Enolate compounds enolates

Typical organic acids contain the --C(0)0H group, but many other acid groupings, e.g. the sulphonic -S(0)20H give acidic properties to organic compounds. Phenols have acidic properties and are classified with enols as pseudo-acids. 

Dilute sodium hydroxide solution. Carboxylic acids (RCOOH), sulphonic acids (RSO3H), phenols (ArOH), thiophenols (ArSH), mer-captans (RSH), imides (RCONHCOR), aryl sulphonamides (AxSOjNHj), arylsulphonyl derivatives of primary amines (AxSOjNHR), oximes (RCH=NOH), primary and secondary nitro compounds (RCH=NOOH and RjC=NOOH-oci forms), and some enols (e.g., of 1 3-diketones... 

An indication whether a water-insoluble compound is an acid or a phenol (or enol) will be obtained from the Solubihty Tests water-soluble acids will bberate carbon dioxide from 5 per cent, sodium bicarbonate solution see Section III,85,(i). ... 

Suggestions as to the methods for identifying the above classes of compounds will be found under Class Reactiona in Section XI,7. Some fimther remarks upon enolic compounds (see Table IV,1I4A) may be made here. Enols may be divided into (a) p-keto esters and (b) 1 3-diketones. With 5 per cent, sodium hydroxide solution, a p-keto ester yields the salt of the corresponding acid, which when heated with dilute hydrochloric acid is decarboxylated to a ketone ... 

Separations based upon differences in the chemical properties of the components. Thus a mixture of toluene and anihne may be separated by extraction with dilute hydrochloric acid the aniline passes into the aqueous layer in the form of the salt, anihne hydrochloride, and may be recovered by neutralisation. Similarly, a mixture of phenol and toluene may be separated by treatment with dilute sodium hydroxide. The above examples are, of comse, simple apphcations of the fact that the various components fah into different solubihty groups (compare Section XI,5). Another example is the separation of a mixture of di-n-butyl ether and chlorobenzene concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves only the w-butyl other and it may be recovered from solution by dilution with water. With some classes of compounds, e.g., unsaturated compounds, concentrated sulphuric acid leads to polymerisation, sulphona-tion, etc., so that the original component cannot be recovered unchanged this solvent, therefore, possesses hmited apphcation. Phenols may be separated from acids (for example, o-cresol from benzoic acid) by a dilute solution of sodium bicarbonate the weakly acidic phenols (and also enols) are not converted into salts by this reagent and may be removed by ether extraction or by other means the acids pass into solution as the sodium salts and may be recovered after acidification. Aldehydes, e.g., benzaldehyde, may be separated from liquid hydrocarbons and other neutral, water-insoluble hquid compounds by shaking with a solution of sodium bisulphite the aldehyde forms a sohd bisulphite compound, which may be filtered off and decomposed with dilute acid or with sodium bicarbonate solution in order to recover the aldehyde. 

Separate any phenolic or enolic compounds which may be present by extracting the sodium bicarbonate solution with two 20 ml. portions of ether remove the ether from the extract and examine any residue for phenols (or enols). 

Ck)ol the alkaline solution resulting from the distillation of the volatile neutral compounds, make it acid to litmus with dilute sulphuric acid, and add an excess of solid sodium bicarbonate. Extract this bicarbonate solution with two 20 ml. portions of ether remove the ether from the combined ether extracts and identify the residual phenol (or enol). Then acidify the bicarbonate solution cautiously with dilute sulphiu-ic acid if an acidic compound separates, remove it by two extractions with 20 ml. portions of ether if the acidified solution remains clear, distil and collect any water-soluble, volatile acid in the distillate. Characterise the acid as under 2. 

The anion B is just the enolate anion of a carbonyl compound, actually the same as A. So there is no need to use a Grignard reagent or any other synthetic equivalent in this reaction anion B itself can be the intermediate and we simply treat the aldehyde with mild base ... 

So far in this section we have combined enolate anions with other carbonyl compounds by direct attack at the carbonyl group. We can expand the scope of this reaction by using a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds as the electrophiles. This is the Michael reaction. Remind yourself of tliis by writing out the mechanism of a Michael reaction such as ... 

The formation of the above anions ("enolate type) depend on equilibria between the carbon compounds, the base, and the solvent. To ensure a substantial concentration of the anionic synthons in solution the pA" of both the conjugated acid of the base and of the solvent must be higher than the pAT -value of the carbon compound. Alkali hydroxides in water (p/T, 16), alkoxides in the corresponding alcohols (pAT, 20), sodium amide in liquid ammonia (pATj 35), dimsyl sodium in dimethyl sulfoxide (pAT, = 35), sodium hydride, lithium amides, or lithium alkyls in ether or hydrocarbon solvents (pAT, > 40) are common combinations used in synthesis. Sometimes the bases (e.g. methoxides, amides, lithium alkyls) react as nucleophiles, in other words they do not abstract a proton, but their anion undergoes addition and substitution reactions with the carbon compound. If such is the case, sterically hindered bases are employed. A few examples are given below (H.O. House, 1972 I. Kuwajima, 1976). 

If boranes (K. Utimoto, 1973 H.C. Brown, 1975, 1980 A. Pelter, 1979) are used as donor synthons for the alkylation of a, -unsatarated carbonyl compounds, no enolate anion is formed, and the, 8-position of the C=C bond is the only reaction site. 

Aldol additions and ester condensations have always been and still are the most popular reactions for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds (A.T. Nielsen, 1968). The earbonyl group acts as an a -synthon, the enoi or enolate as a d -synthon. Both reactions will be treated together here, and arguments, which are given for aldol additions, are also valid for ester condensations. Many famous name reactions belong to this category ). The products of aldol additions may be either /J-hydroxy carbonyl compounds or, after dehydration, or, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds. 

