Base-catalyzed epoxide cleavage

It is possible to cleave epoxides under alkaline conditions. The epoxide undergoes nucleophilic attack by the such nucleophilic reagents as alkoxides, phenoxides, and ammonia. The general reaction of this base-catalyzed cleavage is written below ... 

The reagent CH30"Na is an alkoxide so that it should cause base-catalyzed cleavage of the epoxide (compound B) as shown ... 

The A-D-ring analog 30a,b (mixture of epimers) has been prepared from the epoxide 3a,b by base catalyzed epoxide cleavage, hydroxymethylenation, and O-alkylation of the butenolide unit using standard conditions. Hydroxymethylenation of keto-ester 7 followed by butenolide addition provided the A-D-ring analog 31. 

The base-catalyzed hydration of 2-phenyloxirane involves nucleophilic attack preferentially at C(3) (0-C(3) cleavage), but with only partial regio-selectivity. Acid-catalyzed hydration is mainly by 0-C(2) cleavage. The hydration of 2-phenyloxirane catalyzed by epoxide hydrolase is characterized by its very high regioselectivity for the less-hindered, unsubstituted C(3) [175] [176], involving retention of configuration at C(2). In other words, (R)-and (5)-2-phenyloxirane are metabolized to (/ )- and (S)-l-phenylethane-l,2-diol (10.118), respectively. Substrate enantioselectivity was also character-... 

Epoxides are highly reactive due to the ease of opening of the highly strained three-membered ring. Epoxides can undergo base and acid-catalyzed cleavage. Reactions in (a) - (c) are examples of such cleavages. 

The cleavage of epoxides by water is a classical reaction. Such epoxide cleavage can be catalyzed by both acids and bases in aqueous media. In the presence of other nucleophiles, the corresponding nucleophilic ringopening products are obtained with the nucleophiles being incorporated into the products.68 Examples include azides, iodides, and thiols in the presence or absence of metal salts in aqueous media. The pH of the reaction medium controls the reactivity and regioselectivity of the... 

Silica gel-based catalytic systems have been described as efficient promoters for a number of organic reactions.28 Illustrative examples include the oxidative cleavage of double bonds catalyzed by silica-supported KM11O4,29 reaction of epoxides with lithium halides to give /i-halohydrins performed on silica gel,30 selective deprotection of terf-butyldimethylsilyl ethers catalyzed by silica gel-supported phosphomolybdic acid (PMA),31 and synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide over silica-supported quaternary ammonium salts.32... 

Without additives, radical formation is the main reaction in the manganese-catalyzed oxidation of alkenes and epoxide yields are poor. The heterolytic peroxide-bond-cleavage and therefore epoxide formation can be favored by using nitrogen heterocycles as cocatalysts (imidazoles, pyridines , tertiary amine Af-oxides ) acting as bases or as axial ligands on the metal catalyst. With the Mn-salen complex Mn-[AI,AI -ethylenebis(5,5 -dinitrosalicylideneaminato)], and in the presence of imidazole as cocatalyst and TBHP as oxidant, various alkenes could be epoxidized with yields between 6% and 90% (in some cases ionol was employed as additive), whereby the yields based on the amount of TBHP consumed were low (10-15%). Sterically hindered additives like 2,6-di-f-butylpyridine did not promote the epoxidation. 

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