atom from alcohols, addition to a benzene ring or to an olefinic double bond, etc. 

Oxymercuration-reduction of alkenes preparation of alcohols Addition of water to alkenes by oxymercuration-reduction produces alcohols via Markovnikov addition. This addition is similar to the acid-catalysed addition of water. Oxymercuration is regiospecific and auft -stereospecific. In the addition reaction, Hg(OAc) bonds to the less substituted carbon, and the OH to the more substituted carbon of the double bond. For example, propene reacts with mercuric acetate in the presence of an aqueous THF to give a hydroxy-mercurial compound, followed by reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to yield 2-propanol. 

Alcohol addition to alkenes can also be achieved photochemically under neutral conditions (equation 245).397 This reaction appears to be a photochemically induced ionic addition to the double bond. An arene photosensitizer is required. Unfortunately, this reaction is limited to cyclic alkenes and double bond isomerization is significant. 

The addition reaction of alcohols to silenes is a strictly regiospecific process the OR group in the product is always attached to the silicon. The reaction is of special importance since silenes are easily trapped by reagents like methanol and t-butanol, and isolation of the adducts is normally taken as evidence for an intermediate silene. Furthermore, the alcohol addition to silenes is the prototypical reaction for the 1,2-addition of polar bonds across the Si=C double bond. A complete account on the alcohol addition to silenes, including the most recent mechanistic implications, is given in the chapter by Sakurai. We will therefore give only a brief survey of the reactivity of several families of silenes towards alcohols. 

The high electron density in the double bond system of ethylenes makes nucleophilic attack unfavorable unless the system is substituted with one or more electron withdrawing groups such as -N02, -CN, -COR. When these substituents are present, attack by alcohols or alkoxide ions occurs at the beta-carbon predominantly. For example, researchers have found (12) that sodium methoxide or sodium ethoxide added rapidly at room temperature to beta-nitrostyrene leads to the alkoxide formation of the derivative (Reaction VIII). This reaction is generally not only for arylnitroalkenes (13) but also for other activated double bonds (14). Another example of alcohol addition to an activated double bond includes the reaction of alcohols with acrylonitrile to produce a cyano-ethylated ether (14A). 

A double Michael addition on the trihydroxydienoate 5 leads to the bicyclic ester 6 with total stereoselectivity. After protection of the primary hydroxy function, the dienoate is treated at 20 C with potassium /cr/-butoxide in a mixture of ten-butyl alcohol/benzene. The desired bicyclic ester 6, containing both tetrahydrofuranyl and tetrahydro-2/f-pyrany] moieties, is obtained in about 50% yield. This compound is stereochemically pure and its structure is confirmed on the basis of the H-NMR spectrum51. 

We need carbonyl groups to do conjugate addition so the tertiary alcohols will have to be made from them. In Chapter 9 (p. 222) we saw how to make such tertiary alcohols from esters and organometallic compounds and in Problem 1 of this set we saw how to do double conjugate additions on unsaturated esters - all the pieces fit together. 

Catalytic hydrogenation of a,jS-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones yields saturated alcohols, addition of hydrogen occurring both at carbon-carbon and at carbon-oxygen double bonds. It is for the purpose of ultimately preparing saturated alcohols that the aldol condensation is often carried out. For example, /i-butyl alcohol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol are both prepared on an industrial scale in this way ... 

Besides ruthenium tetroxide, other ruthenium salts, such as ruthenium trichloride hydrate, may be used for oxidation of carbon-carbon double bonds. Addition of acetonitrile as a cosolvent to the carbon tetrachloride-water biphase system markedly improves the effectiveness and reliability of ruthenium-catalyzed oxidations. For example, RuCl3 H20 in conjunction with NaI04 in acetonitrile-CCl4-H20 oxidizes (Ej-S-decene to pentanoic acid in 88% yield. Ruthenium salts may also be employed for oxidations of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids, secondary alcohols to ketones, and 1,2-diols to carboxylic acids under mild conditions at room temperature, as exemplified below. However, in the absence of such readily oxidized functional groups, even aromatic rings are oxidized. 

The damascones are a group of materials related to the ionones, but in which the enone unit is transposed. They are components of rose oils and have very intense fruity-floral odours. The damascenones, which contain a second double bond in the ring, are also very much sought after. One synthesis of a-damascone from methyl a-cyclogeranate is shown in Scheme 4.40. A double Grignard addition gives the tertiary alcohol. Heating of this in the presence of base, to prevent elimination... 

The Oppolzer sultam 35-1 (Scheme 35, reaction (101) [84] reacts with even higher stereoselectivies and is easier to remove. The main domains of the Oppolzer sultam are conjugate 1,4-additions or simple double bond additions [Scheme 35, reactions (102) and (103)] [85], which show diastereoselectivities of >95% in most cases. Scheme 36 presents examples of persistent, restorable and selfimmolative auxiliaries which are all based on amino acids or amino alcohols, finders RAMP-SAMP [86] is attached to ketones or aldehydes in form of a hydrazone 36-1 which is used for highly stereoselective electrophilic a-alkyla-tions. After the reaction the auxihary is removed via ozonolysis which generates the nitrosamine 36-2 first. In an ensuing step this is reduced to the original auxiliary. In Schollkopf s bislactim ether alkylations [Scheme 36, reaction (105)]... 

The succinate to oxaloacetate sequence of reactions—oxidation through formation of a double bond, addition of water to the double bond, and oxidation of the resultant alcohol to a ketone is found in many oxidative pathways in the cell, such as the pathways for the oxidation of fatty acids, and oxidation of the branched chain amino acids. 

Employing enolate chemistry. Ley et developed a solid-phase synthesis of bicyclo[2.2.2] octanes of type 316 based on a double Michael addition strategy. As depicted in Scheme 4.6.2, polymer-bound acrylate 313 was treated with cyclohexenone enolates derived from 314 to give 315. After reductive animation, resin-bound bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes 316 were cleaved under a set of different conditions. Aminolysis with different amines and acidolysis using TEA led to the formation of 317 and 318, whereas reduction with DIBAH gave alcohols of type 319. 

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