Esterification reaction with anhydrides

Reactions with anhydrides and acid chlorides are more rapid and can occur in an essentially nonreversible fashion. But, anhydrides and acid chlorides are considered high-energy reactants since they often involve additional energy-requiring steps in their production, and are thus less suitable for large-scale production of materials. The activity energies for direct esterification and transesterification are on the order of 30 kcal/mol (120 kJ/mol) while the activation energies for anhydride and acid chloride reaction with alcohols are on the order of 15-20 kcal/mol (60-80 kJ/mol). 

The course of the decomposition of the mixed anhydrides [Scheme 44] which leads to the formation of expected esters (path A) or to a mixture of symmetrical carbonates and anhydrides (path B) strongly depends on the structures of the chloroformate and the carboxylic acid but also on the choice of the catalyst.. Because selective production of esters if of great interest, we have studied the thermal instability of the mixed anhydrides and developed a new efficient and selective esterification reaction with chloroformates using a silica supported guanidinium catalyst (Ref. 39). This method will be discussed in vol. 2 section 4-4. 

Commodity Phthalate Esters. The family of phthalate esters are by far the most abundandy produced woddwide. Both orthophthaUc and terephthahc acid and anhydrides are manufactured. The plasticizer esters are produced from these materials by reaction with an appropriate alcohol (eq. 1) terephthalate esterification for plasticizers is performed more abundandy in the United States. Phthalate esters are manufactured from methanol (C ) up to Qyj alcohols, although phthalate use as PVC plasticizers is generally in the range to The lower molecular weight phthalates find use in nitrocellulose the higher phthalates as synthetic lubricants for the automotive industries. 

Uses ndReactions. Linalool can be estetified to linalyl acetate by reaction with acetic anhydride. Linalyl acetate [115-95-7] has a floral-fmity odor, reminiscent of bergamot and lavender. The price of the acetate in 1995 was 14.30/kg (45). Linalool is subject to dehydration and to isomerization to nerol and geraniol during the esterification. However, if the acetic acid formed during the esterification is removed in a distillation column, the isomerization can be minimized and good yields of the acetate obtained (130). 

The esterification reaction may be carried out with a number of different anhydrides but the literature indicates that acetic anhydride is preferred. The reaction is catalysed by amines and the soluble salts of the alkali metals. The presence of free acid has an adverse effect on the esterification reaction, the presence of hydrogen ions causing depolymerisation by an unzipping mechanism. Reaction temperatures may be in the range of 130-200°C. Sodium acetate is a particularly effective catalyst. Esterification at 139°C, the boiling point of acetic anhydride, in the presence of 0.01% sodium acetate (based on the anhydride) is substantially complete within 5 minutes. In the absence of such a catalyst the percentage esterification is of the order of only 35% after 15 minutes. 

Enol esterification with acetyl chloride-acetic anhydride gives the A -trien-3-acetate, but reaction with isopropenyl acetate or with hot acetic anhydride-pyridine gives A " -trien-3-acetates. " Since A"" -3-ketones react with Girard reagents, these linear dienones can be separated from A ""-3-ketones. ... 

Somewhat milder oxidative conditions lead to loss of but one carbon. Periodic acid cleavage of the side chain in 65, leads to the so-called etio acid (66). Reaction with propionic anhydride leads to acylation of the 17-hydroxyl group (67). Possibilities for neighboring group participation severely limit the methods available for activating the acid for esterification. Best results seemed to have been obtained by use of a mixed anhydride from treatment with diphenyl chloro-... 

Normal Fischer esterification of tertiary alcohols is unsatisfactory because the acid catalyst required causes dehydration or rearrangement of the tertiary substrate. Moreover, reactions with acid chlorides or anhydrides are also of limited value for similar reasons. However, treatment of acetic anhydride with calcium carbide (or calcium hydride) followed by addition of the dry tertiary alcohol gives the desired acetate in good yield. 

As previously discussed, solvents that dissolve cellulose by derivatization may be employed for further functionahzation, e.g., esterification. Thus, cellulose has been dissolved in paraformaldehyde/DMSO and esterified, e.g., by acetic, butyric, and phthalic anhydride, as well as by unsaturated methacrylic and maleic anhydride, in the presence of pyridine, or an acetate catalyst. DS values from 0.2 to 2.0 were obtained, being higher, 2.5 for cellulose acetate. H and NMR spectroscopy have indicated that the hydroxyl group of the methy-lol chains are preferably esterified with the anhydrides. Treatment of celliflose with this solvent system, at 90 °C, with methylene diacetate or ethylene diacetate, in the presence of potassium acetate, led to cellulose acetate with a DS of 1.5. Interestingly, the reaction with acetyl chloride or activated acid is less convenient DMAc or DMF can be substituted for DMSO [215-219]. In another set of experiments, polymer with high o -celliflose content was esterified with trimethylacetic anhydride, 1,2,4-benzenetricarboylic anhydride, trimellitic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, and a pyridine catalyst. The esters were isolated after 8h of reaction at 80-100°C, or Ih at room temperature (trimellitic anhydride). These are versatile compounds with interesting elastomeric and thermoplastic properties, and can be cast as films and membranes [220]. 