The usual base or acid catalyzed aldol addition or ester condensation reactions can only be applied as a useful synthetic reaction, if both carbonyl components are identical. Otherwise complicated mixtures of products are formed. If two different aldehydes or esters are to be combined, it is essential that one of the components is transformed quantitatively into an enol whereas the other component remains as a carbonyl compound in the reaction mixture. 

A regioselective aldol condensation described by Biichi succeeds for sterical reasons (G. Biichi, 1968). If one treats the diaidehyde given below with acid, both possible enols are probably formed in a reversible reaaion. Only compound A, however, is found as a product, since in B the interaction between the enol and ester groups which are in the same plane hinders the cyclization. BOchi used acid catalysis instead of the usual base catalysis. This is often advisable, when sterical hindrance may be important. It works, because the addition of a proton or a Lewis acid to a carbonyl oxygen acidifies the neighbouring CH-bonds. 

The selective intermolecular addition of two different ketones or aldehydes can sometimes be achieved without protection of the enol, because different carbonyl compounds behave differently. For example, attempts to condense acetaldehyde with benzophenone fail. Only self-condensation of acetaldehyde is observed, because the carbonyl group of benzophenone is not sufficiently electrophilic. With acetone instead of benzophenone only fi-hydroxyketones are formed in good yield, if the aldehyde is slowly added to the basic ketone solution. Aldols are not produced. This result can be generalized in the following way aldehydes have more reactive carbonyl groups than ketones, but enolates from ketones have a more nucleophilic carbon atom than enolates from aldehydes (G. Wittig, 1968). 

A classical reaction leading to 1,4-difunctional compounds is the nucleophilic substitution of the bromine of cf-bromo carbonyl compounds (a -synthons) with enolate type anions (d -synthons). Regio- and stereoselectivities, which can be achieved by an appropiate choice of the enol component, are similar to those described in the previous section. Just one example of a highly functionalized product (W.L. Meyer, 1963) is given. 

Treatment of O-silyl enols with silver oxide leads to radical coupling via silver enolates. If the carbon atom bears no substituents, two such r -synthons recombine to symmetrical 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds in good vield (Y. Ito, 1975). 

The Michael reaction is of central importance here. This reaction is a vinylogous aldol addition, and most facts, which have been discussed in section 1.10, also apply here the reaction is catalyzed by acids and by bases, and it may be made regioselective by the choice of appropriate enol derivatives. Stereoselectivity is also observed in reactions with cyclic educts. An important difference to the aldol addition is, that the Michael addition is usually less prone to sterical hindrance. This is evidenced by the two examples given below, in which cyclic 1,3-diketones add to o, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds (K. Hiroi, 1975 H, Smith, 1964). 

The addition of large enolate synthons to cyclohexenone derivatives via Michael addition leads to equatorial substitution. If the cyclohexenone conformation is fixed, e.g. as in decalones or steroids, the addition is highly stereoselective. This is also the case with the S-addition to conjugated dienones (Y. Abe, 1956). Large substituents at C-4 of cyclic a -synthons direct incoming carbanions to the /rans-position at C-3 (A.R. Battersby, 1960). The thermodynamically most stable products are formed in these cases, because the addition of 1,3-dioxo compounds to activated double bonds is essentially reversible. 

The majority of preparative methods which have been used for obtaining cyclopropane derivatives involve carbene addition to an olefmic bond, if acetylenes are used in the reaction, cyclopropenes are obtained. Heteroatom-substituted or vinyl cydopropanes come from alkenyl bromides or enol acetates (A. de Meijere, 1979 E. J. Corey, 1975 B E. Wenkert, 1970 A). The carbenes needed for cyclopropane syntheses can be obtained in situ by a-elimination of hydrogen halides with strong bases (R. Kdstcr, 1971 E.J. Corey, 1975 B), by copper catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds (E. Wenkert, 1970 A S.D. Burke, 1979 N.J. Turro, 1966), or by reductive elimination of iodine from gem-diiodides (J. Nishimura, 1969 D. Wen-disch, 1971 J.M. Denis, 1972 H.E. Simmons, 1973 C. Girard, 1974),... 

Intramolecular reactions between donor and acceptor centres in fused ring systems provide a general route to bridged polycyclic systems. The cts-decalone mesylate given below contains two d -centres adjacent to the carbonyl function and one a -centre. Treatment of this compound with base leads to reversible enolate formation, and the C-3 carbanion substitutes the mesylate on C-7 (J. Gauthier, 1967 A. Belanger, 1968). 

The ff-oxidation of carbonyl compounds may be performed by addition of molecular oxygen to enolate anions and subsequent reduction of the hydroperoxy group, e.g. with triethyl phosphite (E.J. Bailey, 1962 J.N. Gardner, 1968 A,B). If the initially formed a-hydroperoxide possesses another enolizable a-proton, dehydration to the 1,2-dione occurs spontaneously, and further oxidation to complex product mitctures is usually observed. 

The following acid-catalyzed cyclizations leading to steroid hormone precursors exemplify some important facts an acetylenic bond is less nucleophilic than an olelinic bond acetylenic bonds tend to form cyclopentane rather than cyclohexane derivatives, if there is a choice in proton-catalyzed olefin cyclizations the thermodynamically most stable Irons connection of cyclohexane rings is obtained selectively electroneutral nucleophilic agents such as ethylene carbonate can be used to terminate the cationic cyclization process forming stable enol derivatives which can be hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds without this nucleophile and with trifluoroacetic acid the corresponding enol ester may be obtained (M.B. Gravestock, 1978, A,B P.E. Peterson, 1969). 

---