Ethyl hydrolysis

Several new syntheses of emetine and its analogues have been reported, most differing only slightly in the preparation of previous intermediates. A more novel approach involved the Michael addition of the anion (418) of 1-methyldimethoxydihy-droisoquinoline to the unsaturated ester (419) to gove (420), followed by c-ethylation, hydrolysis and decarboxylation and reduction with lithium aluminium hydride (Kametani, S. Surgenor and K. Fukumoto, J.chem.Soc., Perkin I, 1981, 920) to give the alkaloid. 

Figure 2.11. Chlorimuron-ethyl hydrolysis rate constant versus pH at 45°C in buffered aqueous solution. From Hay (1990). (Reprinted by permission of the Society of Chemical Industry).

R-benzyl -ethyl Hydrolysis of aliphatic P-aminonitriles >99.5% ee (amide) >99.5% ee (acid) Rhodococcus erythropolis A) 270 [1]... 

A particularly interesting type of micellar catalysis is the autocatalytic self-replication of micelles [58]. Various examples have been described, but a particularly interesting case is the biphasic self-reproduction of aqueous caprylate micelles [59]. In this system ethyl caprylate undergoes hydroxyl catalysed hydrolysis to produce the free carboxylate anion, caprylate. Caprylate micelles then fonn. As these micelles fonn, they solubilize ethylcaprylate and catalyse further production of caprylate anion and caprylate micelles. 

The solution of potassium ethyl sulphate can be concentrated on the water-bath without appreciable hydrolysis, and the sulphate finally crystallised out-... 

Hydrolysis of Potassium Ethyl Sulphate. Dissolve about i g. of the crystals in about 4 ml. of cold distilled water, and divide the solution into two portions, a) To one portion, add barium chloride solution. If pure potassium ethyl sulphate were used, no precipitate should now form, as barium ethyl sulphate is soluble in water. Actually however, almost all samples of potassium ethyl sulphate contain traces of potassium hydrogen sulphate formed by slight hydrolysis of the ethyl compound during the evaporation of its solution, and barium chloride almost invariably gives a faint precipitate of barium sulphate. b) To the second portion, add 2-3 drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid, and boil the mixture gently for about one minute. Cool, add distilled water if necessary until the solution has its former volume, and then add barium chloride as before. A markedly heavier precipitate of barium sulphate separates. The hydrolysis of the potassium ethyl sulphate is hastened considerably by the presence of the free acid Caustic alkalis have a similar, but not quite so rapid an effect. 

When esters such as ethyl acetate are shaken with water, hydrolysis slowly occurs, and ultimately an equilibrium is attained ... 

Hydrolysis of Ethyl Acetate (Semi-Micro Scale)... 

Hydrolysis of Ethyl Bromide. Add -a few drops of pure freshly distilled ethyl bromide to 2-3 ml. of aqueous silver nitrate solution in a test-tube and shake. Only a faint opalescence of silver bromide should be formed. -Now carefully warm the mixture in a small Bunsen flame, with gentle shaking silver bromide soon appears as a white suspension which rapidly increases in quantity and becomes a heavy precipitate. The ethyl bromide is thus moderately stable in cold water, but rapidly hydrolysed by hot water. 

Hydrolysis. Ethyl acetoacetate when treated w ith cold dilute sodium hydroxide solution gives the sodium salt of acetoacetic acid. This acid is unstable, and readily breaks down into acetone and carbon dioxide it is of considerable... 

Ketonic Hydrolysis. Hot dilute caustic alkalis or hydrochloric acid first hydrolyse off the ethyl group, and then remove carbon dioxide, a mono- or di-substituted acetone being thus obtained ... 

In brief, suitable hydrolysis of ethyl acetoacetate derivatives will give mono-or di-alkyl substituted acetones or acetic acids. Tri-substituted acetones or acetic acids cannot be obtained moreover, the di-substituted acetones must... 

The preparation of methyl-phenyl-pyrazolone illustrates one of the synthetic uses of ethyl acetoacetate, as distinct from those involving the hydrolysis of substitution derivatives. 

It follows therefore that ethyl malonate can be used (just as ethyl aceto- acetate) to prepare any mono or di-substituted acetic acid the limitations are identical, namely the substituents must necessarily be alkyl groups (or aryl-alkyl groups such as CjHjCHj), and tri-substituted acetic acids cannot be prepared. Ethyl malonate undergoes no reaction equivalent to the ketonic hydrolysis of ethyl acetoacetate, and the concentration of the alkali used for the hydrolysis is therefore not important. 

Drying by hydrolysis. The production of extremely dry (99 -9-(- per cent.) ethyl alcohol from commercial absolute alcohol (99-f percent.) is possible by taking advantage of the fact that the hydrolysis of an ester consumes water. Thus if the absolute alcohol is treated with a little sodium in the presence of an ester of high boiling point e.g., ethyl... 

The anhydrous compound is not appreciably hygroscopic, is readily soluble in acetone and amyl alcohol, and insoluble in benzene, toluene, xylene and chloroform it is also readily soluble in absolute methyl or ethyl alcohol, but a trace of water causes immediate hydrolysis with the formation of an opalescent precipitate. 