Despite its widespread application [31,32], the kinetic resolution has two major drawbacks (i) the maximum theoretical yield is 50% owing to the consumption of only one enantiomer, (ii) the separation of the product and the remaining starting material may be laborious. The separation is usually carried out by chromatography, which is inefficient on a large scale, and several alternative methods have been developed (Figure 6.2). For example, when a cyclic anhydride is the acyl donor in an esterification reaction, the water-soluble monoester monoacid is separable by extraction with an aqueous alkaline solution [33,34]. Also, fiuorous phase separation techniques have been combined with enzymatic kinetic resolutions [35]. To overcome the 50% yield limitation, one of the enantiomers may, in some cases, be racemized and resubmitted to the resolution procedure. 

Figure 27 shows that the release rate of CBP from the polymer decreased with increasing injection-molding temperatures. Samples with decreased levels of phthalic anhydride and increased levels of the phthalate half ester erode at slower rates presumably because the phthalic acid (pKai = 2.9 and pKa2 = 5.5) is a stronger acid than its alkyl half ester (estimated pKa = 3.6) and because the concentration of acidic groups is reduced by the esterification reaction. 

The kinetics of the acid-catalyzed esterification reaction of 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoic acid in i-PrOH under microwave irradiation have been investigated [84], A simple and practical technique for MW-assisted synthesis of esters has been reported wherein the reactions are conducted either on solid mineral supports or by using a phase transfer catalyst (PTC) in the absence of organic solvents [85], The esterification of enols with acetic anhydride and iodine has also been recorded [86],... 

Another important use of solubility parameters is in interpreting the effects of different solvents on the rates of reactions. In a chemical reaction, it is the concentration of the transition state that determines the rate of the reaction. Depending on the characteristics of the transition state, the solvent used can either facilitate or hinder its formation. For example, a transition state that is large and has little charge separation is hindered in its formation by using a solvent that has a high value of S. The volume of activation is usually positive for forming such a transition state which requires expansion of the solvent. A reaction of this type is the esterification of acetic anhydride with ethyl alcohol ... 

During the first decade when solid-phase synthesis was executed using Fmoc/tBu chemistry, the first Fmoc-amino acid was anchored to the support by reaction of the symmetrical anhydride with the hydroxymethylphenyl group of the linker or support. Because this is an esterification reaction that does not occur readily, 4-dimethylaminopyridine was employed as catalyst. The basic catalyst caused up to 6% enantiomerization of the activated residue (see Section 4.19). Diminution of the amount of catalyst to one-tenth of an equivalent (Figure 5.21, A) reduced the isomerization substantially but did not suppress it completely. As a consequence, the products synthesized during that decade were usually contaminated with a small amount of the epimer. In addition, the basic catalyst was responsible for a second side reaction namely, the premature removal of Fmoc protector, which led to loading of some dimer of the first residue. Nothing could be done about the situation,... 

Unsaturated polyesters are prepared through a classical esterification process. Typically, a dihydroxy compound, or mixtures of dihydroxy compounds, are treated with maleic anhydride and/or together with other dicarboxylic acids such as aromatic or aliphatic dicarboxylic acids under elevated temperature to remove the water produced during esterification process. Although various catalysts will catalyze this esterification reaction, there is enough carboxylic acid in the mixture so that it is not necessary to add extra catalyst. 

Esterification Reactions. Possibly the simplest reaction on poly(vinyl alcohol) would be the acetylation to regenerate the poly(vinyl acetate), Equation 2. While this reaction occurs readily, with acetic anhydride in pyridine solution, the result-... 

Matsnda, H. and Ueda, M. (1985d). Preparation and ntiUsation of esterified woods bearing carboxyl gronps. VI. Stepwise alternately adding esterification reaction of esterified woods with epoxides and dicarboxylic acid anhydrides. Mokuzai Gakkaishi, 31(6), 468-474. 

The norbornene derivative 16, obtained exclusively as the exo adduct via a Diels-Alder reaction of itaconic anhydride with cyclopentadiene followed by hydrolysis and esterification [7], was found to be a suitable precursor for an enolate of type 14 (Scheme 2). Due to the quaternary center at C-3 eno-lization with base proceeded unambiguously, giving rise to a diastereomeric mixture of lactones 17/18 after reaction with hexanal. Retro-Diels-Alder reaction led to the monocyclic lactones 19/20 (2 1), elegantly unmasking the cxo-methylene group found in so many paraconic acids [8]. Hydrolysis of this mixture in refluxing butanone with 6 N HCl [9] effected epimerization... 

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