Catalytic epoxidations

Rational Design of Manganese-Salen Epoxidation Catalyts Preliminary Results," Hosoya, N. Hatayama, A. Irie, R. Sasaki, H. Katsuki. T. Tetrahedron, 1994, 50, 4311... 

Xu, L., Sithambaram, S., Zhang, Y., Chen, C., Jin, L., Joesten, R. and Suib, S.L. (2009) Novel urchin-like CuO synthesized by a facile reflux method with efficient olefin epoxidation catalytic performance. Chemistry of Materials, 21, 1253-1259. Calvert, C., Joesten, R., Ngala, K., Villegas, J., Morey, A., Shen, X. and Suib,S.L. 

A familiar type of mechanism-controlled stereochemistry are cis or turns additions to C-C double bonds, cis Additions (suprafacial) are concerted cycloadditions, e.g., osmylations, epoxidations, catalytic hydrogenations, etc., whereas trams additions (antarafacial) normally proceed via two steps. 

Figure 6A.7. Ligand exchange on titanium during the asymmetric epoxidation catalytic cycle.

Catalytic hydroboration (catecholborane/Rh) Catalytic osmylation Titanium-promoted epoxidation Catalytic hydrosilylation with (Me2H)Sl2NH Rh or Ru-directed hydrogenation... 

The first practical method for asymmetric epoxidation of primary and secondary allylic alcohols was developed by K.B. Sharpless in 1980 (T. Katsuki, 1980 K.B. Sharpless, 1983 A, B, 1986 see also D. Hoppe, 1982). Tartaric esters, e.g., DET and DIPT" ( = diethyl and diisopropyl ( + )- or (— )-tartrates), are applied as chiral auxiliaries, titanium tetrakis(2-pro-panolate) as a catalyst and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (= TBHP, Bu OOH) as the oxidant. If the reaction mixture is kept absolutely dry, catalytic amounts of the dialkyl tartrate-titanium(IV) complex are suflicient, which largely facilitates work-up procedures (Y. Gao, 1987). Depending on the tartrate enantiomer used, either one of the 2,3-epoxy alcohols may be obtained with high enantioselectivity. The titanium probably binds to the diol grouping of one tartrate molecule and to the hydroxy groups of the bulky hydroperoxide and of the allylic alcohol... 

A catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective dihydroxylation procedure without the assistance of a directing functional group (like the allylic alcohol group in the Sharpless epox-idation) has also been developed by K.B. Sharpless (E.N. Jacobsen, 1988 H.-L. Kwong, 1990 B.M. Kim, 1990 H. Waldmann, 1992). It uses osmium tetroxide as a catalytic oxidant (as little as 20 ppm to date) and two readily available cinchona alkaloid diastereomeis, namely the 4-chlorobenzoate esters or bulky aryl ethers of dihydroquinine and dihydroquinidine (cf. p. 290% as stereosteering reagents (structures of the Os complexes see R.M. Pearlstein, 1990). The transformation lacks the high asymmetric inductions of the Sharpless epoxidation, but it is broadly applicable and insensitive to air and water. Further improvements are to be expected. 

WorkingS olution Regeneration and Purification. Economic operation of an anthraquinone autoxidation process mandates fmgal use of the expensive anthraquinones. During each reduction and oxidation cycle some finite amount of anthraquinone and solvent is affected by the physical and chemical exposure. At some point, control of tetrahydroanthraquinones, tetrahydroanthraquinone epoxides, hydroxyanthrones, and acids is required to maintain the active anthraquinone concentration, catalytic activity, and favorable density and viscosity. This control can be by removal or regeneration. 

N—Fe(IV)Por complexes. Oxo iron(IV) porphyrin cation radical complexes, [O—Fe(IV)Por ], are important intermediates in oxygen atom transfer reactions. Compound I of the enzymes catalase and peroxidase have this formulation, as does the active intermediate in the catalytic cycle of cytochrome P Q. Similar intermediates are invoked in the extensively investigated hydroxylations and epoxidations of hydrocarbon substrates cataly2ed by iron porphyrins in the presence of such oxidizing agents as iodosylbenzene, NaOCl, peroxides, and air. 

