Hydrogenation, catalytic epoxides

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. 

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). 

Alkenes are reduced by addition of H2 in the presence of a catalyst such as platinum or palladium to yield alkanes, a process called catalytic hydrogenation. Alkenes are also oxidized by reaction with a peroxyacid to give epoxides, which can be converted into lTans-l,2-diols by acid-catalyzed epoxide hydrolysis. The corresponding cis-l,2-diols can be made directly from alkenes by hydroxylation with 0s04. Alkenes can also be cleaved to produce carbonyl compounds by reaction with ozone, followed by reduction with zinc metal. 

Pyrazoles were synthesized in the authors laboratory by Le Blanc et al. from the epoxy-ketone as already stated in Sect. 3.1.1a, Scheme 35 [80]. The synthetic strategy employed by Le Blanc et al. [80] was based upon that the strategy published by Bhat et al. [81] who also described the synthesis of pyrazoles but did not report cytotoxic evaluation on the synthesized compounds. Scheme 48 shows the synthesis of the most active compound (178). Dissolution of the epoxide (179) with a xylenes followed by treatment with p-toluenesulfonic acid and hydrazine hydrate produced the pure nitro-pyrazole 180 in good yield (60%). Catalytic hydrogenation with palladium on activated carbon allowed the amino-pyrazole (178) to be obtained in a pure form. This synthesis allowed relatively large numbers of compounds to be produced as the crude product was sufficiently pure. Yield, reaction time, and purification compared to reported approaches were improved [50, 61, and 81]. Cytotoxicity of these pyrazole analogs was disappointing. The planarity of these compounds may account for this, as CA-4, 7 is a twisted molecule. 

The coupling product 177 is subjected to epoxidation to give epoxide compound 178 on which the C-l hydroxyl group will be generated via catalytic hydrogenation. After the dihydroxyl groups of the hydrogenation product 179 have been protected with cyclic carbonate, the C=C double bond between C-l2... 

It is now clear that asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation is rather successful. However, the initial research work of Sharpless [5] in the asymmetric epoxidation, followed by the results of Jacobsen et al. [6] opened large opportunities for liquid-phase asymmetric oxidation. Sharpless epoxidation has been widely applied in bench-scale organic synthesis, and more recently, salene derivatives emerged among the most effective catalysts in this reaction [7,8],... 

Hydrogenolysis of epoxides to alcohols by catalytic hydrogenation over platinum requires acid catalysis. 1-Methylcyclohexene oxide was reduced to a mixture of cis- and /ranj-2-methylcyclohexanol [652]. Steroidal epoxides usually gave axial alcohols stereospecifically 4,5-epoxycoprostan-3a-ol afforded cholestan-3a,4/J-diol [652 ]. 

Unsaturated epoxides are reduced preferentially at the double bonds by catalytic hydrogenation. The rate of hydrogenolysis of the epoxides is much lower than that of the addition of hydrogen across the carbon-carbon double bond. In a, -unsaturated epoxides borane attacks the conjugated double bond at -carbon in a cis direction with respect to the epoxide ring and gives allylic alcohols [660], Similar complex reduction of epoxides occurs in a-keto epoxides (p. 126). 

As a third example for an organocatalytic reaction, based on multiple hydrogen bonding and mechanistically investigated by DFT, we selected olefin epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide in fluorinated alcohol solvents, such as 1,1,1,3,3,3-hex-afluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) (Scheme 8). Here we encounter a new type of catalytic hydrogen bond the cooperative hydrogen bond. 

The key bond closure in Scheme 13.21 is somewhat similar to that used in Scheme 13.20 but is performed on a bicyclo[4.4.0]decane ring system. The ring juncture must be cis to permit the intramolecular epoxide ring opening. The required cis ring fusion is established during the catalytic hydrogenation in step A. 

A double reduction was achieved under catalytic hydrogenation conditions to open the epoxide and reduce the nitro group to an amino group in 90% yield. The aniline thus afforded was reacted with diethylethoxymethylenemalonate to give 92. 92 was next cyclized to the 1,4-benzoxazine 93 via a Mitsunobu reaction in the absence of a Lewis acid, unlike Kim s approach (Kang et al., 1996). Completion of the tricycle core was ultimately achieved in PPE at 140-145°C to furnish the LVX core in 85% yield. The core was converted to LVX (1) in two precedented steps. 

CARBON SKELETON. The technique of precolumn catalytic hydrogenation can be applied to reduce certain unsaturated compounds to their parent hydrocarbons. Compounds analyzed by this technique include esters, ketones, aldehydes, amines, epoxides, nitriles, halides, sulfides, and fatty acids. Fatty acids usually give a hydrocarbon that, is the next lower homolag than the parent acid. For most systems utilizing hydrogenation, hydrogen is also used as the carrier gas. Usually 1% palladium or platinum on a non-adsorptive porous support such as AW-Chromosorb P is used as the catalytic packing material. 

The development of asymmetric cyclopropanation protocols has been actively studied and in recent years remarkable progress has been made. The extent of chiral induction that can now be obtained in these reactions approaches the level of other classic catalytic asymmetric reactions on alkenes, such as catalytic hydrogenation and the Sharpless epoxidation.37... 

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