Enolates solvents

The enol can be observed by NMR spectroscopy and at —20°C has a half-life of several hours. At -1-20°C the half-life is only 10 minutes. The presence of bases causes very r id isomerization to acetaldehyde via the enolate. Solvents have a significant effect on the lifetime of such unstable enols. Solvents such as DMF and DMSO, which are known to slow rates of proton exchange by hydrogen bonding, increase the lifetime of unstable enols. ... 

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. 

The former exhibits absorption tjrpical of an isolated keto group, whereas the latter shows a high intensity -band associated with the conjugated system HO—C=C—C=0. The proportions of the two forms under various conditions are readily determined from the ultraviolet spectra. The ultraviolet spectra in various solvents are shown in Fig. A, 7, 2. Since the absorption of the keto form is negligible, the percentage of enol present is 100(em/e ), where e is the observed extinction at 245 mp. and that of the pure enol. It was shown that in alcoholic solution is 1900 and the percentage of enol is 12. Thus e is ca. 16000, and use of this value permits the approximate evaluation of the enol content in different solvents. The results are collected in Table XII. 

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). 

The 7, i5-unsaturated alcohol 99 is cyclized to 2-vinyl-5-phenyltetrahydro-furan (100) by exo cyclization in aqueous alcohol[124]. On the other hand, the dihydropyran 101 is formed by endo cyclization from a 7, (5-unsaturated alcohol substituted by two methyl groups at the i5-position. The direction of elimination of /3-hydrogen to give either enol ethers or allylic ethers can be controlled by using DMSO as a solvent and utilized in the synthesis of the tetronomycin precursor 102[125], The oxidation of the optically active 3-alkene-l,2-diol 103 affords the 2,5-dihydrofuran 104 in high ee. It should be noted that /3-OH is eliminated rather than /3-H at the end of the reac-tion[126]. 

Carboxylic acids are produced in water. Selection of solvents is crucial and the carbonylation of the enol triflate 480 can be carried out in aqueous DMF, and that of the aryl triflate 481 in aqueous DMSO using dppf as a ligand[328,334]. The carbonylation of the enol triflate 482 to form the a, 0. unsaturated acid 483 using dppf as a ligand in aqueous DMF has been applied in the total synthesis of multifunctionalized glycinueclepin[335]. 

Another preparative method for the enone 554 is the reaction of the enol acetate 553 with allyl methyl carbonate using a bimetallic catalyst of Pd and Tin methoxide[354,358]. The enone formation is competitive with the allylation reaction (see Section 2.4.1). MeCN as a solvent and a low Pd to ligand ratio favor enone formation. Two regioisomeric steroidal dienones, 558 and 559, are prepared regioselectively from the respective dienol acetates 556 and 557 formed from the steroidal a, /3-unsaturated ketone 555. Enone formation from both silyl enol ethers and enol acetates proceeds via 7r-allylpalladium enolates as common intermediates. 

Polar solvents shift the keto enol equilibrium toward the enol form (174b). Thus the NMR spectrum in DMSO of 2-phenyl-A-2-thiazoline-4-one is composed of three main signals +10.7 ppm (enolic proton). 7.7 ppm (aromatic protons), and 6.2 ppm (olefinic proton) associated with the enol form and a small signal associated with less than 10% of the keto form. In acetone, equal amounts of keto and enol forms were found (104). In general, a-methylene protons of keto forms appear at approximately 3.5 to 4.3 ppm as an AB spectra or a singlet (386, 419). A coupling constant, Jab - 15.5 Hz, has been reported for 2-[(S-carboxymethyl)thioimidyl]-A-2-thiazoline-4-one 175 (Scheme 92) (419). This high J b value could be of some help in the discussion on the structure of 178 (p. 423). 

FIGURE 9 6 Conversion of an enol to a ketone takes place by way of two solvent mediated proton transfers A proton is transferred to carbon in the first step then removed from oxygen in the second... 

Only the a hydrogens are replaced by deuterium m this reaction The key intermediate IS the enolate ion formed by proton abstraction from the a carbon atom of cyclopen tanone Transfer of deuterium from the solvent D2O to the enolate gives cyclopentanone containing a deuterium atom m place of one of the hydrogens at the a carbon... 

Now use the negatively charged a carbon of the enolate to form a new carbon-carbon bond to the carbonyl group Proton transfer from the solvent completes the process... 

Direct alkylation of esters can be carried out by forming the enolate with LDA fol lowed by addition of an alkyl halide Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is the solvent most often used m these reactions... 

Cyclic 1,2-diketones demonstrate enolic tautomerism, with solvent polarity affecting tautomeric equilibrium ... 

Because the stmcture of 1,3-diketones comprise a methylene group between two activating carbonyls, equiUbrium is shifted toward the enol form. The equihbrium distribution varies with stmcture and solvent (303,306) (Table 13). The enol forms are cycHc and acidic and form covalent, colored, soHd chelates with metals ... 

Only the potentially 2,4-dihydroxy derivatives of furan and thiophene are known and these exist in the solid state and in polar solvents as the monoenols (82) (71T3839). However, in non-polar solvents the furan derivatives exist predominantly in the dioxo form (83). The 2,5-dioxo structure (84) is well established for X=0, NR, S and Se (71BSF3547) and there is no evidence for intervention of any enolic species. The formal tautomer (85) of succinimide has been prepared and is reasonably stable (62CI(L)1576). 

The idea of kinetic versus thermodynamic control can be illustrated by discussing briefly the case of formation of enolate anions from unsymmetrical ketones. This is a very important matter for synthesis and will be discussed more fully in Chapter 1 of Part B. Most ketones, highly symmetric ones being the exception, can give rise to more than one enolate. Many studies have shown tiiat the ratio among the possible enolates that are formed depends on the reaction conditions. This can be illustrated for the case of 3-methyl-2-butanone. If the base chosen is a strong, sterically hindered one and the solvent is aptotic, the major enolate formed is 3. If a protic solvent is used or if a weaker base (one comparable in basicity to the ketone enolate) is used, the dominant enolate is 2. Enolate 3 is the kinetic enolate whereas 2 is the thermodynamically favored enolate. 

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