Epoxides carbon nucleophiles

The reactions are highly exothermic. Under Uquid-phase conditions at about 200°C, the overall heat of reaction is —83.7 to —104.6 kJ/mol (—20 to —25 kcal/mol) ethylene oxide reacting (324). The opening of the oxide ring is considered to occur by an ionic mechanism with a nucleophilic attack on one of the epoxide carbon atoms (325). Both acidic and basic catalysts accelerate the reactions, as does elevated temperature. The reaction kinetics and product distribution have been studied by a number of workers (326,327). 

The product of nucleophilic attack can be anticipated by examining the lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) on protonated cyclopentene oxide. From which direction (top or bottom) would a nucleophile be more likely to approach each epoxide carbon in order to transfer electrons into this orbital Explain. Does one carbon contribute more to the LUMO, or is the orbital evenly spread out over both epoxide carbons Assuming that LUMO shape dictates product stereochemistry, predict which stereoisomers will be obtained, and their approximate relative amounts. Is the anticipated kinetic product also the thermodynamic product (Compare energies of 1,2-cyclopentanediol stereoisomers to tell.)... 

Grignard reagents do react with epoxides 24 by an SN2-mechanism, resulting in a ring-opening reaction. An epoxide carbon bearing no additional substituent—i.e. a methylene group—is more reactive towards nucleophilic attack than a substituted one ... 

Identify the substitution pattern of the two epoxide carbon atoms—in this case, one carbon is secondary and one is primary. Then recall the guidelines for epoxide cleavages. An epoxide with only primary and secondary carbons usually undergoes cleavage by SN2-like attack of a nucleophile on the less hindered carbon, but an epoxide with a tertiary carbon atom usually undergoes cleavage by backside attack on the more hindered carbon. In this case, an S]sj2 cleavage of the primary C—O epoxide bond will occur. 

Base-catalyzed epoxide opening is a typical S -2 reaction in which attack of the nucleophile takes place at the less hindered epoxide carbon. For example, 1,2-epoxypropane reacts with ethoxide ion exclusively at the less highly substituted, primary, carbon to give l-ethoxy-2-propanol. 

The C2-symmetric epoxide 23 (Scheme 7) reacts smoothly with carbon nucleophiles. For example, treatment of 23 with lithium dimethylcuprate proceeds with inversion of configuration, resulting in the formation of alcohol 28. An important consequence of the C2 symmetry of 23 is that the attack of the organometallic reagent upon either one of the two epoxide carbons produces the same product. After simultaneous hydrogenolysis of the two benzyl ethers in 28, protection of the 1,2-diol as an acetonide ring can be easily achieved by the use of 2,2-dimethoxypropane and camphor-sulfonic acid (CSA). It is necessary to briefly expose the crude product from the latter reaction to methanol and CSA so that the mixed acyclic ketal can be cleaved (see 29—>30). Oxidation of alcohol 30 with pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) provides alde-... 

Alternatively, epoxides can be formed with concomitant formation of a C-C bond. Reactions between aldehydes and various carbon nucleophiles are an efficient route to epoxides, although the cis. trans selectivity can be problematic (see Section 9.1.4). Kinetic resolution (see Section 9.1.5.2) or dihydroxylation with sequential ring-closure to epoxides (see Section 9.1.1.3) can be employed when asymmetric epoxidation methods are unsatisfactory. 

The reaction between an aldehyde and a carbon nucleophile, such as a sulfur ylide, constitutes an alternative approach to the synthesis of epoxides. Since alkenes, which are the normal epoxidation substrates, are often formed from aldehydes, this approach can be highly efficient. On the other hand, the synthesis of appropriate carbon nucleophiles usually requires additional steps. 

For 1,2-disubstituted epoxides, the regiochemical outcome of nucleophilic attack becomes less predictable. However, in the case of epoxy ethers chelation control can be used to deliver the nucleophile preferentially to the epoxide carbon away from the ether moiety. Thus, treatment of epoxy ether 61 with an imido(halo)metal complex, such as [Cr(N-t-Bu)Cl3(dme)], leads to the clean and high-yielding production of the chlorohydrin 64. The regioselectivity is rationalized in terms of initial formation of a chelated species (62), followed by attack at C-3 to form the more stable 5-membered metallacyclic alkoxide 63 <00SL677>. 

More traditional carbon nucleophiles can also be used for an alkylative ring-opening strategy, as exemplified by the titanium tetrachloride promoted reaction of trimethylsilyl enol ethers (82) with ethylene oxide, a protocol which provides aldol products (84) in moderate to good yields <00TL763>. While typical lithium enolates of esters and ketones do not react directly with epoxides, aluminum ester enolates (e.g., 86) can be used quite effectively. This methodology is the subject of a recent review <00T1149>. 

Next to iodine there is also another class of neutral Lewis acids known. Tetracyanoethylene, dicyanoketene acetals and derivatives can catalyse reaction due to their tt-Lewis acid properties. They promoted the alcoholysis of epoxides [238], tetrahydropyranylation of alcohols [239], monothioacetahzation of acetals [240], and carbon-carbon bond formation of acetals [241,242] and imines [243] with silylated carbon nucleophiles. 

A variety of rhodium complexes, including [Rh(CO)2Cl]2 and [Rh(COD)Cl]2 when used in combination with a variety of bisphosphine ligands, will catalyze the ring opening of vinyl epoxides in the presence of aniline nucleophiles [19, 20]. These reactions occur under very mild and neutral conditions (at room temperature or with mild heating) and are highly regio- and stereoselective. In all cases, nucleophilic attack occurs at the allylic epoxide carbon atom and proceeds with inversion of stereochemistry (Scheme 9.11). 

Azidoalcohols (79, 81) can be accessed directly through the cerium-catalyzed addition of sodium azide onto mono-substituted epoxides. When the substituent is a simple alkyl or aryl group, nucleophilic attack at the more substituted epoxide carbon was observed i.e., 78 -> 79). However, when a phenoxy group was incorporated into the side chain (e.g., 80), a crossover to attack on the unsubstituted methylene carbon was encountered <99SC561>. 

For the (coordination) anionic polymerization, metal alkoxides are often employed as initiators. In this system, the ring opening of epoxide takes place by a nucleophilic attack of an alkoxide on the (activated) epoxide carbon to generate another metal alkoxide which behaves as the propagating species (Scheme 3), The nature of metal-alkoxide... 

For example, 1-donor-substituted cyclopropancmethanols may be efficiently produced by cyclopropanation of suitably substituted enol ethers, by reaction of 1-donor-substituted 1-lithio-cyclopropanes with carbonyl compounds, or by addition of carbon nucleophiles to 1-donor-substituted cyclopropanecarbaldehydes. Oxaspiropentanes, important precursors of cyclobutanones, may as easily be obtained by epoxidation of methylenecyclopropanes, or by reaction of carbonyl compounds with diphenylsulfonium cyclopropanide and l-bromo-1-lithiocyclopropanes, respectively. Moreover, as the stereochemistry of most rearrangements may be efficiently controlled, asymmetric syntheses begin to appear. 

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