Stereochemistry elimination reactions

The stereochemistry of reactions can also be treated by permutation group theory for reactions that involve the transformation of an sp carbon atom center into an sp carbon atom center, as in additions to C=C bonds, in elimination reactions, or in eIcctrocycHc reactions such as the one shown in Figure 3-21. Details have been published 3l]. 

The stereochemistry of the most fundamental reaction types such as addition, substitution, and elimination are described by terms which specify the stereochemical relationship between the reactants and products. Addition and elimination reactions are classified as syn or anti, depending on whether the covalent bonds which are made or broken are on the same face or opposite faces of the plane of the double bond. 

I Ignoring double-bond stereochemistry, what products would you expect from elimination reactions of the following alkyl halides Which will be the major product in each case ... 

Anti stereochemistry (Section 7.2) The opposite of syn. An anti addition reaction is one in which the two ends of the double bond are attacked from different sides. An anti elimination reaction is one in which the two groups leave from opposite sides of the molecule. 

The conversion of long-chain alkanoate CoA esters into the alkenoate CoA esters by acyl-CoA oxidase involves an anti elimination reaction. The stereochemistry of the reaction in Candida lipolytica was established using stearoyl-CoA-labeled with H at the 2 R)-, 3(R)-, and 3(5)-positions (Kawaguchi et al. 1980). 

Another important family of elimination reactions has as its common mechanistic feature cyclic TSs in which an intramolecular hydrogen transfer accompanies elimination to form a new carbon-carbon double bond. Scheme 6.20 depicts examples of these reaction types. These are thermally activated unimolecular reactions that normally do not involve acidic or basic catalysts. There is, however, a wide variation in the temperature at which elimination proceeds at a convenient rate. The cyclic TS dictates that elimination occurs with syn stereochemistry. At least in a formal sense, all the reactions can proceed by a concerted mechanism. The reactions, as a group, are often referred to as thermal syn eliminations. 

The r/zreo-3-deutero-2-trimethylstannylbutane that Hannon and Traylor158 used to determine the stereochemistry of the hydride transfer reaction and to shed light on the mechanism of this reaction was synthesized using the reactions in Scheme 22. Each of the reactions in Scheme 22 is stereo specific and the analysis showed that the product was at least 97% r/rreo-3-deutero-2-trimethylstannylbutane. If the elimination reaction from t/zreo-3-deutero-2-trimethylstannylbutane occurs with an awh -periplanar stereochemistry, the products shown in Scheme 23 will be obtained. Thus, if the elimination occurs by an awft -periplanar stereochemistry, all the fraws-2-butene will be monodeuterated while the ds-2-butene will not be deuterated. A syw-periplanar elimination from f/zreo-3-deutero-2-trimethylstannylbutane, on the other hand, would give the products shown in Scheme 24. If this occurs, the cw-2-butene will contain one deuterium atom and the fraws-2-butene will contain none. 

Benzoylation of D-g/ycero-D-gw/o-heptono-1,4-lactone with an excess of benzoyl chloride and pyridine afforded the hept-2-enono-1,4-lactone as the main product (198). The di- and triunsaturated compounds were isolated in very low yield from the mother liquors (199). Higher yields of the di- and triunsaturated derivatives 153 and 154 were obtained when the /5-elimination reaction was performed with triethylamine on the previously synthesized per-O-benzoyl D-g/ycero-D-gw/o-heptono-1,4-lactone. Employing 10% triethylamine in chloroform, the lactone 153 was obtained as an E, Z dias-tereomeric mixture in 9 11 ratio as determined by H n.m.r. When 20% triethylamine was used, the furanone 154 was obtained in 59% yield (200). Its structure was assigned, on the basis of H and 13C n.m.r. spectra, as 3 -benzoyloxy - (5Z)-[(Z)-3 - benzoyloxy - 2 - propenyliden] -2(5 H)- furanone. The stereochemistry of the exocyclic double bonds was established (201) by nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY). 