The above example serves to iUustrate the basis of the procedure employed for the characterisation of aUphatic esters, viz., hydrolysis to, and identification of, the parent acids and alcohols. Most esters are liquids a notable exception is dimethyl oxalate, m.p. 54°. Many have pleasant, often fruit-hke, odours. Many dry esters react with sodium, but less readily than do alcohols hydrogen is evolved particularly on warming, and a sohd sodio derivative may separate on coohng (e.j/., ethyl acetate yields ethyl sodioacetoacetate ethyl adipate gives ethyl sodio cj/cZopentanone carboxylate). 

Ketonic hydrolysis with a mixture of sulphuric and acetic acids of the ethyl Mobutyryltsobutyrate 3uelds di-tso-propyl ketone ... 

Into a 2-litre, three-necked flask, fitted with a separatory funnel, a mechanical stirrer and a reflux condenser, place a hot solution of 200 g. of potassium hydroxide in 200 ml. of water. Stir the solution and add slowly 200 g. of ethyl n-butylmalonate (Section 111,154). A vigorous reaction occurs and the solution refluxes. When all the ester has been added, boil the solution gently for 2-3 hours, i.e., until hydrolysis is complete a test portion should dissolve completely in water. Dilute with 200 ml. of water and distil oflF 200 ml. of liquid in order to ensure the complete removal of the alcohol formed in the hydrolysis (1) it is best to connect the flask by means of a wide delivery tube to a condenser set for downward distillation (compare Fig. II, 41, 1 but with a mercury-sealed stirrer in the centre neck). Replace the separatory funnel and the reflux condenser. 

Method 2 (Alkaline hydrolysis). Use a solution of 15 g. of p-bromo-acetanihde in 30 ml. of boiling ethyl alcohol, and add a solution of 7 5 g. of potassium hydroxide in 10 ml. of water. Reflux for 40 minutes, dilute with 120 ml. of water, and distil vmtil 75 ml. of distillate (alcohol and water) are collected pour the residue into 150 ml, of cold water. 

The benzoyl compounds frequently occlude traces of unchanged benzoyl chloride, which thus escape hydrolysis by the caustic alkali it is therefore advisable, wherever possible, to recrystaUise the benzoyl derivatives from methyl, or ethyl alcohol or methylated spirit, since these solvents will esterify the unchanged chloride and so remove the latter from the recrystalKsed material. Sometimes the benzoyl compound does not crystallise well this difficulty may frequently be overcome by the use of p-nitrobenzoyl chloride or 3 5-dinitro-benzoyl chloride, which usually give highly crystalline derivatives of high melting point (see Section IV,114j. 

Trimethylene dibromide (1 mol) condenses with ethyl malonate (1 mol) in the presence of sodium ethoxide (2 mols) to form ethyl cydobutane-1 1-dksrboxylate (I). Upon hydrolysis of the latter with alcoholic potassium hydroxide, followed by acidification cyciobutane-1 1-dicarboxylic acid (II) is obtained. 

This preparation illustrates the Reformatsky reaction, which consists in the interaction of a carbonyl compound, an a-halogen ester (e.g., ethyl bromo-acetate) and zinc In the presence of ether or benzene, followed by hydrolysis. 

When acetone is condensed with ethyl cyanoacetate in the presence of a solution of anhydrous ammonia in absolute alcohol at —5°, the ammonium salt of the dicyano-imlde (I) is precipitated. Upon dissolving this salt in water and adding excess of concentrated hydrochloric acid, the crystalline dicyano-imide (II) is obtained. Hydrolysis of the last-named with strong sulphuric acid affords p p dimethylglutaric acid (III). 

The addition of active methylene compounds (ethyl malonate, ethyl aoeto-acetate, ethyl plienylacetate, nltromethane, acrylonitrile, etc.) to the aP-double bond of a conjugated unsaturated ketone, ester or nitrile In the presence of a basic catalyst (sodium ethoxide, piperidine, diethylamiiie, etc.) is known as the Michael reaction or Michael addition. The reaction may be illustrated by the addition of ethyl malonate to ethyl fumarate in the presence of sodium ethoxide hydrolysis and decarboxylation of the addendum (ethyl propane-1 1 2 3-tetracarboxylate) yields trlcarballylic acid ... 

In the above reaction one molecular proportion of sodium ethoxide is employed this is Michael s original method for conducting the reaction, which is reversible and particularly so under these conditions, and in certain circumstances may lead to apparently abnormal results. With smaller amounts of sodium alkoxide (1/5 mol or so the so-called catal3rtic method) or in the presence of secondary amines, the equilibrium is usually more on the side of the adduct, and good yields of adducts are frequently obtained. An example of the Michael addition of the latter type is to be found in the formation of ethyl propane-1 1 3 3 tetracarboxylate (II) from formaldehyde and ethyl malonate in the presence of diethylamine. Ethyl methylene-malonate (I) is formed intermediately by the simple Knoevenagel reaction and this Is followed by the Michael addition. Acid hydrolysis of (II) gives glutaric acid (III). 

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