Metal hydrides esters

A number of less hindered monoalkylboranes is available by indirect methods, eg, by treatment of a thexylborane—amine complex with an olefin (69), the reduction of monohalogenoboranes or esters of boronic acids with metal hydrides (70—72), the redistribution of dialkylboranes with borane (64) or the displacement of an alkene from a dialkylborane by the addition of a tertiary amine (73). To avoid redistribution, monoalkylboranes are best used /V situ or freshly prepared. However, they can be stored as monoalkylborohydrides or complexes with tertiary amines. The free monoalkylboranes can be hberated from these derivatives when required (69,74—76). Methylborane, a remarkably unhindered monoalkylborane, exhibits extraordinary hydroboration characteristics. It hydroborates hindered and even unhindered olefins to give sequentially alkylmethyl- and dialkylmethylboranes (77—80). 

Reduction with Metals and Metal Hydrides. Practically any ester can be reduced by Na—C2H OH, Li or Na—NH, LiAlH, LiBH, or NaBH to give alcohols in excellent yield (35,36). Carbon-carbon double bonds are usually preserved using these reducing reagents. 

Reactions of Complex Metal Hydrides with Borate Esters. J. Organo-metal. Chem. 3, 371 (1965). 

The importance of reactions with complex, metal hydrides in carbohydrate chemistry is well documented by a vast number of publications that deal mainly with reduction of carbonyl groups, N- and O-acyl functions, lactones, azides, and epoxides, as well as with reactions of sulfonic esters. With rare exceptions, lithium aluminum hydride and lithium, sodium, or potassium borohydride are the... 

The formation of vinylboranes and vinylboronate esters during some metal-promoted hydroboration of alkenes has led to the suggestion of an alternative mechanistic pathway. Insertion of the alkene into the metal-boron bond occurs in preference to insertion into the metal-hydride bond.44,51,52 In a competing side-reaction to reductive elimination, f3-H elimination from the resulting borylalkyl intermediate furnishes the vinylborane byproduct.52 There remains however a substantial body of evidence, both experimental53 and theoretical,54 that supports the idea that transfer of hydride to the coordinated alkene precedes transfer of the boryl fragment. 

In 2004, List reported that several ammonium salts including dibenzylammonium trifluoroacetate catalyzed the chemoselective 1,4 reduction of a, 5-unsaturated aldehydes with Hantszch esters as hydride sources [40]. It is assumed that substrate activation via iminium ion formation results in selective 1,4 addition of hydride. Subsequently, List [41] and MacMillan [42] reported asymmetric versions of this reaction promoted by chiral imidazoUdinone salts. In this context, several reports of this metal-free reductive process catalyzed by chiral phosphoric acids have appeared in the recent literature. 

Metal Hydrides. Metal hydrides generally react readily with acetylenes, often by an insertion mechanism. Cobalt hydrocarbonyl gives complicated mixtures of compounds with acetylenes. The only products which have been identified so far are dicobalt hexacarbonyl acetylene complexes (34). Greenfield reports that, under conditions of the hydroformy lation reaction, acetylenes give only small yields of saturated monoaldehydes (30), probably formed by first hydrogenating the acetylene and then reacting with the olefin. Other workers have identified a variety of products from acetylene, carbon monoxide, and an alcohol with a cobalt catalyst, probably cobalt hydrocarbonyl. The major products observed were succinate esters (74,19) and succinate half ester acetals (19). 

However, the most important methods for preparing alcohols are catalytic hydrogenation (H2/Pd-C) or metal hydride (NaBH4 or LiAlH4) reduction of aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, acid chlorides and esters (see Sections 5.7.15 and 5.7.16), and nucleophilic addition of organometalhc reagents (RLi and RMgX) to aldehydes, ketones, acid chlorides and esters (see Sections 5.3.2 and 5.5.5). 

The metal hydride mechanism was first described for the cobalt-carbonyl-catalyzed ester formation by analogy with hydroformylation.152 It was later adapted to carboxylation processes catalyzed by palladium136 153 154 and platinum complexes.137 As in the hydroformylation mechanism, the olefin inserts itself into the... 

Reduction of carbonyl compounds with metal hydrides or boranes a. primary alcohols from aldehydes, acids, acid halides, and esters... 

Another variation of the palladium-catalyzed carbonylation reaction occurs when hydrogen is added rather than an alcohol or a primary or secondary amine. This variation leads to aldehyde formation the hydrogen reduces the acylpalladium intermediate to aldehyde and metal hydride (76). A basic tertiary amine is also added as in the ester-forming reaction to neutralize the hydrogen halide formed in the dissociation of the hydride ... 

Both mechanisms are predicted to show syn addition of hydride and caiboxylate to the alkene. In the metal hydride mechanism (equation 36) alkene insertion is syn and CO insertion proceeds with retention of configuration at carbon. In the metal carboxylate mechanisms (equation 37) alkene insertion is syn and cleavage of the metal-carbon bond can take place with retention at carbon. The palladium-catalyzed hydroesterification reaction produces the erythro ester from (Z)-3-methyl-2-pentene (equation 38) and the threo ester from ( )-3-methyl-2-pentene (equation 39).w... 

The peroxide 0-0 bond is relatively weak therefore, reactions at another site of a molecule, which bears a peroxide function, are carefully controlled. The tolerance of the peroxy 0-0 bond to a number of metal hydrides including 1,2-dioxepane derivatives was studied (Equations 10-12). For example, 58 was examined with the targeted reduction site being an ester group. The peroxide bond survived these reduction conditions <2005JOC4240>. 

One of the uses of these ester-acyl chlorides is for the synthesis of co-hydroxy esters which involves the selective reduction of the acyl chloride grouping with sodium borohydride161 the alkoxycarbonyl group is unaffected by this metal hydride reducing agent (cf. Section 5.4.1, p. 519). 

Allyl ketones can be prepared by trapping acylpalladium intermediates with main group metal compounds. The allyl ketone 251 can be prepared from the allyl ester 248 by trapping acylpalladium 249 with the alkylzinc compound 250 at room temperature and 1 atm [115]. Reaction of geranyl chloride (252) with the furylstannane 253 under CO pressure afforded the ketone 254, which was converted to dendrolasin (255) [93]. Aldehydes are prepared by trapping with a metal hydride. The /l,y-unsaturated aldehyde 257 is prepared by the carbonylation of the allyl chloride 256 in the presence of Bu3 SnH [116,117],... 

This method is an inexpensive substitute for LAH reductions of esters in industrial production, and was the only alternative prior to the development of the metal hydride reducing agents. This dissolving metal reduction is also related to the Birch Reduction. 

The reaction of esters with sodium in ethanol is referred to as the Bouveault-Blanc reaction. Prior to the discovery of complex metal hydrides, this reaction was the only method for the reduction of esters to alcohols. The diesters shown in Figure 17.59 produce a diol in this way. 

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