Induction of Asymmetry by Amino Acids. No fewer than sis types of reactions can be carried out with yields of 75—100% usiag amino acid catalysts, ie, catalytic hydrogenation, iatramolecular aldol cyclizations, cyanhydrin synthesis, alkylation of carbonyl compounds, hydrosdylation, and epoxidations (91). 

Friedel-Crafts. 2-Phenylpropanol results from the catalytic (AlCl, FeCl, or TiCl reaction of ben2ene and propylene oxide at low temperature and under anhydrous conditions (see Friedel-CRAFTS reactions). Epoxide reaction with toluene gives a mixture of 0-, m- and -isomers (75,76). 

The tert-huty hydroperoxide is then mixed with a catalyst solution to react with propylene. Some TBHP decomposes to TBA during this process step. The catalyst is typically an organometaHic that is soluble in the reaction mixture. The metal can be tungsten, vanadium, or molybdenum. Molybdenum complexes with naphthenates or carboxylates provide the best combination of selectivity and reactivity. Catalyst concentrations of 200—500 ppm in a solution of 55% TBHP and 45% TBA are typically used when water content is less than 0.5 wt %. The homogeneous metal catalyst must be removed from solution for disposal or recycle (137,157). Although heterogeneous catalysts can be employed, elution of some of the metal, particularly molybdenum, from the support surface occurs (158). References 159 and 160 discuss possible mechanisms for the catalytic epoxidation of olefins by hydroperoxides. 

The primary determinant of catalyst surface area is the support surface area, except in the case of certain catalysts where extremely fine dispersions of active material are obtained. As a rule, catalysts intended for catalytic conversions utilizing hydrogen, eg, hydrogenation, hydrodesulfurization, and hydrodenitrogenation, can utilize high surface area supports, whereas those intended for selective oxidation, eg, olefin epoxidation, require low surface area supports to avoid troublesome side reactions. 

For epoxide rearrangement Catalytic amount Catalytic amount... 

In terms of cost, the effectiveness of the catalytic cycle in the ring closure makes this process economical in palladium. The first three steps in the reaction sequence -- ring opening of an epoxide by a Grignard reagent, converison of an alcohol to an amine with inversion, and sulfonamide formation from the amine — are all standard synthetic processes. 

Several other changes that are supposed to slow down the reaction can cause runaway. In the case of ethylene oxidation, chlorinated hydrocarbons are used as inhibitors. These slow down both the total and the epoxidation, although the latter somewhat less. When the reaction is running too high and the inhibitor feed is suddenly increased in an attempt to control it, a runaway may occur. The reason is similar to that for the feed temperature cut situation. Here the inhibitor that is in the ppm region reacts with the front of the catalytic bed and slowly moves down stream. The unconverted reactants reach the hotter zone before the increased inhibitor concentration does. 

As indicated in the preceding section, amine hardeners will cross-link epoxide resins either by a catalytic mechanism or by bridging across epoxy molecules. In general the primary and secondary amines act as reactive hardeners whilst the tertiary amines are catalytic. 

The Jacobsen-Katsuki epoxidation reaction is an efficient and highly selective method for the preparation of a wide variety of structurally and electronically diverse chiral epoxides from olefins. The reaction involves the use of a catalytic amount of a chiral Mn(III)salen complex 1 (salen refers to ligands composed of the N,N -ethylenebis(salicylideneaminato) core), a stoichiometric amount of a terminal oxidant, and the substrate olefin 2 in the appropriate solvent (Scheme 1.4.1). The reaction protocol is straightforward and does not require any special handling techniques. 

In 1980, Katsuki and Sharpless communicated that the epoxidation of a variety of allylic alcohols was achieved in exceptionally high enantioselectivity with a catalyst derived from titanium(IV) isopropoxide and chiral diethyl tartrate. This seminal contribution described an asymmetric catalytic system that not only provided the product epoxide in remarkable enantioselectivity, but showed the immediate generality of the reaction by examining 5 of the 8 possible substitution patterns of allylic alcohols all of which were epoxidized in >90% ee. Shortly thereafter. Sharpless and others began to illustrate the... 

This class of substrate is the only real problematic substrate for the AE reaction. The enantioseleetivity of the AE reaction with this class of substrate is often variable. In addition, rates of the catalytic reactions are often sluggish, thus requiring stoichiometric loadings of Ti/tartrate. Some representative product epoxides from AE reaction of 3Z-substituted allyl alcohols are shown below. 

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