This section will describe reactions in which elimination to form a double bond or a new ring occurs as a result of thermal activation. There are several such thermal elimination reactions which find use in synthesis. Some of these are concerted processes. The transition-state energy requirements and stereochemistry of concerted elimination processes can be analyzed in terms of orbital symmetry considerations. We will also consider an important group of unimolecular /1-elimination reactions in Section 6.8.3. 

The conversion of (4S,5S)-dihydro-5-[(S)-l-hydroxyethyl]-4-trimethylsilyl-2(3//)-furanone (7, see p 416) into the (Z)-alkene 8 served to establish the relative configuration at C-4 and C-5 in 7 on the basis of the established double bond configuration in 8 and the anticipated (anti) stereochemistry of the elimination reaction (see also p474)81. 

Reactions of propynyl alcohols and their derivatives with metal hydrides, such as lithium aluminum hydride, constitute an important regio- and stereoselective approach to chiral allenes of high enantiomeric purity63-69. Formally, a hydride is introduced by net 1,3-substitution, however, when leaving groups such as amines, sulfonates and tetrahydropyranyloxy are involved, it has been established that the reaction proceeds by successive trans-1,2-addition and preferred anti-1,2-elimination reactions. The conformational mobility of the intermediate results in both syn- and ami- 1,2-elimination, which leads to competition between overall syn- and anti-1,3-substitution and hence lower optical yields and/or a reversal of the stereochemistry. 

Suggest an explanation based on orbital interactions for the observed stereochemistry for E2 elimination reactions, that is, the strong stereoelectronic preference that the C—H and C—X bonds be anti-coplanar. 

In the case of certain diolefins, the palladium-carbon sigma-bonded complexes can be isolated and the stereochemistry of the addition with a variety of nucleophiles is trans (4, 5, 6). The stereochemistry of the addition-elimination reactions in the case of the monoolefins, because of the instability of the intermediate sigma-bonded complex, is not clear. It has been argued (7, 8, 9) that the chelating diolefins are atypical, and the stereochemical results cannot be extended to monoolefins since approach of an external nucleophile from the cis side presents steric problems. The trans stereochemistry has also been attributed either to the inability of the chelating diolefins to rotate 90° from the position perpendicular to the square plane of the metal complex to a position which would favor cis addition by metal and a ligand attached to it (10), or to the fact that methanol (nucleophile) does not coordinate to the metal prior to addition (11). In the Wacker Process, the kinetics of oxidation of olefins suggest, but do not require, the cis hydroxypalladation of olefins (12,13,14). The acetoxypalladation of a simple monoolefin, cyclohexene, proceeds by trans addition (15, 16). 

The stereochemistry of /1-elimination reactions catalysed by D-galactonate dehydratase (GalD) and D-glucarate dehydratase (GlucD) enzymes is apparently not dictated by the pKas of the 7-protons of the carboxylate anion substrates.74 It had been observed previously that enzyme-catalysed dehydration initiated by abstraction of the a-proton (P a > 29) from a carboxylate anion substrate usually proceeds via anti elimination, whereas syn elimination occurs when the proton is a- to an aldehyde, ketone, or thioester and correspondingly more acidic (pKa < 25). 

We have mentioned many times that you need to think about the regiochemistry and stereochemistry of every reaction. We will now consider those issues for elimination reactions, beginning with regiochemistry. 

Now let s turn our attention to the stereochemistry of elimination reactions. El reactions go through an intermediate carbocation, so you lose stereospecificity. This means that if there are two possible stereoisomeric double bonds, you will get both of them ... 

Bottom line How should you study addition reactions For every addition reaction that you encounter, you must draw the mechanism first. Once you completely understand it, then you can look for the stereochemistry and regiochemistry and try to justify them based on the mechanism. Then you will be in a position to understand any of the factors that your textbook mentions about that reaction. Those factors will often help you determine when and how quickly the reaction occurs. There will usually be fewer factors than we saw in substitution and elimination reactions. Usually only one or two factors will be covered on any reaction (if even that). You should then turn to the end of Chapter 8 and summarize this information for each reaction. You will record the mechanism and the key information regarding stereochemistry and regiochemistry. If you repeat this process for every reaction that you learn (not just addition reactions, but all reactions), then you will be in really good shape. 

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